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Contrary to Russia’s plans, Europe has secured enough energy to be safe this winter. Thanks to the efforts of Europeans, we have cut our gas use by 20%, well above our target of 15% set in July. More about the #REPowerEU plan → http://europa.eu/!wbD6NW

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In response to the hardships and global energy market disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission presented the REPowerEU Plan.

REPowerEU is a plan for

saving energy
producing clean energy
diversifying our energy supplies

It is backed by financial and legal measures to build the new energy infrastructure and system that Europe needs.

REPowerEU actions

The new geopolitical and energy market realities require us to drastically accelerate our clean energy transition and increase Europe’s energy independence from unreliable suppliers and volatile fossil fuels.

REPowerEU is the European Commission’s plan to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

85% of Europeans believe that the EU should reduce its dependency on Russian gas and oil as soon as possible to support Ukraine. By acting as a Union, Europe can achieve this faster.

The REPowerEU plan sets out a series of measures to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and fast forward the green transition, while increasing the resilience of the EU-wide energy system. It is based on:

Diversifying

The EU is working with international partners to find alternative energy supplies. In the short-term, we need alternative supplies of gas, oil and coal as quickly as possible, and looking to the future we will need renewable hydrogen too.

Saving

Every citizen, business and organisation can save energy. Small behavioural changes, if we all commit to them, can make a significant difference. Contingency measures for supply interruptions will also be needed.

Accelerating clean energy

Renewables are the cheapest and cleanest energy available, and can be produced domestically, reducing our need for energy imports. REPowerEU will speed up the green transition and spur massive investment in renewable energy. We also need to enable industry and transport to substitute fossil fuels faster to bring down emissions and dependencies.

Short-term measures

Common purchases of gas, LNG and hydrogen via the EU Energy Platform for all Member States who want to participate as well as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the Western Balkans
New energy partnerships with reliable suppliers, including future cooperation on renewables and low carbon gases
Rapid roll out of solar and wind energy projects combined with renewable hydrogen deployment to save around 50 bcm of gas imports
Increase the production of biomethane to save 17 bcm of gas imports
Approval of first EU-wide hydrogen projects by the summer
An EU Save Energy Communication with recommendations for how citizens and businesses can save around 13 bcm of gas imports
Fill gas storage to 80% of capacity by 1 November 2022
EU-coordination demand reduction plans in case of gas supply disruption

Medium term measures to be completed before 2027

New national REPowerEU Plans under the modified Recovery and Resilience Fund – to support investment and reforms worth €300 billion
Boosting industrial decarbonisation with €3 billion of frontloaded projects under the Innovation Fund
New legislation and recommendations for faster permitting of renewables especially in dedicated ‘go–to areas’ with low environmental risk
Investments in an integrated and adapted gas and electricity infrastructure network
Increased ambition on energy savings by raising the EU-wide target on efficiency for 2030 from 9% to 13%
Increase the European renewables target for 2030 from 40% to 45%
New EU proposals to ensure industry has access to critical raw materials
Regulatory measures to increase energy efficiency in the transport sector
A hydrogen accelerator to build 17.5 GW by 2025 of electrolysers to fuel EU industry with homegrown production of 10 million tonnes renewable hydrogen
A modern regulatory framework for hydrogen

Clean energy

Ending the EU’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels will require a massive scale-up of renewables as well as faster electrification and replacement of fossil-based heat and fuel in industry, buildings and the transport sector. The clean energy transition will help lower energy prices over time and reduce import dependency.

Renewables are the cheapest and cleanest energy available, and can be generated domestically, reducing our need for energy imports. The Commission is proposing to increase the EU’s 2030 target for renewables from the current 40% to 45%. The REPowerEU Plan would bring the total renewable energy generation capacities to 1,236 GW by 2030, in comparison to the 1,067 GW by 2030, envisaged under Fit for 55 for 2030.

The EU Solar Energy Strategy will boost the roll-out of photovoltaic energy. As part of the REPowerEU plan, this strategy aims to bring online over 320 GW of solar photovoltaic newly installed by 2025, over twice today’s level, and almost 600 GW by 2030. These frontloaded additional capacities displace the consumption of 9 bcm of natural gas annually by 2027.

