“Europe’s New Energy Arteries: ACER’s Roadmap for the TEN-E Revision”
(Article drafted by Kosmas Karanikolas, Senior Associate, and Ioanna Toufexi, Associate, for Lexology on November 20, 2025)
Introduction: Europe’s Energy System in Transformation
The European Union is entering a new era of energy transformation. Electrification, green industry, hydrogen, and renewable energy sources are rapidly increasing the demand for stronger, smarter, and more interconnected grids.
Europe is confronted with a historic energy challenge. On one hand, it is committed to achieving climate neutrality; on the other, it must develop networks capable of supporting billions of new electric devices, millions of electric vehicles, data centers and an entirely new hydrogen economy.
The current legal framework governing Europe’s energy networks — particularly the TEN-E Regulation — is now widely viewed as complex, slow, and difficult to implement. For this reason, the European Commission is preparing a new European Grid Package for 2025.
In this context, ACER, the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, has published detailed proposals outlining how the existing framework should be revised.
The Issue: A Slow and Fragmented Planning Framework
ACER is clearly stated that today’s legal framework is excessively complex, burdened with consultations, steps, and procedures that delay the planning of critical infrastructure.
At present, building a high-voltage line or a hydrogen pipeline requires navigating a long chain of prerequisites: extensive scenario cycles, highly complex ten-year network development plans (TYNDPs), slow procedures for selecting Projects of Common Interest (PCIs), and a labyrinth of assessments and approvals.
The result is that planning is so delayed that projects often materialize only when the market has already moved on.
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