The energy decisions we make today will make ripple effects through time, affecting generations to come. We are at a crossroads – how do we both increase the capacity on the grid while simultaneously caring for and stewarding the environment?

We are entering a new era where electricity usage is expected to increase by over 3,500 Terawatt Hours (TWh) by 2027, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In 2024 alone, electricity demand rose by 4.3% versus only 2.3% in 2023. At the same time, carbon emissions are continuing to rise year after year to fuel this growth in electricity demand. Waste has also increased to over 2 billion tons and is expected to increase 70% by 2050 according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), especially as more populations move from rural to urban living environments.

Nexans Climate Day has evolved into the Nexans Innovation Summit. This change brings a more holistic view to solve the world’s electrification challenges and focuses on all three “E”s of Nexans’ E3 operating model: environment, economic, and engagement. The model, first debuted in 2022, proves to that it is possible to increase economic success, reduce emissions, and drive employee engagement all at the same time.

In this inaugural Innovation Summit, Nexans will showcase not only its own innovative approach to electrification, but the whole electrification industry from student led projects and startups all the way to how large AI models help to drive sustainable electrification.

After Paris, Stockholm, New York, and Rabat, Nexans’ Innovation Summit will truly usher in a new era of electrification.

Our two discussions will focus on the problem of keeping up with ever-increasing electricity demand. The first panel, focused on smart cities, highlights the importance of creating a new city infrastructure able to house, transport, care for, and facilitate business in an era where over 80% of Canadians already live in cities and over 7 billion people are projected to live in urban areas globally by 2050. Say hello to huge traffic jams but also hello to huge energy jams with massive congestion on the electrical grid.

The second discussion will center around a more macro picture of what a world could look like when more low carbon base load energy is placed on the grid, upgraded transmission systems reduce loss, and renewable energy is king. How do we get to that world and how do we create a more reliable, secure, and sustainable grid?

These two roundtables get to the core question on everyone’s minds. Digital technology, AI, and our current lifestyles are consuming more power each day and we need to work together to find a way to marry this increase in power with a care for the environment. While this is no easy task, the right people will come together at the Nexans Innovation Summit and share exciting new ideas and action items to solve this critical dilemma.