CEO of E.ON takes the reigns as Eurelectric president
Eurelectric, the trade body representing the European electricity industry in Brussels, has announced that Leonhard Birnbaum CEO of E.ON will officially take over the role of president.
Joining Birnbaum in the presidency are vice presidents Markus Rauramo, CEO of Fortum and Georgios Stassis, CEO of PPC.
The new presidency will place a strong emphasis on ramping up electrification while supporting Europe’s decarbonisation and energy sovereignty goals.
According to a media statement, the key priorities of the new team include; strengthening electricity grids, rethinking Europe’s security of supply, and ensuring proper investment conditions.
Leonhard Birnbaum said in a statement: “The big transformation of our economy and society happens in the power grids. We must urgently prioritise the growth and digitalisation of our infrastructure to enable consumers to reap the benefits of their own flexibility and ensure access to clean, reliable electricity.
“Policymakers and regulators need to supercharge the green agenda and support electrification. Simple cost control is no longer an option, and Eurelectric will be carrying this message loud and clear in Brussels and beyond.”
According to Eurelectric, the energy landscape is changing due to the war in Ukraine and Russia’s weaponization of energy. This, coupled with cyber, military and weather threats, places energy security at the top of the priority list to be supported by industrial and external policy.
In order to mitigate the resulting risks and ensure autonomy and carbon neutrality, grid modernisation, as well as expansion and digitalisation of electricity infrastructure are essential.
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By 2030, 50% of Europe’s low voltage lines will be over 40 years old, states Eurelectric, which means a modern and resilient grid will be needed to connect the additional 650GW by 2030.
Vice president, Markus Rauramo, said: “Political and industry leaders must now act decisively to defend the EU’s industrial competitiveness without delaying its decarbonisation, nor weakening the integrated energy market with disruptive intra-EU subsidies races.”
Vice President Georgios Stassis added: “The power sector is at the forefront of the unfolding energy transformation and there are two challenges lying ahead: scale and pace. To deliver reliable and affordable electricity to consumers while achieving our climate goals, we need a resilient electricity market structure that spurs investments and reduces the risk of future price spikes”.
Eurelectric’s new presidency will now initiate research in the areas of grid and security of supply to inform the debate and support policymakers in their quest to meet new challenges.
