Energy infrastructure

To sustain the energy transition of the transport system, different and complex infrastructure are required. This must be developed and scaled up quickly. Recent EU policy initiatives address this issue, such as the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

Ports

Ports are critical infrastructure and are included in the EC’s trans-European transport network TEN-T policy (Regulation (EU) 2024/1679). This regulation aims to develop a multi-modal transport network across Europe. The TEN-T network includes a comprehensive layer covering all European regions, which should be finished by 2050, and a core layer of the most important connections, to be finished by 2030.  

The new AFIR resulted from the proposed revision of the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Directive (AFID) through the Fit for 55 policy package. It sets binding targets for the supply of shore-side electricity at maritime and inland waterway TEN-T ports. The AFIR mandates Member States to provide a minimum shore-side electricity supply for seagoing container ships and seagoing passenger ships in TEN-T maritime ports. The requirement is based on port activity levels and must be met by 31 December 2029. At least one shore-side electricity infrastructure must be provided at each TEN-T core inland waterway port by 31 December 2024 and at each TEN-T comprehensive inland waterway port by 31 December 2029. Shore-side electricity, also known as on-shore power supply (OPS), avoids auxiliary diesel generators for operations and other services while ships are at berth, reducing emissions and noise. In its current implementation, OPS is not intended to address the issue of high emissions of pollutants during cold start of ship engines in ports and the subsequent impact on local air quality.  

The regulatory framework continues to evolve through updated implementing and delegated acts that specify technical requirements, data sharing and standards under the AFIR umbrella. For example, in 2025, the Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/655 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/671, which update technical specifications and data provisions, enhancing transparency, monitoring and data quality for energy infrastructure deployment.  

Figure 14 presents the most recent data on OPS availability in the ports of Member States and some neighbouring countries. The map includes both maritime and inland waterways ports. Currently 71 out of 179 of Member States’ TEN-T core ports have OPS (a total of 461 berths), and 31 out of 371 TEN-T comprehensive network ports are equipped with shore-side electricity (78 berths).

The AFIR also sets targets for the supply of liquefied methane in TEN-T core maritime ports (i.e. excluding inland waterway ports). It requires Member States to ensure an ‘appropriate number of refuelling points’ for liquified methane by 31 December 2024. AFIR does not include requirements on the sustainability of the fuel provided, meaning liquified methane of fossil origin could still be used. However, the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and related provisions apply from 1 January 2025, with the exception of Article 8 (monitoring plan) and Article 9 (modifications to the monitoring plan) which applied from 31 August 2024.  

This regulation aims to increase the uptake of low- and zero-carbon fuels in maritime transport, by requiring a progressive reduction in the GHG intensity of the energy (measured in grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule (gCO₂e/MJ)) used on board ships above 5,000 gross tonnage calling at EU ports. GHG intensity must fall by at least 2% by 2025 and 6% by 2030, and thereafter in 5-year steps to 80% by 2050. Certain exemptions will be allowed until 2030. Reductions will be estimated from a reference value (91.16gCO₂e/MJ) calculated on the basis of data reported under MRV for 2020. Figure 15 provides the most recent data on LNG bunkering facilities in the EU-27 and some neighbouring countries. There are 67 ports with LNG bunkering capacity in the EU-27, of which 45 belong to the core network and 15 to the comprehensive network.

Charging infrastructure

Charging infrastructure is essential for the electrification of Europe’s road transport sector. The number of publicly accessible EV charging points increased from about 10,507 in 2012 to  632,254 in 2023 (see Figure 16). The vast majority are medium-speed alternating current (AC) points (between 7.4kW and 22kW). The number of fast and ultra-fast direct current (DC) chargers has grown rapidly in recent years, with a total of about 81,700 as of 2023. The AFID recommends an average of one charging point per 10 EVs registered in the fleet of a country. In 2023, the EU fleet totalled about 4.7 million battery electric vehicles and about 3.3 million light-duty (M1 and N1 categories) plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV). To align with AFID recommendations, there should have been 807,792 charging points compared to the 632,254 available in 2023.  

To further support electrification, the AFIR sets out new targets for the deployment of EV charging infrastructure to replace the recommendations discussed above. Alongside a distance-based target along the whole TEN-T network, it introduces a new fleet-based target that links installed charging power capacity to fleet composition: 1.3kW of charging power capacity should be available for each BEV and 0.8kW for each PHEV.  

According to the latest data reported by the EC’s European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) from September 2025, the EU-27 charging power capacity was 34.5GW (greatly exceeding the corresponding estimated target of 12.8GW). With a recognised risk of overrepresentation of the power output capacity available in Member States, efforts have been made to improve the accuracy of the data. Considering the projected fleet of 34.3 million EV and 13.7 million PHEV in the AFIR, the 2030 target is 55.6GW. The AFIR also requires publicly accessible recharging pools dedicated to light-duty electric vehicles to be deployed on the TEN-T network, in each direction of travel and with a maximum distance of 60km. Heavy-duty electric vehicles must be able to charge with a minimum output of 350kW every 60km along the core TEN-T network and every 100km along the larger TEN-T network.  

In addition, the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) aims to strengthen the development of charging infrastructure for EVs. This includes provisions on pre-cabling (to enable the installation of charging points at a later stage with minimal effort) for new and renovated buildings and stricter requirements on the number of recharging points in both residential and non-residential buildings. Moreover, recharging points will have to allow smart charging and bi-directional charging where appropriate to support vehicle-to-grid integration.