Electricity Archives

The sharp drop in the EU's CO2 price, caused by high energy prices and political uncertainty, risks the carbon market's credibility – and becomes an obstacle to the bloc's industrial decarbonisation.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said he would convene a meeting of pro-nuclear EU countries on 4 March to discuss the launch of an “Important Project of Common Interest (IPCEI)” in the field of nuclear power.

Euractiv got hold of the Belgian Presidency's plan to unblock the EU Energy Taxation Directive, which is currently stuck because of the unanimity rule applying to tax matters. Wood for heating and charcoal will be exempted from the scope under the proposal.

The French electricity sector fears that the revision of the EU's energy taxation directive will fail before the June European elections, despite a last push by the Belgian EU presidency, which is seeking to break the deadlock in the Council of the EU.

Political momentum is swaying in favour of European solar panel manufacturers, as work progresses on a new EU law banning forced labour practices that would effectively block Chinese imports.

Romania’s cap on energy prices will remain unchanged until March 2025, announced Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja on Thursday, meaning Romanian consumers will continue enjoying the EU’s fourth cheapest gas prices.

The EU's energy commissioner, Kadri Simson, has urged France to raise its renewable energy target to "at least 44%" by 2030, warning it would consider taking "steps" at EU level in case of persistent shortcomings.

Cyprus could start producing its first natural gas as soon as 2026, and plans to participate in a high-powered electricity cable project linking the eastern Mediterranean to continental Europe, its energy minister told Reuters.

Équilibre des énergies (EdEn), a French think tank, issued its recommendations for the next EU term of office (2024-2029). In exclusivity for Euractiv France, the group stresses the need for a European industrial strategy that is properly geared towards the climate and the economy, rather than a collection of targets.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) will be partly relied upon to meet the EU's 2040 climate objectives, with an industrial alliance to be launched shortly and the first reactors deployed "by 2030", the European Commission announced on Tuesday (6 February).

The European Union needs to take into account its ambitious targets for solar power deployment before it considers any measures to curb imports of photovoltaic panels, wafers and other components, a senior EU official said on Monday (5 February).

European solar panel manufacturers have warned they are “poised to shut down manufacturing lines” unless the EU takes emergency measures to save the sector, such as a buy-out of their inventories, which have piled up in recent years due to an influx of cheaper versions from China.

Czechia will welcome the construction of four nuclear power units at the existing Dukovany power plant instead of the one initially planned, the Czech government decided Thursday while confirming it will no longer pursue bidding talks with US power company Westinghouse.

Germany’s offshore wind energy targets are at risk amid lagging construction rates and grid connection delays, prompting industry calls for additional government support.

France is lagging behind its initial renewable energy targets for 2023, although it is set to pick up the pace by 2030, but not enough to meet EU targets, the latest figures from the French Renewable Energy Observatory published on Thursday (25 January) show.

Electricity prices on the EU wholesale market have been on a downward trend in recent months, a development some governments see as an opportunity to remove subsidies introduced in response to the energy crisis, while others see as a bad signal for the energy transition. 

Europe’s first-ever Offshore Network Development Plan, published on Tuesday (23 January), highlights the huge investment needed to connect offshore wind farms to final consumers, with an estimated 54,000 kilometres of transmission assets expected to be built in European waters by 2050 – almost 1.5 times the equator’s length.

Estonia plans to build a small modular reactor (SMR) to wean itself off the addiction to polluting oil shale and meet its target of producing 100% decarbonised electricity by 2030. A vote in Parliament is expected "in the first half of 2024," officials say.

Meyer Burger, the biggest producer of solar modules in Germany, has announced plans to close down and relocate to the US, fuelling political debates on whether the industry deserves long-term state support to ensure its survival.

Plans to build a fleet of hydrogen power plants to supplement wind turbines and solar panels are faltering, amid a budgetary squeeze and demands for cost-cutting from industry.

Although gas and electricity prices have receded below their 2022 peak, they are not forecast to return to pre-pandemic levels in the foreseeable future, the European Commission said on Monday (15 January), warning of the long-term economic consequences of high energy prices on the EU's competitiveness.

UK company Newcleo and French company NAAREA are set to form a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of their fourth-generation nuclear technologies, the two announced in an exclusive interview for Euractiv France, AFP and Le Figaro on Tuesday (16 January).

The new Polish government has announced its ambition to become a green player in Europe, backing a 90% greenhouse gas reduction target for 2040 and looking to pull forward the country’s coal exit.

European Union countries built 17 gigawatts of new wind power farms in 2023, the most for any year so far, but still not enough to reach its renewable energy goal, industry data showed on Friday (12 January).