Energy storage key to energy security and price stability, European Commission says
Energy storage is a fundamental building block for the EU’s energy resilience and security, as well as for stable energy prices. This was stated by Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen. Its development also enables greater integration of renewable energy sources (RES) into the grid.
Achieving significant growth in energy storage capacity across the EU is one of the main goals Dan Jørgensen has set for his term as Energy Commissioner, which runs from 2024 to 2029. According to the Commission, the EU will need more than 200 GW of installed capacity by 2030 and as much as 600 GW by 2050, compared with the current 89 GW.
It should be noted that several types of energy storage exist. From an electricity-system perspective, these currently primarily include pumped-storage hydropower plants and battery storage. Over a longer time horizon, the conversion of electricity into gaseous fuels and then back into electricity—particularly hydrogen—could also become more significant. The EU currently has approximately 53 GW installed in pumped-storage hydropower plants and 25 GW in battery storage, according to Montel.
“Energy storage is a strategic imperative for Europe,” Jørgensen said at the Global Energy Storage Conference in Brussels.
Battery storage in particular has strong potential for rapid growth. In the Czech Republic, its standalone installation has been permitted under amendments to the Energy Act since 1 October 2025. An investment support tender has also taken place, although it is still being evaluated—the interest was enormous given the relatively lenient participation conditions. A total of Kč 2 billion in support was available in the tender. Expectations for rapid domestic growth are therefore high.
Tripartite agreement
Last month, Jørgensen also announced that the Commission had begun work on a tripartite agreement aimed at supporting further investment in energy storage and stronger links between the public sector, developers and suppliers. The agreement is expected to be signed in the coming months.
“By ensuring scale [in terms of capacity] and creating joint voluntary commitments, we can increase certainty and bring in more investment,” Jørgensen said.
However, given market conditions and the assumption that bank financing will be involved, specific steps by individual Member States will also be needed. Significant growth in renewable energy sources or storage leads to a revenue cannibalisation effect, and the aforementioned investment support may not be sufficient to meet national storage deployment targets.
The development of battery storage will also help enable the further expansion and integration of renewable sources into the grid by smoothing the intraday price curve—absorbing surpluses during generation peaks and supplying energy during demand peaks. This will improve both the economics of sources that do not receive operating support and depend, for example, on the day-ahead market, and the resilience of the entire system.
