Between 13 and 17 October 2025, the 30th ISGAN Executive Committee Meeting took place in Dublin, Ireland, hosted by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Representatives from 18 countries and the European Commission met to advance collaboration in developing smarter, cleaner, and more flexible electricity grids.
The three-day meeting involved engaging discussions and strategic planning, including keynote speeches from William Walsh, Chief Executive Officer at SEAI; Declan Meally, Director of Business, Public Sector and Transport at SEAI; Pat Eccles, Senior Manager at ESB Networks, and Ruth Buggie, Head of Mobility and Smart Networks at SEAI.
Vincenzo Franza, CEM Partnerships Manager at the IEA, provided a video update on CEM activities. Brendan Reidenbach, IEA Energy Analyst, presented the organisation’s latest updates, including the Secretariat’s 2025 priorities, reports such as the Electricity Mid-Year Update 2025 and Renewables 2025, regional reports, and details of past and upcoming high-level events such as the Summit on the Future of Energy Security and COP30.
Other highlights from the first day included Zabala’s presentation as the new Co-Secretariat and the discussion about the Request for Extension to the IEA, which allows ISGAN to remain an IEA TCP. ExCo members also provided feedback on their participation in CEM16, at which ISGAN organised a side event on the role of distribution grids and DC solutions for modernisation with Korea’s national utility, the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), and hosted the 11th annual ISGAN Awards of Excellence in a joint session with the Hydrogen TCP.
Collaboration with other initiatives was also discussed, including the Green Powered Future Mission (GPFM), the Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF), the Hydrogen TCP, the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Smart Networks for Energy Transition (ETIP SNET), the Clean Energy Transition (CET) Partnership, and the Global Power System Transformation Consortium (G-PST).
The second day was largely dedicated to working group (WG) updates, which were presented by WG managers. The day concluded with the WG synergy session, during which the ExCo delegates rotated around the various WG tables to learn out more about each WG and provide feedback in small groups. Each table focused on a different action area of smart grid development, encouraging discussion, experience-sharing and the exploration of potential collaborations to further advance smart grid initiatives.
Day 3 was dedicated to communication activities, including the presentation of the Communication Work Plan and the new version of the ISGAN website, which has undergone a redesign focusing on a modern design, user-friendliness, responsiveness to different devices, optimised navigation and access to information, and compliance with legal obligations, and to the discussion about future ExCo meetings.
In the afternoon, the delegates had the opportunity to visit the ESB Renewables Operations Control Centre, which monitors, coordinates, and controls the day-to-day operation, maintenance, and technical performance of renewable energy sites across Ireland.
Two side workshops were held at the premises of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment: “Advancing Interoperability in a Fragmented Energy System” (WG 5) and “Changing Structural Conditions – Activating Flexibilities through Price Signals” (WG 7 and WG 9). Over 100 people in total attended the workshops, which brought together national and international experts, policymakers, researchers, and industry representatives.
The ExCo30 meeting in Dublin showcased ISGAN’s commitment and collaborative efforts to advance smart grid actions. Special thanks to Kevin Brophy and the SEAI for organising and hosting the meeting.
