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YourExpertGuidetoCentralandEasternEurope'sEnergyTransition

Grounded in data, aware of context, useful to policymakers, industry, finance, innovators and academia alike. Central and Eastern Europe is no longer the EU's energy-transition laggard — it is now a frontier.

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The CEE Energy Transition in Numbers

The scale and pace of change across Central and Eastern Europe is reshaping the continent's energy landscape.

21.4 GW
Installed solar PV capacity in Poland by Q1 2025
€9.444B
Poland's Clean Air Programme contracted for household heating-source replacement
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The 4Ds of Energy Transition

Meridian's analytical framework captures the four forces reshaping CEE energy systems — each with a distinct regional character that differs from Western Europe.

Decarbonisation
Phasing out coal in the EU's most carbon-intensive economies while managing the Modernisation Fund, ETS costs, and just transition imperatives.
Decentralisation
Rooftop solar is booming across Poland, Hungary, Czechia and Romania — creating grid-integration challenges and new prosumer models.
Digitalisation
From smart-meter rollouts to pan-European digital-twin pilots, CEE is building the data infrastructure for modern energy systems.
Democratisation
Energy communities, household retrofit programmes and public engagement are reshaping who participates in — and benefits from — the transition.

Country Profiles

Dive into the energy systems, policy frameworks and market dynamics of CEE's key economies and regions.

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Poland
The EU's largest coal-dependent economy with 21.8 GW of solar PV and active frameworks in offshore wind, storage and hydrogen.
Romanian landscape with hydroelectric infrastructure
Romania
One of CEE's most diversified energy mixes — hydro, nuclear, gas, wind and solar — with Cernavoda Units 3 & 4 under development.
Baltic States
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are rapidly deploying wind and solar while strengthening interconnection with Scandinavia and Poland.
Western Balkans
Six economies committed to implementing the EU energy acquis through the Energy Community Treaty — a region of untapped potential.

Key Themes & Tracks

Cross-cutting deep-dives that span country boundaries and define the region's energy future.

Grid Modernisation
CEE grids face three pressures: aging infrastructure from the pre-1989 era, rapid growth of distributed generation, and rising electrification. IRENA estimates ~USD 670 billion of annual global grid investment is needed between 2025 and 2030.
Resilient Urban Energy & District Heating
District heating is a defining feature of CEE urban energy. Extensive networks built during the socialist period can integrate waste heat, heat pumps, geothermal, solar thermal and biomass for decarbonisation.
Hydrogen
Active hydrogen strategies in Poland, Czechia and Romania. Deployment is expected in waves: domestic industrial use first, then ammonia exports and grid blending, then scale-up for shipping and aviation.
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Modern district heating infrastructure in a Central European city

Start Exploring CEE's Energy Future

From grid modernisation to hydrogen, district heating to industrial decarbonisation — navigate the forces reshaping Central and Eastern Europe's energy landscape.

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Our Work

Projects, places and partners shaping Central and Eastern Europe's energy future.

Voices of the Transition

Central and Eastern Europe is no longer the EU's energy-transition laggard — it is now a frontier.
MeridianYour Expert Guide to CEE's Energy Transition
Renewable energy surpassed coal for the first time in Three Seas Initiative countries in 2023, accounting for 39% of electricity generation.
Meridian AnalysisThree Seas Initiative, 2023
Poland still generates around 52% of its electricity from coal — down from more than 80% a decade ago. The direction of travel is unmistakable.
Meridian AnalysisDecarbonisation in Poland, 2025
Vienna is the natural convening point for CEE energy policy and expertise — a bridge between Western and Eastern Europe.
MeridianOn Vienna as the CEE Energy Hub

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