Panel Discussion: Strengthening Supply Chains of Utilities

The panel was held at the IRENA Pavillion in the Innovation Hub zone and tackled the necessity to establish robust and resilient supply chain to support renewables and grid expansion needed reach the target of Net Zero by 2050. Damian Brandy, Vice President International Affairs and Stakeholders Relation at TAQA highlighted UNEZA’s commitment in supporting this goal. Key messages from the recently published UNEZA report “Standards and certifications for the energy transition” were presented.

Key messages from the discussion included:

• Mr. Zafar Samadov, Programme Officer at IRENA, highlighted the importance of having harmonised standards to ensure quality and timely supply to support the scale up of renewable capacity and grids. Furthermore, the concentration and unequal distribution of critical materials for equipment and batteries represents a key challenge to overcome.
• Mr. Rizwan Razaq, Chief Technical Officer at Huawei, highlighted how the company has led the standardization of inverters which led to a decrease of utility scale LCOE and has supported the transition of GCC countries from MW to GW-scale utility projects, aligning with regional and global energy targets by 2050. Standards and collaboration between equipment vendors and grid operators has been crucial.
• Mr. Christopher Decker, Chief Technical Officer at Huawei, highlighted how the company has led the standardization of inverters which led to a decrease of utility scale LCOE and has supported the transition of GCC countries from MW to GW-scale utility projects, aligning with regional and global energy targets by 2050. Standards and collaboration between equipment vendors and grid operators has been crucial.

The panel concluded that achieving net zero by 2050 demands urgent, coordinated action to build robust and resilient supply chains for renewables and grid infrastructure. By fostering innovation, strengthening supply chain resilience, and championing harmonized standards, UNEZA is helping to unlock the full potential of the power sector to deliver a net zero future.

Energiesalon: Unlocking Flexibility in the Energy

Facilitated by Mr. Florian Kolb, Chief Commercial Officer USA and Europe at Interstrust, UNEZA member, this panel session highlighted how energy flexibility has emerged as a critical enabler of resilient, secure, and decarbonized energy systems. The ability to adjust demand and supply in real-time − leveraging technologies such as energy storage, virtual power plants, demand side response, digitalization, and sector coupling − is now a central component in ensuring grid stability, integrating renewables, and unlocking new value streams.

This strategic discussion brought together Dr. Frank Possmeier, Chief Investment Officer at TAQA, UNEZA Co-chair, Dr. Sami Ben Jamaa, Chief Digital Innovation Officer at JERA Group, Mr. Mohammad Ayub, Partner at McKinsey and Mr. Zafar Samadov, Partnership Program Officer at IRENA, to explore innovative technologies, policy frameworks, and business models that support a more agile, robust and decarbonized energy system.

Key takeaways from the discussion included:

• Flexibility is Central to the Energy Transition. Flexibility, defined as the ability of energy systems to balance supply and demand in real-time, is critical as renewable energy penetration increases and grid complexity grows. The need for flexibility is accelerating globally, driven by the shift to variable renewables like solar and wind, electrification of demand, and decarbonization targets.
• Investment and Market Signals Are Key. Successful flexibility solutions require clear market mechanisms, regulatory support, and, in some cases, central offtakers or government incentives to ensure bankability and investor confidence.
• Technology, Digitalization, and AI Will Drive the Next Wave. The future of flexibility relies on secure, real-time data, advanced computing power, and increasing autonomous AI agents to orchestrate millions of small assets and transactions across the grid.
• The rise of consumer-led flexibility is seen as a major opportunity. Digital platforms, smart tariffs, and incentives are enabling more consumers and businesses to participate in flexibility markets, making the grid more resilient and efficient. They lead to flattened demand peaks, reduced system costs, and accelerated net-zero transition.
• Policy, Regulation, and Collaboration Are Critical. National utilities and governments play a key role in de-risking early-stage flexibility investments, setting standards, and ensuring fair market access.

Energy system flexibility is essential for a successful, cost-effective, and resilient energy transition. While regions face different challenges and are at varying stages of market and technology maturity, the universal need is for robust market signals, digital innovation, and collaborative policy frameworks to unlock the full value of flexibility.

Global Leadership Panel: Global Power Outlook – Are We on Track for 2030?

