OpenLobby.EU
Explore

CurrENT Enabling Network Technology throughout Europe E.E.I.G.

CurrENT

CurrENT represents European companies developing innovative technologies for power grid optimization.

Lobbying Activity

CurrENT Urges Binding Targets to Accelerate Grid Digitalization

5 Nov 2025
Topic — The initiative explores leveraging digital technologies and artificial intelligence within the energy sector.
Message — The Commission must propose binding, quantifiable grid targets at transmission and distribution level. Financing mechanisms should enable mass deployment of innovative technologies through benefit-sharing incentives and risk guarantees.12
Why — Mandatory targets and financing would drive demand for the innovative grid technologies they represent.3
Impact — Conservative grid operators would be forced to abandon outdated safety standards and operational limits.45
Read full response

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and E-MOBILITY EUROPE and

14 Oct 2025 · Clean Industrial Deal Implementation

CurrENT Urges Innovative Grid Technology for EU Energy Security

10 Oct 2025
Topic — The EU is revising its energy security framework to adapt to decarbonisation.
Message — CurrENT proposes a Grid Preparedness and Innovation Strategy to deploy technologies like digital twins and superconductors. They argue for benefit-sharing models that reward grid operators for choosing lower-cost, innovative solutions. They also recommend long-term reference grid planning aligned with 2050 climate neutrality targets.123
Why — This would increase the market deployment of innovative technologies provided by CurrENT members.4
Impact — Fossil fuel sectors and capital-intensive infrastructure developers face reduced investment and priority.56
Read full response

Meeting with Bruno Tobback (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Sept 2025 · Upcoming Grids Package

CurrENT urges grid innovation strategy for 2040 climate goals

17 Sept 2025
Topic — This consultation concerns amending the European Climate Law to include 2040 targets.
Message — CurrENT proposes a Grid Preparedness and Innovation Strategy to modernize electricity grids. They recommend using 2050 decarbonization as the benchmark for infrastructure planning. The group also opposes using international carbon credits for emission offsets.123
Why — Enhanced investment in innovative grid solutions would expand the market for members.4
Impact — Carbon credit providers lose revenue if the EU prioritizes domestic emission reductions.5
Read full response

Meeting with Kerstin Jorna (Director-General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs) and Environmental Coalition on Standards and

7 Jul 2025 · Letter with 16 signatories for European Competitiveness Fund to deliver climate and energy security for EU citizens and SMEs

Meeting with Bruno Tobback (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Apr 2025 · Grids and innovative grid technologies

Response to EU Start-up and Scale-up Strategy

17 Mar 2025

In addition to the identified hurdles, startups in the grid technology sector face an underdeveloped market for innovation adoption by grid operators. The slow pace of regulatory adaptation and procurement structures that favor incumbent solutions over innovative, software-driven technologies create a significant barrier to market entry. Grid operators are often incentivized to invest in traditional infrastructure upgrades rather than cost-effective digital solutions, further slowing the deployment of next-generation grid technologies. Moreover, the fragmentation of national regulations and technical standards across Member States makes scaling difficult for grid technology startups like Plexigrid. Unlike the telecom sector, where interoperability and standardization have enabled rapid innovation, grid technology startups face a patchwork of national regulations that require case-by-case adaptation, increasing costs and slowing market entry.
Read full response

Meeting with Anna Stürgkh (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

4 Mar 2025 · INI Report on Grids

Response to Delegated act on primarily used components under the Net-Zero Industry Act

20 Feb 2025

The large-scale deployment of innovative grid Technologies is essential for supporting the widespread adoption of renewables. These technologies can unlock additional transmission capacity, connecting clean energy generation, households, and industriesaccelerating electrification while reducing system costs. They also minimize the use of critical raw materials, lower reliance on imported fossil fuels, and help keep consumer prices low. The Prospects for Innovative Grid Technologies report (available at: currenteurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CL-CurrENT-BE-Prospects-For-Innovative-Grid-Technologies-final-report-0240617-2.pdf) shows that these technologies could increase grid capacity by 2040% by 2040 while saving 700 Billion in infrastructure costs. Given their strategic role in achieving the EU's goals outlined in the Competitiveness Compass, the innovative grid technologies and their components included in the attached document should be granted access to the Net-Zero Industry Act conditions.
Read full response

