CALL FOR EVIDENCE

FOR AN INITIATIVE (without an impact assessment)

Title of the initiative

Strategic Roadmap for digitalisation and AI in the energy sector

Lead DG – responsible unit

Directorate-General for Energy and Housing – Unit B4 on Research, Innovation, Digitalisation and Competitiveness

Likely Type of initiative

Commission Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions

Indicative Timing

Q1 2026

Additional Information

Digitalisation of the energy system

This document is for information purposes only. It does not prejudge the final decision of the Commission on whether this initiative will be pursued or on its final content. All elements of the initiative described by this document, including its timing, are subject to change.

A. Political context, problem definition and subsidiarity check

Political context

In the 2024-2029 Political Guidelines, President von der Leyen underlined the need to reduce energy prices, move away from fossil fuels and ensure that consumers benefit from a just twin green and digital transition. In this spirit, the mission letter for the Commissioner for Energy and Housing called for the adoption of a strategic roadmap for digitalisation and AI in the energy sector in order to leverage the potential of digital technologies.

The Draghi report on EU competitiveness underscores the unique opportunity for the energy sector in the EU to capitalise on future waves of digital innovation and maintain a foothold in areas where technological sovereignty is needed. The report emphasises the point that the energy sector is one of the sectors with the greatest potential to benefit from the capacity of AI to boost efficiency and accelerate innovation.

The Strategic Roadmap will build on previous initiatives (such as the EU Action Plan on digitalising the energy system adopted in 2022) and will exploit synergies with the Affordable Energy Action Plan, the Energy Efficiency Roadmap, the Grids Package, the Citizens Energy Package, the Electrification Action Plan and the Heating and Cooling Strategy. Moreover, the Strategic Roadmap will complement the upcoming Apply AI Strategy, the Data Union Strategy, and the Cloud and AI Development Act; and will build on the recently adopted relevant legislative framework, which includes the AI Act, the NIS2 Directive and the Cyber Resilience Act.

Overall, the Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in Energy will leverage the potential of digital and AI technologies for the energy system, while mitigating the associated risks and enable the decarbonisation and competitiveness of the EU economy, which have been identified as the first and second pillars of the Competitiveness Compass for the EU.

Problem the initiative aims to tackle

Digitalisation and AI have the potential to substantially accelerate the energy transition, but there are four main issues to tackle:

1.Access to quality data: A major barrier to the uptake of innovative energy services and AI solutions is the lack of consistent, high-quality and interoperable energy data. Data is often siloed between operators and regions, and there are limited sharing frameworks. This hinders the training and deployment of AI models, delays innovation and reduces the ability to optimise operations across the energy value chain.

2.Slow adoption and fragmentation: The energy sector’s unbalanced pace in adopting digital technologies is due to legacy infrastructure, resistance to change and fragmented national efforts. This results in uneven progress across Member States and limited economies of scale – undermining the EU’s ability to build an integrated smart energy system.

3.Rising energy demand of digital technologies: The increasing energy needs of digital technologies (particularly data centres training or running AI) pose a growing challenge. Without coordination and efficiency standards, this demand could strain local grids, increase GHG emissions and offset some of the energy transition’s gains (especially in regions that are already facing capacity constraints).

4.Intrinsic risks related to large-scale deployment of digital and AI tools: A solid legislative framework has recently been adopted, including both horizontal rules (the NIS2 Directive and the Cyber Resilience Act) as well as sector-specific rules (the Network Code on cross-border electricity flows). However, wide-ranging adoption of digital and AI tools in the energy sector involves multiple challenges, particularly when they are integrated into critical energy infrastructures. Promoting transparency and explainability is essential to ensuring public trust. Overseeing the use of these tools in the energy sector is key to maintaining strong consumer protection. 

Basis for EU action (legal basis and subsidiarity check)

Legal basis

The legal basis for this initiative is Article 194(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It is therefore an initiative in the area of energy, where competence is shared between the EU and Member States.

When identifying how to accelerate the green and digital transition by deploying digital and AI technologies in the energy sector, the Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in the Energy Sector will properly adress the principle of subsidiarity. The same is the case for the policy initiatives that will follow the Communication.

Practical need for EU action

EU action is needed to activate, mobilise and coordinate efforts across different EU policies. Member States and other relevant stakeholders – such as energy companies, start-ups, infrastructure providers (i.e. high-performance computers), universities, research organisations and investors – need to share best practices and pool resources.

The Strategic Roadmap’s added value also lies in creating an EU framework that avoids divergent or non-complementary national approaches that could weaken the EU’s competitiveness. Furthermore, the Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI at European level would build on the EU Action Plan for Digitalising the Energy Sector, which was adopted in 2022.