At the forefront of the Congress, the Global Leadership Panel brought together high-level voices to examine a fundamental question: Are we on track for 2030? Bringing together UNEZA members and partners, the session offered strategic insights on accelerating the pace of the transition and delivering on the global goal to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Key messages from the panelists included:

• Mr. Jasim Husain Thabet, GCEO of TAQA, noted the unprecedented acceleration of renewable deployment, emphasizing that over 1,000 GW of capacity is ready to be deployed but remains waiting for grid connection.
• Mr. Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA, highlighted the key role of utilities to achieve the 2030 targets, and emphasized the key role of grid infrastructure. He noted that to reach this goal, renewable capacity must now expand by 16.6% annually until 2030, and that an urgent expansion, refurbishment and modernization of our power grids is essential to meet growing renewable deployment.
• Mrs. Béatrice Buffon, Chairwoman and CEO of EDF Renewables, highlighted the importance of integrating renewables, flexibility, storage, and grids into a unified approach, and the need for frameworks and long-term visibility strategies.

Global Insight: We are not on track to meet 2030 goals. Despite progress, the pace of change needs to speed up exponentially.

UNEZA hosted High-Level CEO Roundtable: Shaping the Age of Electricity A CEO – Regulators Dialogue

The dialogue brought together regulators and utility leaders to identify common ground, share constraints and address the systemic barriers hindering progress toward ambitious power sector goals set out under COP28, COP29 and the aim of net zero by 2050.

Key takeaways from the roundtable:

Held under Chatham House Rule

• Message from IRENA Director General: A call was made for stronger collaboration between utilities and regulators. Regulatory frameworks must evolve to support system flexibility, long-term planning, and the integration of renewables. Collaboration between UNEZA and the Regulatory Energy Transition Accelerator (RETA) is essential to ensure electricity market structures and rules create an enabling environment for increased investments in the power sector. The importance of striking the right balance between accelerating the clean energy transition while ensuring system affordability and reliability was also underlined.
• UNEZA’s Convening Power: UNEZA was described as a powerful platform for collective action, bringing key actors together to address and overcome the common barriers hindering the realization of global net zero ambitions.
• Investment: A call was made for investment cooperation between UNEZA, financial partners, and Alterra, which is the largest private investment vehicle for climate finance, committed to deploying $30 billion toward climate investments that generate both positive climate impact and risk-adjusted returns across developed and emerging economies.
• From Fragmentation to Systems Thinking: The need for new frameworks for project approvals to accelerate transition investments was emphasized, as well as the importance of early signals to supply chain companies.
• Grids & Regulation as Enablers: It was reiterated that “there is no transition without transmission,” and the importance of strengthening the grid to allow high shares of renewable penetration was stressed. A call was made for regulators to evolve as co-creators of policy, noting that to avoid misalignments, policies must be developed with regulators. The important role of regulators in enabling the investments needed to decarbonize the grid was also highlighted.
• AI role & Innovation: With energy demand surging due to AI, digitalization, and population growth, the need for rapid deployment of new technologies and the important role consumers can play as accelerators in the energy transition were emphasized.
• Equity & Resilience: shared understanding emerged: the energy transition must be inclusive, addressing access, affordability, and energy poverty alongside decarbonization.

Two Strategic Outcomes:

UNEZA will engage with global financial institutions to significantly scale up on investments in order to bridge the gap between private capital and large-scale energy projects, contributing to the energy transition and ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy supply.

UNEZA will engage with RETA to shape a dynamic partnership between power utilities and regulators aimed at identifying and eliminating key challenges and bottlenecks that are hindering the sustainable build-out of resilient future energy systems.

