Recordings of the digital Kick-off are available for replay
Aufzeichnungen des digitalen Kick-offs stehen zum Nachschauen bereit
Last week, the E‑world Kick-off marked the official start of the E‑world season. The digital event offered a preview of E‑world energy & water, which will take place from February 10 to 12, 2026 at Messe Essen. At the same time, the ticket shop for the trade fair went online. Tickets for E‑world 2026 are now available.
Under the motto ‘Navigating Europe’s Energy Future’, the Kick-off from September 16 to 18, 2025 brought together around 20 energy experts, including Vitalii Zaychenko (Ukrenergo), José Novais Gonçalves (EDP) and Matthias Dohrn (BASF). The recording of the Kick-off is now available free of charge in German and English at any time via https://t1p.de/ew-kick-off-2026-playlist.
Day 1: The importance of international cooperation for electricity supply
On September 16, the Kick-off focused on power grids. Vitalii Zaychenko, CEO of the Ukrainian transmission system operator Ukrenergo, opened the event with insights into his daily work and the challenges of operating the grid under wartime conditions. In conversation with Roman Dudenhausen, CEO of con|energy ag and co-organizer of E‑world, Zaychenko emphasized the importance of close cooperation between Ukraine and European transmission system operators. This, he noted, creates stability and opens up new market opportunities. In the subsequent panel discussion, moderator Dudenhausen welcomed various stakeholders from the energy sector, and there was broad consensus: Europe’s power grid is moving in the right direction, but continued investment, resilient supply chains, and stronger collaboration at the European level are essential to keep pace with a rapidly changing market. What is needed is not more regulation, but clearer rules. Europe’s system must remain agile to stay competitive.
Day 2: Even a bridging technology must be predictable in the long term
The extent to which and how long natural gas will play a role in the European energy transition was the focus of attention on September 17. Moderator Ludwig Möhring, managing director of the German Association of Natural Gas, Crude Oil, and Geoenergy (BVEG), criticized the lack of clear framework conditions for the gas industry. In a fireside chat with Alexander Lücke from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, it became clear that, despite the commitment to phasing out natural gas, there is a need for long-term planning, including long-term contracts. According to Möhring, politicians are finding it difficult to make concrete statements on this issue. The gas industry was also surprised that the recently presented monitoring report on the energy transition did not deal sufficiently with the topic of natural gas. In the subsequent panel discussion, the required planning security was further defined. Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper, explained that we must get used to the fact that forecasts no longer have the same long validity period as in the past. However, by building resilience and integrating diversity and flexibility into the future energy structure, we can deal with this.
Day 3: Local cooperation as the key to successful transformation
“Simply good bureaucracy” was what Robert Brandt, managing director of the Renewable Energy Agency, called for on the third Kick-off day. Thursday was devoted to the question of how municipalities and small and medium-sized enterprises can work together to drive forward the energy transition at the local level. According to Brandt, good framework conditions and trust are needed so that the population, municipalities, the state, and companies can work together. Then these collaborations would be a real benefit. In the course of energy transition, joint work between local authorities and small and medium-sized enterprises has become increasingly important. Thorsten Seiferth, Head of Corporate Development at Trianel, specified what characterizes good cooperation: Collaboration on equal terms, a clear purpose and consistent goals, and adequate resources and skills.
The E‑world Kick-off is the largest, but not the only, digital event organized by E‑world. The E‑world Community offers a comprehensive digital program on a wide range of topics throughout the year. All events are free of charge after registering on the digital platform.