Paris - Grids in Transition: A New Global Conference Series 2026. Online registration by Cvent

Europe’s energy transition is entering a more decisive phase. The challenge is no longer limited to expanding renewable generation but to ensuring effective delivery of clean electricity that is reliable, secure, and affordable.

Ambitious climate targets, rapid electrification, accelerated fossil fuel retirements, and the growth of renewables and distributed energy resources are reconfiguring Europe’s electricity system. Transmission and distribution (T&D) networks are operating beyond their original design parameters, facing bidirectional power flows, rising peak demand, declining system inertia, and increasing exposure to climate, digital, and geopolitical risks. As a result, grids are evolving from passive infrastructure into active systems that must manage flexibility, reliability, and resilience in real time.

Europe’s pathway to climate neutrality, energy security, and industrial competitiveness depends not just on the expansion of clean energy but equally on the performance of its grids, where renewables, storage, heat pumps, EVs, data centres, and industry all connect and operate together. Grid capacity now directly influences where new industries locate. The European Commission is expected to publish an action plan in 2026 for accelerating electrification across various sectors. However, without timely expansion and modernisation of grids, electrification and decarbonisation will slow. Europe’s energy transition will ultimately be enabled by the strength and readiness of its grids.

The European Union’s energy policy is therefore placing increasing emphasis on effective grid implementation. The recently announced EU Grids Package and related initiatives aim to strengthen planning, streamline permitting processes, and mobilise the substantial investment required to translate policy ambition into tangible infrastructure. Investment needs for transmission and distribution are significant, exceeding €1.2 trillion by 2040. Addressing these challenges will require coordinated action among European institutions, Member States, regulators, system operators, industry, and society.

In this context, Global Transmission is launching a conference on Grids in Transition Europe, scheduled for August 25, 2026, at Le Méridien Paris Arc De Triomphe. This conference places electricity grids at the centre of Europe’s energy transition efforts. It will bring together policymakers, regulators, system operators, industry leaders, and solution providers to discuss how electricity grids need to transition to support Europe’s climate and energy security objectives, and industrial competitiveness in the decade ahead.

This conference builds on the success of our numerous events focused on grids, electrification, and clean energy across Europe, the US, and Asia. Anchored in the European regulatory and market context, this launch conference provides a timely forum to examine the system challenges, trade-offs, and practical solutions that determine Europe’s electricity future and offers participants a valuable opportunity for networking and knowledge-sharing.