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.
CIGRE calls for a single, coordinated 'One Grid' strategy across the value chain
CIGRE argues the energy transition will only succeed if grids are planned, operated and governed as one integrated system, requiring transmission and distribution operators, utilities, manufacturers, technology providers and regulators to align from the earliest planning stages. "No plan B, no planet B," said Konstantin O. Papailiou, President of CIGRE, calling for collective action to build future power systems.
Sector needs 1.5 million more workers by 2030 as skills shortage widens
Around eight million people currently work in constructing, maintaining and operating power grids worldwide, but the IEA projects the sector will need an additional 1.5 million workers by 2030. CIGRE is responding through its technical working groups and the CIGRE Fund for Innovation and Education, which finances research, scholarships and training programs globally.
French Industry Minister visits CIGRE exhibition, marking a century of cooperation since 1921
France's Minister of Industry, Mr. Martin, toured the CIGRE exhibition after being invited to the FIERE industrial event for electricity network companies. The Minister underscored the importance of cooperation in the current electrification wave and noted that CIGRE held its first conference in Paris in 1921.