Statement on the Publication of the Electricity Market Design Reform in the EU Official Journal

The revision of the Electricity Market Design has been officially published in the EU Official Journal on 26 June 2024. This landmark legislation significantly focuses on energy storage. With its entry into force now defined, the timeline by which Member States must comply with various provisions is established.

EASE Head of Policy Jacopo Tosoni's statement:

On the assessment of flexibility needs:

Understanding the flexibility needs is crucial for addressing energy security and transition challenges confronting both the EU and its Member States.

By 17 April 2025, ENTSO-E and EU DSO will submit a proposal to ACER regarding the type of data and format to be submitted to regulatory authorities, and the methodology for the analysis of flexibility needs. By June 2025, ACER will either approve or amend the methodology proposed by ENTSO-E and EU DSO entity.

Finally, by June 2026, National regulatory authorities or designated entities will adopt and publish reports on the estimated flexibility needs for the next 5 to 10 years.

On national objectives for non-fossil flexibility, including energy storage: 

Establishing a national objective on non-fossil flexibility is paramount to show clear political commitment, provide signals to investors, and mainstream energy storage in the public debate.

By December 2026, Member States will define indicative national objectives for non-fossil flexibility, including contributions from demand response and energy storage.

By June 2027, ACER has up to 12 months to issue a report analysing the national reports and provide recommendations on cross-border relevance and flexibility needs.

On flexibility support schemes: 

Introducing clear provisions on how to develop energy storage support schemes to meet the national objectives on flexibility needs is the right way to promote non-fossil solutions.

By 2027, Member States will possess new legal instrument to foster energy storage by developing new support schemes. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the existing regulatory framework already allows Member States to deploy state aid to support storage.