Category: Knowledge Center Europe

Energy Shocks Remind Europe of Gas Reliance: Report

Energy Shocks Remind Europe of Gas Reliance: Report

March 27, 2026 | , , ,

The first ten days following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East have been a painful reminder of the EU’s fossil reliance. The rise in fossil prices increased the EU’s fossil import bill, which could have a knock-on effect on electricity prices. The cost of gas-fired power across Europe has increased by more than 50% due to the gas price spike since February 28. The EU paid an additional €2.5bn for fossil fuel imports in the first 10 days of the conflict.

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Sheltering from Global Oil Shocks: Report

Sheltering from Global Oil Shocks: Report

March 26, 2026 | , , , , , ,

The report details demand-side options open to households, businesses and governments to shelter themselves from today’s oil shock and relieve the strains on affordability, based on the agency’s energy security expertise as well on specific country examples. Governments can take the lead, both by setting an example and by facilitating these actions, but many can be adopted by individuals and businesses directly. Most of these options relate to consumption of road transport fuels, but they also cover fuel use for air transport, cooking and industry.

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Energy Communities Potential in EU: Report

Energy Communities Potential in EU: Report

March 13, 2026 | , ,

The EU set a target for the share of renewable energy of at least 42.5 % by 2030 (up from 25.4 % in 2024). The Commission estimated that half of the EU’s citizens could produce up to 50 % of the EU’s renewable energy by 2050. The report concludes that the EU is unlikely to have at least one renewables-based energy community in every municipality with more than 10 000 inhabitants by 2025, as it had reached only 27 % of its objective by January 2025.

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Merchant BESS Viability in Germany: Report

Merchant BESS Viability in Germany: Report

March 6, 2026 | , ,

Germany’s BESS market has expanded rapidly on the basis of merchant, unsubsidized investment and has become a key enabler of renewable integration and system flexibility. As storage requirements rise materially in the 2030s, preserving investable market conditions for merchant BESS is of systemic importance. This study evaluates the economic sensitivity of merchant BESS viability to these instruments, identifying the mechanisms that most strongly affect project economics and the conditions under which storage remains investable.

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Securing EU’s Critical Mineral Supply Chain: Report

Securing EU’s Critical Mineral Supply Chain: Report

February 27, 2026 | , ,

To ensure the secure supply of critical raw materials, the EU aims to diversify imports, increase domestic production, and manage resources more sustainably, but finds it difficult to overcome challenges in reaching these objectives. While the Critical Raw Materials Act sets a strategic course, its targets lack justification and underlying data is not robust. Efforts to diversify imports have yet to produce tangible results and bottlenecks hamper progress in domestic production and recycling. While strategic projects can benefit from faster permitting and more visibility, many projects will struggle to secure supply for the EU by 2030.

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Scaling Biomethane in Europe: Report

Scaling Biomethane in Europe: Report

February 20, 2026 | , ,

European biogas and biomethane production has experienced robust growth but remains dependent on policy support. Production increased by 34 per cent between 2015 and 2024, reaching 232 TWh or 22 Bcm, with Europe now accounting for nearly half of all global output. However, biomethane continues to face a persistent cost disadvantage relative to natural gas, with limited evidence of production cost reductions since the 2010s. The EU is unlikely to meet the REPowerEU biomethane ambition, signalling a subtle recalibration of gas decarbonisation expectations.

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Global Electricity Trends and 2030 Forecast: Report

Global Electricity Trends and 2030 Forecast: Report

February 13, 2026 | , , , ,

Global electricity demand is forecast to increase at a brisk average annual rate of 3.6% over the 2026-2030 forecast period, supported by rising consumption from industry, electric vehicles, air conditioning and data centres. Half of the world’s electricity is forecast to come from renewables and nuclear by 2030. Although coal generation is set to lose ground globally, it remains the single largest source of electricity in 2030. The Age of Electricity requires a fast and efficient expansion of grids and system flexibility.

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State of Advanced Biofuels in EU: Report

State of Advanced Biofuels in EU: Report

February 5, 2026 | , ,

This CETO 2025 report provides an analysis of the state of advanced biofuels in the European Union. EU advanced biofuels sector is key for achieving the binding targets set by the Renewable  Energy Directive (RED III), including the target of at least a 42.5% renewable energy share by 2030. The transport sector is mandated to reach a 29% renewable energy share, which includes a binding combined sub-target of 5.5% for advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs).

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European Electricity Review 2026: Report

European Electricity Review 2026: Report

January 30, 2026 | , ,

Wind and solar reached 30% of EU electricity, higher than fossil power (29%) for the first time on record, and up from 20% just five years prior. By 2025 wind and solar generated more power than all fossil sources in 14 of the 27 EU countries. Solar grew in every EU country and accounted for more than a fifth of electricity in Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and the Netherlands. Coal power fell to a new historic low of 9.2%. Battery deployment accelerated significantly in 2025.

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Security of EU Electricity Supply: Report

Security of EU Electricity Supply: Report

January 23, 2026 | , ,

Security of electricity supply remains essential for the EU Energy Policy and is closely intertwined with EU’s economic competitiveness. This Monitoring Report is situated in the context of the ongoing revision of the EU energy security architecture initiated by the European Commission and supported by the European Parliament. Enhanced cross-border coordination could decrease the additional capacity to be installed by up to 70%. Regional and cross-sectoral cooperation on risk preparedness crucial for security of supply.

