The Iberian Peninsula’s limited energy interconnectivity with the rest of Europe is a ‘strategic vulnerability’ that should be treated as an ‘urgent priority’ by EU policymakers, a new paper has suggested.
The policy paper, After the Energy Crisis: Policy Responses in the Iberian Peninsula, penned by the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos (FFMS) and the Brookings Institution, notes that following the 2022 energy crisis triggered by the invasion of Ukraine, the Iberian Peninsula was able to stabilise the energy market due to abundant renewables and robust liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.
However, at the same time, poor grid connectivity – with just 3% of Iberia’s electricity capacity connected to the wider EU grid, far below the 15% target for 2030 – is hampering the region’s contribution to EU energy resilience.
‘Clean energy leader’
“The Iberian Peninsula has what it takes to be a clean energy leader in Europe,” commented paper co-author Gonzalo Escribano, head of the Energy & Climate programme at the Elcano Royal Institute. “But the blackout in April 2025 exposed how vulnerable it is without stronger interconnections.
“Enhancing connectivity is essential to fully unlocking Iberia’s potential and securing Europe’s energy future.”
‘Further and faster’
The report notes that while ongoing interconnectivity projects with France are already underway, Europe needs to go ‘further’ and ‘faster’ to bolster interconnectivity across the continent.
This is a ‘geopolitical imperative’, the authors state, particularly as global competition intensifies and transatlantic trade relations rise.
The policy paper was authored by a team of researchers, including Gonzalo Escribano, Ana Fontoura Gouveia, João Fachada and Ignacio Urbasos.
It forms part of a broader research series titled Europe’s Energy Transition: Balancing the Trilemma, coordinated by FFMS and the Brookings Institution, which explores how Europe can balance energy security, affordability, and climate goals. A conference in Brussels this November will present the findings of the six-part series. Read more here.
