Energy, Data, Grids: Powering Europe's AI Future
The registration deadline has expired.
📅 Date:
22/04/2026
🕐 Time:
12:00 - 14:00
📍 Location:
European Parliament, Brussels
About the Event
As Europe moves toward its next phase of the energy transition, the strategic focus is shifting toward the system reliability required to sustain our industrial and digital objectives. This challenge is immediate: digital infrastructure already represents 3% of total EU electricity demand, reaching as high as 20% in Ireland, and the EU aims to triple data centre processing capacity within the next five to seven years.
This discussion, part of GE Vernova's Electrification & Decarbonization Dialogue series, explores how Europe can secure the firm, dispatchable and low-carbon power necessary for AI-driven growth without compromising climate targets or grid stability.
The event will examine AI through two complementary lenses, beginning with the immediate demand challenge of providing constant, 24/7 carbon-free energy to data centres and hyperscalers. Addressing this requires a comprehensive, "all-of-the-above" approach that integrates accelerated renewable deployment with a diverse portfolio of firm, low-carbon technologies, including storage, small modular reactors (SMRs) and beyond. Energy abundance and grid resilience are the foundations of European AI sovereignty - without them, the EU cannot hope to keep pace with the US and China.
Conversely, the discussion will also highlight AI as a vital digital solution and a critical enabler for the energy transition itself. By leveraging predictive forecasting and automation, AI-driven tools can significantly enhance grid stability and optimize complex demand-response loads, ensuring that the very technology driving electricity demand also provides the analytical depth needed to manage and secure a modern, resilient energy infrastructure.
Hosted by
MEP 
Latvia Member of the European Parliament
Inese VAIDERE CommitteesDelegations
INTAInternational Trade
IMCOInternal Market & Consumer Protection
ITREIndustry, Research & Energy
HOUSHOUS Committee
V-CHAIR DLATDelegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly
D-MXDelegation to the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee
D-USD-US Delegation
DASEDelegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia & ASEAN
Speakers
Philippe BENET
Global Solution Line Leader
GE Vernova
Jens DENNHARDT
Director of Strategy
RWE Generation SE
Job de VISSER
Manager Control Room of the Future
TenneT
Thomas SPENCER
Senior Energy Expert
International Energy Agency (IEA)
Stavros STAMATOUKOS
Policy Officer for Digitalisation and AI
DG ENER
Bertrand DEPREZ
Head of Governmental Affairs Europe
GE Vernova
Programme
Important – This event is by invitation, and only registered participants will be admitted. Due to capacity constraints, all attendees must register, including those already holding a European Parliament access badge. Registration is mandatory for admission.
MEP event
Released on:
Belgium (België / Belgique / Belgien)
Staff
European Parliament
Rue Wiertz 60 1047 BRUSSELS
Itinerary