Under my label Offshore Wind Kommunikation, I had the pleasure of guiding through the programme of the TenneT DC-Grid Vision Conference on Monday, 4 November 2024 on behalf of TenneT.
The conference kicked off with an Opening & Setting the Scene session titled “Grid Expansion between Industrial Transformation and Cost Pressure”, featuring Tim Meyerjürgen, COO of TenneT, and Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope. This was followed by two insightful workshop sessions, led by representatives from TenneT, 50Hertz, TransnetBW, GE Vernova, Hitachi, Siemens Energy, and Consentec GmbH. The second part included experts from TenneT, EnBW, and ArcelorMittal, covering topics such as multi-terminal hubs, robust grid development, offshore grids for the European energy transition, and DC overlay grids as success factors for industrial transformation.
After a brief break, we continued with a keynote and Q&A session on innovation partnerships as a success model for the future of energy, presented by Dr. Benjamin Hühnerbein, Head of the DC MultiHub Program at TenneT, and Johannes von Schkopp, Head of Systems and Markets at TenneT.
The program then featured two engaging panel discussions:
- Panel I – European Cooperation: Joint Planning of Offshore and Onshore Grids Across Borders, with Bengt Bergt, Håkon Borgen, Vera Brenzel, and Dr. Joyce von Marshall.
- Panel II – Robust and Affordable Planning and Implementation of Grid Expansion, with Kerstin Andreae, Dr. Arina Freitag, Mathias Otte, Kerstin Maria Rippel, Jens Spahn, and Bernd Westphal.
In the closing wrap-up session with TenneT’s COO and CFO, the importance of partnership-based cooperation and the need to implement crucial infrastructure measures was emphasized. Grid expansion and the development of offshore wind energy were highlighted as key elements for securing Germany and Europe’s industrial future on the path to achieving climate neutrality by 2045.
It was an exciting and inspiring experience to moderate this event – thank you for the opportunity, TenneT TSO GmbH!
Image rights: TenneT TSO GmbH
