At least 120 gigawatts of planned renewable energy projects across Europe face significant delays or potential cancellation because the region’s power networks are not equipped to handle the new supply. This infrastructure bottleneck threatens to leave a massive amount of clean energy stuck in connection queues rather than powering homes and businesses, according to the authors of the newly released report.
The report states that “At least 120 GW of planned renewable projects in Europe are at risk due to grid constraints.” It further notes that “Two-thirds (66%) of the 158 GW renewables that the reporting countries expect to roll out by 2030 may not materialise, as projects will be unable to connect to the grid network.”
To understand this issue, think of the power grid as a network of highways meant to carry electricity from where it is generated to where it is consumed. Even though many new wind and solar farms are being built, these electricity “roads” are already congested and cannot accommodate any more traffic. Consequently, these green energy projects are forced to wait in a massive administrative line, unable to deliver power to the public until the wires are upgraded.
The report “Crossed wires: Grid capacity could block EU energy security” was published by the energy think tank Ember on 1 April 2026. It was prepared by a research team led by Senior Energy Analyst Elisabeth Cremona.
