Building resilient, digital grids in emerging markets: insights from the ESMAP–World Bank study tour at Gridspertise

How can emerging markets build resilient, future-ready power systems while demand is rapidly accelerating?

This was the key question at the center of the ESMAP (Energy Sector Management Assistance Program) Knowledge Exchange & Study Tour on Grid Digitalization and Cybersecurity — a global initiative led by the World Bank — which brought together transmission and distribution system operators from 18 emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). As one of the program’s key stops, Gridspertise hosted representatives from the World Bank and participating utilities.

The session convened utility leaders, policymakers and grid experts to explore how digitalization and cybersecurity can enable smarter, more resilient and secure electricity networks, supporting electrification, renewable integration and rising demand across EMDEs.

During the exchange, Hakan Ozmen, CEO of Gridspertise, and Demetrios Papathanasiou, Global Director for Energy at the World Bank discussed the role that digitalization can play in helping utilities address increasingly complex operational challenges, while creating the conditions for more efficient, reliable and sustainable power systems.

For EMDEs, the challenge is particularly significant. According to the International Energy Agency, these countries are expected to account for approximately 80% of global electricity demand growth through 2030. At the same time, many utilities continue to face constraints related to network performance, financing, regulatory frameworks and digital readiness.

As Ozmen highlighted, this state of art creates a unique opportunity to leapfrog directly to advanced digital grid technologies, accelerating modernization without necessarily following the same development path taken by more mature electricity systems.

This broader perspective was reflected in the contribution of Luiz Gazulha, Global Head of Public Affairs and Partnerships at Gridspertise, who explored how different regulatory models influence digital grid investments, incentives and implementation pathways across countries. Drawing on international experience, he discussed the evolving role of distribution system operators, which are increasingly moving beyond their traditional function as asset managers to become orchestrators of more dynamic and decentralized power systems.

The conversation also addressed the technologies that are expected to shape the next phase of grid transformation. Among them are edge computing, advanced metering, end-to-end data integration, automation and self-healing capabilities that can bring intelligence closer to the grid edge, enabling faster decisions and greater operational resilience.

Gianni Ceneri, Chief Technology Officer at Gridspertise, explored how digital metering is becoming a strategic layer of the distribution grid, enabling visibility, intelligence and control at scale. Beyond billing, advanced metering infrastructures can provide increasingly granular data, support grid resilience and flexibility, and unlock new operational use cases across low-voltage networks. As metering capabilities move closer to core grid operations, data governance and cybersecurity become essential to ensuring trust, reliability and system integrity.

The broader digitalization of medium- and low-voltage networks was addressed by Paolo Bassani, Head of Grid Value Proposition at Gridspertise. Drawing on examples from different countries, he explored how grid digitalization is evolving from monitoring and visibility to distributed intelligence, automation and real-time control. