Power in Unity: Doubling electricity interconnection can boost Europe’s green transition

Europe’s electricity transition is accelerating. But the energy transition is not just about building more solar panels and wind turbines. The underlying infrastructure must be prepared to integrate new renewable energy capacities, serve new electricity demand and provide flexibility. This is where electricity grids come in, with a special role for cross-border interconnectors in the European context.

This policy brief, produced together with the think tank Ember, provides an overview of electricity interconnection in Europe and the benefits it brings to the system. It examines the level of cross-border exchange capacity required under various energy transition scenarios, compares it to existing interconnection expansion plans and presents relevant policy options.

Europe must double electricity interconnection this decade to meet its climate neutrality goals. The present moment is a crucial political opportunity to plan how Europe’s energy transition plays out over the next decade.