“Grids are now front and centre of our agenda and our future success depends on that.” These were the closing remarks of EU Energy Commissioner, Kadri Simson, on Thursday 7 September in Brussels at the end of the High-Level Forum on the ‘Future of our grids: accelerating Europe’s energy transition’.
Over 200 European industry leaders met to exchange on opportunities and challenges for accelerating the electricity grids which are needed for Europe’s energy transition. The Forum was organised under the patronage of EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson. The EU Spanish Presidency with the presence of Vice-President and Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, highlighted the importance of electricity grids as a key enabler for meeting the European Green Deal targets. Leaders joined from across the electricity sector including representatives from grid operators, technology providers and EU decision-makers.
T&D Europe and its members were actively involved in the event. No less than nine T&D Europe member companies were represented on CEO or President level and participated in the discussions. As partner, T&D Europe organised the session on the issue of supply chains and skills. The T&D Europe speakers clearly stated that the technology for Europe’s electricity system is available and they are supporting the TSOs and DSOs in building the network for a climate-neutral Europe. The senior industry leaders asked for a clear, long-term commitment in the form of network development plans for all voltage levels and project pipelines from network operators for the procurement of grid technology. This will enable the industry to make the business case (with a competitive return on equity) and commit to organising its supply chain, and recruit and develop the necessary skills.
Jochen Kreusel, T&D Europe President, commented: ‘’The High Level Forum has brought the political recognition of the importance of electricity networks and the T&D industry. We are an essential enabler of the energy transition. The recommendations from senior leaders in Europe’s grid sector need now to be translated in concrete joint actions and initiatives. T&D Europe is ready to deliver on this with TSOs, DSOs, renewable energy producers, installers, policy-makers and regulators.”
For more information on the High Level Forum, please visit the website.