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Feb 2025 · Austausch Energiepolitik

Meeting with Dario Tamburrano (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

12 Feb 2025 · Reti elettriche

Meeting with Nicolás González Casares (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Feb 2025 · Industrial competitiveness

Meeting with Manuel Aleixo (Cabinet of Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva)

11 Feb 2025 · Innovative grid technology

Meeting with Thomas Auger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera Rodríguez)

23 Jan 2025 · Deployment of innovative grid technologies.

Meeting with Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President) and

26 Feb 2024 · Clean Transition Dialogue on EGD Infrastructures

Meeting with Ditte Juul-Joergensen (Director-General Energy) and EPIA SolarPower Europe and

26 Feb 2024 · Clean Transition Dialogue on EGD Infrastructures

currENT Urges EU to Adjust Innovation Fund for Grids

7 Aug 2023
Topic — The initiative implements changes to the Innovation Fund, including competitive bidding rules.
Message — currENT requests flexible evaluation criteria and sector-specific calls for electricity grid technologies. They propose removing greenhouse gas avoidance metrics and replacing them with adjusted award requirements.123
Why — These changes would provide grid companies with a clearer pathway to funding and reduce application burdens.45
Impact — Carbon intensive industries like hydrogen and carbon capture might lose their dominant share of funding.67
Read full response

Response to Review report on the Governance Regulation of the Energy Union and Climate Action

3 Aug 2023

CurrENT finds the European Commissions initiative to review the EU Governance Regulation highly relevant. We also recommend that the review is followed by an extensive revision of the governance regulation, with a view to reflect groundbreaking political decisions and major geopolitical events over the past five years, that have impacted Europes climate, energy, and security situation. The European Green Deal requires a transformation of Europes energy sectors unparalleled to anything in history in terms of scale, impact, and pace. The transition from a largely coal-based global energy supply in 1900 to economies based on liquid and solid fossil fuel has lasted more than a century. The current EU governance framework is inadequate, considering the speed with which transition in the energy, agricultural and industrial sectors is needed. It has become painfully clear that the availability of secure and indigenous supply of energy is central to the Europes future prosperity, competitiveness, and ability to reach our decarbonisation goals. This in turn , depends on our ability to build an energy system based on increased electrification, primarily based on a supply of solar and wind energy. This requires modernisation of Europes existing electricity infrastructure and large investments in new, innovative grid technology. A revised Governance Framework must aim to achieve a rapid acceleration of all five dimensions of the EU Energy Union - Security, solidarity and trust; A fully integrated energy market; Energy efficiency, Decarbonising the economy; and Research, innovation and competitiveness. Since the Governance Regulations entry into force in 2018, electricity grids have emerged as the major stumbling block to the needed acceleration in deployment of solar and wind energy. It is currENTs view that the EU governance framework must develop from largely being a tool for monitoring and reporting to become a vehicle for Europe-wide joint action in our efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and energy independence. As the Florence School of Regulation has pointed out in a study on cost-effective decarbonisation, aside from energy efficiency, the most important and immediate priority for the EU in ensuring a cost-effective decarbonisation of its energy system must therefore be to identify and eliminate infrastructure and other bottlenecks that are likely to constrain the cost-effective production and use of renewable electricity moving forwards. In line with this recommendation, a revised governance framework should have as an objective to identify and eliminate infrastructure and other bottlenecks constraining the acceleration of renewable electricity. The Governance Regulation must become more long-term in reach and become a basis for planning electricity grid infrastructure out to 2050 in line with the time frame for decarbonisation and the upcoming Offshore Network Development Plans. The long-term planning for offshore grids, must be applied to onshore electricity infrastructure as well. Incrementalism in grid panning should not be allowed to continue. In CurrENT's view, it is crucial that much stronger measures to strengthen the research, innovation and competitiveness dimension of the Governance Regulation are established. There is also a need to reflect the urgent need for deployment and development of innovative electricity grid technology. The current Governance regulation almost exclusively addresses carbon transport and energy storage for the industrial sector in the context of innovation. Annex I must become far more focused on the identification of technology gaps related to electricity infrastructure that can support the targets, including the ONDPs. EUs R&D programmes must also start to reflect the strategic technologies identified by the Green Deal Industrial Plan.
Read full response

