Elia Grid International (EGI)

Last week, we had the pleasure to host the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) during its biannual Executive Study Tour, this time focusing on Europe. For the first two days of the program, we had pleasure to welcome the delegation in Berlin together with 50Hertz Transmission GmbH, offering in-depth insights into Germany’s energy transition pathway and its implications for regional cooperation. On the first day, the delegation met with representatives from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), including H.E. Parliamentary State Secretary Stefan Rouenhoff, for an exchange on Germany’s national energy strategy, renewable expansion, and interconnection planning. Participants were welcomed by Elia Group Head of Strategy Olivier Feix, who presented the company’s decarbonisation strategy and discussed the pathway to net-zero for 50Hertz and Germany. Throughout the two days of the Berlin-visit, technical experts from 50Hertz shared insights and key lessons learnt on how their system has reached the remarkable variable renewable integration of 75% for last year: ⚡Advanced system planning for net-zero scenarios: the role of overlay corridors to transport renewables to demand centres ⚡The necessity of coordinated congestion management at regional level ⚡The role of energy storage and respective operational implications from expected wave of projects ⚡The evolution of system operations on variable-RES dominated systems ⚡The deployment of E-STATCOMs as main pillars for system stability ⚡Digitalisation of system operations and the Modular Control Centre System (MCCS) initiative During the second day of the visit, the delegation visited Siemens’ Zukunftsraumenergie (ENSURE) showroom, getting a deep dive on innovative solutions for tomorrow’s integrated and flexible energy systems, highlighting the role of digitalisation, sector coupling, and system resilience in enabling a secure and decarbonised grid. This study tour is part of EGI’s continued collaboration with GCCIA and builds upon over 15 years of active presence in the Middle East, advising public and private stakeholders on renewable energy integration, system planning, and interconnection. We look forward to continuing to contribute to their ambitious energy transformation and to strengthening EU-Gulf cooperation in the energy transition. 🌍 For more information about this visit or EGI’s regional activities, please do not hesitate to reach out to Georgios Papaefthymiou Quentin Dominique Blommaert, Nivan Moodley, and Frédéric Van Cauteren Anne Jacobs, Bilun Mueller, Tillmann Rudolf Braun, Sebastian Biesel, Klaus von Sengbusch, Cornelius Heck, Arya Fazilat, Hendrik Just, Maria H., Florian Sass, Ralf Blumenthal, Cynthia Foly, Jörn Hartung, Guidehouse Dr. Karoline Steinbacher, Henrik Schult,

🔋 During the recent MENALINKS programme consultation and technical workshop in Tunis, EGI presented progress on an analysis of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) integration in Tunisia’s future grid — identifying potential system gaps and exploring how storage can help bridge them. EGI also shared international learnings from a benchmark study on BESS regulation, providing insights into European conformity processes, connection requirements, and regulatory best practices that can inform Tunisia’s own approach to enabling storage deployment. As Tunisia advances its energy transition, efficient grid connection management, along with robust regulatory, business, and technical frameworks for BESS, will be key to enhancing system flexibility, reliability, and sustainability. Kudos to our colleagues for this milestone Isabelle Gerkens Adrien Touwaide Mehdi Blel Samuel E. ! 🥳🎉✨

🎥 Throwback to EGI’s 15-year celebration, hosted in Riyadh! Together with Elia Group CEO Bernard Gustin, EGI CEO Didier Wiot, and key partners, we celebrated 15 years of EGI’s presence and collaboration in Saudi Arabia — a journey that began with the SAMI project and has grown into a trusted partnership supporting the Kingdom’s power transmission development.   This milestone reflects EGI’s long-standing commitment to sharing expertise, fostering cooperation, and contributing to the energy transition in the region, in line with Elia Group’s broader international strategy.   We’re proud of what has been achieved together and look forward to continuing this impactful collaboration. Special thanks to the Belgian Embassy in Riyadh and H.E. Pascal H. Grégoire, First Secretary Clémence Dejonckheere for hosting this event and supporting our continued partnership in the region. #EGI #EliaGroup #SaudiArabia #EnergyTransition #GridDevelopment #Renewables #Collaboration Wallonia Export and Investment Agency - Embassy of Belgium in KSA (AWEX Riyadh) FIT - Flanders Investment & Trade Frédéric Van Cauteren Vincent Blondel Harald van Outryve d'Ydewalle Joseph Dubois Isabelle Gerkens Lavjit Singh Aymen Chaouachi Klaus-Uwe Huhnke Georgios Papaefthymiou Nicolas May Quentin Dominique Blommaert Nivan Moodley Khali Alaudeen Tobias van Reenen Amjed Pudhukode Abdulkalam Marwaan Vilack Napisa Hannoun-Suvannatat

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Last week the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) hosted an Energy Roundtable on the occasion of the visit of Mr Bernard Gustin, CEO of Elia Group, focusing on Saudi Arabia’s energy transformation under Vision 2030. Industry leaders came together to discuss emerging technologies driving this transformation and to identify areas of collaboration. Participants also exchanged expertise on evolving regulations and frameworks shaping Saudi Arabia’s energy transition, underscoring the country’s commitment to becoming a global hub for innovation in the energy sector. Dr. Dalia Samra-Rohte Elia Group, Bernard Gustin, Quentin Dominique Blommaert, Didier Wiot, Georgios Papaefthymiou

