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He has previous experience covering trade flows, tariffs and the effects of geopolitics on supply chains.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrochecontent/",{"type":573,"content":574},"doc",[575,594,608,618,642,652,688,733,752,759,764,769,776,788,814],{"type":576,"attrs":577,"content":578},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[579,582,592],{"text":580,"type":581},"The ","text",{"text":583,"type":581,"marks":584},"European Commission",[585],{"type":586,"attrs":587},"link",{"href":588,"uuid":589,"anchor":49,"target":590,"linktype":591},"/article/industrial-accelerator-act-adds-made-in-eu-requirements-for-automakers","f241906f-ea0d-4bcf-84e5-4ca9c212a23f","_blank","story",{"text":593,"type":581}," is aiming to make Europe the world’s first ‘electro-powered continent’ though its Electrification Action Plan and revised Emissions Trading System (ETS) announced 17 July.",{"type":576,"attrs":595,"content":596},{"textAlign":49},[597,599,606],{"text":598,"type":581},"Electrification of energy demand has stalled at 23% for a decade; the Commission wants to lift that to an indicative 46% by 2040, a shift it says could cut the EU's fossil fuel import bill by €260 billion a year. The ETS review backs this with an investment engine, a €100 billion Industrial Decarbonisation Bank, and a requirement that member states plough half their ETS revenues into ",{"text":600,"type":581,"marks":601},"decarbonisation",[602],{"type":586,"attrs":603},{"href":604,"uuid":605,"anchor":49,"target":590,"linktype":591},"/article/eu-to-change-its-emission-rules-for-vehicles-through-its-new-automotive-package","d9a7258b-9ded-4e27-8a79-34dc444ef7e4",{"text":607,"type":581},".",{"type":609,"attrs":610,"content":612},"heading",{"level":611,"textAlign":49},2,[613],{"text":614,"type":581,"marks":615},"Storage capacity acceleration targeted",[616],{"type":617},"bold",{"type":576,"attrs":619,"content":620},{"textAlign":49},[621,628,637],{"text":622,"type":581,"marks":623},"The plan targets 200GW of storage capacity by 2030, rising to 500GW by 2040, ",[624],{"type":625,"attrs":626},"textStyle",{"color":627},"",{"text":629,"type":581,"marks":630},"up from roughly 55GW today",[631,635],{"type":586,"attrs":632},{"href":633,"uuid":634,"anchor":49,"target":590,"linktype":591},"/article/europe-has-record-quarter-for-energy-storage","acf89f40-3be3-4aef-8011-2f0d5bce1a88",{"type":625,"attrs":636},{"color":627},{"text":638,"type":581,"marks":639},". That figure spans both short-duration batteries and long-duration storage (defined as delivering power for eight-plus hours), which Brussels wants to see displace fossil fuel backup capacity and soak up more domestic renewable generation. This will be driven by a Tripartite Agreement on Energy Storage, a cooperative pledge signed by EU governments, the commission and industry.",[640],{"type":625,"attrs":641},{"color":627},{"type":643,"attrs":644},"blok",{"id":645,"body":646},"414cd323-278f-44bd-8237-afa0a8c51ff0",[647],{"id":648,"_uid":649,"type":650,"component":651,"fixed_height":627,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":627,"fixed_height_tablet":627},"29771938","i-d7f294d0-9be0-4158-8fd1-c400b0d70783","visualisation","ContentFlourish",{"type":576,"attrs":653,"content":654},{"textAlign":49},[655,660,669,674,683],{"text":656,"type":581,"marks":657},"Between 2021 and 2025, EU27 members brought online 7.4GW of grid-scale BESS and just under 15GW of behind-the-metre (BTM) ",[658],{"type":625,"attrs":659},{"color":627},{"text":661,"type":581,"marks":662},"battery energy stationary storage (BESS)",[663,667],{"type":586,"attrs":664},{"href":665,"uuid":666,"anchor":49,"target":590,"linktype":591},"/videos/keynote-presentation-the-next-wave-of-battery-demand-europe-and-the-global-storage-opportunity","e9112fce-08c2-4cf8-9e45-7f3b40af8359",{"type":625,"attrs":668},{"color":627},{"text":670,"type":581,"marks":671},", according to data from ",[672],{"type":625,"attrs":673},{"color":627},{"text":675,"type":581,"marks":676},"Benchmark’s BESS Service",[677,681],{"type":586,"attrs":678},{"href":679,"uuid":680,"anchor":49,"target":590,"linktype":591},"/article/benchmark-battery-energy-stationary-storage-database-surpasses-10000-projects","3e888653-ccc0-48d2-89aa-6b0b4e35e911",{"type":625,"attrs":682},{"color":627},{"text":684,"type":581,"marks":685},". The remaining share of the current 55GW is dominated by pumped hydro, as reported by the EU. Going forward, BESS is set to make up a larger share of the EU’s storage capacity, and will be key to meeting the 200GW and 500GW targets.",[686],{"type":625,"attrs":687},{"color":627},{"type":576,"attrs":689,"content":690},{"textAlign":49},[691,696,705,710,712,717,719,724,726,731],{"text":692,"type":581,"marks":693},"Though ",[694],{"type":625,"attrs":695},{"color":627},{"text":697,"type":581,"marks":698},"BTM continues to grow",[699,703],{"type":586,"attrs":700},{"href":701,"uuid":702,"anchor":49,"target":590,"linktype":591},"/videos/benchmark-opening-keynote-downstream-market-update","10a24bb5-3e6f-4fe9-85ae-cb118d101573",{"type":625,"attrs":704},{"color":627},{"text":706,"type":581,"marks":707},", supported by falling costs and various market schemes, grid-scale storage will be the driver. ",[708],{"type":625,"attrs":709},{"color":627},{"text":711,"type":581},"Europe has an extensive energy storage pipeline ",{"text":713,"type":581,"marks":714},"which ",[715],{"type":625,"attrs":716},{"color":627},{"text":718,"type":581},"continues to grow, with ",{"text":720,"type":581,"marks":721},"just under 40GW",[722],{"type":625,"attrs":723},{"color":627},{"text":725,"type":581}," tracked in Benchmark’s ",{"text":727,"type":581,"marks":728},"BESS",[729],{"type":625,"attrs":730},{"color":627},{"text":732,"type":581}," project database set to begin commercial operation across 2026 and 2027.",{"type":576,"attrs":734,"content":735},{"textAlign":49},[736,738,743,745,750],{"text":737,"type":581},"As of ",{"text":739,"type":581,"marks":740},"June",[741],{"type":625,"attrs":742},{"color":627},{"text":744,"type":581}," 2026, Germany, Italy, Romania, Poland and Spain ",{"text":746,"type":581,"marks":747},"lead the pipeline",[748],{"type":625,"attrs":749},{"color":627},{"text":751,"type":581}," from H2 2026–2030. Historically, Europe has had one of the lowest completion rates regionally when it comes to executing projects within initially targeted windows. In this context, more aggressive targets and supporting investment are required to convert more of this pipeline into real energy storage capacity.",{"type":609,"attrs":753,"content":754},{"level":611,"textAlign":49},[755],{"text":756,"type":581,"marks":757},"Storage network charges capped at cost",[758],{"type":617},{"type":576,"attrs":760,"content":761},{"textAlign":49},[762],{"text":763,"type":581},"The regulatory fix underpinning all of this is a companion legislative proposal amending the EU Electricity Regulation (2019/943). It would make network charges for storage strictly cost-reflective, capped at the actual costs a storage asset imposes on the grid, and bar operators from disincentivising storage, self-consumption or aggregation through tariff design.",{"type":576,"attrs":765,"content":766},{"textAlign":49},[767],{"text":768,"type":581},"It also requires system operators to prioritise storage and demand response over new wires in national and EU grid planning, and lets regulators fast-track grid connections for users who bring storage or on-site generation to congested networks. A parallel 2026 network code will specifically address integrating battery storage, thermal storage, geothermal, EVs, and heat pumps into grid operations. The European Investment Bank Group has pledged more than €75 billion (US$85.4 billion) over three years partly earmarked for grids, storage and flexibility investment, signalling where financing is meant to follow the policy.",{"type":609,"attrs":770,"content":771},{"level":611,"textAlign":49},[772],{"text":773,"type":581,"marks":774},"Smart charging to become the default in supply contracts",[775],{"type":617},{"type":576,"attrs":777,"content":778},{"textAlign":49},[779,781,786],{"text":780,"type":581},"Charging is also a focus, with the Commission pushing bidirectional charging into the mainstream. All public and private chargers, both new and existing, must