In a further step towards Europe’s clean energy transition, ACER approves the methodology to be used nationally for identifying non-fossil flexibility needs. This is an important step in developing a common European basis for integrating more renewable energy into the electricity grid and meeting the EU’s decarbonisation targets. This ACER decision directly supports the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal by laying the groundwork for a more resilient electricity system that can power a competitive, low-carbon economy.
The flexibility needs assessment methodology developed by the European Network for Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and the EU Distribution System Operators Entity (EU DSO Entity), and approved by ACER, will guide Member States' electricity network operators in identifying how much clean and flexible energy their country needs to handle the variability of demand and supply in their power system.
What is power system flexibility and why does it matter?
Flexibility is the energy system’s ability to adapt quickly to changes in electricity supply and demand, without relying on fossil fuels. It enables:
- Demand response, storage or flexible generation to balance the grid in real time.
- Shifting renewable energy from periods of excess (e.g. windy nights) to times of high demand.
- Reducing renewables curtailment (wasting renewable energy when the grid can’t absorb it).
Unlocking flexibility will cut reliance on gas, enable energy transition in a cost-effective manner and help Member States deliver on the EU’s binding 2030 renewable targets (42.5%) and climate neutrality by 2050.
What is the purpose of the national flexibility needs methodology?
The flexibility needs assessment methodology provides a harmonised approach for transmission and distribution system operators (TSOs and DSOs) in analysing the national flexibility needs in terms of:
- the data they must collect; and
- how they should assess their national electricity flexibility needs.
This harmonised and unified approach serves both national and EU-wide estimations of flexibility needs, with results feeding into reports that will identify how much flexibility is needed, where and at what cost.
What are the next steps?
Each EU Member State shall now:
- Conduct a national flexibility needs assessment using the new methodology.
- Submit it to ACER and the European Commission (by July 2026).
- Use the findings to define indicative national targets for non-fossil flexibility (by January 2027).
ACER will then publish an EU-wide report to estimate the flexibility needs including a set of recommendations on issues of cross-border relevance at EU level (July 2027).
