A coalition of leading energy industry stakeholders has called on EU institutions, national governments, regulators, and system operators to establish a sequenced framework for long-duration energy storage (LDES) in Europe. The joint statement highlights LDES as a critical enabler of energy security, system reliability, and cost-efficient decarbonisation in a rapidly evolving power system.

Europe’s energy system is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rapid expansion of renewable electricity, accelerating industrial electrification, and rising demand from digital infrastructure. While renewable generation continues to grow, periods of low wind and solar output, grid congestion, and increasing curtailment reveal structural flexibility gaps that short-duration solutions alone cannot address.

LDES technologies, which include pumped hydropower, compressed air, flow batteries, thermal storage, and power-to-gas pathways, can store energy over multiple hours, days, or even seasons. By converting variable renewable generation into firm, time-shifted supply, these technologies help maintain system adequacy, reduce reliance on fossil backup capacity, limit curtailment, defer grid reinforcement, and support industrial electrification.

The coalition’s joint statement urges policymakers to:

• Integrate LDES into EU and national energy system planning and adequacy assessments.

• Ensure fair and cost-reflective treatment of storage in electricity markets, grid charges, and taxation.

• Align capacity mechanisms with long-duration system needs.

• Enable investment and long-term contracting frameworks that support deployment at scale.

Signatories of the statement include Association Flow Batteries Europe, Cleantech for Europe, Energy Storage Europe, EnergyTag, Eurelectric, Future Cleantech Architects, the Global Renewables Alliance, the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Council, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The coalition emphasizes that scaling LDES is essential for Europe to deliver reliable, affordable, and clean power, while also advancing industrial competitiveness and supporting the EU’s broader climate and energy goals.