Format: Zoom Webinar

Introduction

As Europe accelerates its energy transition, artificial intelligence is rapidly moving from experimentation to system-critical deployment. From grid resilience and renewable integration to infrastructure investment and regulatory oversight, AI is increasingly shaping how Europe plans, operates, and finances its energy system. Yet significant questions remain around scale, interoperability, trust, and real-world value creation.

This webinar brings together system-level thinkers, investors, and industry leaders to examine how AI is being applied across Europe’s energy transition today — and what must change to unlock its full potential by 2030. Through strategic keynotes and a multi-stakeholder panel discussion, we will explore the role of AI in strengthening system resilience, managing the growing demands of electrification and data centres, and enabling capital to flow confidently into AI-enabled energy infrastructure.

Designed as a pre-event discussion for AI for Energy Transition Europe 2026, this session offers a forward-looking yet practical perspective on how digital intelligence can move beyond algorithms and pilots to become a core asset in Europe’s low-carbon energy future.

Agenda

Opening & Welcome (5 min)

• Framing Europe’s AI-driven energy transition

• Webinar objectives and participant overview

Keynote | System Perspective (15 min)
AI as Critical Infrastructure: Enabling Europe’s Resilient Energy Transition

Presenter:

María Llaneza Rojano, Senior Expert Analyst, Tech, Digital & AI in Energy, BCG (Confirmed)

Panel Discussion | Energy, Digitalisation & Capital: Turning Strategy into Reality (45 min)
Moderator:
Erik Rakhou, Founder and Managing Director, Rakhou Associates (Confirmed)

Panelists: 

Geoffroy Hureau, Secretary General, Cedigaz (Confirmed)
Danie de Kock, Chief People Officer, Kent (Confirmed)

David Gong, Market Strategy Lead, AI & Cloud Network Infrastructure, Europe, NOKIA (Confirmed)

Thomas Harrer, CTO Storage EMEA, IBM Distinguished Engineer, IBM (Confirmed)

Willem Stitselaar, Founding Partner, DevCap (Confirmed)
Discussion themes:

• Where digital intelligence (AI, data, analytics) delivers value today — and where it does not (yet)​

• What do people in energy are to do, and what is the role of AI balance

• Integrating power, renewables, storage, hydrogen, and demand-side assets

• What will power the hungry AI - is that gas, RES or nuclear?

• Data, interoperability, and regulatory constraints across the energy value chain

• ​What unlocks the capital needed for AI for energy and energy for AI?

• Cybersecurity, trust, and operational readiness in increasingly digital energy systems

• What must change by 2030 to scale digitalisation across Europe’s energy system