The European Commission announced yesterday that 166 Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) or Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) will receive streamlined permits and regulatory processes in order for the commission to meet European Green Deal targets.

The European Green Deal, approved July 2021, includes climate goals such as no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.

The European Commission's list of projects will “now” be submitted to the European Parliament and the European Council, according to the press release. The bodies will accept or reject the list in full by March 2024 latest.

The projects will be eligible for EU financial support from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Over half of the projects are reliant on electricity, offshore and “smart electricity” grid technology, according to the announcement. The European Commission said it expects to commission “many” of these projects between 2027 and 2030.

Up to 65 hydrogen and electrolyzer projects are included, as well as 14 CO2 network projects.

PCIs are projects based in the EU and PMIs are projects based in other countries but connected to the EU. The EuroAsia Interconnector – an example of a PCI-approved project – aims to link Greece, Cyprus and Israel's power grids.