A major European collaboration was officially launched today as eight leading electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) formed the TSO Innovation Alliance, a joint initiative to accelerate innovation and reinforce the continent's energy infrastructure in support of the energy transition.

The alliance brings together Terna (Italy), RTE (France), Swissgrid (Switzerland), Elia Group (Belgium and Germany), TenneT (Netherlands), Red Eléctrica (Spain), and Amprion (Germany), who have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to foster open innovation, modernize the European electricity grid, and ensure a resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy system.

A strategic response to a changing climate

The alliance’s first joint focus will be on “climate change and grid resilience”, addressing the growing threat posed by extreme weather events and the increasing reliance on weather-dependent renewable energy sources. The TSOs will soon launch an innovation challenge to identify and test solutions capable of mitigating climate-related risks to grid operations and infrastructure.

“Facing the dual challenge of energy and digital transformation requires innovative, tailor-made solutions,” said Giuseppina Di Foggia, CEO and general manager of Terna. “By working together through open innovation, we can achieve lasting, concrete results. Terna strongly advocated for the creation of this alliance, which enables us to approach the technology market as a unified front and unlock more advanced solutions than we could alone.”

Coordinated innovation across Europe

Through shared expertise and resources, the TSO Innovation Alliance aims to:

• Accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies across the European grid

• Set global innovation standards in energy systems

• Reduce dependency on non-European technologies

• Strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness in the energy sector

The alliance will serve as a yearly platform for open innovation, focusing on:

• Common challenge identification

• Technology scouting and evaluation

• Joint testing and validation of solutions

• Knowledge exchange on innovation models and tools

First open call: mitigating climate risks

The upcoming open call will invite European startups and innovators to submit solutions in two key areas:

1. Data pooling tools – enabling cross-border sharing of meteorological data and climate scenarios

2. Probabilistic models – supporting real-time data analysis and predictive maintenance planning on transnational power lines

This coordinated approach is designed to strengthen Europe’s capacity to withstand increasingly complex and unpredictable climate scenarios, reinforcing the critical role of a modern, secure, and integrated power grid in the continent’s energy future.

With the TSO Innovation Alliance, Europe takes a decisive step forward in building the robust, forward-looking infrastructure necessary for a carbon-neutral, digitally advanced, and energy-resilient society.