Shockproof: how electrification can strengthen EU energy security
Electrification, using homegrown clean power, is the main tool to reduce the EU’s exceptionally high and risky dependence on imported fossil fuels.
16 Oct 2025
26 Minutes Read
Highlights
58%
Share of EU primary energy provided by fossil imports.
82%
Most EU fossil energy is consumed outside the power sector, where electrification is the solution.
-50%
Fossil import dependency can be halved by 2040, with electrification the biggest contributor.
Executive Summary
Electrification is the main tool to reduce EU fossil import reliance
Europe relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, undermining its energy security in an increasingly insecure world. Electrification powered by homegrown wind and solar can cut this dependency in half, but progress has been too slow.
European nations have allowed their dependence on fossil energy imports to steadily grow, to the point where few other major economies are more reliant. This approach may have delivered cheap energy during more stable times, but times have changed, and consumers have paid the price for such a risky approach to energy security.
Europe’s increasingly homegrown electricity supply offers a solution. Electrification not only replaces fossil imports with electric energy but also reduces the waste inherent in burning fossil fuels. By switching to electric-powered alternatives – across transport, buildings and industry – the EU can quickly reduce its dependency on fossil imports, while boosting efficiency and decarbonisation. Progress in electrification has been slow, but the EU has huge untapped potential. The technologies are ready, from electric vehicles to heat pumps, for Europe to take a huge stride towards a more secure, electric future.
“Imported fossil fuels are no basis for a secure and affordable energy system – something Europe has learned the hard way. Homegrown energy sources, such as wind and solar, take on more strategic value in a world faced by frequent crises. The full potential of Europe’s homegrown power supply is being wasted by a lack of urgency to electrify. Unblocking electrification is the game changing move that can shield the continent from over-reliance on volatile fossil fuel suppliers”.
Key takeaways
01
The EU still relies heavily on imported fossil fuels despite reduced dependence on Russia
Fossil fuel imports provided 58% of EU primary energy in 2024, much more than other major economies like China (24%) or India (37%). These fossil imports remain concentrated in a few suppliers. The EU’s top four gas suppliers provided 83% of imports in 2024, similar to before the gas crisis.
02
The EU paid a €930 billion penalty for fossil import reliance during the energy crisis
During the gas crisis (2021-2024), when the price of all fossil fuels spiked, fossil fuel imports cost the EU €1.8 trillion. This is €930 billion more than the same quantities would have cost at pre-crisis prices.
03
Only 19% of EU electricity generation uses imported fossil fuels, compared to 88% in the transport sector
As the EU’s electricity supply decarbonises, more is based on homegrown sources such as wind and solar. Other major sectors of the economy are more exposed, with the transport sector 88% reliant on imported fossil fuels. Shifting energy consumption from imported fossil fuels to homegrown electricity across the economy is the fastest way to greater energy independence.
04
Most of Europe’s energy consumption can already be electrified
Just over a fifth of EU energy demand is already electrified, but progress is uneven across Europe. Household electrification varies from 12% in Poland to 48% in Sweden, while electrification of iron and steel production varies from 18% in Slovakia to 57% in France. A further two-thirds of EU energy demand can be electrified using established technologies, with road transport and space heating the largest segments.
05
Electrification critical to halving fossil import dependency by 2040
As the EU debates its 2040 energy and climate ambitions, European Commission analysis shows that fossil import dependency can be halved by 2040. Electrification of energy uses across the economy delivers the majority of this change, with 86% of fossil import reductions occurring outside the power sector. Some countries are showing the way: electric cars in Denmark are already displacing oil consumption every year equivalent to 11% of the country’s oil imports.
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