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CIGRE 2026: Building power grids for a new age of electrification

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The world is entering a new age of electricity, and the race is on to build the grids that will power it. The challenge is no longer to imagine the grid of the future. It is to build it quickly, at scale and through coordinated action across the entire electricity value chain.

This was the core message at the CIGRE 2026 Paris Session, where more than 15,000 experts from 100 countries gathered along with 330 exhibitors. 

A €600bn–a–year grid imperative

PARIS, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Electrification of transport, industry and buildings, the integration of renewables and the surge in data–center demand are pushing power systems to their limits. To keep pace, the IEA estimates that annual electricity grid investment must increase by around 50%, from about USD 400 billion today to roughly USD 600 billion per year by 2030.

Yet delivery times remain a major bottleneck. In China, an extra–high–voltage line can be permitted and built in about 1.5 years; in India, around three years. In Europe and the United States, similar projects often take eight to ten years or more (Source IEA).

One Grid for the energy transition

The energy transition will succeed only if the grid of tomorrow is developed, operated, and governed as one integrated system.

This “One Grid” approach requires all stakeholders to work together from the earliest stages of infrastructure planning and delivery:

Transmission and distribution system operators must coordinate network development and system operation.Utilities, manufacturers and technology providers must scale up equipment, innovation and industrial capacity.Regulators and public authorities must create stable frameworks that enable investment while ensuring affordability and public acceptance.

“No plan B, no planet B,” said Konstantin O. Papailiou, President of CIGRE, calling for collective action to build the power systems of the future. 

No electrification without skills

Infrastructure and capital are not enough. The sector also faces a widening skills gap, with strong competition for engineers, technicians and digital specialists. Attracting and training qualified people is now critical for delivering electrification on time.

Around eight million people are employed worldwide in constructing, maintaining and operating power grids, but the IEA estimates that the sector will need an additional 1.5 million workers by 2030.

CIGRE is addressing this through its technical working groups and the CIGRE Fund for Innovation and Education, which supports research, scholarships and training worldwide.

Powering the future together

Invited to the FIERE (Filière Industrielle des Entreprises des Réseaux Électriques) event, Mr. Martin, the French Minister of Industry, visited the CIGRE exhibition. The Minister highlighted the importance of cooperation in delivering the current electrification wave and recalled that the first CIGRE conference was held in Paris in 1921.

More than a century later, CIGRE continues to bring together the full electricity community to address shared societal, industrial and environmental challenges.

As the world enters the new age of electricity, one conclusion stands out: one grid, one industry, one challenge—and a shared responsibility to build the power system that will enable the energy transition.

About CIGRE

CIGRE is a non-profit and independent organization established 100 years ago to support the development of electricity. With 25,000 members in over 140 countries, combining local expertise with global vision, the CIGRE community integrates all players in the electricity value chain.

It brings together researchers, engineers, suppliers, regulators, and other decision makers, all committed to sharing knowledge and collaborating to ensure a reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity supply for all.

By offering access to working groups, state-of-the-art technical publications, and world-class events such as the Paris Session, CIGRE helps its members consolidate their expertise, develop practical recommendations and find innovative solutions.

Over the years, CIGRE has continuously adapted to the incredible growth of the electricity sector. Today, as electricity penetrates every aspect of life (homes, mobility, healthcare, industry…), CIGRE meets current societal and environmental challenges, positioning itself as a key enabler of the energy transition.

More information: CIGRE Press Kit / Picture of the event / CIGRE 2026 video

SOURCE CIGRE

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GAC Showcases Multiple Models at Canton Fair: Systemic Global Expansion as a Response to High‑Level Opening‑Up

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On 15 October, the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) kicked off in Guangzhou. Dubbed “China’s No.1 Exhibition” with a 70‑year history, it serves as a vital window for global merchants to understand China, and one of GAC’s stages to connect with the world. For international buyers, GAC serves not only as a sourcing platform but as a trusted channel for experiencing Chinese automotive innovation and building long-term local partnerships. Having made its debut in 2012, GAC has participated in the fair 30 times to date. Together with the Canton Fair, it has witnessed the transformation of Made‑in‑China products into Chinese global brands.

This transformation is reflected in GAC’s global expansion journey through a string of continuously refreshed sales figures. Overseas sales stood at 90,000 units in 2024, hit 130,000 units in 2025, and exceeded 197,000 units in January‑September 2026, representing a year‑on‑year surge of 138.9%. GAC is sprinting full steam ahead toward its annual target of 300,000 overseas units. GAC has accomplished a shift from “product export” to “system‑level global expansion”.

At the GAC booth, XT80, AION i60 and AISTALAND GX7 showcased intelligent driving, three-electric systems and premium cabins. The energy-ecology zone featured DC ultra-fast charging piles, 7 kW smart home chargers, multi-in-one electric drive units and PV-Storage-Charging-Swapping Technology, addressing range anxiety. Opening day drew buyers from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and Africa. At the Music & Cuisine Festival, GAC built three immersive spaces blending smart mobility, Cantonese cuisine, camping and sports. The XT80, AION N60, GAC S7 and AISTALAND GT7 served as lifestyle carriers, letting guests enjoy morning tea, global cuisines and intangible cultural heritage.

GAC will advance its ONE GAC 2.0 strategy, deepening localized operations and expanding its systematic global layout. As a tribute to the Canton Fair’s 70th anniversary and a new business card for China’s auto industry, GAC will help drive Chinese intelligent manufacturing onto the global stage.

