Round Tables

The 10th edition of the CIRED Workshop will feature two dynamic round tables around major current subjects: Regulation for Innovation – at European / National Level and How Congestion and Flexibility Meets the New EMD5 Directive.

Round Table 1: Regulation for Innovation – at European / National Level

9 June  |  11.10-12.10  |  Auditorium

Scope

The transformation of Europe’s electricity distribution networks is not only a technical challenge but also a regulatory one. As grids evolve to integrate high shares of renewables, electrified demand, and digital solutions, innovation becomes essential to ensure reliability, efficiency, and sustainability. Yet, innovation in regulated sectors often faces structural barriers: cost recovery mechanisms, risk allocation, and compliance obligations can unintentionally discourage experimentation and adoption of new technologies.

Recent European initiatives – such as the Clean Energy Package and evolving Electricity Market Design – signal a shift toward enabling innovation through regulatory frameworks. Concepts like regulatory sandboxes, performance-based incentives, and innovation allowances are emerging as tools to reconcile innovation with consumer protection and system security. At the national level, approaches vary widely: some regulators actively promote pilot projects and flexibility markets, while others remain cautious, prioritizing stability over change.

This round table will explore how regulation can become a driver rather than a barrier to innovation. Key questions include:

  • What mechanisms at EU and national level best support innovation in distribution networks?
  • How can regulators balance experimentation with fairness and reliability?
  • What lessons can be drawn from countries that have successfully implemented innovation-friendly frameworks?

By bringing together voices from regulatory authorities, system operators, policy makers, and industry experts, the discussion aims to identify practical pathways for embedding innovation into the regulatory DNA of Europe’s energy transition.

Convener

Quentin Antoine (Engie Laborelec, Belgium)

Panelists

  • TBA

Round Table 2: How Congestion and Flexibility Meets the New EMD5 Directive

10 June  |  12.20-13.20  |  Auditorium

 

Scope

The evolving landscape of Europe’s electricity system is increasingly shaped by two interacting phenomena: grid congestion and the rising need for flexibility. On the one hand, grid congestion arises as more renewables, storage and electrified loads are connected—placing pressure on network capacity, especially in distribution and medium‐voltage systems. On the other hand, flexibility—both on the demand side (e.g., adjustable consumption) and supply side (e.g., storage, variable generation)—offers a key tool to address congestion, enabling more efficient use of existing assets.

Against this backdrop, the new Electricity Market Design 5 (EMD5) directive introduces regulatory provisions that explicitly integrate flexible connection agreements and non-firm access arrangements for areas with limited network capacity. By allowing network users to accept temporary curtailment or modulated capacity in exchange for connection ahead of full reinforcement, EMD5 transforms the role of flexibility from mere balancing service to a structural instrument for congestion mitigation. Thus, congestion and flexibility are no longer separate disciplines, but intertwined components of a modern market design: flexibility mitigates congestion, and the regulatory framework of EMD5 enables and rewards that mitigation.

In practice, this means that system operators must shift from purely reinforcing networks to procuring or contracting flexibility, while network users gain new choices—flexible connections, modulated usage, and participation in local flexibility markets. The directive thereby realigns incentives and aligns technical and market measures: congestion zones become arenas for flexibility contracts, and flexibility becomes a recognized asset to unlock grid access. Taken together, the meeting point of congestion and flexibility under EMD5 represents a fundamental paradigm shift in grid planning, market participation and regulation—one that promises to accelerate the energy transition while preserving system reliability and efficiency.

Conveners

Jan Desmet (Ghent University, Belgium) and Dirk Van Hertem (KU Leuven, Belgium)

Panelists

  • Caro De Brouwer (FastNed, Belgium)
  • Akhtar Hussain Javed (Alliander, Netherlands)
  • James Matthys-Donnadieu (ELIA, Belgium)
  • Michel Verschuere (Yuso, Belgium)