Access to documentation relating to the financing of the Bay of Biscay electricity cable by the Connecting Europe Facility

EN E-000015/2019 Answer given by Mr Arias Cañete on behalf of the European Commission (21.3.2019) 1) The Bay of Biscay project was granted the status of Project of Common Interest in virtue of article 4 of Regulation 347/2013 on Trans-European Energy Infrastructures, adopted by the European Parliament and Council, as being a key cross-border infrastructure project contributing to achieving the objectives of the European Energy Union. It is also important for achieving the 15% interconnection target for 2030 as enshrined in the Governance Regulation. As such, it could apply for Union financial assistance from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), under the condition of meeting the eligibility criteria set in article 14.2 of Regulation 347/2013. The project indeed met these conditions, as: 1) the cost-benefit analysis demonstrated significant positive externalities; 2) French and Spanish regulatory authorities agreed on allocation of cross-border costs based on the project promoters’ investment request; 3) it was acknowledged as commercially not viable. Commission's decision to allocate the EUR 578 million CEF grant was taken following a thorough and impartial evaluation of the grant application performed in accordance with the relevant provisions of the CEF Regulation 1316/2013. 2) The Commission and the evaluation committee considered the grant application and the technical annexes deemed necessary by the project promoters to substantiate it. 3) All applications to CEF grants are confidential and not accessible to the public and to the Members of the European Parliament. Nevertheless, the cross-border cost allocation decision by the French and Spanish regulatory authorities is publicly available and provides useful background to the public and to Members of Parliament.