Investment needed to keep grid fit for purpose says Enel Grids boss

With 2023 coming to a close, the impact of climate change and rapidly increasing electricity demand have illustrated the crucial importance of grid investment to ensure the grid is fit for purpose.

This was highlighted by Gianni Armani, director of Enel Grids & Innovability, at Enlit Europe in Paris, who compared investing in the grid to maintaining one’s personal health.

Said Armani during the keynote panel discussion: “I like to eat as an Italian. Not investing in the grid is like accumulating cholesterol – you find out you are in bad shape.”

The Enel boss stressed that without appropriate investments into keeping the grid in good shape, extreme weather events could render it vulnerable to damage and power outages.

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Italy specifically has seen its own share of heat waves causing the grid to waver, with Cerberus earlier this year in July bearing down on Rome, causing outages.

Also, said Armani, Sicily experienced outages caused by wildfires raging in July this year.

“These problems have to be anticipated. We need programmes to recover (…) The process of recovering from a blackout is a huge effort for the company. Keeping people safe while intervening is a huge effort. What we need to work on is (grid) investments.”

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Critical connections

This year, the role of the power grid has been highlighted as an important yet almost invisible element of the energy transition, with the IEA launching a report in October indicating that grids are becoming a bottleneck to clean energy transitions.

Armani said that renewables are the most competitive energy production means and after the energy price crisis in 2022, businesses and consumers are becoming more eager for energy independence.

“People want this ability – more connections from batteries to be the most independent in their consumption.” However, added Armani, “what is not happening is (making) grids available and able to manage all of this energy production.

“In order to reach producers and manage security of supply and availability you need new means of connection and digitalisation to manage (demand).”

Last week, Enel Group announced a new investment strategy for the period 2024-2026. With plans to spend €35.8 billion ($38.96) by 2026, nearly €19 billion for grid investments will focus on improving quality, resiliency and digitalisation of the power grid, alongside new connections.

Originally published on Enlit World