Electrification must become a strategic priority for Europe to replace fossil imports with homegrown electricity, according to Wind Europe at its Annual Event 2026 in Madrid.
The EU imports 64% of the energy it consumes, a structural weakness, Wind Europe said, warning that electrification with homegrown electricity is the only future-proof energy security plan.
Progress remains slow with the EU’s electrification rate stagnating at less than a quarter of total energy use, the organisation added.
Wind Europe said in its “Madrid Call to Action” that Europe needs a single trajectory for electrification built on boosting renewable supply, connecting supply to demand and empowering demand through affordable electrified applications.
“Every drop of oil, every tonne of coal, every molecule of gas we replace with renewable electricity is energy we no longer need to import,” said Tinne van der Straeten, chief executive of Wind Europe.
“Electrification is therefore a strategic imperative for Europe’s independence, resilience, and prosperity.”
The organisation highlighted that up to 930 TWh of industrial process heat can already be electrified, equivalent to the combined power demand of France and Germany.
It also called for measures including reducing VAT on heat pumps and electric vehicles, cutting electricity taxes and simplifying State aid rules to accelerate electrification.
Wind Europe said fast-tracking industrial power purchase agreements could replace around 1,000 LNG cargoes annually with renewable electricity.
The European Commission is set to publish its energy crisis response package “Accelerate EU”, including measures on electricity grids, taxes and charges.
France will nearly double support for electrification to €10 billion a year by 2030 and is introducing policies to expand electric heating and vehicles.
Wind Europe noted that 43.5GW of wind permitted since 2022 could produce around 115TWh, more than the annual power demand of the Netherlands.