Data Centres: Power, Risk and Resilience

Speakers:

• Daniel Atzori - inspiratia | Head of Intelligence

As data-centre demand grows exponentially, digital infrastructure has become a system-critical component of Europe’s future. The rapid expansion of AI, cloud computing, and hyperscale facilities is placing unprecedented pressure on electricity networks already adapting to renewables integration, electrification, and decarbonisation targets.

• How can data centres be integrated into Europe’s energy transition without compromising decarbonisation goals or grid stability?
• Should data centres be treated as strategic infrastructure within national energy planning frameworks?
• How do European approaches compare with the UK’s model for integrating data centres into energy systems?
• What lessons can the EU and UK learn from each other regarding grid access, flexibility, and policy alignment?

Speakers:

• Alessandro Pecorari - Global Infrastructure Investor Association | Policy and Public Affairs Manager - Moderator
• Søren Juel Hansen - Nordic Solar | Director Energy Storage
• Steven Jack - JLL | Head of Energy & Infrastructure Advisory EMEA
• Laura Hoffmann-Ostenhof - Gridcog | Central Europe Industry Lead
• Maureen Paul - Jacobs | Senior Director and Global Principal
• Kiran Arora - Eversheds Sutherland | Partner

AI-driven load growth is reshaping transmission and distribution planning across Europe and the UK, with significant implications for asset location, connection timelines, and long-term value. Large, concentrated demand clusters are emerging faster than networks were designed to accommodate, forcing system operators to reconsider their priorities.

• How is AI-driven demand reshaping UK grid planning and network investment priorities?
• Are existing transmission and distribution network operators capable of supporting rapid data-centre growth?

Speakers:

• Biljana Stojkovska - Hitachi Energy | Senior Expert Market Innovation - Moderator
• Alastair Martin - Flexitricity | Chief Strategy Officer
• Francesc Filiberto - Nuveen Clean Energy Infrastructure | Head of Business Development
• Matthew Brown - CMS | Partner
• Phil Harris - PJM | Former Chairman
• Jonathan Horne - M.P.E. Power System Consultants | Director

Growth is no longer confined to Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin. Thanks to grid constraints and moratoria, investment is increasingly shifting toward emerging hubs such as Lisbon, Vienna, Milan and Barcelona, reshaping Europe’s digital infrastructure map.

• What are the primary drivers attracting digital infrastructure investment to emerging European markets beyond FLAP-D?
• How do energy availability, grid headroom, permitting timelines, and policy frameworks differ between established hubs and newer markets?
• Are emerging hubs structurally advantaged, or are they repeating FLAP-D’s early-stage challenges?
• What lessons from FLAP-D’s evolution can help emerging hubs avoid bottlenecks?

Speakers:

• Beatrice Fourniere - CIBC | Executive Director, UK Corporate Banking, CIBC Capital Markets - Moderator
• Johana Afenjar - Telis Energy | COO
• Adam Nethersole - Kao Data | VP of Marketing
• David Kippen - Cordiant | Managing Director

As power becomes the binding constraint on growth, procurement strategy is becoming a core competitive issue for data-centre operators and investors. Securing long-term, bankable supply in congested markets now carries strategic value beyond cost optimisation.

• How are PPA structures evolving in response to rising costs, grid congestion, and regulatory complexity in the UK and Europe?
• What are the trade-offs between: Virtual PPAs, Physical/onsite generation, Co-location with renewable assets?
• What lessons emerge from high-profile offshore wind and utility-scale solar PPA transactions for buyers and sellers in the data centre market?

Speakers:

• Ed Porter - Modo Energy | Global Director of Industry - Moderator
• Semih Oztreves - Zenobe | Chief Commercial Officer(Network Infrastructure)
• Alex Gilbert - Places for London, TfL | Head of Energy & Electrification
• Jenny Murray - Bird&Bird | Partner
• Kari Tikkanen - Aukera Energy | Head of Revenue
• Julio Fournier Fisas - Enfinity | CEO Europe

Speakers:

• Oliver Carr - inspiratia | Head of Data Analysis

Investors are navigating a more complex risk landscape shaped by power constraints, market volatility, and policy reform. Financing models are evolving to balance resilience, sustainability, and returns.

• How are investors pricing power risk, including grid constraints and wholesale energy volatility, in Europe and the UK?
• How is policy uncertainty, including permitting, market reform, and regulatory change affecting underwriting and expected returns?
• How are lenders and equity providers assessing long-term asset resilience in constrained power markets?

Speakers:

• Daniel Garcia - Glas | Country Head, Spain - Moderator
• Jonathan Dames - CMS | Partner
• Miguel Galatas Perez-Juez - nTeaser | Co-founder
• Kostas Nikolopoulos - Akereos Capital | CEO and Co-founder
• Miguel Solana - Alter5 | Co-founder

Market reform, planning frameworks, and flexibility mechanisms will determine whether growth in digital infrastructure aligns with energy-system transformation. Planning and permitting regimes shape where capacity can be built, connection rules determine how quickly demand can connect, and flexibility and pricing mechanisms determine whether large loads contribute to system balance or intensify congestion.

• How do UK market reforms and flexibility schemes compare with EU regulatory approaches?
• What practical lessons can the EU and UK learn from each other’s planning, permitting, and market design frameworks
• How are evolving regulations affecting project feasibility, timelines, and risk allocation

Speakers:

• Maya Chavvakula - Inspiratia | Head of News - Moderator
• Rosa Rotko - Mott Macdonald: | Project Director Energy Transformation
• James Hill - Flint Global | Director
• Patrick Hayes - Slough Borough Council | Executive Director of Housing & Property