Financing the EU Energy infrastructure after the Euro Crisis

Europe is in need of massive infrastructure investments. According to the European Commission, the EU infrastructure investment requirements could reach as much as EUR 2 trillion in the sectors of energy, transport and information and communication technology by 2020. The energy sector alone is set to require EUR 1.1 trillion, of which: EUR 400 billion for distribution networks and smart grids; EUR 200 billion for transmission networks and storage; EUR 500 billion for generation capacity. This enormous investment need is mainly due to the fact that the EU energy infrastructure is ageing and, in its current state, is not suited to match future demand for energy, to ensure security of supply and to support the large-scale deployment of renewable energy sources required by the “Europe 2020” strategy and by the decarbonisation targets set in the “Energy Roadmap 2050”.