In a written answer on 9 July 2026, Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen declined to introduce uniform EU-wide standards on minimum distances between large-scale energy storage facilities and residential buildings, leaving spatial planning to member states. The response, to a question by Polish MEP Arkadiusz Mularczyk (ECR), signals that the Commission prioritises accelerating storage deployment over harmonising safety distances, impacting local communities and project developers.
The question was prompted by a planned energy facility in Lisia Góra, Poland, where residents fear safety risks from lithium-iron-phosphate battery storage. Jørgensen pointed to existing EU safety rules: Article 12 of the Batteries Regulation (2023/1542) sets safety requirements for stationary storage, with detailed parameters in Annex V. He also noted that the Commission's European Grids Package, currently under negotiation, proposes streamlining permit-granting for stand-alone storage projects to cut costs and delays, but explicitly does not introduce distance rules or spatial planning requirements, which remain national competences.
supporting storage deployment as critical for energy security and renewables integration, as reflected in March 2026 European Council conclusions, while relying on existing product safety standards rather than land-use harmonisation. No legislative initiative on minimum distances is planned. Institutional follow-up depends on the co-legislators' progress on the Grids Package, where member states may push for more local flexibility or, conversely, for clearer EU guidance on safety buffers.