Electricity grids: the backbone of the EU energy system

Wording as published by the EP, in English.

1. Amendment 2Rejected

   Recital A a (new)

   Tabled by András Gyürk, Paolo Borchia, Isabella Tovaglieri +76 · Members

   Added: Aa. whereas the stability of electricity grids is essential for the stable and competitive functioning of the European economy; whereas baseload power sources and sufficient backup capacities play a crucial role in maintaining grid stability; whereas the principle of technological neutrality is essential to ensure grid performance and, more broadly, the development of a sound and efficient energy policy;

2. Amendment 3Rejected

   Recital Q

   Tabled by András Gyürk, Paolo Borchia, Isabella Tovaglieri +76 · Members

   Q. whereas the electricity system blackout experienced in the Iberian Peninsula Removed: and parts of France on 28 April 2025 illustrated how important it is to increase the … balanced at all times, including through flexible system services and enhanced cross-border Removed: interconnections, Added: interconnections and investment in standby generation sources with short start-up times, to allow for an agile recovery in the event of system failure; Added: whereas, more than one month after the blackout, the Spanish Government has yet to provide an explanation of the causes of the system failure; whereas there is an urgent need for the Spanish authorities to immediately give the public a proper, complete and transparent explanation; whereas, despite the lack of transparency, some lessons can already be learned from this experience, according to several published analyses, including concerning the risk of excessive reliance on variable renewable energy sources for powering electricity grids;

3. Amendment 4Rejected

   Paragraph 1

   Tabled by András Gyürk, Paolo Borchia, Isabella Tovaglieri +76 · Members

   1. Removed: Calls Added: Acknowledges that the electricity grid infrastructure plays an essential role in achieving the EU’s strategic autonomy; calls on the Member States to fully explore, optimise, modernise and expand their … grids to be the central element in the EU’s transition to a Removed: competitive, net zero economy by 2050, one Added: competitive economy that is capable of accommodating Removed: high volumes of variable renewable energy technologies Added: all available energy solutions through a technology-neutral approach and/or evolving demand sources driven by Removed: increased levels of electrification and the advancement of digital technologies; Removed: notes Added: underlines the Member States’ prerogative to determine their own energy mix; Added: considers technology neutrality to be a core principle;

4. Amendment 5Rejected

   Paragraph 1 a (new)

   Tabled by András Gyürk, Paolo Borchia, Isabella Tovaglieri +75 · Members

   Added: 1a. Stresses that the development of decentralised electricity networks must respect national electricity mixes and must not be pursued in Member States whose electricity production is predominantly centralised;

5. Amendment 6Rejected

   Paragraph 9

   Tabled by Paolo Borchia, András Gyürk, Isabella Tovaglieri +76 · Members

   9. Removed: Highlights that the electricity grid infrastructure is a priority for achieving the EU’s strategic autonomy and its climate and energy targets; notes the Clean Industrial Deal’s commitment to electrification with a key performance indicator of a 32 % economy-wide electrification rate by 2030, which would necessitate a significant and continuous update and deployment of grids; regrets that delays in responding to requests for connection to grids result in a slower pace of electrification, even in Member States where generation from renewables is rapidly increasing; Added: Takes note of the large-scale blackout that affected the Iberian Peninsula on 28 April 2025, leaving over 50 million people without electricity for several hours and causing severe disruption to transport, telecommunications and essential services; underlines that, at the time of the incident, renewable energy accounted for approximately 70 % of Spain’s electricity mix, and that only a few days earlier, on 16 April 2025, the Spanish grid had operated entirely on renewable energy; highlights that the blackout was caused by multiple factors, including the excessively high share of variable renewables, which contribute less to grid inertia than conventional power plants, making it more difficult to manage sudden frequency changes; consequently, strongly affirms the need to adopt a technology-neutral approach in the planning, development and strengthening of electricity networks in order to enable the safe integration of all technologies that support grid stability, especially in the context of growing energy demand; calls on the Member States to strengthen risk assessments related to systemic electricity shocks and to promote resilient, secure and technologically diversified grid models;

6. Amendment 7Rejected

   Paragraph 22

   Tabled by András Gyürk, Paolo Borchia, Isabella Tovaglieri +76 · Members

   … annual investments of EUR 6 billion in cross-border infrastructure and storage capacity; Added: notes, however, the increase in electricity prices in the two southern tariff zones of Sweden that are directly interconnected with Germany; stresses that any potential negative impact on households’ and businesses’ electricity bills should be minimised through careful and forward-looking system planning;