![\"Impact](\"https:\/\/100re.org.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/chart-3-en-2026-10-06-1.png\")
Gas-fired plants increasingly shoulder the balancing role, switching on more often when renewables are insufficient. That dependency became conspicuous during June’s heatwave: rising cooling demand coincided with weaker wind and hydro output, driving prices sharply higher \u2014 especially in Central and Eastern Europe, where limited cross-border flows compounded the pressure.<\/p>\n
Battery deployment is already demonstrating measurable impact. Bulgaria expanded its storage capacity substantially, and the country’s wholesale prices \u2014 which ran 21% above the EU average in 2024 \u2014 had narrowed to just 8.3% above by 2026. Christian Ruby, Eurelectric’s Secretary General, said sustained investment in clean energy, storage and flexibility is essential for curbing the extent to which gas price shocks pass through to electricity costs.<\/p>\n
EU-wide storage capacity has reached 64 GW, with batteries accounting for 11.2 GW \u2014 well short of the 200 GW target for 2030. Deployment is held back by double taxation, outdated grid-connection rules, fragmented ancillary-services markets across all 27 member states, and grid-connection queue regulations.<\/p>\n