Infrastructure

Articles


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Ariadne’s string goes electric: a new interconnection between Crete and mainland Greece drives the energy transition

Published: 30 September 2025
Analysis
The electrical interconnection between Crete and mainland Greece was completed and has been in operation since May 2025. Connecting the island of Crete with the mainland allows the country to finally tap into the abundant wind and solar energy potential on Crete and to switch off old and polluting power plants. At the same time, the Ariadne interconnection builds the foundation for advancing green energy in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Daniel Argyropoulos


Publications


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Updating Europe’s energy networks

Published: 13 November 2025
Factsheet
Europe’s electricity grid planning was designed for a slower, fossil-based energy system. Today, rapid renewable deployment, rising electricity demand and the emergence of hydrogen call for a new institutional framework. This factsheet outlines how forward-looking, coordinated planning can help achieve climate neutrality by 2050. It recommends that Member States develop spatial energy plans, that stronger unbundling rules prevent conflicts of interest, and that an Independent EU Energy System Planner be created to improve cross-border coordination and efficiency.




More pages about Infrastructure


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Web dossier: Towards a European Energy Infrastructure Union

Published: 13 November 2025
Web dossier
Our energy networks materialise the EU’s power of cross-border cooperation. Thanks to a well-connected grid, affordable electricity flows across the continent to households and businesses. And despite the Iberian blackout of 28 April 2025, outages remain extremely seldom and limited in time in within the EU. With the rise of a renewable, more decentralised energy system, Europe’s energy infrastructure also needs to adapt. The EU Action Plan for Grids and the EU Grids Package try to tackle the huge technical, administrative and financial bottlenecks that risk delaying the growth of wind and solar power. How can policymakers and industry advance the update of our grids? Could this task become the laboratory for a deeper integration of energy policies, evolving into a truly European Energy Infrastructure Union?
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue

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