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A new Brussels-based think tank, SupergridEurope, officially launched today with a mission to drive the planning and delivery of a pan-European electricity Supergrid — an integrated system meant to deliver affordable, secure, renewable power across the continent.
The announcement comes at a pivotal time for the European energy landscape. With the European Commission preparing its legislative Grids Package for release this autumn, and following the European Parliament’s June 19 resolution supporting a unified grid approach, the pressure is building for meaningful action. In May, EU Energy Ministers echoed that urgency, calling for a “holistic, long-term, coordinated” approach to electricity infrastructure planning at the EU level.
SupergridEurope enters the scene to fill that policy gap with a clear ask: establish a European Energy Agency. This independent entity would act as a “grid architect,” coordinating cross-border transmission planning, closing innovation gaps, providing transparent data, and ensuring timely project delivery.
According to the group, over €1 trillion is needed for electricity grids across Europe by 2040 — €730 billion for distribution systems and €477 billion for transmission. In June 2025, the European Commission released a guidance document urging anticipatory grid investments, signaling that political momentum is shifting. But turning guidance into gigawatts requires coordinated execution.
Lesley O’Connor, Founder of SupergridEurope, noted, “The realisation of a pan-European electricity Supergrid is no longer a technical debate — it’s an urgent political priority for maintaining European competitiveness that requires governance reform.”
The concept of a Supergrid — a continental-scale high-voltage electricity network — has circulated for more than a decade. But despite pockets of progress, Europe remains fragmented. The result: costly delays, unaligned infrastructure, and missed opportunities to scale renewables at lower cost.
The proposed European Energy Agency would operate independently but closely with existing institutions such as the Energy Union Task Force and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Its remit would include identifying bottlenecks, sequencing strategic grid connections, and coordinating mega-projects that cross national borders.
“Europe must move beyond fragmented initiatives,” said O’Connor. “This is about enabling President von der Leyen’s vision for European competitiveness through affordable energy, innovation, and reduced external dependencies.”
Christian Kjaer, Executive Director at SupergridEurope, framed the Supergrid as the fifth European freedom: “The Energy Union is incomplete and will remain so until we create the necessary grid infrastructure. More than 35 years have passed since the Single European Act established the four freedoms — goods, services, capital and people. A Supergrid is the enabler for establishing the free movement of electricity.”
Logistics and Heavylift
From a logistics and heavy-lift perspective, scaling the Supergrid presents a significant opportunity for specialized infrastructure players. Projects involving subsea cables, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems, converter stations, and grid interconnectors will require a mix of maritime transport, offshore installation, and ultra-heavy cargo logistics — particularly for transporting 100-ton-plus high-voltage cable reels.
That’s where innovations like ReelFrame, a crane-independent cable reel transport and loading solution, align closely with the vision outlined by SupergridEurope. Designed for energy infrastructure and offshore wind markets, ReelFrame enables safe, efficient movement of oversized HV cables critical to Supergrid buildouts.
ReelFrame-type systems could play a vital role in minimizing delays during offshore and nearshore grid deployments, especially as Europe scales up interconnectors between Ireland, France, the Nordics, the Baltics, and southern Europe. Many of these routes require bespoke port logistics, specialized deck equipment, and novel lifting strategies.
As political appetite builds and investments begin to align, the grid is no longer just a technical or engineering issue. It’s fast becoming a logistics challenge — and a political litmus test. The next few months, particularly the release of the Commission’s Grids Package, will show whether Europe is serious about coordinating its infrastructure future.
