Strategic Drivers and Challenges of Integrating the European and Mediterranean Electric Grids

 In the face of evolving geopolitical pressures and rising energy demands, this report from the Energy Security and Climate Change Program explores why integrating the electric grids of Europe and the Mediterranean is essential to European energy security and climate change goals. It examines the drivers of interconnection, such as decarbonization, economic resilience, and digital transformation, and the technical, regulatory, and political challenges to such integration.

Building on insights from a high-level convening in Athens, Greece, cohosted by CSIS and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the report examines the Mediterranean region’s role in linking European energy markets to renewable-rich regions in North Africa. Several planned cross-border projects are positioned to not only supply clean energy to Europe, but also to strengthen political cooperation, attract foreign investment, and spur economic development in partner regions. As this report details, grid integration has emerged as a cornerstone of Europe’s long-term energy strategy, helping to respond to climate change, address energy prices, and mitigate strategic vulnerabilities. 

This report is made possible by the generous support of the Public Power Corporation S.A.