At the “Energy Transition – Bucharest 2025” conference, organized by Energynomics, Federico Cianciosi, CEO of Prysmian Romania, pointed out that the success of Romania’s energy transition depends not only on adding renewable capacity but also on strengthening the grid infrastructure that must carry it. “We have to encourage the increasing green energy production, but this is a dual track. Connection capacity and grid reinforcement is truly the key point actually in Romania,” he said.

Drawing on Italy’s experience, he warned that if renewable projects advance faster than grid upgrades, Romania could face the same kind of bottlenecks that occurred in other markets. He encouraged closer coordination between developers and transmission operators, recalling that the major investment plans of Transelectrica had still requires faster implementation to match the pace of new projects.

Cianciosi observed that the ongoing transformation differs from past cycles not in direction, but in speed. Both the market and policy environment are now pushing for accelerated change, while sustainability has become an integral driver of business strategy. He noted that between 2020 and 2030, global renewable generation is expected to quadruple, electricity consumption to rise by 50%, and grid investment to double. Digitalization, he added, is moving in parallel — in many cases becoming indistinguishable from the energy transition itself.

At Prysmian, this convergence is reshaping both products and business models. “We are an electric energy cable producer, but we are also a telecom cable producer,” he explained, stressing that the two areas increasingly overlap in projects where power cables are equipped with optical fibers for monitoring and control. He pointed to submarine connections and smart-grid applications as examples of how electricity and data now travel together, forming the backbone of the digitalized energy system.

Cianciosi also described how Prysmian has evolved from a traditional manufacturer into a solutions provider, investing in recyclable cable technologies and turnkey services for large-scale renewable projects. “For the high-voltage projects we are able to supply the fully recyclable cable — the P-Laser is a Prysmian technology with 100 percent recyclable cable,” he said. Over the past six years, the group has invested around 2 billion euros to expand production capacity and modernize its fleet of six cable-laying vessels — one of which is still under construction.

Romania, he underlined, plays a central role in this industrial network. The country hosts both Prysmian’s largest telecom cable plant and a major production unit for energy cables, while part of the company’s marine infrastructure is built locally. “Energy cables, telecom cables, vessels — thi is not something far from Romania. It’s something that is really here,” Cianciosi emphasized.

Responding to a question about coping with energy price volatility, he described how Prysmian’s factories have improved efficiency through monitoring and heat-recovery systems. The company now reuses the hot air from compressors to warm its shop floors during winter, while optimizing insulation and temperature control to cut consumption.

Cianciosi concluded that the dual dynamic of sustainability and digitalization defines the next decade for the power industry. The energy transition, he said, is not only about producing more electricity, but also about making infrastructure smarter and more resilient. Prysmian’s ambition, he said, is to move beyond being a simple equipment provider and become a long-term technology partner in building the smarter, more resilient grids of the future — networks that will not only transmit electricity but also enable intelligence across the energy system.

The “Energy Transition – Bucharest 2025” conference was organized by Energynomics, with the support of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Romania, together with and our partners: Elektra Renewable Support, Alive Capital, Elgeka Ferfelis Romania, Finacon, Geocart, GoodWe, Imsol, PayPoint, Photomate, PPC Renewables, Prime Sales & Services, Prysmian, Modvin, RENOMIA | Gallagher, Solar Today, Solar Turbines, Sigenergy, ThinkBlu Solution, Unicredit, Vard, Webus 4 Energy by Softenerg, WeCo Batteries, YEO.