Powering Europe together

Planning Europe’s grid – A shared endeavour

European grid planning has fundamentally evolved: what was once largely national is now coordinated at European level via ENTSO-E. Since the first Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) in 2010, around 16,000 km of lines have been built. By 2045, a further 100,000 km of new transmission lines are planned.

The current TYNDP addresses the need for around 108 GW of additional interconnector capacity, including 20 GW offshore hybrid interconnections. The study highlights that every euro invested in the TYNDP translates into around two euros of system cost savings by 2040. Financing the approximately €800 billion expansion of the EU's transmission grid until 2050 will be challenging, and new financing tools will be required. However, not investing would be far more expensive (€49 billion/year) – for consumers, industry and society.

ENTSO‑E’s joint network planning has evolved considerably, enabling stronger integration across borders, sectors, and regions, while including new technologies. By linking national grid development plans (NDPs) with a European-wide vision, it plays a key role in supporting the achievement of EU climate goals. However, when it comes to the projects, supply-chain constraints, permitting delays and financing conditions remain major obstacles. While planning is coordinated at EU level, grid investments will still need to be financed mainly through reliable national regulatory frameworks that need to leave room for national decision-making, as highlighted beside other points in our position on the European Grids Package.

Security of supply is European

Security of supply must be assessed at European level. Within ENTSO‑E, the European Resource Adequacy Assessment (ERAA) evaluates whether sufficient generation, storage and flexibility are available to meet the demand.

The ERAA 2025 projections show that Germany could face 20-31 hours of Loss of Load Expectation (LoLE) in 2030, and up to 97 hours in 2035 — far above the national reliability standard of 2.77 hours. The study underlines the urgent need for additional firm capacity and flexibility, not only in Germany but across Europe.

Still, European cooperation significantly reduces the need for purely national investment. Demand peaks differ across Europe: e.g. in 2024, Italy recorded its highest load on 19 July, while Germany’s peak load occurred on 15 January. Renewable generation patterns are also often complementary, with solar dominating in the south and wind in the north. Supporting each other within a connected system in Europe during periods of scarcity makes the system more efficient than building local power plants for the hour with the highest national consumption.

More Europe is therefore part of the solution — but not a one-size-fits-all approach. Although common European principles are important, capacity mechanisms that ensure additional reliable generation capacity is being built must still allow for subsidiarity and targeted national solutions. Different national energy pathways — ranging from Germany's transition model to France's plans for new nuclear capacity — necessitate distinct actions. What we need in Germany is addressed in the following THE POWER BRIEF.