During the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) several sessions and discussions addressed the importance of building a resilient energy system within the broader context of a clean, secure and competitive Energy Union. However, we note that the resilience of the energy infrastructure itself to hazards reinforced by climate change receives less attention.
This gap is clearly illustrated by our Belgian Climate Risk Assessment (BCRA), which shows that our energy system is vulnerable to extreme weather events. Heatwaves, droughts and storms place pressure on both energy production facilities and grid infrastructure, making it clear that climate change is increasingly translating into concrete risks for crucial energy infrastructure. In this respect, the BCRA provides an important foundation for better integrating climate adaptation into energy policy and infrastructure planning.
At the same time, the energy transition makes this challenge more complex while also offering solutions. The electrification of sectors, the digitalisation of energy networks and the integration of renewable energy sources increase our dependence on well-functioning infrastructure. However, local renewable energy production, flexibility and smart energy management can also strengthen system resilience by spreading risks and reducing reliance on centralised, vulnerable infrastructure.
In this context, the European COPPER project , with pilot activities in cities such as Ghent and Antwerp, explores how integrated solutions for flexibility, storage and cross-sector cooperation can contribute to a stable and resilient energy system—topics that are also central to several EUSEW sessions on energy communities and interregional cooperation. These approaches contribute not only to efficiency, but also to strengthening the underlying energy infrastructure.
The plans for a Positive Energy District (PED) in the Northern Quarter of Brussels, with its first phase being implemented through the Be.SHARE project, demonstrate how urban infrastructure can evolve into a local, integrated energy system that not only enables sustainable heating and cooling, but also improves access to energy for vulnerable groups. This highlights that resilient energy infrastructure is not only a technical issue but also has a strong social dimension. The scalability of Positive Clean Energy Districts is also explicitly addressed within EUSEW.
Beyond sustainability and fairness, this transition can also generate security benefits. Recent experiences in Ukraine show that decentralised energy production enhances the resilience of critical energy infrastructure: distributed systems are less vulnerable to large-scale disruptions and can recover more quickly. This closely aligns with EUSEW discussions on REPowerEU and European energy independence.
The energy transition is therefore also a transition in how we design, manage and protect critical energy infrastructure. Local, smart and diversified systems will play a key role in this transformation.