The European Commission launched a stakeholder consultation to gather input from stakeholders on its upcoming guidance regarding grid connections in situations where capacity constraints exist. In response, EASE submitted its feedback, emphasising the growing issue of speculative and stalled projects (“ghost” or “zombie” projects) hoarding grid capacity. These projects, often immature or inactive, prevent more viable and ready-to-build projects – particularly energy storage – from connecting to the grid, slowing down the clean energy transition.

EASE supports transitioning from a “first-come, first-served” approach to a “first-ready, first-served” model, prioritising projects based on objective maturity criteria like land rights, permits, and financial closure. To further improve grid access, EASE calls for:

• Milestone-based progress tracking and a use-it-or-lose-it principle to clear inactive projects from the queue.

• Greater flexibility for energy storage assets and simplified modification processes for existing connections when capacity doesn’t increase.

• Transparent capacity maps and queue data to improve planning and investment.

• Flexible Connection Agreements (FCAs) to enable connections in congested areas, provided they are fairly designed and backed by regulatory oversight.

EASE concludes that a smarter, more transparent, and storage-friendly grid connection framework is essential to accelerate Europe’s energy transition and optimise infrastructure use.

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