Response to European Critical Raw Materials Act

30 Jun 2023

currENT welcomes the Critical Raw Materials Act proposed by the European Commission on 16 March 2023. It is vital that the EU identifies and secures delivery of all the raw materials that will be necessary for the transition to a fully decarbonised economy. Copper to become a bottleneck for Net-Zero The availability of copper is inevitably going to become one of the key bottlenecks for reaching Net-Zero in time, as it will be key for e.g. the deployment of electric vehicles and increasing the capacity of the transmission and distribution system. In scenarios developed by S&P1, annual copper demand is expected to double by 2035 (from 25 MMt to 50MMt) and continue to grow until 2050 (53MMt). This is why Europe needs to do everything possible to use copper as efficiently as possible by accelerating the development of new, innovative enabling technologies for the transition with improved circularity, using less critical raw materials and, reduced resource intensity. Superconducting transmission technologies are a more efficient use of materials Superconducting distribution grids are already commercially available and currENT members are currently extending the scope and application of existing superconducting cabler technology, developing superconducting transmission technology that would be commercially available from around 2030. Superconducting electricity transmission reduces the materials use of energy transmission dramatically. To carry one kA one metre, superconducting cables requires 7 times less copper than conventional, copper-based power cables. Additionally, superconducting transmission technology will be able to transfer 5 or 6 times as much energy as conventional HVDC technology at a given voltage level. Alternatively, the technology can transfer the same amounts of energy at a much lower voltage level. This is associated with far fewer environmental impacts and raw materials use than conventional copper-based cable. Meanwhile, significant savings in materials would accrue from far smaller related infrastructure, e.g. from significantly smaller offshore collector stations needed in lower voltage systems. For example, a modern 2.4 GW, 525 kV offshore collector station weighs more than 15,000 tons and cost up to 1 billion. A collector station for a superconductor cable that can carry the same amount of energy would operate below 100 kV and weigh and cost about one third. Moreover, superconducting electricity transmission cables are far less sensitive to raw material price volatility. At the current price of copper ($9,000/tn), 70% of the cost of a conventional transmission cable is contributed to copper. For a superconducting cable with similar power transfer capability, copper is 7% of the cost. Thus, a 40% increase in the price of copper, would increase the total raw material cost of a copper cable by 47% per kilometre, whereas the raw material cost of a superconducting cable would increase by 5%. Grid enhancing technologies can increase efficiency of existing grid At the same time, Grid Enhancing Technologies, such as Dynamic Line Rating, Modular Power Flow Control Systems, new sensor technologies, as well as Advanced Conductors can help move more power through existing lines, thus increasing grid capacity very quickly, and increase the efficiency of the power system. As the high demand for copper is going to become a bottleneck to reach Net-Zero in time, any technologies that can increase the efficiency of the existing grid, can help relieve the high demand for copper, particularly in the short term.
Read full response

currENT warns against diluting focus of Net Zero Act

27 Jun 2023
Topic — The consultation concerns a proposed regulation to boost manufacturing capacity for net-zero technologies.
Message — The group requests that the regulation retains its focus on eight strategic technologies. They propose a new requirement for grid operators to cooperate on testing innovative technologies.12
Why — Narrowing the scope ensures dedicated support remains focused on their specific energy grid technologies.3
Impact — Chemicals and building industries lose potential benefits from the act's strategic technology status.4
Read full response

Meeting with Ville Niinistö (Member of the European Parliament)

31 Oct 2022 · Energy network develpment (staff level)

Innovative grid technology firms urge optimization before network expansion

12 Apr 2022
Topic — EU guidance on accelerating permitting for renewable energy and facilitating Power Purchase Agreements.
Message — The organization calls for the mandatory adoption of the NOVA Principle prioritizing grid optimization over expansion. They also request that investment frameworks reward operators for using cheaper, innovative grid technologies.12
Why — The organization's members would benefit from increased regulatory mandates and financial incentives for their specific technologies.34
Impact — Traditional infrastructure providers lose out as optimization reduces the need for expensive new grid construction projects.56
Read full response

