| Energy●View | Weekly Brief · No. 011 Monday, 20 July 2026 |
Brussels puts 46 per cent on 2040, and €19m reaches seven plants.
The European Commission set an indicative target of 46 per cent for electricity’s share of EU final energy by 2040, published on 17 July alongside a revision of the Emissions Trading System. Storage ambition rises from around 55 GW today to 200 GW by 2030. Closer to home, almost €19m began issuing to seven anaerobic digestion plants, and the Department published terms for the sixth renewable electricity auction.
The number to hold onto is 23 per cent. That is where electricity’s share of European final energy has sat for a decade, and it is the standing start for everything else in the plan.
| 01 | Stat of the week | European Commission |
Where electricity has sat as a share of European final energy for a decade, against an indicative 46 per cent target for 2040.
| 02 | Energy news | Top story + 3 |
Brussels sets a 46 per cent electrification target for 2040
The European Commission presented its Electrification Action Plan on 17 July, setting an indicative target for electricity to reach 46 per cent of EU final energy consumption by 2040, roughly double today’s share. Electricity has held at about 23 per cent of final energy for a decade, against more than 30 per cent in China, Korea and Japan. The plan raises storage ambition from around 55 GW in 2026 to 200 GW by 2030 and 400 GW by 2040, adds 100 GW of renewable generation connected by 2030, and targets grid flexibility through network charging reform, faster smart meter rollout and heat pump participation in demand response.
The Commission published it alongside a revision of the EU Emissions Trading System. The measures require formal proposal and adoption before they bind, with the electrification target expected in the Energy Union package in the fourth quarter of 2026. For Ireland the plan bears most directly on the electricity to gas price ratio and on the pace of storage build-out.
Almost €19m begins issuing to seven biomethane plants
Payments worth almost €19m began issuing on 15 July to seven anaerobic digestion projects under the 2024 Biomethane Capital Grant Scheme, drawn down through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. Each project received up to 20 per cent of eligible capital costs to a €5m ceiling, with Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises in Kildare at the cap, alongside Bia Energy in Dublin, Brookdale Biogas and Glenmore Generation in Donegal, College Proteins in Meath and Lisheen Renewable Energy in Tipperary.
The seven carry roughly 10 per cent of the 2030 biomethane target, with output equivalent to the annual heating needs of about 56,000 homes. Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien confirmed a further €200m secured through the National Development Plan for a second round, expected to open late in 2026 and run to 2030. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine partnered with SEAI on scheme administration.
RESS 6 terms apply non-price criteria for the first time
The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment published terms and conditions for the sixth Renewable Electricity Support Scheme on 16 July, the first RESS auction to implement the non-price criteria required under Article 26 of the Renewable Energy Directive III. Core auction parameters are largely carried over from the previous round. RESS remains the principal route to market for utility-scale onshore wind and solar.
CRU sets fault ride-through requirements for transmission-connected demand
New requirements will oblige large transmission-connected demand facilities, including data centres, to ride through transient voltage dips on the transmission system rather than disconnecting. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities has pointed to automatic near-instantaneous disconnection by many data centres during such faults. The measure connects to EirGrid grid code modification MPID 345, open for further representations until 29 July.
Also worth knowing
| ● | The EU imported a record volume of Russian LNG in the first half of 2026, ahead of the planned 2027 import ban. Business Post, 16 Jul |
| ● | DCC moved close to accepting a £5.7bn takeover from KKR and Energy Capital Partners. RTÉ, 15 Jul |
| ● | Plug-in solar reached the Oireachtas climate committee on 14 July, with legislation being progressed to permit the panels. Oireachtas, 14 Jul |
| ● | Mayo councillors adopted the county Renewable Energy Strategy with a buffer zone included. Connaught Telegraph, 18 Jul |
| ● | VERDE Energy Group, backed by Octopus Energy Generation, began construction on a €5m solar farm in Roscommon. Roscommon Herald, 16 Jul |
| ● | District heating is the missing piece for Irish energy and should bring prices down, the Irish District Energy Association said. RTÉ, 13 Jul |
| 03 | Open consultations | 3 of 9 |
| 21Jul · Tue |
1 day left
CRU · Offshore Phase 1 incentives for EirGridMechanisms to incentivise EirGrid readiness to own and operate Phase 1 offshore transmission assets. For offshore wind developers and transmission stakeholders. Closes 17:00
|
| 24Jul · Fri |
4 days left
SEM Committee · Network imperfections chargesForecast imperfections charges for the tariff year October 2026 to September 2027, and whether the underlying assumptions hold. For generators and suppliers. Closes close of business
|
| 29Jul · Wed |
9 days left
CRU · Grid code modification MPID 345Further representations on EirGrid fault ride-through requirements for transmission-connected demand, with the compliance and derogation framework. For data centres and large energy users. Closes 17:00
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Six more consultations are open, including the CRU Price Control 6 strategy paper closing 14 August, which has gas security of supply in scope, and the DCEE Climate Action Plan call closing 17 August. The full list is at energyview.ie.
| 04 | Job postings | 1 listing |
EirGrid continues to carry this week’s senior hiring, with the transmission system operator markets directorship still open.
| EirGrid Dublin |
Director of Transmission System Operator MarketsPermanent · Closes 24 July
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| 05 | Conferences & webinars | 5 of 11 |
| 26Aug · Wed |
Hydrogen Ireland · Hydrogen’s role in delivering electricity security of supplyWebinar
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| 10Sep · Thu |
Hydrogen Ireland · Beyond the grid, clean hydrogen pathways for data centresWebinar
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| 14Oct · Wed |
Hydrogen Ireland · Delivering demand, security and EU-aligned deploymentWorkshop hosted by Gas Networks Ireland · Venue TBC
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| 20Oct · Tue |
Global Bioeconomy Summit 202620 to 21 October · Convention Centre Dublin · Irish EU Presidency
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| 18Nov · Wed |
Hydrogen Ireland and Clean Hydrogen Partnership · H2 Summit 202618 to 19 November · Fota Island Resort, Cork
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The rest of the diary is at energyview.ie. To advertise an event, reply to this email.
| 06 | Podcast corner | Ep 256 |
Why are we electrifying so slowly?
Michael Liebreich sits down with the authors of the Electrification Staircase, a framework that sorts electrification into what is commercially deliverable now, what is close, and what needs more support to arrive by mid-century. It is the natural companion to this week’s top story, because the Commission has just put a 46 per cent target on 2040 while the share has not moved off 23 per cent in a decade, and this is the episode about why.