EGI celebrates 15 years in Riyadh, where It all began. Our journey in Saudi Arabia started even before EGI officially existed, with a project called SAMI. In this project, our engineers supported National Grid SA (NGSA) in addressing the challenges posed by an ever-growing power system. Back then, we were a small team of young engineers, eager to learn, adapt, and deliver. We came home with more than experience. We built trust, partnerships, and lifelong friendships. Since then, EGI has continued to support National Grid Saudi Arabia on several critical endeavours, including the integration of renewable energy at a large scale and the development of strategic roadmaps to strengthen the Kingdom’s transmission network. Fifteen years later, EGI has grown into a global consultancy with seven offices worldwide and projects in over 35 countries. As the international consulting arm of Elia Group, we combine the agility of a personalized consultancy with the strength of a leading European TSO. Together with the Belgian Embassy in Riyadh, we celebrated this milestone at the Residence of the Belgian Ambassador Pascal H. Grégoire, in the presence of Bernard Gustin (Elia Group CEO), Didier Wiot (Elia Grid International (EGI) CEO), our management team, and key stakeholders from Saudi Arabia’s energy sector. A special thank you to Ambassador Pascal H. Grégoire, his wife Maria, First Secretary Clémence Dejonckheere, and the entire team at the Embassy of Belgium in Riyadh for their warm hospitality and invaluable support in making this celebration possible. ✨ It was truly a homecoming moment for us. We’re proud of how far we’ve come and look forward to continuing to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s energy vision and shaping the next chapter of our story in the region. 💫 #EliaGroup #EGI #15YearsAnniversary #SaudiArabia #Riyadh #EnergyTransition #AssetManagement #Partnerships #MiddleEast Wallonia Export and Investment Agency - Embassy of Belgium in KSA (AWEX Riyadh)

The Gulf region is a strategic hub for driving decarbonisation and advancing a low-carbon, net-zero future. Looking forward to future collaborations ahead! 🌍⚡️🤝

Exciting times for EU-Gulf energy cooperation as the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) partners with Elia Grid International (EGI) for visiting Europe during its biannual Executive Study Tour. Last week, we had the pleasure to welcome representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-Generals for the Middle East & North Africa (DG MENA) and Energy (DG ENER) at Elia Group’s Headquarters in Brussels for an engaging exchange on the future of EU-Gulf relations and cooperation in electricity. In the morning, Director for the Gulf region (MENA C) Jean-Charles Van Eeckhaute, Head of Unit A.1 Florian Ermacora, and Med-TSO Secretary General Angelo Ferrante welcomed the GCCIA delegation consisting of high-level energy executives from the Gulf region to Brussels. Keynote speeches reiterating the ongoing commitment of deepening EU-GCC energy relations were followed by technical exchanges on the mutually beneficial nature of interconnection for system stability and societal prosperity. In the afternoon, experts from DG ENER Alexander Dusolt, Ignacio Martínez, Zuzana Sádlová engaged with the delegation on best practices regarding electricity market policy, economics, and cross-border infrastructure project development and incentives. Apart from meeting European Commission representatives, the GCCIA delegation spent the week in Berlin and in Brussels being introduced to our senior leadership at 50Hertz Transmission GmbH and to the CEOs from Elia Transmission Belgium Frederic Dunon, and Elia Group, Bernard Gustin. Furthermore, participants exchanged more in-depth with technical experts from across Elia Group on critical challenges associated with the energy transition faced by transmission system operators, and the critical need for cross-border interconnection. Through Elia Grid International the GCCIA delegation also met with critical European and national stakeholders such as ENTSO-E, Coreso SA, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and the FOD Economie / SPF Economie / FPS Economy Nancy MAHIEU, Stien Schrauwen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium, Geert Muylle, Nadège Lacroix, Sarah Herbreteau throughout the week. The organization of this Study Tour builds on Elia Grid International’s 15-year long presence in the Middle East advising public and private stakeholders, including the GCCIA, and our DNA as a natural interlocutor for European and regional partners. For more information about this visit or Elia Grid International’s regional activities please do not hesitate to reach out to Georgios Papaefthymiou, Quentin Dominique Blommaert, Nivan Moodley, Frédéric Van Cauteren A special thanks for making this happens goes to Andrea V. , Matteo Fumerio, Adrian STEINER, Milou Beerepoot, Mathieu Craye, Simona Gallotta

Last weekend, we raced against our peers from Elia Group and other leading Belgian companies at Brussels Ekiden. Accelerating energy transition, is it not? Out of 900 teams, our two EGI teams absolutely crushed it; we finished in the 179th and 787th positions. Beyond the results, it was a great reminder that strong team spirit drives us, on the track and at work alike. Also, how fun is it to see you colleagues outside of the usual work environment?🏃♀️🏃♂️💨