Grid technology group CurrENT calls for innovative electricity network upgrades

12 Apr 2022
Topic — The EU Solar Strategy aims to accelerate solar deployment and infrastructure resilience.
Message — The organization calls for the deployment of grid-enhancing technologies to accommodate renewable energy. They urge the EU to adopt the NOVA principle, prioritizing existing network optimization over expansion.12
Why — Mandatory inclusion of these tools would create a larger market for their members' hardware.3
Impact — Traditional infrastructure providers could see projects delayed or replaced by cheaper digital optimizations.4
Read full response

Response to Review of Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency

19 Nov 2021

Summary of CurrENT's submission. See full submission attached: -- Europe needs dramatically increased power system capability and flexibility in the coming decades to accommodate renewables. This must be provided for by increased interconnection, innovative grid infrastructure and far better utilisation of existing, planned and future electricity grids, e.g. by deploying new grid enhancing technology. Neither the Commission’s proposal for a recast Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) nor any other element of the Fit for 55 Package, adequately addresses the need to rapidly and dramatically change the way we operate our existing electricity grids and how we apply new, innovative grid technology. Such solutions as dynamic line rating, modular power flow technology, and superconducting cable systems can play a crucial role in addressing the grid-barriers and inefficiencies in energy transmission that are already becoming apparent as we move towards an energy system, increasingly dependent on variable solar and wind power. (...) CurrENT strongly supports the Commission’s proposal to providing a solid legal basis for applying the ‘Energy Efficiency First Principle’ (EEF Principle) to energy efficiency improvements and energy network operation, planning and investment decisions. (...) The point-to-point approach to grid development, based on existing (HVDC) grid technology, will not deliver the Green Deal. Without innovation in network technology, and greater cross-border coordination, Europe will fail to deliver on its Paris Agreement commitment and achieve cost-effective and energy-efficient transition to decarbonisation before 2050. We must apply grid enhancing technology to utilise existing grids more efficiently, while planning for less obtrusive and more environmentally friendly transmission and distribution technology. Innovative grid technology such as dynamic line rating, modular power flow technology, and superconducting cable systems are needed to unlock the current transmission backlog, overcome planning obstacles and address current technology deficiencies (e.g. low power intensities and high losses). (...) CurrENT supports the Commission’s proposal to clarify and enhance the role of National Energy Regulators in implementing the Energy Efficiency First Principle in the planning, development, investment and operation of gas, and electricity transmission and distribution networks. (...) The Commission proposal correctly recognises that “energy losses in energy transformation, transmission and distribution can be significant”. It also stresses the need for a uniform definition of energy losses within the Union, making it difficult to benchmark performance and compare networks and operators. In this context, it is very difficult to understand why the Commission proposes to delete Article 15 (2a) in the existing directive which obliges the Commission to put forward “a common methodology in order to encourage network operators to reduce losses, implement a cost-efficient and energy-efficient infrastructure investment programme and properly account for the energy efficiency and flexibility of the grid”. The fact that the methodology was due almost a year ago is no reason to discard it. CurrENT proposes that the text be reinstated, possibly with another due date. (...) While references to the EEF Principle correctly is given appropriate attention in the Commission’s proposal, more attention could be given in the recast EED to the application of the ‘’Do No Significant Harm` principle. (...) CurrENT suggests that a reference is added in the articles of the recast Directive to the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle in a way that ensures that the Principle is applied to all gas, electricity transmission and distribution network planning, development and investment decisions. --- See attachment for CurrENT's full submission.
Read full response