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UK Energy Trends: Paper

UK Energy Trends: Paper

January 16, 2026 | , ,

Total primary energy consumption for energy uses fell by 3.6 per cent, with record low quarterly demand from nuclear generators the main driver for the fall in consumption. In the third quarter of 2025 dependency on fossil fuels was 72.6 per cent, up 0.5 percentage points on the same quarter of 2024. The low carbon share was 23.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, down 0.7 percentage points on the same quarter of 2024, due to the fall in nuclear output. 

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Ireland’s Energy Future: Report

Ireland’s Energy Future: Report

January 9, 2026 | , ,

This report assesses the outlook for Ireland’s energy security to 2035, drawing on international experience and detailed power system modelling developed with EirGrid, Ireland’s transmission system operator. There is a clear need to establish a unified cross-sectoral energy strategy to set a vision that guides this transition, supported by a detailed security study on the electricity supply mix. Ireland can build on its progress in power system transformation to set an example of secure integration of large shares of variable renewable generation while safeguarding energy security.

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Electricity Trade and Grid Congestion Management in EU: Report

Electricity Trade and Grid Congestion Management in EU: Report

January 2, 2026 | , ,

A highly integrated internal electricity market, facilitating the efficient exchange of electricity across borders, is crucial for the EU’s decarbonisation efforts and for guaranteeing the security of electricity supply. In a context of rapidly developing renewable technologies, the timely expansion of electricity transmission infrastructure, through both new build-out and non-wire alternatives, and the maximisation of cross-zonal trading possibilities across the EU are key to the completion of the internal market for electricity. This report presents a series of analyses exemplifying the importance of maximising cross-zonal trade for the well-functioning of the EU internal market for electricity.

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ENTSO-E’s Market Report

ENTSO-E’s Market Report

December 26, 2025 | , ,

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) released its latest report reviewing progress in capacity allocation and congestion management mechanisms between June 2024 and May 2025. The report details ongoing efforts to strengthen Europe’s interconnected electricity system, aiming to enhance efficiency, reliability, and market integration under the Capacity Allocation and Congestion Management and Forward Capacity Allocation Regulations. The report notes that the summer of 2024 saw relatively low electricity prices due to strong nuclear, hydro, and renewable generation.

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Czechia Energy Policy Review: Report 

Czechia Energy Policy Review: Report 

December 19, 2025 | , ,

Czech Republic (Czechia) aims to phase out coal at an almost unprecedented pace. The transition from its fossil fuel legacy can be a springboard to building a vibrant clean energy economy. Updating Czechia’s suite of energy strategies is a pressing priority, as is ensuring their collective coherence. Scaling up renewables and enhancing system flexibility are critical to phasing out coal, meeting climate targets and ensuring energy security. Commendable reforms are now streamlining project approvals and enabling community investment schemes.

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Trends in EU: Report

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Trends in EU: Report

December 12, 2025 | , ,

EU has reduced its GHG emissions by more than one-third compared with 1990, while its economy has continued to grow substantially. Renewable energy now supplies a quarter of gross final energy consumption and almost half of electricity, while final energy demand has declined. These developments demonstrate that climate action is delivering and that structural change towards a clean transition is well underway. However, the reality is increasingly sobering as climate impacts intensify.

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Decarbonisation in Bulgaria: Report

Decarbonisation in Bulgaria: Report

November 28, 2025 | , ,

According to Bulgaria’s latest update to its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) submitted in 2025, under the WEM (With Existing Measures) scenario, Bulgaria’s net GHG emissions are projected to decline by 46% by 2030 compared to 2022, or 73% compared to 1988, reaching 26.19 MtCO2-eq. By 2050, emissions are projected to fall further to 17.73 MtCO2- eq, representing an 82% reduction from 1988 levels. Under the WAM scenario, net GHG emissions are projected to decrease by 82% by 2030 compared to 1988, achieving net zero by 2050.

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ENTSO-E Report on Flexibility from RE Sources

ENTSO-E Report on Flexibility from RE Sources

November 21, 2025 | , ,

The report concludes that integrating RES into the electricity system is more important than ever to ensure the efficient attainment of decarbonisation targets while safeguarding the reliability of the European power grid. This requires flexibility, not only during a possible dunkelflaute but also when high RES generation potential meets low demand. In addition to the use of load-side flexibility and storage, RES must also contribute to system security in these situations. 

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UK-EU Energy and Climate Relations: Briefing

UK-EU Energy and Climate Relations: Briefing

November 12, 2025 | , ,

This briefing provides background on energy and climate provisions in the UKEU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), developments in UK-EU cooperation on energy and climate since the UK left the EU, and the main outcomes of the May 2025 UK-EU summit. Then covers energy and lays down requirements on competitive energy markets and arrangements for the trading of energy through gas and electricity interconnectors. 

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Building EU’s Clean Industrial Future: Report

Building EU’s Clean Industrial Future: Report

October 30, 2025 | , ,

Decarbonising heavy industry sectors, especially ammonia, aluminium, cement, and steel, is critical to meet the EU’s proposed 90% net Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction target by 2040, and climate neutrality by 2050. It is also a strategic economic imperative, supplying critical inputs to downstream sectors. Reducing their exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets by accelerating their transition will be vital to safeguarding Europe’s industrial resilience, competitiveness and longterm prosperity

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