Key Highlights:

• Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA: highlighted the urgent need for regional grid interconnectivity and battery energy storage systems to reduce fossil fuel dependency and enhance energy security. He emphasized the role of UNEZA and utilities in the energy transition, stating, "By sharing best practices and identifying actionable pathways, this session will empower the Caribbean to unlock its renewable energy potential and build a resilient, low-carbon future."
• Mr. Delano Scantlebury, Programme Director, Ministry of Energy and Business, Barbados: presented on the critical role of government policy, regulations, and frameworks in shaping the pace and scale of the energy transition. He highlighted the potential economic impacts as the energy sector evolves, emphasizing the importance of clear policies to drive investment and innovation in renewable energy.
• Mr. Roger Blackman, Managing Director, Barbados Light & Power Co.: showcased Barbados' pioneering deployment of utility-scale solar PV, which generates 10MW daily. He discussed the technical achievements, integration strategies, and lessons learned in scaling up solar PV while maintaining grid stability, offering valuable insights for other Caribbean nations.
• Mr. Jason Lee, Senior Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC): highlighted the IFC's role in supporting Barbados' energy transition, particularly through the country's first competitive procurement of battery energy storage systems (BESS). He emphasized the importance of clear government policy and frameworks in accelerating the transition and attracting investment.

Key Themes:

• Regional Grid Integration and BESS Deployment: highlighted the Caribbean Regional Grid Interconnection and Renewable Energy Scaling (CREGI-RES) initiative led by CDB, and its role in advancing regional energy integration, alongside the importance of BESS. Barbados' experience with BESS procurement supported by GEAPP and grid modernization offered valuable lessons for scaling renewable energy across the Caribbean.
• Policy Innovation and Strategic Partnerships: emphasized the need for technical and policy innovation to drive the energy transition. Strengthening collaboration between Caribbean nations, utilities from UNEZA and CARILEC, and development partners was identified as key to supporting grid modernization and renewable energy deployment.
• Social, Economic, and Investment Impacts: the session addressed the social and economic impacts of the energy transition on communities and workers, while also focusing on investment mobilization to identify bankable projects and leverage international resources for scalable solutions.
• Scalability and Knowledge Transfer: emphasized the documentation of best practices from Barbados' BESS procurement and other regional renewable energy projects, creating replicable models for the Caribbean. Practical insights on policy frameworks, technical solutions, and implementation strategies were shared to ensure adaptability across different Caribbean contexts, enabling a smoother and more effective energy transition.

Conclusion:

The session reinforced the need for regional cooperation, policy innovation, and investment mobilization to drive the Caribbean's energy transition. Key takeaways included strengthening partnerships between UNEZA and utilities in the region, development banks, and international organizations, as well as leveraging technical and financial support for scalable renewable energy projects. The discussions underscored the commitment to aligning with global climate goals and ensuring a just and equitable energy future for the region.

Key Highlights:

• Dr. Afif Saif Al Yafei, TAQA’s Group CEO and UNEZA Co-Chair: emphasized the urgent need for increased grid investment, highlighting that $21 trillion is required by 2050, yet financing remains limited due to challenges in proving grids as “green”. He called for MDBs to play a greater role in addressing this gap and stressed the importance of clear financing criteria. “The Climate Finance Principles for Green Grids aim to foster trust among stakeholders and facilitate the scaling of investments required to modernize, expand, and refurbish the infrastructure, particularly in emerging markets,” he stated, reaffirming UNEZA’s commitment through the Grids and Storage Pledge at COP29 to drive necessary climate finance reforms.
• Glenn Barber, Director of Corporate Affairs of SSE and UNEZA Co-Chair: highlighted the critical need for long-term strategic investment in grid infrastructure, citing Scotland’s potential to supply 20% of the UK's clean power by 2030 as an example of what is possible with the right regulatory and financial support. He stressed that a fundamental mindset shift is required. “There is no transition without transmission,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of global collaboration and initiatives like the Green Grids Initiative to drive essential funding solutions.
• Gurbuz Gonul, Director, Country Engagement and Partnerships, IRENA: underscored the urgent need for increased grid investments to support the global renewable energy transition, noting that current annual investments of $391 billion fall significantly short of the required $717 billion. He highlighted that grid underinvestment leads to project delays, higher costs, and inefficiencies, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, where insufficient infrastructure limits renewable energy expansion.
• Marcus Stewart, Lead, Green Grids Initiative, Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, UK: emphasized the critical role of grid infrastructure in the global energy transition, pointing out the need for accelerated investment to meet climate goals. He highlighted the challenge that over 60% of current grid investments are excluded from climate finance due to varying definitions of "green" grids, particularly in coal-intensive and developing regions.

