KNESS service team recently returned from the CIGRE Session 2026, which took place in Paris. This is one of the leading international events for sharing expertise in the electric power industry, which this year brought together more than 15,000 participants from hundreds of countries.

KNESS O&M experts exchanged experiences with industry colleagues and participated in presentations on new solutions for high- and low-voltage equipment, monitoring, control, and protection systems for electrical grids, as well as diagnostic and measurement systems.

Which solutions sparked the most interest?

• the integration of traditional diagnostics with digital platforms, automated data collection, and remote monitoring
• high-voltage cable systems, which have great potential for the development and restoration of energy infrastructure – a topic of particular relevance to Ukraine

• equipment monitoring, control, and testing systems incorporating artificial intelligence for the early detection of defects
• AC/DC/AC converters (“frequency converters” or “system dual converters”) used to regulate frequency and voltage
• mobile energy storage systems, which open up vast opportunities for time-shifting energy and ensuring energy independence where it is needed.

What trends can be observed in the development of the electric power industry?

Digitalization

“We find the integration of traditional diagnostics with digital platforms, automated data collection, and remote monitoring particularly interesting. We’re already using such solutions, but their widespread adoption is still ahead of us. It is in this area that I see the greatest potential for O&M development,” says Ivan Smahlo, Head of the Diagnostics Department at KNESS.

Change in Engineering Profile

“The digital transformation of power systems entails both an increased role for cybersecurity and a shift in the role of the O&M engineer: it is no longer enough simply to perform measurements accurately. The key competencies are now interpreting large sets of diagnostic data, identifying trends, and predicting the development of defects,” adds Anton Humeniuk, Deputy Technical Director for Operations.

The Need for New Approaches to Management, Protection, and Diagnostics

“During the panel discussions, significant attention was paid to how the electric power sector is changing under the influence of digitalization, the decentralization of generation, the development of new grid technologies, and cyber threats. Another challenge is how power systems are changing as the number of generation sources increases, new types of loads emerge, and renewable energy sources and storage systems develop. At the same time, the energy infrastructure is outdated and in need of modernization. That is precisely why technologies that allow us to obtain as much information as possible about the actual condition of equipment without unnecessarily shutting it down are becoming increasingly important,” concludes Serhii Mysenko, Deputy Technical Director for Operational Work.

We explore the latest global technological innovations—both online and in person—to select the best ones for testing and integrating into our projects.