B. What does the initiative aim to achieve and how

Digital technologies (including AI) have huge potential to accelerate the EU’s transition to a cleaner and more decentralised energy system, while improving energy efficiency and system reliability. The Strategic Roadmap will unlock the potential of digitalisation and AI, identifying levers across policy areas that can accelerate the development, deployment and uptake of digitalisation and AI in the energy sector. It will address five main objectives:

1.Accelerate the deployment of digital and AI solutions in the energy system

Provide an EU coordination framework for facilitating seamless access to energy data to unlock an EU market for innovative energy services such as demand-side flexibility and bidirectional charging of electric vehicles; support energy companies in developing AI models, and testing and experimentation facilities; support households in reducing their energy consumption and buildings in becoming energy-efficient; and build on ongoing work on developing key indicators for smart grids and developing digital twins for the EU’s electricity grids.

2.Foster research, innovation and coordination to prepare the energy system of tomorrow

Stimulate innovative digital and AI solutions for the energy sector, leveraging on EU funding programmes (particularly Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, LIFE and CEF-energy); reduce the innovation gap and enhance the EU’s competitiveness and technological sovereignty; and accelerate clean energy research and innovation through AI.

3.Sustainably integrate data centres’ electricity demand into the energy system

Improve the long-term planning and sustainable integration of data centres into the EU’s electricity grids by enhancing dialogue and coordinating actions between data centre developers, clean energy producers, grid operators, Member States and national regulators; improve data centres’ efficiency by introducing a rating scheme (and possibly minimum performance standards); and reduce the strain on electricity grids (e.g. through demand-side flexibility) while minimising the impact for local communities.

4.Enhance transparency and risk oversight

Share best practices in the use of AI solutions in critical energy infrastructure; provide guidance on the use of high-risk AI systems in the energy sector; launch a repository of incidents and near-misses in the use of AI tools for the energy sector in order to share lessons learned; and promote the use of AI for enhancing the security and physical integrity of energy assets.

5.Establish a coordination and governance framework

Reinforce collaboration between governments, industry, civil society, and research institutions in order to maximise the benefits of digital and AI technologies for the energy sector; promote knowledge-transfer between Member States; support partnerships with international organisations and forums (e.g. the International Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Ministerial); and engage in dialogues with like-minded countries.

Likely impacts

The measures outlined in the Strategic Roadmap should bring multiple benefits, including:

·Optimising grid-planning (e.g. determining optimal locations for new power infrastructure)

·Optimising grid operations through predictive maintenance and demand forecasting

·Enhancing the integration of renewables by improving the prediction of variable generation and demand

·Empowering consumers through smart building energy management and dynamic pricing 

·Enhancing system flexibility through demand-side management of distributed energy resources (DERs)

·Contributing to affordable energy, system decarbonisation and meeting climate objectives

·Promoting new business models (e.g. peer-to-peer trading)

Future monitoring

The Commission will monitor the implementation of its actions through dedicated measures. It will report to the public on the progress made in this implementation.

C. Better regulation

Impact assessment

The Strategic Roadmap will be a Commission communication, so it does not require a dedicated impact assessment. The Strategic Roadmap will identify a list of measures to be carried out, but these specific measures will be subject to their own approval processes (in line with better regulation requirements and including a requirement to conduct an impact assessment and further consultations, if applicable).

Consultation strategy

The consultation strategy for the Strategic Roadmap will build on existing work under the EU Action Plan for Digitalising the Energy System (e.g. the work of the Smart Energy Expert Group and the joint task force with the network operators). In addition, the Strategic Roadmap will be based on a broad consultation of stakeholders, including:

·A twelve-week consultation of the general public with this ‘call for evidence’ and a targeted questionnaire via the ‘Have your Say’ portal;

·Targeted consultations with energy and digital stakeholders through dedicated workshops and participation in major energy and digital events (e.g. the European Sustainable Energy Week, the Hannover Messe, the Copenhagen Forum and the Enlit Conference);

·Consultation of Member States through the Smart Energy Expert Group, the Permanent Representations and relevant Council working groups; and

·A high-level event in Q3 2025 to discuss challenges and opportunities with the Energy Commissioner and relevant stakeholders.

The main stakeholders that have been identified are in the digital and energy value chains. They include network operators, IT suppliers, SMEs, aggregators, system integrators, digital solutions providers, data centre operators, cloud service providers, consumers, energy communities, appliance manufacturers, research community, energy intensive industries, building operators, car manufacturers and providers of e-mobility solutions.

Why we are consulting?

The aim of this consultation is to collect in-depth evidence, information, data and feedback from stakeholders on the digitalisation and use of AI in the energy system. It also aims to determine whether further EU action is needed to coordinate efforts across different EU policies to leverage the potential of digital and AI technologies for the energy system.

Target audience

All individuals and organisations are welcome to contribute to this call for evidence and reply to the public consultation.

Stakeholders from digital and energy value chains are likely to be most interested in this initiative. These include: network operators, IT suppliers, SMEs, aggregators, system integrators, digital solutions providers, data centre operators, cloud service providers, consumers, energy communities, appliance manufacturers, research community, energy intensive industries, building operators, car manufacturers and providers of e-mobility solutions.