For further information about GAC, please visit https://www.gacgroup.com/en or follow us on social media.

 

SOURCE GAC

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Highland and Bath Counties, Virginia Go Live on a Shared Caliber Hosted CAD Environment

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Two neighboring rural counties, two dispatch centers, one common platform supporting more than 900 square miles of mountainous terrain

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Caliber Public Safety announced that Highland County and Bath County, Virginia went live on Caliber Hosted CAD on Tuesday, October 6, with both counties operating within a shared hosted environment. The arrangement gives each county its own dispatch operation while placing both on a common platform, creating a practical foundation for coordination between two neighboring jurisdictions.

For rural agencies, interoperability is usually a question of what happens when an incident crosses a county line. Mutual aid is routine in this part of western Virginia, where Highland County covers roughly 416 square miles with about 2,300 residents, and Bath County covers more than 500 square miles with about 4,100 residents. Together, the two counties serve a largely forested and mountainous service area with a small number of dispatchers and responders on any given shift.

The shared tenant approach addresses that directly. Each county retains the configuration, workflows, and local control it needs to run its own center. Both counties work from the same underlying platform, which removes the technical barriers that normally sit between separate CAD systems in adjacent jurisdictions.

“Two counties sharing one hosted CAD environment is not something you see often in rural public safety, and it took real coordination between both counties and our teams to get there,” said Michael Sturgeon, Senior Project Manager at Caliber Public Safety. “What matters is what the dispatchers and responders have now. Each county runs its own center the way it needs to, and neither one is working in isolation anymore.”

Capabilities Delivered

Highland County, which joined the Caliber CAD customer base with this project, is now operating Hosted CAD with integrated mapping and CJIS query, along with Google Places address validation and a LinX interface for regional information sharing. The county also uses Caliber’s Online RMS for sworn and non-sworn personnel. For dispatchers covering a county with one of the highest mean elevations east of the Mississippi River, verified addressing and immediate access to criminal justice data reduce the guesswork that slows down a call.

Bath County is operating Hosted CAD with mapping and CJIS query, plus interfaces to PulsePoint, RapidSOS with alerts. The RapidSOS connections put caller location and device data in front of the dispatcher at the start of the call, which matters in terrain where a caller may not be able to describe where they are. The PulsePoint interface extends cardiac arrest notifications to trained citizens and off-duty responders nearby, a meaningful addition in a county where response distances are long.

A Migration, Not Just an Implementation

Bath County has been a Caliber premise CAD and Online RMS customer for years. As part of this project, the county moved its premise-based system onto Hosted CAD, and Caliber completed a data conversion to bring the historical CAD databases forward into the new environment.

That piece is often the sticking point for agencies considering a move off a premise system. Years of call history, incident records, and master index data represent case continuity, state reporting obligations, and institutional knowledge. Data conversion is a formal, structured component of every Caliber implementation, with Caliber’s team managing the technical transformation, validation, and loading so that historically critical records carry over intact.

Caliber products are hosted at Nlets, the International Justice and Public Safety Network, and meet FBI CJIS policies, standards, and guidelines. The facilities include multi-site hot backup disaster recovery and redundant network paths to key state and federal entities.

Project Teams

The go-live required coordination among both counties and Caliber’s Professional Services, Deployment, Training, Engineering, and Support teams. Caliber congratulates the public safety professionals of Highland County and Bath County on a successful implementation and looks forward to a fruitful partnership.

About Caliber Public Safety

Caliber Public Safety provides integrated technology solutions for law enforcement, fire/EMS, corrections, and 911 communications agencies. The Caliber platform includes CAD, Mobile, Online RMS, and JailTracker, all built by and for public safety professionals. With a focus on reliability, interoperability, and ease of use, Caliber serves hundreds of agencies across the country, helping first responders spend less time on technology and more time serving their communities.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/highland-and-bath-counties-virginia-go-live-on-a-shared-caliber-hosted-cad-environment-302911615.html

SOURCE Caliber Public Safety

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ASSA ABLOY sells PKI business unit to Vista Equity Partners

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ASSA ABLOY has signed an agreement to sell HID’s PKI business unit to Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”).

STOCKHOLM, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The PKI business unit (Public Key Infrastructure) provides digital trust, identity, authentication, encryption, and certificate management solutions. The business unit includes PKI SaaS – IdenTrust and HydrantID – credential management, and ZeroSSL.

“I find it very satisfying that with Vista, the PKI business unit and its employees and customers gain a committed long-term investor, creating new opportunities for the future and I wish them every success,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

“Our PKI team has built a strong business with a strong customer base, and Vista has the expertise to take it forward as the market evolves,” says Björn Lidefelt, EVP and Head of HID. “We are pleased with this outcome for our customers, our employees, and for HID.”

The divested business had sales in 2025 of MUSD 58 (approx. MSEK 570) with a strong operating margin.

The divestiture is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2026.

For more information, please contact:
Nico Delvaux, President and CEO, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 82
Erik Pieder, CFO and Executive Vice President, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 72
Björn Tibell, Head of Investor Relations, tel. no: +46 70 275 67 68, e-mail: bjorn.tibell@assaabloy.com

About ASSA ABLOY
ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions. Every day we help people feel safe, secure and experience a more open world. We operate worldwide with 64,000 employees and sales of SEK 152 billion, with leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. Our innovations enable safe, secure and convenient access to physical and digital places.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/assa-abloy-sells-pki-business-unit-to-vista-equity-partners,c4410007

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/assa-abloy-sells-pki-business-unit-to-vista-equity-partners-302911805.html

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