The world is entering a new age of electricity. The challenge is no longer to imagine the grid of the future, but to build it quickly, at scale and through coordinated action across the entire electricity value chain.
At the CIGRE 2026 Paris Session, more than 15,000 experts from 100 countries and 330 exhibitors came together to address the priorities shaping the future of power systems:
🔹 Accelerating grid investment to support electrification, renewable integration and growing data-centre demand
🔹 Coordinating transmission and distribution development through a “One Grid” approach
🔹 Scaling up industrial capacity, innovation and technology
🔹 Building the skills needed to deliver the energy transition
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that annual investment in electricity grids will need to rise from around USD 400 billion today to approximately USD 600 billion by 2030.
As CIGRE President Konstantin O. PAPAILIOU reminded us: “No plan B, no planet B.”
Ο Κώστας Παπαηλιού δανείστηκε ένα τμήμα του τίτλου του βιβλίου του Mike Berners-Lee “There is no Planet B”, αλλά και των Γιάννη Μανιάτη / Μάκη Προβατά: “Επειδή δεν υπάρχει Planet B” και έκανε την παρουσίασή του στο Παρίσι στο Συνέδριο του CIGRE (Διεθνές Συμβούλιο για τα Μεγάλα Ηλεκτρικά Συστήματα) και ξεκίνησε την ομιλία του απαγγέλοντας τα λόγια από το θέμα της ταινίας “Love Story” του 1970:
OPENNING CEREMONY – K. PAPAILIOU.mp4
What a magnificent, landmark week at CIGRE 2026 in Paris!
Bringing together over 15,000 power system experts from 100 countries and 330 exhibitors, this Session made one thing abundantly clear: we have officially entered a new age of electrification. The task before us is no longer just imagining the grid of tomorrow, but building it quickly, at scale, and through unified global action.
Throughout the week, our discussions kept returning to three core imperatives:
1. One Grid: We must develop, operate, and govern transmission and distribution as one integrated system. TSOs and DSOs can no longer work in isolation—stability at the core depends entirely on coordination at the edge.
2. Uncompromising Affordability: With global grid investments needing to reach $600 billion annually by 2030, sound engineering must ensure that the transition remains affordable for the people who ultimately pay the bill.
3. Investing in People & Global Equity: Capital alone will not solve our challenges. With the sector needing 1.5 million additional skilled workers by 2030, empowering young engineers and expanding access through the CIGRE Fund is vital.
A heartfelt thank you to all our Study Committee chairs, authors, delegates, exhibitors, and distinguished guests—including French Minister of Industry Mr. Sébastien Martin—for making this event an extraordinary success.
As I shared during the Opening Ceremony: There is no Plan B, because there is no Planet B.
Thank you for your passion, your technical rigor, and your dedication to our shared mission. Let’s keep powering progress together!
Ακολουθεί και η ομιλία του Κώστα Παπαηλιού στο 17ο συνέδριο στην Κροατία:
