13 May 2025

How Europe’s grid operators are preparing for the energy transition: A snapshot of electricity transmission system operator practices and plans

This report examines how 32 electricity Transmission System Operators (TSOs) across 28 European countries are preparing, or failing to prepare, for a renewables-based electricity system. 

It finds that despite a wave of renewable energy projects seeking grid connections, most TSOs are still planning on the basis of outdated national energy scenarios and targets that don’t reflect today’s exponential growth in renewables. The result? Grid connection queues are ballooning, billions of euros in clean electricity is being curtailed (wasted), and investment in the flexibility and grid balancing needed to facilitate renewables is lagging behind. 

The report warns that without urgent reforms, Europe will remain trapped in a self-fulfilling prophecy whereby fossil gas appears “necessary” simply because alternatives were never properly planned for.

However, it also signals reason for optimism, asserting that if the best practices seen across all TSOs were combined, they would make a near-perfect model. The report concludes that a shortage of political leadership, along with weak oversight and poor transparency are preventing this potential from being realised. 

Key findings

• 1,700 GW of renewable energy projects across 16 countries (2024-25) are stuck in grid connection queues — more than three times the capacity additions needed to reach EU energy and climate targets for 2030.
• €7.2 billion in renewable electricity was curtailed across just seven countries in 2024, meaning clean energy was wasted, while power generators were compensated for the power they could not sell.
• Only five TSOs are considering scenarios to plan for a power system where coal and fossil gas are replaced with renewables by 2035, despite 13 countries targeting decarbonised power sectors in the same timeframe.
• 11 of 34 TSOs operate under the minimum form of legal ownership “unbundling”, meaning they are still part of a portfolio of companies involved in generating or selling electricity and not independent from commercial interests. The UK is a leader in this area, establishing the National Energy System Operator (NESO) — a public body that is separate from the TSO responsible for planning, National Grid. 
• Just five energy regulators have climate neutrality included in their legal responsibilities, while 11 TSOs make no reference to climate targets at all.