22 EU Governments Sign Pact to Expand Energy Storage Capacity

Twenty-two EU national governments signed an agreement to expand energy storage capacity, Euronews reported. Seventeen of the signatories submitted concrete commitments, including 11,000 MW from Poland, 5,000 MW from Austria, 500 MW from Portugal and 376 MW from Slovakia. The pact targets 30-35 GW of new storage by 2028, lifting the bloc’s total to roughly 65 GW.

This remains below the European Commission’s 2030 goal of 200 GW. Storage is projected to cover 10 per cent of peak demand, up from 5 per cent. Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Finland and Denmark are scheduled to join by the end of 2026.

The European Investment Bank plans to extend its €500 million corporate power purchase programme to storage projects and increase its €1.5 billion grid manufacturing support to include new storage technologies. Renewable energy’s share of final consumption rose from 23 per cent in 2020 to 25.2 per cent in 2024, while renewables supplied 44 per cent of electricity, Euronews reported.

The EU still imports 55 per cent of its energy, with oil and petroleum making up 67 per cent of imports in 2024 according to a March 2026 Eurostat report.

Electricity demand is rising. The International Energy Agency projects AI and data-centre consumption will double by 2030; these facilities already use about 3 per cent of EU electricity and are expected to exceed 28 GW. In the first quarter of 2026, EU day-ahead markets recorded 1,223 hours of negative prices, roughly twice prior levels, with Germany and Spain among the hardest hit.

The agreement is not binding. The Commission will monitor progress annually. Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPowerEurope, said batteries can cut €55 billion per year in power-system operating costs.