Electricity
Years-long wait for permits blocking European wind farms, industry says
Est. 2minHundreds of gigawatts of wind energy projects are waiting for permits to connect to Europe's power grid, a backlog that threatens to slow the shift to green energy, industry association WindEurope said on Friday (5 July).
Central and Eastern Europe’s climate plans lack ambition, say environmental NGOs
Est. 4minThe updated national energy and climate plans (NECPs) are due to be submitted on 30 June, and environmental NGOs are denouncing the lack of ambition on the part of Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) in their decarbonisation policies.
Car industry warns EU leaders against reversing 2035 combustion engine ban
Est. 3minAhead of the meeting of EU heads of states and governments on Thursday and Friday (27-28 June), car manufacturers, energy companies and environmental NGOs have issued an “urgent” warning against revoking the EU’s 2035 de facto ban to sell new petrol and diesel cars.
Power outage hits several Balkan states as heat overloads system
Est. 3minA major power outage hit Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and most of Croatia's coast on Friday (21 June), disrupting businesses, shutting down traffic lights and leaving people sweltering without air conditioning in the middle of a heatwave.
Europe’s solar power surge hits prices, exposing storage needs
Est. 5minEurope has clocked a record number of hours of negative power prices this year due to a mismatch between demand and supply as solar power generation soars, potentially helping to shift investment to much needed storage solutions.
German car industry, government react against EU EV tariffs as BMW faces 21% duty
Est. 4minThe German car industry association VDA and senior government ministers criticised the EU’s preliminary tariffs on China-made electric cars announced today (12 June), which will also hit European companies producing in China, such as BMW and Dacia.
New report finds corporate cars ‘leading on pollution, lagging on electric’
Est. 3minThe company car market, which is ideally positioned to move towards electric-vehicles, is lagging behind the private market for the third year in a row, a new report by green group Transport & Environment (T&E) finds.
Renewables ‘the way to go’, Austrian-Spanish alliance signals to new Commission
Est. 3minAt a breakfast meeting before Thursday's (30 May) Energy Council, the EU’s pro-renewables countries agreed to push the incoming Commission for more policies favouring their technology.
French government says low-carbon electricity mix is magnet for foreign investment
Est. 5minThe French president touts it, the French Delegate Minister for Energy praises it: the decarbonized nature of the French electricity mix is an unparalleled asset in attracting foreign investment, particularly in industry. The reality is more complex.
Baltic states in ‘final phase of work’ to desynchronise electricity grids from Moscow
Est. 4minIn the context of the war in Ukraine, the three Baltic States want to accelerate the desynchronisation of their electricity grids from Russia and Belarus and complete it by February 2025 at the latest.
China’s BYD will consider second Europe plant in 2025, executive says
Est. 2minSpeaking at the FT's Future of the Car conference, Shu said that BYD will bring a low-cost electric vehicle based on its Chinese Seagull model to Europe.
Europe’s looming power grid roadblock: Transformers
Est. 5minA shortage of transformers is putting Europe's grid build-out at risk, stretching project lead times and adding to a price surge that will be felt on consumers' bills, researchers and experts have warned.
Europe’s auto suppliers – and their workers – feel the pressure
Est. 4minProduction of car component at the town of Gifhorn will end in 2027 and move to Croatia, the Czech Republic and Wales to keep the costs "competitive", according to Continental, which will cut about 7,000 jobs worldwide.
Bulgarian court stops largest EU-funded environmental project, citing health risks
Est. 3minOn Thursday Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court stopped the controversial project to build a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) waste incinerator in the centre of Sofia, which would have used EU funding to turn the capital's waste into heat and electricity.
A smart industrial policy to fast-charge Europe’s electric vehicles revolution
Est. 5mins decarbonisation compatible with industrial competitiveness? As the European elections approach fast, it will be one of the guiding questions of the upcoming EU institutional cycle.
Macron at Sorbonne: Energy key to French president’s ‘new European paradigm’
Est. 4minFrench President Emmanuel Macron set out his vision for the future of Europe, placing energy, including nuclear, at the core of his approach, in a speech at Sorbonne University on Thursday (April 25).
EU’s 2050 net zero goals at risk as EV rollout faces setbacks
Est. 3minBy Julia Payne
BRUSSELS, April 22 (Reuters) - The EU needs to rethink its policies to make a 2035 ban on new petrol car sales feasible as electric vehicles (EVs) remain unaffordable and alternative fuel options are not credible, the EU's external auditor said, jeopardising its 2050 climate goals.
