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eBriefing EUGRID · Preview
European Cross-Border Electricity Infrastructure
PCI/PMI Projects, Selection, Funding and Strategic Intelligence
Release date
22 September 2026
Last updated
23 September 2026
Preview edition.
Information available up to 23 September 2026 ·
EUGRID monitors the EU PCI/PMI selection process, electricity infrastructure
pipeline, financing and the third Union-list exercise launched in 2026.
Europe is deciding which cross-border electricity projects should receive strategic priority, accelerated permitting, coordinated regulation and potential access to EU financing. EUGRID explains how that selection works, what has already been chosen and funded, and what the next Union list means for public and private operators.
Three application deadlines
30 September 2026
Hydrogen, electrolyser and cross-border CO2
infrastructure candidates.
13 November 2026
Electricity transmission and electricity-storage candidates.
4 December 2026
Smart electricity grids, smart gas grids and projects submitted
under Article 24 of the TEN-E Regulation.
Executive Brief
The EU’s PCI/PMI process is a mechanism for choosing which cross-border energy bottlenecks deserve political priority. In electricity, the policy has moved beyond completing missing national interconnections. Its purpose is increasingly to create a European system capable of integrating large volumes of renewable power, offshore generation, storage and digitally managed flexibility.
The strategic question is no longer simply where another transmission line should be built. Europe must decide how electricity can move across borders, how renewable curtailment can be reduced, how offshore generation can be connected and how critical infrastructure can withstand physical and cyber risks.
PCI or PMI status signals that a project is relevant to this wider continental system. It can provide priority treatment, coordinated regulation and eligibility to compete for Connecting Europe Facility support. It does not, however, amount to a construction authorisation or an automatic grant award.
EUGRID assessment.
The Union list should be read as a forward-looking map of European system
constraints. Projects that enter, leave or change position reveal evolving
EU priorities in grid integration, security, offshore development, storage
and relations with neighbouring countries.
From selection to implementation
Selection and governance
How DG Energy, ENTSO-E, ACER, national authorities and Regional Groups assess, rank and approve candidate projects.
Projects and financing
Selected interconnectors, offshore grids, storage and smart-grid initiatives, with status, official links and EU grant information.
Operator implications
Permitting, cost allocation, procurement, investment, supply-chain and industrial-location consequences for market participants.
Who should use EUGRID?
- Transmission system operators
- Distribution system operators
- Infrastructure promoters
- Public authorities and regulators
- Technology and equipment suppliers
- EPC contractors
- Investors and lenders
- Renewable-energy developers
- Industrial electricity users
- Policy and regulatory advisers
Continue with the Full eBriefing
Access the complete EUGRID analysis of the EU selection mechanism, previous Union lists, electricity-project pipeline, CEF funding rounds, governance, deadlines, legal remedies and the issues that public and private operators should monitor.
Read the Full eBriefingRegistration is free and no payment is required.
Principal sources: European Commission DG Energy, EUR-Lex, CINEA, ACER, ENTSO-E and official project-promoter information.
© 2026 eEuropa. All rights reserved.
This eBriefing provides general policy, regulatory and market intelligence. Information available up to 23 September 2026.
