7. EU gas pipelines and electricity grids in 2050

Transforming the energy sector to achieve decarbonisation requires a rethinking on the sort of infrastructure that will be required in the future. Decisions on energy infrastructure requirements for the next forty to fifty years will need to be taken today, but such decisions ought to be taken against the background of achieving decarbonisation goals to 2050. This lecture discusses the weaknesses of, and challenges faced by, the current electricity and gas grid systems in the EU in context of decarbonisation. What infrastructure is really needed for 2050? Where should investments be directed? Is more or less gas infrastructure required in a decarbonised society? What policies can the EU put in place to ensure infrastructure decisions are taken in the context, and with the purpose, of achieving decarbonisation by 2050?

- Mihai Paun, European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), Network Development Adviser
- Joseph Dutton, Research Associate, University of Leicester
- Harri Kalimo, Institute for European Studies (Chair)