Power Players: European Commission Adds Three Cross-Border Energy Projects to Priority List

The European Commission has formally granted Cross-Border Renewable Energy (CB RES) status to three new projects following its fifth call for applications. The newly approved initiatives—bearing the project names WIND, DEPLOY, and ZEGA-LINNK—join an official European Union roster designed to foster joint clean-energy infrastructure between member states. Their addition follows the withdrawal of a previously approved project, PONTIS, leaving the total number of active projects holding CB RES status across the bloc at 15.

Generating green electricity is one challenge; moving it across national borders without triggering grid collapses or diplomatic headaches is another entirely. For ordinary households and businesses, cross-border energy infrastructure is what prevents one country from facing blackouts while a neighbouring state wastes surplus wind or solar power. Building infrastructure across borders requires two or more national governments to agree on planning, financing, and regulations. Securing CB RES status provides these joint ventures with an official seal of approval, making them eligible for dedicated EU funding support and helping them clear administrative hurdles between participating countries.

In the EU capital, granting a project a capitalised acronym and a place on a favoured list is the standard mechanism for turning grand diplomatic ambitions into physical steel and cables. CB RES status—short for Cross-Border Renewable Energy status—functions within the EU bubble as a ticket to financial opportunity. It opens the door to grant funding under the energy arm of the Connecting Europe Facility, the EU's main funding instrument for infrastructure networks. The departure of PONTIS from the official list serves as a dry reminder of institutional reality: in Brussels policy design, keeping status requires staying the course, leaving a select group of 15 projects to navigate the next procedural hurdles together.

Holding CB RES status allows the developers of WIND, DEPLOY, and ZEGA-LINNK to submit applications for EU financial assistance for both technical studies and construction work in upcoming funding calls. The European Commission will oversee the updated list of 15 projects as they progress through their respective planning and development stages, while preparing for future application rounds under the cross-border renewable framework.