Europe’s ageing grids could slow down the energy transition
Over 30% of Europe’s low-voltage distribution grids are already more than 40 years old, a share that could reach 90% by 2050 if no decisive action is taken. Eurelectric’s new position paper, released today, paints a stark picture: without rapid investment in renewal, expansion, and digitalisation, Europe could miss out on lower energy bills, decarbonisation gains, and industrial competitiveness.
The paper comes ahead of the European Commission’s Grids Package, expected on 10 December, which will define how Europe modernises its electricity networks to keep pace with new targeted power capacity.
Eurelectric’s 5 key measures for Europe’s grids
Eurelectric outlines five urgent measures to ensure Europe’s power infrastructure can sustain its energy transition:
- Create a predictable, stable regulatory framework to attract private capital and guarantee fair, competitive returns for grid projects.
- Simplify permitting and procurement – with a maximum six-month approval cap  to accelerate deployment.
- Allocate dedicated EU funding for distribution network upgrades under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
- Acknowledge resilience and cybersecurity costs in regulation to safeguard critical infrastructure.
- Enable practical, locally grounded grid planning, ensuring national plans feed into EU strategies without extra administrative burden.
These actions would unlock faster, smarter, and more affordable grid deployment – essential to deliver the energy transition at scale.
The cost of inaction: a bottleneck for Europe’s future
Distribution grids are the lifeline of the energy transition, connecting 70% of new renewable capacity and most electrified end uses – from household heat pumps to electric vehicles.
If Europe fails to invest in modernising these networks, the consequences could be dramatic. Outdated grids could prevent the connection of:
- 190 million heat pumps,
- 120 million electric vehicles, and
- 1,220 GW of solar PV capacity by 2050 Â
Such a shortfall would undermine climate goals, keep energy prices high, and hamper Europe’s industrial competitiveness.
Grids must grow as fast as Europe’s ambitions
Eurelectric calls on EU policymakers to modernise outdated regulatory frameworks and adopt a long-term vision that makes grid investment a central pillar of the European Green Deal.
The message is clear: Europe needs grids that grow as fast as its ambitions — or risk watching the energy transition stall at the connection point.