Shockproof: how electrification can strengthen EU energy security

The EU remains highly vulnerable to energy price shocks and supply disruptions due to a 58% reliance on imported fossil fuels for primary energy. While the power sector has largely transitioned to homegrown sources, sectors like transport (88% reliant on imports) and buildings remain exposed. The report argues that electrification can reduce fossil import dependency to 30% by 2040, noting that 67% of EU energy demand can already be electrified with mature technologies. Current frontrunners, such as Denmark with electric vehicles and the Netherlands with heat pumps, demonstrate significant displacement of oil and gas imports.

• The EU is one of the world's most fossil-import-dependent economies, with imported fossil fuels providing 58% of its primary energy in 2023, significantly higher than China (24%) or India (37%).
• Fossil import reliance caused a financial penalty of €930 billion for the EU during the 2021-2024 gas crisis, as total import costs reached €1.8 trillion.
• There is a stark contrast in import dependency between the power sector, where only 19% of generation uses imported fossil fuels, and the road transport sector, which is 88% reliant on them.
• Electrification could halve the EU's fossil import dependency from 58% in 2023 to 30% by 2040, with 86% of the resulting fossil import reductions occurring outside the power sector.
• A substantial portion of EU energy demand is ready for electrification; while only 22% is currently electrified, an additional 67% could be transitioned using technologies with a Technology Readiness Level of 9 or higher.
• Specific national examples show the impact of electrification: electric vehicles in Denmark displaced 3.3 million barrels of oil in 2024 (11% of net oil imports), and residential heat pumps in the Netherlands avoided 0.34 bcm of gas (10% of residential space and water heating consumption).

APA

Rosslowe, D. C. (2025). Shockproof: how electrification can strengthen EU energy security. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Report-electrification-and-security.pdf

Chicago

Rosslowe, Dr Chris. Shockproof: how electrification can strengthen EU energy security. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Report-electrification-and-security.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rosslowe |first1=Dr Chris |title=Shockproof: how electrification can strengthen EU energy security |publisher=Ember |date=16 October 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Report-electrification-and-security.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rosslowe2025shockproof, author = {Rosslowe, Dr Chris}, title = {{Shockproof: how electrification can strengthen EU energy security}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Report-electrification-and-security.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }