BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission announced an Affordable Energy Action Plan on Wednesday to lower electricity bills, help roll out clean energy sources and diversify suppliers. 

The plan is part of its Clean Industrial Deal that aims to boost clean tech and help energy-intensive industries stay competitive globally. 

Here are some of the main elements:

ELECTRICITY

* Design new tariffs for power grid charges to allow users to use power at different times and shift access to the cheapest source (second quarter 2025)

* Push member states to finish revision of Energy Taxation Directive and cut taxes 

* Decouple retail power prices and volatile natural gas with guarantees from the European Investment Bank for long-term renewable power contracts

* Adopt new rules to develop European forward markets and increase hedging options, which are lacking for renewable energy

* Push countries to adapt and speed up permitting regimes by mid-2025 for renewable power projects that can take a decade to complete

* The Commission will propose a Grid Package in 2026 

GAS 

* Propose to aggregate liquefied natural gas demand for EU companies to secure long-term deals, potentially by investing in infrastructure abroad

* Gas Market Task Force to ensure well-functioning market to conclude by the fourth quarter 2025 

* Crack down on manipulation with cooperation on enforcement and data sharing between EU energy agency ACER and EU financial regulator ESMA 

ENERGY UNION

* Electrification Action Plan in the first quarter, 2026, to help decarbonise industry, transport and heating

* Roadmap to digitise and use AI in the energy sector

* Tackle investment gap with incentives for private capital with a Clean Energy Investment Strategy 

* Boost innovation through various action plans and a study of nuclear financing needs to potentially build out small modular reactors

(Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Rod Nickel)