The European Commission's recently unveiled draft EU electrification plan ambitiously positions Europe to become the world's first "electro-continent," spurred in relatively equal measure by a continued commitment to the energy transition and a desire for energy security and economic benefits that Brussels believes electrification provides. The electrification push represents a shift from the previous commission emphasis on renewable energy build-out and emissions reductions targets, and was in fact accompanied by a proposed pragmatic climbdown from some of the more difficult targets in the bloc's Emissions Trading System (ETS). Electrification itself will be expensive — the scale proposed by Brussels would require more than just wide-scale electric vehicle (EV) and heat pump uptake — but European leaders hope it will reduce dependence on potentially even more expensive fossil fuel imports.
Brussels Embraces Wildly Ambitious Electrification Plan
The EU push to double its electrification rate by 2040 represents a major shift in Brussels' energy ambitions.













