Earlier this month, gas transmission system operators of Slovenia (Plinovodi), Austria (Gas Connect Austria) and Croatia (Plinacro) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the continuation of the cooperation in the area of energy infrastructure development, in compliance with EU regulations. The EU regulations related to guidelines on trans-European energy infrastructure set out plans to abandon fossil fuel projects and promote projects necessary to achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.
The Memorandum gave “special attention” to infrastructure projects connecting the transmission systems at cross-border points as well as harmonisation and cooperation in the submission of the Projects of Common Interest.
President of the Board of Plinacro, Ivica Arar said that the Croatian gas transmission system operator confirms once again to be a “flywheel“ in the development of projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and being one of the leading companies in actively contributing to reaching climate neutrality.
As pointed out by Mr Arar, the signatories agreed on the main guidelines for achieving proper and coordinated submission of the project of mutual interest through the harmonisation of the main information and data on the potential supply sources of hydrogen to be transported in the Croatia-Slovenia-Austria direction and related to the expected development of the maximum technical capacity of hydrogen transmission, and delivery pressure, with the course of time, at each interconnection point operated by individual operators.
The Memorandum presented a joint position that the expansion and development of the pipeline infrastructure for the transport of hydrogen among Croatia, Slovenia and Austria, depending on the availability of hydrogen, is of “mutual interest”. The Memorandum also expressed an agreement that after the submission of projects of “mutual interest”, all parties will be informed regarding the further development of infrastructure projects that can transport hydrogen and infrastructure projects connecting transmission systems at cross-border points. Additionally, all parties will also exchange relevant information on the progress in planning and implementation.
The Memorandum also noted a “possible interaction” in the submitted proposals of Plinovodi, Gas Connect Austria and Plinacro for the EU’s Projects of Common Interest programme and ENTSOG’s Ten-Year Development Plan at cross-border points connecting transmission systems with the intention to “assess the common interest and the possibilities for cooperation” on the projects connecting their systems.
