Leaders start new global council and project framework at COP30 to fast-track investment in power grids and energy storage

At the United Nations climate conference in Belém, global electricity networks and storage systems moved to the centre of the energy transition debate, as ministers and industry leaders met on Friday at a High-Level Ministerial Meeting on Grids and Storage.

The session focused on how to expand and modernise power grids and storage capacity quickly enough to keep pace with rising electricity demand and the rapid build-out of renewable energy. A new global council was launched to work on mechanisms and cross-border solutions for the sector.

COP30 High-Level Champion Dan Ioschpe said investment in networks and storage would determine how far and how fast countries can move on their climate commitments.

“Governments alone cannot solve the climate crisis. What is negotiated in the COP rooms must be implemented in practice, with more renewable energy, resilient infrastructure and financing reaching where it is most needed,” he said, calling grids and storage “central elements” for efficiency, resilience and integration across energy systems.

From the Brazilian side, National Secretary for Energy Transition and Planning Gustavo Ataíde said the expansion of grids and storage is already a binding constraint for electrification worldwide.

“Demand is growing faster than grids can expand. There is no transition without transmission,” he said.

Ataíde pointed out that Brazil operates one of the world’s largest interconnected power systems, with about 88 per cent of its electricity coming from renewable sources. Even so, he noted, the system now faces new challenges around flexibility, variable generation and integration of new loads.

New Council, Project Framework Introduced
The meeting launched the Coordination Council for the Implementation of Grids and Storage, described as a new international mechanism to accelerate action on electricity networks and storage solutions.

Alongside the council, a ‘Framework for Investable Projects’ was unveiled to help countries convert national targets and plans into bankable projects capable of attracting capital, especially in emerging markets and developing economies.

Bruce Douglas, chief executive of the Global Renewables Alliance, said clearer policy signals and higher levels of finance would be decisive.

“There is a gap between the investment required and what is being delivered, especially in emerging markets. We need to accelerate investment and embed clear targets into national and regional strategies,” Douglas said.

Participants underlined that expanding and reinforcing grids and storage technologies will remain a central strand of the climate and energy agenda beyond COP30, as governments seek to align infrastructure planning with net-zero pathways.