Brussels, 6 November 2024 — The Energy Storage Coalition congratulates Dan Jørgensen on his two-thirds majority approval as the European Commissioner-designate for Energy and Housing. During his parliamentary hearing on 5 November, Jørgensen highlighted his vision to address interconnected challenges: energy independence, energy prices greatly impacting households and EU competitiveness, and of course climate change which he called “a moral duty” for us to fight.

As Jørgensen framed it, the solution to EU’s energy challenges is to deploy more renewable energy and we must use “all tools in the toolbox” to do so. Accordingly, the Commissioner-designate committed to a comprehensive approach involving grid expansion & modernisation, interconnectors, securing supply chains, and tackling administrative burdens. He also mentioned his will to boost the deployment of both existing and emerging storage technologies across Member States.

The Energy Storage Coalition supports this ambition, in line with the mission letter Jørgensen received which included initiatives for the rollout of renewables and energy storage.

Energy Storage Coalition’s call to action: An urgent EU-Wide action plan on flexibility

If we want to achieve our renewable energy targets, the Commission’s Joint Research Center estimates that flexibility requirements must double by 2030 and grow 7 times by 2050. In other words, renewables need significantly more energy storage solutions. To achieve this objective, more comprehensive guidance on energy storage is needed. Already ahead of the hearing, Members of the European Parliament questioned Jørgensen on how he would frame a strategy on flexibility including energy storage, to which he replied by stressing the need to unlock more investments and guide Member States.

We now encourage Commissioner-designate Jørgensen to take a concrete step forward with an EU Action Plan on Energy Storage to address remaining challenges and provide clarity to national authorities on how to use the many regulatory and financial tools now available in their own toolbox.

“The future of Europe’s energy security and competitiveness hinges on swift coordinated action” commented Doriana Forleo, Executive Director of the Energy Storage Coalition “An EU-wide Energy Storage Action Plan will empower Member States to strengthen their energy systems and allow Europe to perform a significant leap forward in the energy transition.”

Such a plan would indeed help Member States advance in scaling up projects, bridge the energy storage gap in Europe and send the right signals to drive investment and innovation in storage solutions, enabling Europe to meet its ambitious climate and energy goals.

More information on the Call for an Action Plan on Energy Storage