Eurelectric: Invest ahead to get Europe’s power infrastructure ready for net zero.

The EU has recognised the need to future-proof its power infrastructure to connect masses of new renewables and accommodate the increased electrification, of industry, transports and heating. It is time for national authorities to follow suit and allow system operators to make anticipatory investments to get our grid up to speed. The electricity industry’s new report shows how to effectively enable such investments across Europe.

Today around 3,000 GW of renewable projects are queued up for grid connection worldwide. In Europe, current regulatory frameworks allow distribution system operators (DSOs) to invest in building out the power grid only after a connection request is made. With faster decarbonisation and long lead times for grid build-out, addressing future electricity needs at the required speed and scale will be extremely challenging. Grid investments cannot lag at a time when the EU is calling for electrification to reach 50% of final energy consumption by 2040.

Changing course is however possible. Anticipatory investments can address the expected future infrastructure needs by looking beyond immediate requirements of generation and demand. This was recognised in the EU electricity market reform and Action Plan for Grids, but must be urgently translated into national implementation.

Eurelectric’s Secretary General Kristian Ruby said:

“National regulators must transition to a forward-looking mindset and allow DSOs to proactively invest in the infrastructure needed for net-zero. The cost of inaction for society will be much higher than temporarily investing at a higher level to ensure our grid can deliver all necessary services to society in a decarbonised economy.”

For this to happen, national regulators must remove barriers and incentivise DSOs to invest ahead with fair remuneration and a stable investment environment. Given they are the ones managing delivery of electricity, DSOs should be entrusted to plan grid expansion and digitalisation. This means stronger cooperation with transmission operators and local authorities in infrastructure planning in line with decarbonisation objectives.

To avoid complexity, anticipatory investments should be included within the existing tariff framework and incorporated into EU countries network development plans to ensure coordination and clarity.

It’s time to ensure society can benefit from decarbonisation in the long term, rather than solely focusing on short-term cost reductions. Eurelectric calls on policymakers and national regulators to swiftly enable anticipatory investments.

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Note to Editors:  

Eurelectric represents the interests of the European electricity industry. We seek to contribute to the competitiveness of our industry, provide effective representation in public affairs and promote the role of electricity in the advancement of society. 

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e-mail: erinaldi@eurelectric.org