On Thursday 28 August, the European Commission announced two new calls for evidence and public consultations on the EU Electrification Action Plan and the future EU Heating and Cooling Strategy.
Calls are open until 20 November, with publication of the two initiatives scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.
Announced in the Clean Industrial Deal and the Action Plan for Affordable Energy, they “seek to ensure progress towards a decarbonised energy system based on electrification and energy efficiency, driven by a substantial increase in homegrown clean energy”, says a press release.
While the decarbonisation of the EU’s electricity system is progressing steadily, electricity accounts for less than 25% of final energy consumption.
Furthermore, heating and cooling account for around half of the EU’s energy consumption, 70% of which is still dependent on fossil fuels, mainly gas. The share of renewable energies in this sector is growing slowly. “A significant portion of heat is lost, with waste heat estimated to represent nearly 30% of total EU energy use, or almost half of the EU’s fossil fuel consumption”.
The strategy will support the implementation of existing legislation and propose ways to improve energy efficiency in areas such as energy infrastructure planning, district heating and waste heat recovery.
Further information: https://aeur.eu/f/i5z; https://aeur.eu/f/i60 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)