CIGRE

Paris – September 07, 2026 -- Global electricity grid investment must rise roughly 50%, from about $400 billion today to nearly $600 billion annually by 2030, the International Energy Agency estimates, as electrification of transport, industry and buildings collides with surging data-center demand. The figures were presented at the CIGRE 2026 Paris Session, which drew more than 15,000 experts from 100 countries and 330 exhibitors.

Permitting delays of eight to ten years threaten Europe and US grid rollout

Delivery speed has become the central bottleneck. In China, an extra-high-voltage transmission line can be permitted and built in about 1.5 years, and in India in roughly three years, according to the IEA. In Europe and the United States, comparable projects frequently take eight to ten years or longer.

Paris – September 07, 2026 -- Annual global investment in electricity grids must rise roughly 50%, from about USD 400 billion today to nearly USD 600 billion by 2030, according to International Energy Agency figures cited at the CIGRE 2026 Paris Session, which drew more than 15,000 experts from 100 countries and 330 exhibitors.

Grid investment must jump 50% as electrification accelerates

The IEA attributes the surge to transport, industry and building electrification, renewable-energy integration, and rising data-center power demand. Power systems are approaching operational limits as these forces converge, according to the IEA data presented at the session.

Paris – September 07, 2026 -- The International Energy Agency estimates annual global grid investment must rise roughly 50%, from about $400 billion today to nearly $600 billion by 2030, to keep pace with surging electricity demand. The figures were central to discussions at the CIGRE Session 2026 in Paris, which drew more than 15,000 experts from 100 countries and 330 exhibitors.

Electrification of transport, industry and data centers strains existing grids

Rising demand from electric transport, industrial electrification, building conversion, renewable integration and data-center growth is pushing power systems toward their operational limits, according to CIGRE.

Paris – September 07, 2026 -- Annual investment in electricity grids must rise roughly 50% to approximately $600 billion by 2030, up from about $400 billion currently, according to the International Energy Agency, as global demand from electrified transport, industry, buildings and data centers pushes power systems toward their limits.

The figures were presented at the CIGRE 2026 Paris Session, which drew more than 15,000 experts from 100 countries and 330 exhibitors to address the buildout of next-generation power grids.

Permitting delays in Europe and the US lag China and India by years

Permitting a very-high-voltage transmission line takes approximately 1.5 years in China and around three years in India, according to IEA data cited at the event. Comparable projects in Europe and the United States typically require eight to ten years or more, creating a bottleneck for grid expansion at the pace the energy transition demands.