ENTSO-E Submits Response to European Commission’s Consultation on the Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in the Energy Sector

On 5 November, ENTSO-E submitted its response to the European Commission's consultation on the upcoming Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence in the Energy Sector, expected in Q2 2026.

ENTSO-E stresses that Europe's energy transition requires not only new physical infrastructure, but also a secure, operational digital backbone capable of near-real-time data exchange, coordinated system operation, and safe deployment of AI tools across the electricity system.

ENTSO-E's response outlines eight key priorities to unlock the value of digitalisation and AI for a secure, efficient, and decarbonised European power system.

1. Building an Operational European Energy Data Space

Europe must move beyond pilots and create a mandated, sustainably funded Common European Energy Data Space dedicated to electricity.
This data space must be designed for near-real-time operational data, enabling coordinated TSO-DSO processes, flexibility platforms, and future federated digital twins.
A clear governance model e.g., an EU-level Digital & Data Office supported by an expert council is essential to guarantee trust, interoperability and security.

2. Federated Digital Twins for System Operation and Resilience

ENTSO-E calls for a federated architecture connecting TSO and DSO digital twins based on open standards.
Two priority twins should be supported:

• A TSO-DSO operational twin integrating structural and real-time grid data for congestion management, security analyses and coordinated control.
• A resilience twin capable of modelling climate-driven high-impact events and rapid DER integration to strengthen Europe's preparedness.

Economic and regulatory incentives must support sustainable investment in these capabilities.

3. Governance, Trust and Interoperability

Digitalisation requires clear and trusted governance. ENTSO-E proposes:

• An independent EU-level body to provide legal certainty and avoid fragmentation.
• A multi-stakeholder governance council to ensure operational relevance.

Interoperability must extend beyond formats to include semantics, standardised business processes and shared ontologies.

4. Safe and Responsible AI in Energy Operations

Given the safety-critical nature of grid operations, AI must be deployed under a safety-by-design framework.
ENTSO-E calls for:

• AI safety standards tailored to critical infrastructure, including auditability and resilience.
• Clear liability rules for AI tools used in control rooms.
• Mechanisms guaranteeing that AI supports human operators rather than displacing oversight.
• Strong alignment between AI deployment and Cyber Resilience Act requirements.

5. Digital Infrastructure: Data Centres and High-Performance Computing

Rising demand from data centres requires new approaches to integration and planning. ENTSO-E recommends:

• Reforming connection queues with prioritisation based on system needs, not chronology.
• Incentivising data centres to provide flexibility and system support services.
• Establishing EU 'AI factories' and secure computing clusters for energy-relevant AI model training.
• Improving the quality and granularity of forecasting data for planning at national and European level.

6. Skills and Workforce

Digitalisation and AI require new skills, testing methods and certification frameworks.
ENTSO-E calls for EU-wide action to:

• Develop competence models for AI-assisted system operation.
• Create simulator-based training and validation environments for operators.
• Support new academic and vocational programmes to build long-term capability.

7. Ensuring Legislative Coherence and Clarity

Operators face challenges navigating overlapping EU digital legislation.
ENTSO-E urges the Commission to:

• Provide clear, harmonised guidance tailored to real-time energy operations.
• Develop a unified safety-risk taxonomy for digital and AI tools.
• Establish reference methodologies and certification mechanisms to close current compliance gaps.

8. Europe's Strategic Opportunity

To remain globally competitive, Europe must accelerate innovation in AI and digitalisation for energy.
ENTSO-E recommends a CERN-like collaborative initiative to co-develop secure, energy-relevant AI models, share knowledge, and advance interoperability across Member States.

These priorities are essential to build the operational digital capabilities needed for a resilient, efficient and climate-neutral European electricity system.

Read ENTSO-E's full response to the Call for Evidence here.