Key Themes of the Roundtable Discussion:

• Urgency of Grid Investment and Financial Barriers: achieving global climate goals and transitioning to renewable energy requires a significant scale-up in grid investments. However, financial challenges continue to hinder progress, particularly due to the absence of a clear and unified definition of “Green Grids.” This uncertainty makes it difficult to secure climate financing and attract private sector investment. Currently, grid infrastructure development depends heavily on public funding, and without stronger engagement from private investors and the implementation of innovative financial mechanisms, efforts to expand and modernize grids may face delays.
• Policy & Regulatory Support: unclear regulations, slow permitting processes, and fragmented policy frameworks hinder the development of modern and flexible grids. Experts emphasized that governments and regulators play a critical role in aligning national energy transition plans with investment strategies. Countries need long-term grid development roadmaps, clear tariff structures, and policies that support public-private partnerships to reduce investment risks and attract large-scale financing. Special attention is needed for island nations like the Maldives, where grid interconnectivity challenges create additional barriers to securing investment.
• Innovation & Digitalization: the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), smart grids, and energy storage solutions is essential for improving grid flexibility and efficiency. Digitalization can enhance real-time demand response, optimize energy distribution, and reduce reliance on fossil fuel-based backup power. Innovative grid technologies, such as long-duration energy storage (LDES), undersea interconnectors, and AI-driven predictive maintenance, are key enablers for a resilient and future-ready energy system. Experts stressed that accelerating the adoption of these technologies is crucial to unlocking the full potential of renewable energy.

The session highlighted the pressing need to accelerate grid investments to support the global energy transition. A key takeaway underscored the role of MDBs, private investors, and policymakers in creating an enabling environment for sustainable grid development. As a next step, UNEZA and the GGI will issue a joint Open Letter to MDBs and call to adopt the Climate Finance Principles for Green Grids which will form the basis for a harmonized definition for what constitutes a “green grid”.

The powerful global community of 45 utilities and power sector suppliers under the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA) led by TAQA and SSE as Co-Chairs, and launched at COP28 under the guidance of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions reinforced their commitment to annual grids and renewables investment of more than USD$117bn. Around 48% of the planned and committed investment will go into grid infrastructure, underpinning the ambitions outlined by governments to add or refurbish 80 million kilometres of grids by 2040.

UNEZA has nearly doubled its membership, growing from 25 partners and members last year to 45, with members’ operations expanding across five continents. This growth reflects the increasing global commitment to advancing the transition to net zero, as members work together to drive impactful investments in grid infrastructure and renewable energy.

“We welcome the ambitious COP29 grids and storage pledge announced today and stand with our governments in working toward realizing these goals,” said Dr. Afif Al Yafei, CEO of TAQA Transmission and co-Chair of UNEZA. “This will be one of the most significant infrastructure programs of a generation. For success, we must streamline grid infrastructure permitting, establish regulatory environments that encourage proactive, long-term grid investments, and reinforce supply chains through collaboration and partnership.”

Mr. Martin Pibworth, Chief Commercial Officer at SSE plc, co-Chair of UNEZA, said: “It simply won’t be possible for the world to succeed in efforts to treble up renewables deployment by 2030 unless there is an equivalent effort to build the enabling grid infrastructure and, critically, sources of flexibility like electricity storage and green hydrogen to balance a more intermittent, renewables-led system. There hasn’t been enough focus on these vital enablers to date and we are therefore delighted, as utilities responsible for delivering these investments on the ground, to add our support to that of governments around the word for the COP29 Global Storage and Grids Pledge.”

IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera said, “The adoption of political pledges on green energy corridors, storage and grids at COP29 is more than a step, it’s a leap forward for the energy transition. To meet the ambitious target of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, we must transform existing infrastructure and build power systems that are both interconnected and resilient. UNEZA, with its coalition of global utilities, is uniquely positioned to drive this transformation and ensure our energy systems are prepared for a transforming energy landscape.”

Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, said: “This ambitious pledge for grids and storage underlines the critical role of infrastructure investment in our shared pursuit of net zero. By aligning resources and focusing on resilience, UNEZA members are making a tangible commitment to meeting our global climate goals. Such partnerships demonstrate the power of collaborative action in transforming the energy landscape and ensuring that the promise of a sustainable future is within reach.”

