EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson
Letter from Brussels: Gas infrastructure falls out of favour
Coal-to-gas switching could be undermined by proposed regulation excluding gas infrastructure from energy priority scheme
The European Commission’s proposal to revise the Trans-European Energy (TEN-E) regulation aims to align EU support for energy projects with European Green Deal objectives. But it threatens to hamper the coal-to-gas switching that has made, and could still make, a significant contribution to lowering emissions across several member states. The proposed changes, unveiled in December, will constrain the scope of TEN-E regulation to designate new gas infrastructure as EU projects of common interest (PCIs). Becoming a PCI means greater potential for EU funding—primarily under the Connecting Europe Facility, which allocated €1.5bn ($1.82bn) to gas projects from 2014-20—and for fast-tracking of pe
Also in this section
24 December 2025
As activity in the US Gulf has stagnated at a lower level, the government is taking steps to encourage fresh exploration and bolster field development work
23 December 2025
The new government has brought stability and security to the country, with the door now open to international investment
23 December 2025
A third wave of LNG supply is coming, and with it a likely oversupply of the fuel by 2028
22 December 2025
Weakening climate resolve in the developed world and rapidly growing demand in developing countries means peak oil is still a long way away
