The Future of Power Grids, AI & the Energy Transition | Konstantin Papailiou, CIGRE President

CIGRE President: 10 Million km of Lines and a People Gap

According to CIGRE President Professor Konstantin Papailiou, the energy transition depends on cooperation between utilities, suppliers and experts worldwide. He estimates that about 10 million kilometers of new high voltage lines are needed over the next 10 to 20 years. In his view, the hardest constraint is people: linemen, site supervisors and engineers. CIGRE is responding with its One Grid initiative and a new Innovation and Education Fund.

Interview by APC Media following the 2026 CIGRE Session in Paris.

What You Will Learn

• Why the IEC created CIGRE in 1921, and how its working groups feed international standards
• Why Professor Papailiou sees workforce shortages as a bigger risk than material supply
• How CIGRE’s consensus model differs from voting-based standardization
• His view on AI, data centers and responsible electricity use
• What the One Grid initiative and the CIGRE Innovation and Education Fund aim to do

Meet the Expert: Professor Konstantin Papailiou

Professor Konstantin Papailiou is President of CIGRE, the international council on large electric systems. He studied electrical engineering in Germany and earned his PhD at ETH Zurich. He then spent about ten years with a transmission line contractor, building lines around the world.

He later joined Pfisterer, a manufacturer of components for electrical networks, and rose to CEO. In CIGRE he progressed from working group member to chairman of the Study Committee on Overhead Lines, and he has been President for two years. He also teaches overhead line lectures at two universities, in Germany and China, and has written numerous papers and books on overhead lines and power systems.

The interview, hosted by APC Media, took place after the 2026 CIGRE Session in Paris.

What Is CIGRE and Why Does It Matter for Standards?

CIGRE is a global community of power system experts, founded in 1921. Professor Papailiou explains that it was created by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The IEC recognized that a standard cannot exist without the state of the art, so it needed an organization to do the groundwork.

That relationship continues today. Professor Papailiou has served in many CIGRE working groups mandated to prepare the groundwork for IEC standards. In an interconnected world, he argues, this is a good way to produce the standards the industry increasingly needs.

CIGRE at 105: Size and Reach

As of the interview, CIGRE reports more than 25,000 members from over 100 countries, 60 national committees and 300 working groups. Professor Papailiou calls the working groups CIGRE’s “magic weapon.”

How CIGRE Working Groups Produce Technical Brochures

A technical brochure is a consensus-based reference document produced by a CIGRE working group. The process starts when someone brings a problem to a technical committee, for example corrosion of the stubs of a transmission line tower. If other countries share the interest, a working group forms. Depending on the subject, it takes two to four years to publish the brochure.

The key difference from standardization, Professor Papailiou notes, is that CIGRE does not vote. Working groups must reach consensus. He is, in his words, a big friend of consensus because it brings the good in people together.

How Many High Voltage Lines Does the Energy Transition Require?

Professor Papailiou states that he has calculated a need for roughly 10 million kilometers of new high voltage lines over the next 10 to 20 years. This is his own estimate, and demand extends to substations, transformers and other network equipment.

Materials are only part of the question. Who will source the steel, aluminum and insulators? He argues the larger challenge lies elsewhere.

Why Is the Workforce the Biggest Bottleneck?

For Professor Papailiou, one of the biggest challenges is “where are the people?” He is not referring only to qualified engineers and designers. He means site supervisors, workers and linemen who climb towers.

His example: installing a spacer damper on a conductor 80 meters up a tower. A spacer damper is a fitting that keeps the conductors of a bundle apart and helps control vibration. “No AI can do that,” he says. “We have to do that ourselves.”

This is a significant statement for utilities, TSOs and contractors planning long build-out programs. Training and attracting field talent is as strategic as securing equipment.

Why Cooperation Between Utilities and Suppliers Matters

Professor Papailiou recalls that earlier in his industry career there was a constant tension between utilities as buyers and suppliers, with strict rules and prices that could be squeezed. He says this has changed because everyone has realized that without good cooperation, nobody moves forward.

His summary: “the name of the game” for managing the energy transition is cooperation.

What Does the CIGRE President Say About AI and Data Centers?

The industry’s focus has shifted in recent years from renewable integration to data centers. Professor Papailiou’s position is balanced. Progress cannot be denied, and he considers data centers and AI the next step for humanity.

He is also, by his own description, not a big friend of regulation. He believes people are reasonable and will cope. Instead he asks for more self-control, since resources such as electricity and water are not abundant.

His practical advice: users should consider whether a query justifies a machine consuming electricity somewhere. He jokes that generating high definition movies of dancing cats is not the purpose of the technology.

Key Takeaways from the 2026 CIGRE Session in Paris

Professor Papailiou describes the Session as an unbelievable success that broke records in participants, exhibitors and sponsors, exhibition visitors and papers. On average, 15,000 people moved through the Palais des Congrès each day.

He values the camaraderie most, and says people wrote to him after his opening speech offering to contribute. His message there was that there is no choice but to deliver the energy transition.

What Is the One Grid Initiative?

One Grid is a CIGRE initiative reflecting that the boundary between transmission and distribution has blurred. Professor Papailiou says CIGRE has always covered distribution but was less visible on it. The initiative makes this explicit and aims to cover the grid end to end.

The first One Grid hackathon took place in Paris and was a great success. The effort continues at CIGRE symposia in Heidelberg and Thailand next year. For TSOs and DSOs, the message is that transition issues are shared challenges.

What Is the CIGRE Innovation and Education Fund?

The fund supports education, innovation and research, and humanitarian projects for people without 24/7 electricity. It has selected its first 11 projects and has 33 more in the pipeline. CIGRE is seeking donations. Professor Papailiou calls joining the sector a mission “to save the planet, no more and no less.“

Professor Papailiou’s message is practical: build together, invest in people, use scarce resources wisely. The numbers are large, from 10 million kilometers of lines to a global community of 25,000 members. But the decisive factor, in his view, is human cooperation, in the field and across the grid.