EU energy ministers boost power‑grid expansion and resilience

Energy ministers from most EU states met in Luxembourg on 26 June and agreed to speed up the development and reinforcement of Europe’s electricity transmission network. The package calls for faster permitting of clean‑energy projects, which currently take five to ten years, and allocates a share of unused congestion revenues to finance new cross‑border interconnections.

From 2028, transmission operators such as France’s RTE and Portugal’s REN must devote 10 % of annual congestion income to EU‑wide grid projects, rising to 25 % by 2031. The deal also emphasizes tighter cybersecurity and physical‑security standards for the grid. Officials estimate that more than €1 trillion of investment will be needed for transmission assets up to 2040, a crucial step to eliminate bottlenecks that limit the integration of wind, solar, hydrogen and electrified industry across the bloc.

The agreement is framed as a cornerstone for the EU’s climate‑neutrality goals, aiming to deliver affordable, clean electricity and improve energy security for all member states.