February 9, 2026: Lengthy grid connection queues are increasingly becoming a detrimental factor — and a “chokepoint” for BESS deployment in some countries — according to latest analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Globally, at least 1,700GW of renewable energy projects in advanced stages and more than 600GW of battery storage projects were in connection queues as of 2025, says the IEA’s Electricity 2026, analysis and forecast to 2030*, released on February 6.
In countries such as Germany, these queues have already become a chokepoint for battery‑storage deployment, with the federal regulator (BNetzA) noting that, in 2024 alone, network operators received 9,710 connection requests for battery storage at or above medium-voltage level, corresponding to around 400GW (661GWh) of capacity.
A lack of grid capacity is emerging as a critical bottleneck in many regions, driving higher levels of congestion and slowing the deployment of new electricity generation, storage and demand, the IEA said.
Over 2,500GW of renewable, large‑load and storage projects are currently stalled in grid queues worldwide. With grid investment lagging far behind that for generation projects, many power systems already face rising congestion‑related curtailment.
According to the IEA, meeting electricity demand through to 2030 will require annual grid investment to increase by around 50% by 2030 from today’s $400 billion, “alongside a scale‑up in alongside a scale‑up in grid supply chains and more effective management of work force challenges”.
The report follows analysis released by the IEA last December revealing the electricity sector is now the largest energy employer globally, with employment in energy storage, power generation, transmission and distribution up by 4 million over the past five years.
While battery storage currently represents a small share of grid employment, at around 2%, it has experienced rapid growth, with jobs increasing by 17% year-on-year in 2024, led by a surge in global battery storage investment and falling costs of utility-scale batteries.
*The full 224-page report is online.
