Source: European Parliament
Interconnected and stable electricity grids, both at transmission and distribution levels, are a key enabler of the clean energy transition.
The development of distribution grids is addressed in several legal as well as non-legislative acts, including the Electricity Directive[1]; several actions targeting the distribution networks have also been tabled for the first time in the Grid Action Plan[2].
The Commission will continue to actively upgrade the EU grid infrastructure. The Commission will look at the legal framework on European grids with the aim to help upgrade and expand grids to support rapid electrification, and will table a Clean Investment Strategy to support efforts to prioritise investment in clean energy infrastructure.
An Electrification Action Plan will also be tabled to ensure an encompassing strategy towards an EU energy system powered with homegrown, clean electricity.
In addition, the Commission is continuously monitoring skill shortages in the energy sector. The Commission estimates that the transition to clean energy will require 3.9 million additional skilled workers[3].
The latest European skills and jobs survey[4] shows that energy supply and manufacturing are among the sectors with the highest upskilling needs in terms of technical and job-specific skills.
To address these shortages, the Commission will[5], inter alia, promote the setting-up and implementation of new sectoral and regional skills partnerships under the Pact for Skills and support the work of all the Skills Academies in net-zero technologies.
The Commission will also establish a Union of Skills[6], which will focus, among others, on investment, adult and lifelong learning, skill retention and recognition of different types of training.
- [1] Directive (EU) 2024/1711.
- [2] COM/2023/757 final, Concrete actions of the Grid Action Plan include supporting better distribution grid planning and anticipatory investment to be able to connect new loads and renewables on time, coordinate action on the grid hosting capacity for both transmission and distribution grids, promotion of smart grids and innovative network technologies also via Technopedia platform, which should be jointly established by ENTSO-E and the EU DSO entity and further actions to support accelerating the permitting procedures.
- [3] Commission Communication on Labour and skills shortages in the EU: an action plan, COM(2024) 131 final. Electrical engineers, electrical engineering technicians, building and related electricians, electrical mechanics and fitters as well as environmental engineers were listed in Annex of the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an EU Talent Pool, listing occupations, for which an EU-wide shortage has been identified.
- [4] Cedefop (2021).
- [5] These actions are all included in the action plan on labour and skills shortages in the EU.
- [6] As announced in the Political Guidelines.