Clean industry

Replacing coal, oil and gas in industrial processes will help cut the dependency on Russian fossil fuels, while transitioning to cleaner energy sources, strengthening industrial competitiveness and supporting international technology leadership.

Electrification, energy efficiency and uptake of renewables could allow industry to save 35 bcm of natural gas by 2030 beyond Fit for 55 targets
Largest reductions in gas, almost 22 bcm, could be made from non-metallic minerals, cement, glass and ceramics, chemicals production and refineries
Around 30% of EU primary steel production is expected to be decarbonized on the basis of renewable hydrogen by 2030

The industrial sector will also play a key role in scaling up the production of equipment and components necessary to quickly transform our energy system.

Saving energy

Saving energy is the cheapest, safest and cleanest way to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel imports from Russia. We can all easily be involved in reducing our energy consumption, from consumers and businesses to all industrial sectors. Together with energy efficiency measures, our individual actions will have a positive impact on prices – directly reducing our energy bills, making our economy more resilient and accelerating EU’s clean energy transition.

There are many ways to reduce energy consumption in our daily lives, including by:

Reducing heating temperatures or using less air-conditioning
Using household appliances more efficiently
Driving more economically
Shifting to more public transport and active mobility
Switching off the lights

All energy users need to be aware of the best savings opportunities and the most effective steps they can take. The Commission will support citizens with targeted information to help them make informed choices and energy efficient purchases.

We are also working together with organisations like the International Energy Agency, Member States and local authorities to identify and promote the most effective energy saving actions.

Key energy saving actions

Increasing resilience in SMEs

Financing REPowerEU

Additional investments of €210 billion are needed between now and 2027 to phase out Russian fossil fuel imports, which are currently costing European taxpayers nearly €100 billion per year.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is at the heart of the REPowerEU Plan implementation, providing additional EU funding. Member States should add a REPowerEU chapter to their Recovery and Resilience Plans to channel investments to REPowerEU priorities and make the necessary reforms.

Member States can use the remaining RRF loans (currently €225 billion) and new RRF grants funded by the auctioning of Emission Trading System allowances, currently held in the Market Stability Reserve, worth €20 billion.

Other sources of REPowerEU financing include:

Cohesion Policy funds
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development
Connecting Europe Facility
Innovation Fund
National and EU funding in support of REPowerEU objectives
National fiscal measures
Private investment
The European Investment Bank

Working with international partners

We want to build long-term partnerships that are mutually beneficial – boosting renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency around the globe and cooperating on green technology and innovation. The new EU Energy Platform will play a key role in pooling demand, coordinating infrastructure use, negotiating with the international partners and preparing for joint gas and hydrogen purchases.

Actions:

Increasing Liquified natural gas (LNG) deliveries from the US and Canada and pipeline and LNG gas from Norway
Intensify cooperation with Azerbaijan, especially on the Southern Gas Corridor
Political agreements with gas suppliers like Egypt and Israel to increase LNG supplies
Restart energy dialogue with Algeria
Continued cooperation with major producers in the Gulf, including Qatar, as well as with Australia
Coordination with gas buyers such as Japan, China and Korea
Explore the export potential of sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria, Senegal and Angola

The EU will also keep working with G7, G20 and other international fora, including OPEC and the IEA, to ensure well-functioning global oil markets.

Timeline

14 December 2022The European Parliament and the Council reach a political agreement on financing REPowerEU and enabling Member States to introduce REPowerEU chapters in their recovery and resilience plans
9 December 2022New industrial Alliance is launched to boost the EU’s solar power and energy security
9 November 2022Commission steps up green transition away from Russian gas by accelerating renewables permitting
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Documents

Communication
18 May 2022

Key documents: REPowerEU

Communications related to REPowerEU

Communication
3 October 2022

REPowerEU related documents

A clear and complete repository of the thematic areas that are shaping the REPowerEU initiative

Questions and answers about REPOwerEU

English

(5.95 KB – HTML)