The European Commission has launched the first ever EU tripartite agreement on energy storage, bringing together governments, industry and financial institutions in a coordinated effort.
The goal of the tripartite is to accelerate the development of energy storage in the short term, thereby making the electricity system more secure and flexible in the longer term.
‘The missing link’
“Energy storage is the missing link in the clean energy transition,” commented Dan Jørgensen, commissioner for Energy and Housing. “Through tripartite agreements, we are proposing an innovative model that unites industry and the public sector.
“As Europeans, we believe that this type of cooperation in key strategic sectors is essential to make energy cleaner, more affordable and to enhance our competitiveness and economic resilience. Certainty and projects visibility is key for investors. And this is exactly what we are delivering with our first tripartite agreement.”
Energy ministers
The tripartite agreement was signed at a meeting of EU energy ministers in Luxembourg, and will see the acceleration of energy storage deployment over the next two years, helping improve electricity system flexibility, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and lower long-term energy costs for businesses and consumers.
The agreement unites 22 EU Member States with energy storage developers, renewable energy companies, energy-intensive industries and financial institutions. Over the coming two years, participating countries have pledged to support the rollout of between 30GW and 35GW of new energy storage capacity.
As the commission noted, the EU will require around 200GW of energy storage capacity by 2030, compared with approximately 55GW installed at the beginning of 2026.
Member States have committed to removing regulatory barriers that slow deployment, enabling network tariffs that encourage flexibility, and providing financial support where necessary through national funding programmes and EU instruments, including the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF). Read more here.
