REPowerEU: affordable, secure and sustainable energy for Europe

REPowerEU at a glance 

In response to the hardships and global energy market disruption caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission is implementing its REPowerEU Plan to phase out Russian fossil fuel imports. 

Launched in May 2022, REPowerEU is helping the EU to 

• save energy
• diversify energy supplies 
• produce clean energy 

Thanks to REPowerEU, we've safeguarded EU citizens and businesses from energy shortages, supported Ukraine by weakening Russia's war chest, accelerated the transition to clean energy and stabilised prices. 

Putin's attempt to divide Europe by weaponising energy supplies has failed. Our joint efforts continue and Europe is now better prepared and more united than ever.  

Key achievements 

By acting together over the past two years, we have

Find out more about what we have achieved during 2 years of REPowerEU

Saving energy

Ensuring we are winter-ready

To avoid blackouts and energy shortages, the EU now has a system in place to fill up gas storage ahead of every winter.  

In 2022, EU Member States agreed to fill underground gas storage to 80% of capacity by 1 November 2022. By working together, EU countries surpassed this, instead reaching 95% of gas storage capacity. 

The yearly target has since been increased, with Member States now expected to reach 90% of capacity by 1 November. In 2023, we already reached this target in mid-August.

At the end of the winter heating season this year, on 1 April 2024, gas storage levels were at 59% of total capacity. That is a record at the close of the winter season, and a good starting point for refilling for next year. 

Diversifying energy supplies

Ensuring greater diversity in our supply of energy means that if one source suddenly gets cut off, the effects are felt less acutely. Trading with reliable energy partners while producing more home-grown renewables greatly improves the resilience of our energy system. 

When Russia invaded Ukraine, it became clear that the EU needed alternative ways to ensure its energy supply. At the outbreak of the invasion, almost half of EU gas imports were sourced from Russia, and Russia weaponised this over-reliance to try and harm our economy and undermine our support for Ukraine.  

Fast forward two years, and the EU energy landscape has changed significantly. 

Since the adoption of the REPowerEU Plan, the EU has drastically phased down Russian fossil fuel imports and diversified its supplies. EU sanctions have banned seaborne imports of Russian crude oil and refined petroleum products as well as Russian coal. Imports of Russian gas have significantly dropped, setting the EU on track to phase them out completely in the coming years. 

Securing affordable energy

Energy prices in Europe have declined substantially compared to the peaks in 2022, thanks to the coordinated European response and the REPowerEU Plan. Europe is investing in producing clean and affordable energy and securing its energy independence. 

Following the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU proposed common gas procurement to make sure that Europeans have access to affordable energy and avoid any energy supply disruptions. This system allowed us to start buying a share of our gas needs together, as Europeans, and not competing among ourselves for scarce supplies. 

AggregateEU

AggregateEU is the Commission’s flagship instrument to implement demand aggregation and to support coordinated purchasing of natural gas at European level.  

This initiative pools gas demand from EU and Energy Community companies and matches this demand with competitive supply offers from the global market. Following a call for matching rounds, companies can voluntarily conclude purchasing contracts with gas suppliers, either individually or jointly. 

The EU Energy Platform has delivered excellent results in aggregating demand for natural gas and has attracted strong interest from market players. 

5 short-term matching rounds have been organised since April 2023, covering 25 delivery points and 2 LNG virtual points (North-West, and South-East). During these 5 rounds, more than 43 bcm of European demand have been matched with competitive offers.  

Find out more about AggregateEU

Producing clean energy

Renewable energy is 

• good for the climate 
• good for the EU’s energy independence 
• good for the security of supply 
• good for creating green jobs

The REPowerEU Plan is speeding up the green transition and promoting massive investment in renewable energy. 

Since 2022, we have managed to increase our production and capacity: 

• reaching a record of almost 96 GW of new solar energy capacity installed  
• increasing wind capacity by 33 GW 
• ensuring 46% of our electricity now comes from renewables

Accelerating the clean energy transition

In November 2023, the revised Renewable Energy Directive entered into force. This new legislation aims to increase the share of renewables in the EU’s overall energy consumption, raising the binding target for 2030 to 42.5%, with the ambition to reach 45%. This would almost double the existing share of renewable energy in the EU. 

To support the clean transition, we must get better at nurturing our own industry. To achieve this, we proposed a Green Deal Industrial Plan for Europe in February 2023.The Plan will help enable the EU’s manufacturing industry to scale-up its production of the net-zero technologies and products required to meet Europe's ambitious climate targets.  

Two key pieces of the Plan are the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Net-Zero Industry Act, presented in March 2023. Both will create a predictable and simplified regulatory environment, encouraging investments and the development of projects that are key to the European economy.  

How REPowerEU is funded

The Commission has mobilised close to €300 billion to fund the REPowerEU Plan. The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is at the heart of this funding. 

Thanks to the amended RRF Regulation, additional REPowerEU grants worth €20 billion were allocated to the Member States through the Innovation Fund and the sale of Emissions Trading System (ETS) allowances.  

To finance their REPowerEU plans, Member States can also request transfers from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR). The total amount available from the reserve is €5.4 billion.

Next steps

Two years on, the EU has successfully met most of the ambitious targets set out in the REPowerEU Plan and is now on good track to completely get rid of Russian fossil fuels while continuing to pursue the green transition and supporting Ukraine. 

We remain focused on the continued delivery of the REPowerEU Plan, namely: