European Commission prepares post-2030 renewable overhaul focused on grids and storage

A new framework takes shape

The European Commission is preparing an overhaul of the European Union's renewable-energy framework for the period after 2030, according to a draft impact assessment reviewed by Euronews. The emerging approach places greater weight on investment, electricity grids, storage and flexible demand rather than relying primarily on additional deployment mandates. A formal Commission proposal is expected by the end of 2026.

The policy review reflects a widening gap between renewable generation and the infrastructure needed to move and use it. Provisional Eurostat data show renewable sources supplied 26.2% of the EU's gross final energy consumption in 2025, up from 25.2% in 2024. The bloc's binding 2030 target is at least 42.5%, meaning progress must accelerate substantially over the remaining five years.

Grid congestion changes the debate

Euronews reported that more than 10 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity could not be used in 2024 because of congestion and insufficient cross-border capacity. Redispatch—the use of more expensive generation when cheaper power cannot reach consumers—cost about €4.3 billion that year and could rise sharply without investment. The figures show why adding wind and solar capacity alone cannot complete the transition.

The draft options include clearer rules for projects combining renewable generation and storage, better monitoring of curtailed electricity, stronger incentives for system flexibility and greater use of electric vehicles and smart charging. The Commission's July electrification plan already set an ambition to raise electricity's share of final energy use from about 23% to 46% by 2040, increasing the urgency of network expansion.

Parliament advances grid governance

In a related completed step, the European Parliament's industry committee backed its position on future power-grid governance on September 10. The approach would give the Commission a larger role in producing an EU-wide view of infrastructure needs and strategic corridors. A plenary vote is expected next, followed by negotiations with member-state governments, some of which resist transferring more planning authority to Brussels.

The next tests are the plenary vote, negotiations over the separate permitting file and publication of the Commission's post-2030 proposal. The final design must reconcile national control of energy systems with cross-border networks whose bottlenecks affect neighbouring markets. The immediate development is preparatory rather than a new binding target, but it establishes the direction of travel: future renewable policy will be judged increasingly by whether power can reach consumers when generated.