ANNEX IV

A project with significant cross-border impact is a project on the territory of a Member State, which fulfils the following conditions: for electricity transmission, the project increases the grid transfer capacity, or the capacity available for commercial flows, at the border of that Member State with one or several other Member States, or at any other relevant cross-section of the same transmission corridor having the effect of increasing this cross-border grid transfer capacity, by at least 500 Megawatt compared to the situation without commissioning of the project; for electricity storage, the project provides at least 225 MW installed capacity and has a storage capacity that allows a net annual electricity generation of 250 Gigawatt-hours/year; for gas transmission, the project concerns investment in reverse flow capacities or changes the capability to transmit gas across the borders of the Member States concerned by at least 10 % compared to the situation prior to the commissioning of the project; for gas storage or liquefied/compressed natural gas, the project aims at supplying directly or indirectly at least two Member States or at fulfilling the infrastructure standard (N-1 rule) at regional level in accordance with Article 6(3) of Regulation (EU) No 994/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council OJ L 295, 12.11.2010, p. 1. ; for smart grids, the project is designed for equipments and installations at high-voltage and medium-voltage level designed for a voltage of 10 kV or more. It involves transmission and distribution system operators from at least two Member States, which cover at least 50000 users that generate or consume electricity or do both in a consumption area of at least 300 Gigawatthours/year, of which at least 20 % originate from renewable resources that are variable in nature. Concerning projects falling under the categories set out in Annex II.1(a) to (d), the criteria listed in Article 4 shall be evaluated as follows: Market integration, competition and system flexibility shall be measured in line with the analysis made in the latest available Union-wide 10-year network development plan in electricity, notably by: calculating, for cross-border projects, the impact on the grid transfer capability in both power flow directions, measured in terms of amount of power (in megawatt), and their contribution to reaching the minimum interconnection capacity of 10 % installed production capacity or, for projects with significant cross-border impact, the impact on grid transfer capability at borders between relevant Member States, between relevant Member States and third countries or within relevant Member States and on demand-supply balancing and network operations in relevant Member States, assessing the impact, for the area of analysis as defined in Annex V.10, in terms of energy system-wide generation and transmission costs and evolution and convergence of market prices provided by a project under different planning scenarios, notably taking into account the variations induced on the merit order. Transmission of renewable energy generation to major consumption centres and storage sites shall be measured in line with the analysis made in the latest available 10-year network development plan in electricity, notably by: for electricity transmission, by estimating the amount of generation capacity from renewable energy sources (by technology, in megawatts), which is connected and transmitted due to the project, compared to the amount of planned total generation capacity from these types of renewable energy sources in the concerned Member State in 2020 according to the national renewable energy action plans as defined in Article 4 of Directive 2009/28/EC, for electricity storage, by comparing new capacity provided by the project with total existing capacity for the same storage technology in the area of analysis as defined in Annex V.10. Security of supply, interoperability and secure system operation shall be measured in line with the analysis made in the latest available 10-year network development plan in electricity, notably by assessing the impact of the project on the loss of load expectation for the area of analysis as defined in Annex V.10 in terms of generation and transmission adequacy for a set of characteristic load periods, taking into account expected changes in climate-related extreme weather events and their impact on infrastructure resilience. Where applicable, the impact of the project on independent and reliable control of system operation and services shall be measured. Concerning projects falling under the categories set out in Annex II.2, the criteria listed in Article 4 shall be evaluated as follows: Market integration and interoperability shall be measured by calculating the additional value of the project to the integration of market areas and price convergence, to the overall flexibility of the system, including the capacity level offered for reverse flows under various scenarios. Competition shall be measured on the basis of diversification, including the facilitation of access to indigenous sources of supply, taking into account, successively: diversification of sources; diversification of counterparts; diversification of routes; the impact of new capacity on the Herfindahl-Hirschmann index (HHI)calculated at capacity level for the area of analysis as defined in Annex V.10. Security of gas supply shall be measured by calculating the additional value of the project to the short and long-term resilience of the Union’s gas system and to enhancing the remaining flexibility of the system to cope with supply disruptions to Member States under various scenarios as well as the additional capacity provided by the project measured in relation to the infrastructure standard (N-1 rule) at regional level in accordance with Article 6(3) of Regulation (EU) No 994/2010. Sustainability shall be measured as the contribution of a project to reduce emissions, to support the back-up of renewable electricity generation or power-to-gas and biogas transportation, taking into account expected changes in climatic conditions. Concerning projects falling under the category set out in Annex II.1(e), each function listed in Article 4 shall be evaluated against the following criteria: Level of sustainability: This criterion shall be measured by assessing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental impact of electricity grid infrastructure. Capacity of transmission and distribution grids to connect and bring electricity from and to users: This criterion shall be measured by estimating the installed capacity of distributed energy resources in distribution networks, the allowable maximum injection of electricity without congestion risks in transmission networks, and the energy not withdrawn from renewable sources due to congestion or security risks. Network connectivity and access to all categories of network users: This criterion shall be measured by assessing the methods adopted to calculate charges and tariffs, as well as their structure, for generators, consumers and those that do both, and the operational flexibility provided for dynamic balancing of electricity in the network. Security and quality of supply: This criterion shall be measured by assessing the ratio of reliably available generation capacity and peak demand, the share of electricity generated from renewable sources, the stability of the electricity system, the duration and frequency of interruptions per customer, including climate related disruptions, and the voltage quality performance. Efficiency and service quality in electricity supply and grid operation: This criterion shall be measured by assessing the level of losses in transmission and in distribution networks, the ratio between minimum and maximum electricity demand within a defined time period, the demand side participation in electricity markets and in energy efficiency measures, the percentage utilisation (i.e. average loading) of electricity network components, the availability of network components (related to planned and unplanned maintenance) and its impact on network performances, and the actual availability of network capacity with respect to its standard value. Contribution to cross-border electricity markets by load-flow control to alleviate loop-flows and increase interconnection capacities: This criterion shall be estimated by assessing the ratio between interconnection capacity of a Member State and its electricity demand, the exploitation of interconnection capacities, and the congestion rents across interconnections. Concerning oil transport projects falling under the categories set out in Annex II.3, the criteria listed in Article 4 shall be evaluated as follows: Security of oil supply shall be measured by assessing the additional value of the new capacity offered by a project for the short and long-term resilience of the system and the remaining flexibility of the system to cope with supply disruptions under various scenarios. Interoperability shall be measured by assessing to what extent the project improves the operation of the oil network, in particular by providing the possibility of reverse flows. Efficient and sustainable use of resources shall be measured by assessing the extent to which the project makes use of already existing infrastructure and contributes to minimising environmental and climate change burden and risks.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-30 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.