Response to Revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001

18 Nov 2021

Extract from submission: Europe needs to dramatically increase power system capability and flexibility in the coming decades to accommodate renewables. This must be provided for by increased interconnection and innovative grid infrastructure, including in the offshore space where no grids exist today. Furthermore, Europe’s existing transmission grid and the grid under development must also be utilised better, e.g. by deploying new grid enhancing technology. The proposed amendments to the Renewables Directive contain useful measures to increase sector coupling and electrification of heating and transport. However – except for the proposals on offshore wind energy grid planning - neither the proposal amending the Renewables Directive nor any other element of the Fit for 55 Package adequately addresses the need to rapidly and dramatically change the way we operate our existing electricity grids and how we apply new, innovative grid technology. Such solutions as dynamic line rating, modular power flow technology, and superconducting cable systems can play a crucial role in addressing the grid-barriers that are already becoming apparent as we move towards an energy system dependent upon variable solar and wind power. CurrENT would have expected the Commission to have proposed changes, e.g. through amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/943 on the Internal Market for electricity, requiring TSOs and DSOs to accelerate the uptake of innovative and grid enhancing technologies and provide for greater transmission grid research, development and innovation in cooperation with the private sector and research institutions. - See full submission attached -
Read full response

Response to Action plan on the digitalisation of the energy sector

10 Sept 2021

Digital solutions are a powerful toolbox for efficient energy systems and in particular efficient management of the grid infrastructure. Future-proof infrastructure is the condition for achieving Europe’s climate targets. Without digitalisation, the energy and climate agenda as set in the Green Deal will fail. currENT and DGI welcome the European Commission initiative, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share our perspectives and recommendations on this roadmap initiative. Climate-proofing our power and energy networks means they can host more capacity and become more flexible. Gone are the days of central station powerplants simply following load. Network operators must now be able to accommodate variable renewable energy sources, whose share of the European energy mix is set to rise to at least 42% by 2030. Electrification – of industry, heating, cooling, and transport – is projected to drive growth in overall electricity consumption from only about 20% in the European energy mix today to at least 60% by 2050. The scale of the challenge is enormous: electricity travels through networks that must be ready for the steep rise of both electricity consumption overall and the proportion coming from variable renewables. Our networks must also prepare for a world of infinitesimally more complex relationships, such as those between prosumers and markets, as we seek to optimise the wide range of supply, demand, and even storage solutions across both our transmission and distribution networks. They need a toolbox to address the resulting uncertainties, I.e. how much e-charging at which hour of the day, and what the weather forecast might be, as well as the needed resilience to cope with the climate change that is already upon us. All our networks will need to transport energy smarter, faster, and more efficiently, and to be managed on a more integrated and optimised basis, not only among TSOs and DSOs, but also regionally and across Europe. Digitalisation ensures optimal and efficient supply of electricity bottom-up, in more and more distributed and decentralised systems, and avoids the waste of the current top-down non-digitalised energy system of today. Sadly, it has become all too clear that climate change is happening now, and that the cost to society is high. Given the no-regrets solution that the digital solutions toolbox provides, currENT and DGI encourage the European Commission to come up with a comprehensive study on the value of digitalisation of the energy sector. The study should take already-concluded national or other studies into account, such as the White Paper for innovative network planning. The study should be done in an iterative process with stakeholders. We would appreciate being associated to next steps of the digitalisation of energy action plan. A detailed version of our consultation has been made available to the European Commission and the public through our webpage https://www.currenteurope.eu.
Read full response

Response to Revision of the NIS Directive

18 Mar 2021

currENT is an industry association that represents the voice of Europe’s innovative grid technology companies. currENT welcomes the Commission´s initiative to review the existing Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive. Safe and reliable electric service has long been understood to be a fundamental underpinning of modern society. Customers and regulators alike have a high degree of expectation that utilities will “keep the lights on,” and utilities have long taken seriously the need to ensure operational security. In order to reap the benefits of digitalisation, it is therefore essential to ensure that cybersecurity risk in networks is managed effectively and does not become a roadblock to digital energy. currENT has submitted its full feedback in the attached file.
Read full response

Meeting with Helena Hinto (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson), Laure Chapuis (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson)

26 Nov 2020 · Energy System Integration (ESI) and offshore Strategy. Review of Renewable Directive. TEN-E

Response to Revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001

21 Sept 2020

CurrENT is happy to see a revision of future Renewable Energy targets and to provide feedback.
Read full response