A competitive Europe needs modernised electricity grids

Competitiveness requires energy security, economic growth, and a cost-effective transition to a net-zero economy.

"Achieving all this demands a modern and expanded electricity grid. Across the EU, outdated grid infrastructure, planning delays and political inertia are stalling progress. If we were serious about meeting climate goals, enhancing competitiveness and ensuring affordable renewable energy, grid investment must be a political priority,” stressed Sean Kelly MEP, the EPP Group's negotiator of the Report on the electricity grids, which was voted on today in the Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee.

The Report addresses the need to modernise and expand the grid to meet future evolving supply and demand challenges, and ensure EU competitiveness. “Europe’s electricity grid is largely a relic of the 20th century, designed for a centralised fossil fuel-powered economy. Today, our energy system must integrate high volumes of decentralised, variable renewables while accommodating rising electricity demand from industries, heat pumps, electric vehicles, and data centres. To keep pace, we need a major upgrade to transmission and distribution networks,” Kelly highlighted.

The EPP Group ensured that the Report highlights the need for European manufacturing of grid components and long-term visibility for the industry to plan investments, reduce production bottlenecks, and avoid delivery delays. EPP Group also calls on the Commission and the Member States to significantly increase the budgetary envelope of the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF-E) and the percentage of funds under the EU’s long-term budget (MFF) dedicated to electricity infrastructure as a separate adequate resource when proposing the next MFF.

"We must wake up to the urgency of grid development. The next decade will determine whether we build a competitive, net-zero Europe, or fall behind global competitors," Kelly concluded.