Jørgensen says Europe must ‘transform into electro continent’

The EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, has warned that Europe must “look forward with ambition, otherwise we will look back with regret”.

And Jørgensen asked an audience of hundreds of energy professionals in Helsinki: “How ambitious can we be in Europe? What should we aim for? What heights can we reach?”

Answering his own questions, he said Europe’s goal should be to “transform into the world's first electro continent”.

Conceding that Europe’s electrification rate – which is 23% of the continent’s energy consumption – has “remained stagnant for years” while others such as China and Japan’s has rocketed, Jørgensen said the Strait of Hormuz crisis has given Europe “an opportunity to get back in the race, because we're seeing the first sparks of an electrification revolution”.

Intermittent fossil fuels

Earlier in the day at the Eurelectric Power Summit, Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, had also noted that the Ukraine and Iran wars had shown that “fossil fuels are the most intermittent source of energy” and this has accelerated the urgency of electrification.

Opening the conference the previous day, Eurelectric secretary-general Kristian Ruby had set the tone for the electrification charge.

“We want decarbonization, not de-industrialisation,” said Ruby, adding that for that “we need a clear answer to foreign energy dominance. That answer is European electric power.”

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The call from Eurelectric for electrification isn’t new – it was making it a decade ago before Ruby took the hot seat. What has changed is the geopolitics pushing the momentum of the urgency to electrify everything that can be electrified.

“In recent years, we've seen that access to electricity is literally a matter of life and death,” said Ruby.

“From the frontline of Donbas to the smelters of Dunkerque. From the data centres in Dublin, to the devices in our homes, hospitals, schools, companies, courtrooms… electricity is bringing power to life.”

And he stressed that “our way of life is under threat. Our democracy, our sovereignty, our values – they are all being tested.”

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“As more and more of our society is using electricity, it's crucial that electricity is reliable. Today, that's about much more than technologies. It's about unity and cooperation. It's about embracing and respecting technology diversity: renewables and nuclear; storage and peaker plants.”

He said that he believed “industrial strength is of essence in this new world. Europe must answer the call from its industrial base, to make sure that the state is competitive.”


Electification Plan

Jørgensen said the EU Electification Plan, which is due in July, will “feature an ambitious electrification charter”.

He said: “For industry, we will help expand the use of e-boilers, electric drying technologies, and small scale electric furnaces. We will also promote innovation to make new electrification solutions commercially viable for European industries.”

On transport, he said: “We will work together to advance vehicle to grid technologies, corporate fleet strategies, and new solutions for the maritime and aviation sectors.”

He said: “Now is the time to electrify industry, vehicles and buildings across Europe. Now is the time to push fossil fuels out our energy system. Now is the time to bring Europe’s power to life – with ambition, determination and electrification.”