support the ISO 15118-20 communication standard from January 2027, ",{"text":782,"type":581,"marks":783},"a step up from the ISO 15118-2 requirement already in force since January 2026 under the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) regulation. ",[784],{"type":625,"attrs":785},{"color":627},{"text":787,"type":581},"Smart charging is to become the default in EV supply contracts by mid-2027, and new EVs sold in the EU from 2030 will be required to support vehicle-to-grid functionality, with interoperability rules due by the end of 2027.",{"type":576,"attrs":789,"content":790},{"textAlign":49},[791,793,798,800,805,807,812],{"text":792,"type":581},"This marks a shift from the softer, four-yearly review mechanism under the original 2022 AFIR provisions",{"text":794,"type":581,"marks":795},", ",[796],{"type":625,"attrs":797},{"color":627},{"text":799,"type":581},"under which national regulators simply assessed bidirectional charging potential every four years",{"text":801,"type":581,"marks":802},". The old plan would be ",[803],{"type":625,"attrs":804},{"color":627},{"text":806,"type":581},"too slow to keep pace with accelerating EV uptake toward 2030.",{"text":808,"type":581,"marks":809}," ",[810],{"type":625,"attrs":811},{"color":627},{"text":813,"type":581},"A parallel Staff Working Document invites member states to run V2G regulatory sandboxes, citing Dutch, French and German pilots that already let EV owners earn money discharging back to the grid.",{"type":576,"attrs":815,"content":816},{"textAlign":49},[817],{"text":818,"type":581,"marks":819},"The plan also commits to expanding the Clean Transport Corridors initiative across additional TEN-T routes and reviewing the AFIR regulation by end-2026, aiming to close financing gaps for heavy-duty vehicle charging infrastructure.",[820],{"type":625,"attrs":821},{"color":627},"The European Commission is aiming to make Europe the world’s first ‘electro-powered continent’ though its Electrification Action Plan and revised Emissions Trading System (ETS) announced 17 July.\n\nElectrification of energy demand has stalled at 23% for a decade; the Commission wants to lift that to an indicative 46% by 2040, a shift it says could cut the EU's fossil fuel import bill by €260 billion a year. The ETS review backs this with an investment engine, a €100 billion Industrial Decarbonisation Bank, and a requirement that member states plough half their ETS revenues into decarbonisation.",[824],{"slug":825,"name":826,"content":827},"iola-hughes","Iola Hughes",{"job_title":828,"image":829,"bio":831,"linkedin":832,"markets_covered":833},"Head of Research",{"filename":830},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/852x854/03382be015/iola-h.png","Iola was Head of Research at Rho Motion prior to the acquisition, and now leads the downstream research for the Benchmark. She has six years of experience in the battery space and works across electric vehicle, battery, and energy storage markets. Previous experience includes a research position with a Servomex working on paramagnetic sensors and spectroscopy gas analysis. Iola graduated with a First-Class Honours Master’s Degree in Geophysics from University College London","https://www.linkedin.com/in/iolahughes/","Battery, BESS, EV and Battery","article","EU plan targets 46% electrification by 2040, BESS buildout",[837,840,843,846],{"slug":838,"name":839},"ess","ESS",{"slug":841,"name":842},"ev","EV",{"slug":844,"name":845},"batteries","Batteries",{"slug":847,"name":848},"geopolitics","Geopolitics","private",{"id":49,"alt":49,"name":627,"focus":49,"title":49,"source":49,"filename":627,"copyright":49,"fieldtype":851,"meta_data":852},"asset",{},{"id":854,"alt":627,"name":627,"focus":627,"title":627,"source":627,"filename":855,"copyright":627,"fieldtype":851,"meta_data":856,"is_external_url":50},129067397638858,"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/d71e6d8f78/bm-eu-flags.jpg",{},"The European Commission is aiming to make Europe the world’s first ‘electro-powered continent’ though its Electrification Action Plan and revised Emissions Trading System (ETS) announced 17 July.","Jul 23, 2026","23rd July 2026",[],[],1784908345642]