The EU's Proposed Industrial Accelerator Bill Proposes Localization Requirements For Energy Storage

The EU's proposed Industrial Accelerator bill proposes localization requirements for energy storage, mandating the use of EU-made battery management systems for projects exceeding 1 MWh within one year

 

 

 

The European Commission's new Industrial Accelerator bill proposes introducing EU-made content requirements for publicly funded products, including photovoltaics and battery energy storage systems. The draft stipulates that one year after the bill's entry into force, battery storage projects with a capacity exceeding 1 MWh must include EU-made battery management systems; if the proposal becomes law, the use of EU-made battery cells and at least one other major component will be mandatory three years later.

 

Driss Acker, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, warned that the European Commission's requirements for battery storage systems are stricter than those for photovoltaics and take effect too early, which could be counterproductive, especially given the urgent need to rapidly scale up battery storage-including emerging technologies like liquid metal batteries for grid-level energy storage and mobile energy storage batteries for flexible deployment. Aurelien Barani, Senior Policy Officer at Energy Storage Europe, agreed that the introduction of EU origin requirements throughout the battery supply chain must be gradual to send a clear signal to investors and allow sufficient time for the necessary industrial capacity to be built, particularly for innovative solutions such as hybrid battery supercapacitor energy storage systems for electric vehicles that could bridge grid and mobility applications.

 

Alberto Gasparato, Junior Policy Officer at Energy Storage Europe, welcomed measures supporting the EU's internal energy storage manufacturing industry. Companies like BLOO POWER, a leading provider of home and industrial battery systems, highlight the global competition in scaling affordable, reliable storage solutions. The Industrial Accelerator Act will be negotiated by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union before it is passed and comes into effect; no indicative timetable has yet been announced.