Electricity: EU member states strive for a European supergrid

The EU's climate policy and the associated energy transition must be accompanied by the expansion and restructuring of the electricity grids. This requires long-term and coordinated planning of the electricity grids at European level, particularly in view of the growing risk of grid congestion, the EU member states write in a document with Council conclusions. They call on the EU Commission to ensure that grid planning is in line with the EU's climate and energy goals and to close any gaps. The entire planning and development process must be more transparent and traceable, according to the document (PDF).

In it, the EU countries not only address the physical security of the electricity supply, but also the challenges posed by cyber security risks that have arisen since 2022 as a result of "new threats". By this they mean Russia's attack on Ukraine in February of that year. The resilience of the network to hybrid threats to critical infrastructure must be strengthened at all levels. The European Investment Bank must support this with financing. Particular attention should be paid to the member states on the EU's eastern external borders.

Moving away from power plants close to consumers

The German Federal Ministry of Economics emphasizes that the EU member states agree to plan in a more coordinated manner across Europe and to accelerate the financing and expansion of the electricity grid infrastructure. In order to achieve low energy prices, renewable energies must be expanded more quickly, electricity demand must be made more flexible and the electricity grids must be expanded ambitiously across Europe, as State Secretary Sven Giegold puts it. "Only by expanding the grids can we ensure that cheap wind energy from the North and Baltic Seas and inexpensive solar energy from southern Europe reaches European industry and European households," explained Giegold.

In Germany alone, electricity generation has shifted considerably in recent years. Previously, power plants were built close to consumption, but with more renewable energies, electricity generation and consumption are becoming increasingly geographically dispersed. This makes additional transmission and distribution capacities necessary, explains the Federal Environment Agency. Previously, electricity flowed from large, centralized generators to many decentralized consumers. The electricity grid has not yet been sufficiently adapted to the power transits and feed-backs from the distribution grids into the transmission grid that are now occurring. In some regions, electricity from renewable energy sources cannot be fully absorbed and transmitted at all times. Situations in which the voltage limits are exceeded are increasing in the distribution grids.

The EU member states are now calling for grid planning at European level to be combined with the respective national plans and also with those at regional level. In addition to accelerated approval procedures, this also includes the standardization of the electricity infrastructure. With the help of a "supergrid", not only could renewable energies be better integrated, but electrification could also be supported and prices stabilized.

"Conclusions" of the European Council are not legal acts; like resolutions and declarations, they have no legal effect. The Council uses such documents to set out a political position.

(anw)