• • • NET ZERO • • •


EUROPE’S REAL ELECTRIFICATION CHALLENGES: WHY EUROPE’S AGEING GRIDS AND


STRETCHED SUPPLY CHAINS COULD SLOW THE PACE OF ELECTRIFICATION


BY MELISSA MAGESTRO, PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR, CWIEME BERLIN


28 per cent in China. Clearly there is room for further electrification,


A


and as Europe looks to close that gap, the pressure on its electricity infrastructure will only increase. The challenge isn’t just generating more clean power. It is getting that power to where it’s needed, reliably. As transport, heating and manufacturing


increasingly shift away from fossil fuels, electricity demand will only increase. At the same time, the way electricity is generated and consumed is


ccording to a report by Ember, the global energy think tank, only 22 per cent of EU energy is electrified, compared to


changing. Renewable generation is more distributed and variable than traditional forms of generation, while new sources of demand such as data centres, EV charging and industrial electrification are emerging in different locations and at different scales. This is creating a more complex system,


with electricity needing to move between generation and demand in ways that existing centralised networks were not necessarily designed to accommodate. In other words, Europe’s electrification


challenge is becoming a grid delivery challenge. Expanding generation capacity is only useful if the infrastructure exists to connect it, transmit the electricity and distribute it to the end user, and that infrastructure must be delivered fast enough to keep pace with demand. This is where some of the biggest challenges are emerging, from ageing assets and equipment shortages to manufacturing capacity, skills gaps and supply chain pressures.


14 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • SEPTEMBER 2026


The infrastructure challenge One of the most immediate challenges is Europe’s existing grid. According to the European Commission, 40 per cent of distribution grids are over 40 years old, and with cross-border transmission capacity set to double by 2030, €584 billion in investments will be required. The Commission published its Grid Action Plan in November 2023, which outlines measures to accelerate grid development and integration of renewables, including improving long-term network planning, speeding up permitting, making better use of existing infrastructure and strengthening grid supply chains. The Plan reflects the scale and complexity of the


challenge. But putting the right policy framework in place is only the first step. Turning these ambitions into physical infrastructure will require significant investment, manufacturing capacity and coordination across the industry. For grid operators, this creates a difficult balancing act. Investment is needed not just to


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