PCI and PMI projects
European Projects of Common Interest (PCI)
European Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI)
With its “2050 long-term strategy,” the European Union has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent, a goal it has also enshrined in the “European Climate Law.”
The goal is to phase out fossil fuels in a long-term and sustainable manner while maintaining energy security, quality of life, and Europe’s status as a competitive business location
Regulation (EU) 2022/869 (“TEN-E Regulation”) establishes the legal framework for energy infrastructure planning at the European level, the selection of PCI and PMI, and the facilitation and acceleration of the implementation of PCI and PMI.
The TEN-E Regulation identifies eleven priority geographical infrastructure corridors of strategic importance for the sectors of electricity, offshore grids, hydrogen, and electrolysers, as well as three Union-wide priority thematic areas for infrastructure (smart electricity grids, smart gas grids, and cross-border carbon dioxide networks).
The TEN-E Regulation provides for an open, transparent, and inclusive process for identifying PCI projects that make a significant contribution to achieving the Union’s energy and climate policy objectives, particularly the integration of renewable energy sources. In addition, the TEN-E Regulation sets out several measures designed to ensure the timely implementation of PCIs and PMIs, including:
• Greater transparency and stronger public participation;
• A faster and more streamlined permitting process, for example by setting a mandatory three-and-a-half-year deadline for these procedures;
• A single competent national authority that serves as a one-stop shop for permitting procedures;
• The possibility of applying for EU funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
The following APG projects have been designated as Projects of Common Interest and can be found in the second PCI/PMI List (accordingly 7th Union List since 2013) from the European Commission, which entered into force on 29th April 2026. All PCI/PMI projects are visualized on an interactive map on the Commissions transparency platform.
Germany line: St. Peter (AT) – Isar (DE) // St. Peter (AT) – Pleinting (DE)
The 380-kV Germany line between St. Peter and the national border, which is being extended further up to the Isar substation and Pleinting substation in Germany in cooperation with TenneT GmbH, our partner TSO in Germany, will entail an increase in interconnection capacity to Germany. A high-performance connection between the markets mutually strengthens interconnectivity and security of supply in both countries. At the same time, increasing cross-border capacity expands trading opportunities in Central and wider Europe, particularly by better connecting renewable energy generation from Germany with load centers and pumped-storage power plants in Austria and throughout Central Europe.
Basic data St. Peter-Isar:
Basic data St. Peter-Pleinting:
Upgrade of the internal line between West Tyrol and Zell/Ziller
The West Tyrol substation is an important network node in APG’s transmission grid in western Austria. The Inn Valley axis that connects the two substations in Zell/Ziller and West Tyrol, continuing over the Arlberg Mountain, along with the interconnecting lines to Germany and Switzerland make up APG’s transmission grid in western Austria. In the future, the Inn Valley axis will provide a high-performance connection to the planned 380-kV ring. By increasing the capacity of the Westtirol–Zell/Ziller transmission line, key conditions are being created to advance the grid integration of renewables, the connection of regional pumped-storage power plants, and market development. A high-capacity Inntal axis, together with the Austrian 380-kV ring and its connections to the transmission grids of European partner transmission system operators, constitutes a key component of the APG target grid and is essential for maintaining security of supply in Austria in the future.
Basic data:
Lienz South Connection upgrade
The requirements for the electricity grid of the future are constantly increasing, and East Tyrol and Carinthia are no exception. A high-performance power grid is needed to handle the growing number of consumers and the changing energy market in the region. To guarantee that the region has a secure supply of electricity now and for generations to come, APG will be upgrading the 220-kV power line running from the Lienz substation to the Italian border that was commissioned 70 years ago. In most cases the existing route corridor will be used for the line upgrade. However, in some cases it will be possible to optimise the route to increase the distance to local residents and to circumvent development areas in the municipalities and avoid potential natural hazards. Specifically, we will attempt to move the existing route corridor away from populated areas in the Amlach municipal area to improve the situation for residents.
The line upgrade will involve replacing the existing conductor cable (a single-cable configuration) with a modern two-bundle configuration, which will increase line conductivity while at the same time notably reducing corona noise (the hissing sound coming from electricity lines). The voltage level of the line will remain at 220 kV. The construction phase of the project is scheduled for 2027 to 2031. The planned, higher-capacity interconnection will enhance the security of supply in southern Austria and have a positive impact on the regional market integration of renewable energy and storage facilities.
Basic data:
Carinthia power grid area
The planned connection between Lienz (East Tyrol) and Obersielach (Carinthia) will complete APG’s 380-kV grid in southern Austria. The new connection is essential for ensuring a reliable power supply in Carinthia, East Tyrol, and Austria. The new high-capacity connection also strengthens the region as a hub for business, industry, and tourism, thereby providing a sustainable power supply for all of Carinthia. Furthermore, the project plays a central role in the success of a secure energy transition in Austria by enabling the further integration of renewable energies and pumped-storage facilities. The Netzraum Kärnten project is a joint initiative of Austrian Power Grid (APG) and Kärnten Netz (KNG-Kärnten Netz).
Basic data:
St. Peter - Dürnrohr / Weinviertel (NÖ)
The power transmission corridor between Dürnrohr and St. Peter is a key component in increasing east-west transmission capacity in the northern section of the APG grid. The existing 380-kV and 220-kV lines along the so-called “Danube Corridor” are already operating at very high capacity and are increasingly reaching the limits of their transmission capacity and (n-1) security. In addition, there are numerous grid access requests in the area from distribution system operators, industrial customers, and other sources of flexibility. A key focus is on the industrial transformation in the electricity sector and on decarbonization in the Upper Austria region.
This project serves to ensure security of supply, the market integration of renewable energies, the connection of flexibility sources, and the further electrification of consumers.
Basic Data: