Industrial Accelerator Act: possible implications for the Dutch energy storage sector
In 2025, the European Commission presented the Clean Industrial Deal, which aims to strengthen the international level playing field for European industry and accelerate the decarbonization of industry. Important pillars are more effective regulation and lowering high energy prices. Energy storage, for example with batteries, can also contribute to this by increasing flexibility in the electricity system.
This was followed in 2026 by the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA): a package aimed at boosting demand for European-made products with a low carbon footprint. The intended rules include minimum percentages of low-carbon, European material in sectors such as aluminum, steel and cement. The proposals also mention the importance of ‘Made in Europe’ in the context of strategic autonomy and the 2050 climate goals. At the same time, industry association Energy Storage NL points out that deadlines and requirements mentioned in the IAA, for emerging markets such as energy storage, must be well aligned with available production capacity and market development. In doing so, the measures are intended to contribute to both accelerating the energy transition and strengthening the European industry.
Made in Europe? Not yet
Ursula von der Leyen indicated at the Nuclear Energy Summit that an efficient energy system ‘combines renewables and nuclear power and must be founded on storage, flexibility and grids. Storage thus has an explicit role in the autonomous, European energy system of the future. The new FDI rules, a check on foreign investment, are a good measure from the IAA. They encourage local employment, technology transfer and European joint ventures. These rules also try to limit the influence of non-European countries with a large share of global production capacity (> 40%). However, according to ESNL, the IAA comes too early for storage, more specifically the battery sector. Battery systems of 1 MWh or larger, for example, must begin to incorporate a European-made Energy Management System one year after the IAA enters into force. Three years after entry, one of the main components of batteries will also have to carry the Made in Europe label.
Currently, European batteries cost 90% more than China's. Moreover, China controls 80% of production and they have a 5-year technological lead over Europe. A hasty move to an exclusively European market is bad for the business case of project developers and potentially delaying the rollout of storage flexibility. On top of that, ESNL sees that European generation capacity needs even more time and scale. Much of the current capacity consists of joint ventures producing outside of Europe. A too rapid and rigid transition to Made in Europe will potentially create a temporary shortage of batteries and harm market development, with the danger of looking to other, less cost-effective solutions for a reliable and sustainable energy system.
Guidance from the industry
Energy Storage NL welcomes the positive signal that batteries and storage will have a clear place in the future European energy system. Scaling up European battery production within its own borders and developing knowledge is well supported by the new FDI rules. However, the European Commission must do justice to the goal of the IAA: a rapid energy transition and a strong local industry. Reliable and affordable electricity is a crucial precondition for this. To deliver this to, for example, the energy-intensive industry and other sectors, the battery market needs more time. Many products from China will still be needed in the coming years. Once the European production capacity is then sufficiently scaled up, it is of course important to introduce a Made in Europe scheme as soon as possible. What is a reasonable time frame for this needs to be figured out, in discussion with the storage sector. ESNL therefore concurs with the conclusion of Ballagny (Energy Storage Europe): ‘Identified dependencies must be addressed through a realistic path to diversification, so that the rollout of energy storage, and therefore of renewable energy, is not delayed or more expensive’.
