Web dossier

Towards a European Energy Infrastructure Union

Our energy networks materialise the EU’s power of cross-border cooperation. Thanks to a well-connected grid, affordable electricity flows across the continent to households and businesses. And despite the Iberian blackout of 28 April 2025, outages remain extremely seldom and limited in time in within the EU. With the rise of a renewable, more decentralised energy system, Europe’s energy infrastructure also needs to adapt. The EU Action Plan for Grids and the EU Grids Package try to tackle the huge technical, administrative and financial bottlenecks that risk delaying the growth of wind and solar power. How can policymakers and industry advance the update of our grids? Could this task become the laboratory for a deeper integration of energy policies, evolving into a truly European Energy Infrastructure Union?

shutterstock_2420036935.jpg

Publications

final_hbs_eu_skillings_energy_networks_draft_page_1.png

Updating Europe’s energy networks

Factsheet
Europe’s electricity grid planning was designed for a slower, fossil-based energy system. Today, rapid renewable deployment, rising electricity demand and the emergence of hydrogen call for a new institutional framework. This factsheet outlines how forward-looking, coordinated planning can help achieve climate neutrality by 2050. It recommends that Member States develop spatial energy plans, that stronger unbundling rules prevent conflicts of interest, and that an Independent EU Energy System Planner be created to improve cross-border coordination and efficiency.
2024-11-04-12_30_59-hbs_fs_north-sea-renewables-final.pdf

Making the most of North Sea renewables

Factsheet
Europe has set out on the path to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and all countries must identify how to deliver this objective. While various technology options are available, the need for vast amounts of cheap renewable energy is certain. The shallow, windy northern seas have long been recognised as a key opportunity to deliver renewable electricity at scale and recent reductions in the costs of offshore wind have led countries to set ambitious targets for deployment.
fair-allocation-of-energy-network-costs_page_1.png

Fair allocation of energy network costs

Policy brief
As Europe electrifies heating, transport, and industry, its electricity grids are facing an unprecedented transformation. Meeting the growing and increasingly complex demand will require hundreds of billions in new investments – costs that risk falling heavily on consumers. This brief examines how better network tariff design can balance fairness and efficiency, reward flexibility, and make Europe’s energy transition more just and affordable for everyone.
,
2025-04-30-10_35_06-20250430.png

European energy infrastructure for 100% renewables

Study
The EU faces critical decisions on energy infrastructure planning and deployment to meet its climate goals, aiming for a 55% emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. A 100% renewable energy system, eliminating fossil fuels and nuclear energy is seen as the most viable solution. However, current EU energy infrastructure policy and planning are insufficient, risking lock-in to outdated technologies.
, ,

Accelerating the European Energy Transition

Policy Paper
In order to advance the European energy transition and distribute the costs and benefits more fairly, the EU must find better steering instruments. This policy paper provides recommendations for the necessary acceleration of the European energy transition.

Related content

fre-sonneveld-q6n8nirdqhe-unsplash.jpg

Fair network charges and flexible demand: cutting the cost of the energy transition

Analysis
As Europe’s energy system shifts from fossil fuels to decentralised renewable energies, one challenge is coming into focus: how can the rising costs of expanding and modernising the electricity grids required for the transport of renewable power be financed fairly and efficiently? And how can tariff design help reduce pressure on the grid by encouraging consumption patterns that make better use of existing infrastructure?    
Sinéad Thielen
veronica-white-_38eyjwwdjo-unsplash.jpg

Do Britain's pylon-haters have the power to stop them? This time, probably not

Commentary
As the UK races to upgrade its electricity grid for a net-zero future, new pylons are sparking old arguments. To some, they are industrial blights on the countryside; to others, symbols of progress. Yet with offshore wind and solar booming, new transmission lines are unavoidable. The government hopes bill discounts and community funds will ease opposition – but as legal reforms curb local objections, many Britons may soon have to get used to the view.
Ros Taylor
20250909_argyopoulos_ariadnes_string_ship.jpg

Ariadne’s string goes electric: a new interconnection between Crete and mainland Greece drives the energy transition

Analysis
The electrical interconnection between Crete and mainland Greece was completed and has been in operation since May 2025. Connecting the island of Crete with the mainland allows the country to finally tap into the abundant wind and solar energy potential on Crete and to switch off old and polluting power plants. At the same time, the Ariadne interconnection builds the foundation for advancing green energy in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Daniel Argyropoulos
shutterstock_1938761911_web.png

Europe’s energy transition needs deeper integration. The North Sea is where it could start

Commentary
Cross-continental energy networks are the backbone of Europe’s energy transition. With the accelerated roll-out of solar panels and wind turbines, policymakers and grid operators now feel the back pain from limited energy infrastructure capacities. How can the EU rehab our existing electricity grids and gas pipelines? Two new publications from the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union provide guidance.
Jörg Mühlenhoff

What to do to speed up offshore energy? EU-UK views on improving our energy networks - Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union

video-thumbnail Watch on YouTube
shutterstock_1523694095_web.png

Web dossier: A fair participation in the EU’s energy transition

Dossier
How can citizens benefit better from the EU’s energy transition? Which tools can help them to access directly renewables and building renovation? The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union and the Green European Foundation have worked with experts in energy and social policy to identify key areas where the EU could act to ensure that citizens and households are able to fully experience the benefits of the energy transition, in their homes, communities and pockets.  
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue, Green European Foundation (GEF)

Contact

© Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e.V.
Schumannstraße 8
10117 Berlin
T +49 (30) 285 34-0
F +49 (30) 285 34-109
www.boell.de
info@boell.de