MEP Yannis Maniatis (S&D) has asked the European Commission to clarify why Greece has only 0.22 GW of installed battery capacity — a storage adequacy index of just 2% of renewable energy capacity — far behind neighbouring Bulgaria's 3.5 GW (52% RES SAI). In a written parliamentary question submitted on 23 June 2026, Maniatis warns that insufficient storage is driving up curtailments, forcing small renewable producers out of the market, and keeping electricity prices high.
The question references the 2026 European Semester report for Greece, which notes that Athens has made limited progress on a 2025 country-specific recommendation to develop flexibility solutions including storage. The report also calls for better-designed support schemes to encourage smaller battery systems linked to renewable installations.
Maniatis asks the Commission to list which storage investments and reforms initially included in Greece's Recovery and Resilience Facility have not yet been implemented, how many megawatts of storage have been financed by the fund and actually connected to the grid, and whether the annual cost to Greek energy prices from the delays can be estimated.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will signal whether it shares the MEP's concern that Greece is falling behind on a key energy transition priority and whether it plans to press Athens more firmly on storage deployment.
The question pits the need for rapid renewable integration and lower consumer prices — which storage enables — against the administrative and financial challenges of project implementation. Greek consumers and small renewable producers stand to benefit from faster storage rollout, while the Greek government faces pressure to accelerate reforms and absorb Recovery Fund allocations. The Commission's response may also affect how other member states with low storage ratios are assessed in future Semester cycles.