Infrastructure embodies intent. In South-East Europe, few projects illustrate that better than the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor. Beyond cables and substations, it represents an attempt to step out of the region’s chronic fragmentation and build a backbone capable of supporting a modern electricity economy.
Its strategic value is straightforward: stronger transmission means stronger markets. With greater physical capacity, electricity can flow more freely, balancing deficits, smoothing shocks and supporting renewable integration. With enhanced interconnections, SEE could finally behave like a regional system rather than a collage of national fortresses reluctantly connected when convenient.
But the Corridor also exposes the central paradox of SEE electricity policy: building infrastructure is easier than building trust. Transmission lines do not automatically create market integration. They require regulatory coordination, new operational culture, confidence in regional balancing and political discipline. The corridor could become the spine of a new electricity future or a spectacular but underutilised asset trapped inside conservative operational thinking.
Its timing is critical. Europe is accelerating its energy transition. Power systems are becoming more complex. Flexibility, digitalisation and interconnection are now pillars rather than add-ons. Without strong infrastructure, SEE remains condemned to fragile autonomy. With it, the region has a realistic chance to convert its renewable potential into economic power.
The corridor is therefore not simply a project — it is a test. Can SEE match rhetoric with execution? Can political systems sustain commitment? Can regulators enforce rules that give infrastructure meaning? Can TSOs evolve beyond protective reflexes?
If the answer is yes, the Trans-Balkan Corridor will be remembered as the point at which South-East Europe stopped being Europe’s electricity problem and started becoming part of its solution. If the answer remains uncertain, the region will continue navigating a future where electricity remains not just an energy challenge but a structural constraint on everything from investment credibility to economic competitiveness.