Smart Grid PCI Summit 2025: building the grids of the future

The Smart Grid PCI Summit 2025 was held on 10 September in Ljubljana, organised by ELES and the GreenSwitch project, with the support from CINEA and DG ENER. The event brought together over 100 high-level stakeholders from across Europe to discuss the future of smart grids and their role in driving the EU's clean energy transition.

The event started 4 years ago as a bottom-up platform for the community of the smart grid Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and has since become a reference occasion for the sector. This year, it attracted a distinguished audience, including European operators, regulators, innovators, policy makers, and representatives from international organisations and EU institutions, including DG ENER and CINEA.

Bridging policy and innovation

The day opened with keynote speeches that underscored the crucial role of digitalisation in the energy transition and emphasised the need to develop a fully independent and efficient energy system to ensure fair and competitive energy prices across Europe.

It was followed by an executive roundtable where high-level representatives discussed how to align policy frameworks with on-the-ground implementation, how to address supply chain bottlenecks, and how to improve access to funding for critical grid investments.

The agenda also featured five thematic panels that explored key aspects of the future power system, from strengthening resilience and operational security through smart technologies and infrastructure upgrades, to enhancing consumer benefits via flexibility options. Discussions also highlighted the applicability of successful innovative solutions developed under EU-funded projects, including advancements in AI and strategies for developing foundational AI models and fostering cooperation on data sharing. A clear wish to bridge the synergies for mature technologies between Horizon and PCIs/CEF to enable real-life deployment was also expressed. The final panel addressed the continuous evolution of control systems, emphasising digitalisation, interoperability and predictive tools.

Alongside these discussions, the event showcased updates on ongoing smart grid PCIs and included contributions from several Horizon Europe projects, presented in collaboration with CINEA's synergies programme.

CINEA's engagement

Over the past three years, the Summit has been shaped by the PCI's promoters, and CINEA always support them where possible. This year the Agency proudly participated again, represented by Ona Kostinaitė-Grinkevičienė and Eduardo Vega Fanjul.

Ona highlighted the challenges and opportunities in the sector - from modernising Europe's ageing infrastructure and integrating renewables to strengthening cybersecurity and resilience against extreme weather events. She also stressed the importance of cooperation among stakeholders to accelerate project implementation and build a truly interconnected energy system.

She showcased how CEF Energy contributes by funding critical cross-border infrastructure projects that make Europe's energy system more secure, sustainable, and resilient:

"CEF Energy plays a key role in strengthening Europe's energy infrastructure, enhancing security of supply and affordability, while accelerating the integration of renewables. Through strategic investments, CEF has already provided around €8 billion to over 220 projects, paving the way for a more integrated and resilient EU energy network."

Closing the event, Eduardo delivered the conclusions of the day, capturing the common ground that had emerged across panels and discussions. He underlined that, despite the challenges, a shared vision emerged for a decarbonised, independent, and efficient energy system. Achieving this will require:

• Modernising infrastructure through significant investment and efficient planning;
• Updating regulatory frameworks to support flexible and innovative grid structures;
• Embracing digitalisation and smart technologies as enablers for improved efficiency and decision-making.

"Cooperation remains key. Programmes like CEF and Horizon serve as catalysts, reducing fragmentation and facilitating knowledge transfer and replicability of good practices and enhancing technologies". AI was highlighted as a pivotal area "needing cooperative efforts to ensure European sovereignty," he concluded.

Looking ahead together

The Smart Grid PCI Summit 2025 highlighted both the progress made and the challenges ahead for Europe's energy infrastructure. By combining high-level policy discussions with insights into the latest technologies, the summit reaffirmed the EU's commitment to building a resilient, decarbonised, and consumer-focused power system.

These discussions will continue at the PCI Energy Days in December 2025, as well as at the next PCI Smart Grid Summit. ELES has passed the torch to Západoslovenská Distribučná, which will organise the event in Slovakia next year.

More information

Recordings of all panel discussions from the event can be accessed from the website: Smart Grid PCI Summit 2025