BRUSSELS — France and Sweden want to block a new proposal that would force countries to share the cost of major upgrades to the European Union’s electricity network, arguing it will hand them an unfair financial burden.
The European Commission’s grids package, announced last December, seeks to massively expand the EU’s electricity grid so it can more efficiently carry renewably generated power across the continent. The upgrade is seen as an essential step on the EU’s path to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The plan includes a proposal to share income from domestic networks in a common, EU-wide pool. The idea as is that wealthier countries with developed electricity systems would help bankroll countries with less-developed grids.
But the proposal, which is now being debated by member countries, has already run up against the largest power exporters, including France and Sweden, which don’t want to let go of revenues they consider vital for their own domestic networks.
