Europeans, Electrification Is Europe's Way Out After Two Energy Crises. Here's the 46% by 2040 Plan

Stavanger, Norway, Source :

Can Europe ever feel truly secure about its energy future? After two major energy crises in five years, that question is front and center. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her video address to the Offshore Northern Seas conference in Stavanger to deliver a clear answer: electrification.

She reminded the audience that ONS has brought governments and industry together for more than five decades. That long partnership has never mattered more. Over the past five years, Europe had to navigate serious disruptions. The continent held up better than expected because countries acted together. Supply lines were diversified with trusted partners, with Norway playing a central role. Industry stepped up to keep Ukrainian homes warm and hospitals running. And when the Strait of Hormuz was closed, joint efforts helped calm markets and reassure citizens and businesses.

Here is the part that should interest you. The clean energy transition is already doing heavy lifting. In the latest year, more than 70 percent of Europe's electricity came from clean sources. Wind and solar alone produced more electricity than all fossil fuels combined. That clean power surge acted as a buffer during the recent crisis. The bigger opportunity is still ahead.

Electricity currently covers less than one quarter of Europe's final energy consumption. That means most of the energy used for transport, heating and industry still comes from other sources. The next stage is to electrify those sectors. The European Commission has already proposed a Grids Package to modernize networks, speed up permitting, expand storage and make the system more digital. Last month, it went further with an Electrification Action Plan. The goal is straightforward and ambitious: electricity should supply 46 percent of all European energy by 2040.

Why 46 percent? Because hitting that target would place Europe's energy future firmly in its own hands. Clean electricity is produced locally, especially in a region like the North Sea. The more transportation, heating and industry run on it, the less their costs depend on global fossil fuel markets. Von der Leyen called this the strategy to end Europe's exposure to fossil fuel price shocks for good.

The message is not only about electrons. Carbon capture and storage also made an appearance. A few hundred kilometers from Stavanger, CO2 captured from factories across Europe is being stored safely under the seabed. With EU support, that project is expanding to handle more than five million tonnes of CO2 every year. This is a concrete example of how the clean transition can cut emissions, create new industrial value chains and keep advanced technology design and production in Europe.

None of this will happen overnight. ONS has always been a place where decisions take shape, not just conversations. The president made that point in her closing remarks. The world needs the ideas, technologies and investments gathered in Stavanger. Together, governments and industry can build the energy system of the future. For anyone who cares about that future, the direction is now clear. Europe is not just planning a cleaner energy system. It is planning an electrified one.