cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11481668
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The European Commission will not extend its November 1 deadline for phasing out Chinese-made power inverters from EU-funded energy projects, despite calls from investors and the renewable energy industry for more time.
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From November 1, projects connected or due to be connected to the EU electricity grid will have to exclude high-risk suppliers or progressively switch to inverters from suppliers not deemed high-risk.
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Earlier this year, the EU executive adopted interim policy guidance restricting the use of EU funding for clean energy projects, namely solar, wind and storage, that rely on inverters from high-risk suppliers, meaning Chinese companies such as Huawei.
The move was driven by cybersecurity concerns, particularly the risk that manufacturers could remotely access and manipulate inverters, potentially destabilising electricity grids and triggering blackouts.
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Following a business roundtable in June convened specifically to address these concerns, industry and investor stakeholders had hoped for derogations to the 1 November deadline.
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The Commission, for its part, says that a viable alternative supply of non-Chinese inverters already exists, and that the price of guaranteeing the security of Europe’s energy infrastructure is a modest one to pay.
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