The 27-member bloc wants to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, meaning it will emit no more than it can balance out with measures to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere such as reforestation programmes.
It hopes to meet its targets with the widespread use of electric vehicles as road transport accounts for nearly a quarter of its emissions.
The EU wants to have at least 30 million zero-emission cars on European roads by 2030, or about 12% of the current car fleet. However, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) cautioned the bloc may create new economic dependencies and hurt its own industry.
As it stands, high EV production costs in Europe means the bloc will have to rely on cheap imports, mainly from China, if it sticks to the 2035 goal. China accounts for 76% of EV battery output compared with the EU that represents less than 10% of production globally.
"The EU faces a conundrum, how to meet goals without harming industrial policy and hurting consumers," Annemie Turtelboom, an ECA member, told reporters. She added that 2026 will be a key year for a policy review.
Tesla is the leading EV maker in the United States and Europe but has come under pressure to slash prices due to competition from Chinese cars. Similarly, European carmakers like Stellantis that owns Peugeot and Fiat, and Renault are now racing to develop their own affordable EV models.
While EV purchases have been on the rise in the EU, the increase was largely due to subsidies. Further, charging infrastructure is lacking with 70% of charging points concentrated in just Germany, France and the Netherlands. The EU is falling short of its aim to set up 1 million charging stations across the bloc.
"(EV) prices would need to halve and subsidies do not seem to be a viable tool ... Batteries alone already costs 15,000 euros when produced in Europe," Turtleboom added when speaking to reporters.
Alternative fuels like biofuels, e-fuels or hydrogen remain uneconomic at commercial scale.
Adding to the difficulties in hitting its 2050 goal, the ECA said the EU has not cut real CO2 emissions from cars despite new testing standards and measures such as Euro 6.
In a January report, the ECA attributes this to the gap between laboratory tests and real world emission tests. The Commission was relying on lab tests, which created a skewed version. In reality, average emissions from diesel cars are the unchanged from 2010 at 170 grams of CO2 per kilometre while petrol cars are just down 4.6% at over 160 g CO2/km.
"Despite lofty ambitions and strict requirements, most conventional cars still emit as much CO2 as 12 years ago." Nikolaos Milionis, ECA member, said in a statement, attributing part of the failure to a rise in the average weight of cars. (Reporting by Julia Payne; editing by David Evans)
Is Europe’s hydropower potential tapped out?
Est. 7minHuge dam projects built in Sweden, Austria and France decades ago might not be feasible today, but pumped storage hydropower at sites with existing infrastructure could have major potential to reduce the EU’s emissions.
Russia aims to destroy Ukraine’s energy generation capacity
Est. 5minAfter a first campaign of attacks on transmission infrastructures in 2022-23, Russia has recently started focusing its airstrikes on electricity-generating thermal and hydropower plants, causing an electricity deficit that may take years to make up for.
What’s next for EU power market, [Part One]
Est. 5minThe EU is about to ratify the Electricity market reform. But this major achievement could be only the first building block of the future European electricity system. Numerous adjustments will have to be made to ensure its resilience after 2030, or even a new reform. Analysis.
![Enrico Letta's pending report is expected to identify the single energy market as "Europe’s best asset to ensure its success in a novel global order” [File photo]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/shutterstock_2372655591-800x450.jpg)
The Letta report: What’s in the box for Europe’s energy sector
Est. 4minFormer Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta is set to present his report on the future of Europe’s single market to EU leaders on Thursday 18 April. A deepening of Europe’s Energy Union is a key priority, along with several targeted recommendations on how to transform Europe’s energy sector.
German car lobby chief criticises von der Leyen’s solo run on Chinese EVs
Est. 3minThe decision to open an anti-subsidy investigation against Chinese electric cars was not sufficiently coordinated with Berlin, the head of the German car industry association VDA said on Thursday (11 April), criticising von der Leyen’s solo effort.
EU Parliament adopts 90% phase-out of new diesel trucks by 2040
Est. 4minAverage emissions of new trucks will have to be reduced by 90% by 2040, compared to 2019, the European Parliament decided on Wednesday (10 April), adopting a law that will drastically reduce the number of new diesel trucks.
Europe embraces speedier, riskier way of building power grids
Est. 4minThe EU is looking to fast-track massive investments into its energy infrastructure, shifting risk from companies to consumers and risking a landscape with derelict, half-finished pylons.