Electricity is powering a global transformation. From rapid urbanisation and industrial expansion to electric vehicles lining our roads and the rise of AI-driven data centres, the demand for clean, reliable power is surging – and with it, the urgency to accelerate the energy transition. Yet, while renewable energy deployment is scaling at an unprecedented pace, driven in large part by cost advantages, one critical component remains significantly underdeveloped: our electricity grids.
The energy transition is no longer constrained by our ability to generate enough clean power. The challenge now lies in delivering it to where it is needed swiftly, reliably and at scale.
Global electricity consumption grew by nearly 1,100 terawatt hours in 2024 alone – more than triple the UK's annual consumption. This increase is not confined to fast-growing economies; even mature markets are seeing spikes in demand due to factors such as industrial electrification, electric vehicles and data-driven industries like AI.
However, the grid infrastructure that underpins this revolution is struggling to keep pace. More than 1,650 gigawatts of wind and solar projects in advanced stages of development are waiting for grid connections – this is equivalent to about six times Germany’s total installed power capacity. Ageing infrastructure, extended permitting timelines and equipment bottlenecks are holding back progress.
The result is that clean energy capacity is growing rapidly but the required expansion and modernisation of critical grid infrastructure to deliver this clean power reliably is falling behind. This gridlock is not a future threat – it is a current and very real risk. Last month, a power failure across Portugal, Spain and parts of France demonstrated how even well-established systems are vulnerable.
What is required is a fundamental reimagining of our grids. Beyond just expanding capacity, we need to develop intelligent, dynamic systems that can respond in real time to supply and demand fluctuations.
AI, while adding to electricity demand, can also be part of the solution. It can balance loads, predict surges and identify faults in the grid before they escalate into outages.
But none of this can happen without an enabling policy environment.
The result is that clean energy capacity is growing rapidly but the required expansion and modernisation of critical grid infrastructure to deliver this clean power reliably is falling behind
The most pressing challenge is not technical – it is regulatory. Technologies are proven and capital is available. What investors and energy developers require is clarity, speed and confidence. It is imperative that planning rules, permitting procedures and regulatory environments are modernised and energy companies are incentivised to proceed with critical grid projects.
Enabling this transformation requires close co-ordination between regulators, utilities, investors and technology providers – a key priority of the World Utilities Congress being held in Abu Dhabi until May 29. Global grid investment needs to reach an estimated $717 billion annually between now and 2030. For capital to flow where it is most needed, governments must provide a stable, predictable regulatory environment that rewards long-term investment in infrastructure.
This is where collaboration plays a pivotal role. Initiatives like the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (Uneza), a global coalition of more than 55 utilities and partners, are helping accelerate this effort. By uniting utilities across markets, Uneza aims to overcome shared grid challenges, align investments and scale impact. With more than $117 billion in annual energy transition commitments, the alliance represents a powerful force for change.
This spirit of collaboration must also extend to supply chain resilience. Supply chains must be diversified and de-risked to avoid delays in critical grid components such as transformers, conductors and control systems. Governments and industry must work together to streamline procurement processes, promote domestic manufacturing and reduce dependency on single-source suppliers.
Equally important is the role of public engagement. As utilities push ahead with grid expansion projects, community support will become increasingly important. Building public trust through transparency, inclusion and a clear articulation of benefits – such as job creation, improved reliability and reduced emissions – will be essential to securing social licence and accelerating delivery timelines.
The age of electrification is here. But without bold action on grids, the energy transition will stall. Now is the time to act with conviction, with capital and with clear policy leadership. The net-zero future is still within reach. Let’s build the infrastructure to deliver it.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
GOODBYE%20JULIA
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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203S%20Money%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20London%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Zhiznevsky%2C%20Eugene%20Dugaev%20and%20Andrei%20Dikouchine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%245.6%20million%20raised%20in%20total%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
HOW TO WATCH
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Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
