About six times more renewable capacity is waiting to be connected to the grid than was installed in the European Union last year.

Omissions

• The 'six times' ratio is a rounded rhetorical figure published by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in its communication piece, not a precise Eurostat/ENTSO-E statistical series; the exact basis of the ratio is not disclosed in the source.
• The EIB source speaks of 'Europe', whereas the claim specifies the 'European Union' (EU-27) — a slight geographic scope difference.
• Independent data on grid-connection queues point to a potentially larger figure than six times: Ember reports 'almost 700 GW' stuck in connection queues across eight reporting countries, while Beyond Fossil Fuels/E3G report about 1,700 GW of renewable and hybrid projects waiting across 16 countries (2024-2025). Because these cover different country sets and project definitions, they cannot be directly equated with the EIB ratio, but they suggest the real multiple may exceed six rather than fall short of it.
• Some sources found (Ember, Beyond Fossil Fuels, E3G) are dated 2025; the EIB page has been updated to reference 2025 installed capacity, so the precise publication date of the EIB page could not be confirmed.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Investment Bank (EIB) — Why Europe needs stronger electricity gridsEurope installed more than 80 gigawatts of renewable capacity in 2025. But six times that amount is still waiting to be connected to energy grids. (Earlier wording on the same page: 'Last year, Europe installed more than 80 gigawatts of renewable capacity. But six times that amount is waiting to be connected.')
• SecondaryEmber — Crossed wires: Grid capacity could block EU energy securityAlmost 700 GW of renewables are stuck in the grid connection queue across the eight reporting countries, highlighting the continued scale of demand for grid connections.
• SecondaryBeyond Fossil Fuels — How Europe's grid operators are preparing for the energy transition (report)A conservative estimate suggests that as of 2024-2025, there were 1,700 GW of renewable energy and hybrid projects waiting for grid connections across 16 countries.
• SecondaryE3G — Outdated grid planning and weak governance stalling Europe's transition away from fossil fuels13 May 2025 — 1,700 GW of renewables stuck in grid connection queues across 16 countries.