Introductory statement

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of The Netherlands has commissioned this report on opportunities for concrete action to accelerate synergies between clean energy, transport and digital deployment along EU TEN-T corridors, with a focus on NS-BAL, R-ALP and NS-MED corridors.

The initiative is part of a national strategy that aims to capitalize on current activities in areas where developments in the transport, energy and digital domain meet. Since zero emission transport is dependent  on clean energy and digitalization it is only logical to look for effective synergies. Since transport corridors connect large international transport and energy hubs, like ports and urban nodes, they offer an excellent perspective to explore opportunities for Synergy in a wider EU scope.

10 years of synergetic development

Over the past ten years there are already many examples of excellent EU-funded Synergy projects that are now operational or being executed. The primary goal of the study is to get more insight into the locations, regions, organizations and businesses that  accelerate new synergetic projects, especially cross-border initiatives. Secondly, the study was aimed to give recommendations on how to improve policy to further support such projects.

Results
This study, one of the first large assessments of (potential) Synergy projects along EU corridors, is showing that there are many projects with “synergetic elements”, but countless more opportunities to be realized. It presents detailed fiches for interested private and public stakeholders to locate, start or broaden project consortia. Finally this initiative hopes to provide relevant guidance for European and national policy makers as to how funding and other instruments can be aligned or combined to accelerate Synergy in the transition to sustainable networks along EU’s corridors

Next steps

• Share the insights with European partners.
• Ensure opportunities for Synergy are adequately embedded in EU and national policy and funding.
• Call for joint EU and national action  to support cross-border Synergy project initiatives on EU’s corridors.