Mr. Thomas Birr, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at E.ON SE said “We support UNEZA's efforts to push ahead with the expansion of energy networks. E.ON plays a leading role in Europe’s energy transition and in the development of a sustainable and future-proof European energy system. Over the past three years, E.ON has nearly doubled its investment plan, to more than 40 billion Euros until 2028. The lion share of that commitment goes into expansion, modernization and digitalization of grids.”

“There is an urgent need for action to meet Net Zero targets and limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius. As a founding member of UNEZA, Hitachi Energy is proud to support the COP29 Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge. The expansion and modernization of power grids and deployment of energy storage, alongside other key technologies, are now critical for the global energy system.” said Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO Hitachi Energy.

During COP29, UNEZA welcomed Brazilian utility CEMIG as a new member as Brazil prepares to host COP30 in 2025. UNEZA members collectively serve more than 340 million customers worldwide and have a combined market cap nearing USD 1 trillion. UNEZA’s investment commitments are significant and growing. Only 60 countries have a GDP larger than the USD 117 billion invested annually by the Alliance in the energy transition¹.

“CEMIG is pleased to join UNEZA and commit to a net zero power sector. We are proud to be 100% renewable and to embark on our largest investment plan, focused primarily on grid and energy storage – key enablers supported by UNEZA. We believe utilities should exemplify decarbonization through private investments in innovation and efficient resource use. Joining UNEZA enables us to achieve this goal through cooperation and knowledge-sharing with leading global utilities,” said Mr. Reynaldo Passanezi Filho, CEO.

On the back of the Alliance’s ambitious investment commitments, UNEZA published a high-level statement on supply chain resilience calling for policymakers to help alleviate supply chain constraints that threaten to slow the speed of the transition.

According to IRENA (2024), aligning with a 1.5^°C-compatible pathway requires tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030. Achieving this would mean tripling renewable power capacity to 11.2 TW, with average annual additions of 1,044 GW from 2024 to 2030. Meeting the UAE Consensus goals will demand a cumulative investment of USD 31.5 trillion across renewables, grids, flexibility, efficiency, and conservation by 2030.

Investments in grids and flexibility measures need to nearly double from current levels, requiring an average of USD 717 billion per year is needed in grids and flexibility between 2024 and 2030. Global Energy Storage and Grids targets require a six-fold increase in energy storage capacity over 2022 levels, aiming for 1,500 GW by 2030.

UNEZA invites companies to join the common vision of accelerating the energy transition. The Membership is open to utilities, developers, power system technology companies and knowledge partners determined to expedite the transition towards a net zero future by 2050.

The members of UNEZA have individual plans that combined altogether aim to invest more than 117 bn USD per year, including more than 60 bn USD in renewables and over 57 bn USD in grids as a collective grid infrastructure capex plan that will serve as a basis to equipment manufacturers to scale up production in support of grid development.

UNEZA High Level Statement called for actions on building a resilient and diverse clean energy technology supply chain and announce collective, medium term demand signal to encourage capacity expansion.

In confronting challenges to build a resilient energy future, UNEZA has identified the future energy system needs for 2030-2050:

• – Grid Constraints: Without sufficient grid infrastructure, renewables remain constrained.
• – Supply Chain Gaps: Global manufacturing capacity for energy transition equipment lags the unprecedented demand, creating vulnerabilities in the clean energy supply chain.
• – Balancing the System: Integrating and balancing renewable power requires significant progress on grid infrastructure, long-duration storage, and clean dispatchable options like CCS or hydrogen.
• – Financing Challenges: While the recent focus has been on deploying renewables, matching investment in the infrastructure needed to support and integrate them has lagged.

UNEZA has endorsed the COP29 Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge and the COP29 Green Energy Pledge: Green Energy Zones and Corridors.

The Alliance emphasized the opportunity to pursue the clean energy transition in a more strategically planned way, prioritizing investments that help balance the system. Members expressed optimism about the readiness of technology, supply chains supply chain’s ability to respond to our demand signals, and policymaker commitments.

Looking ahead to COP30 in Brazil, UNEZA reaffirmed its dedication to transforming power systems and ensuring that pledges lead to real-world delivery, accelerating progress toward a net-zero future.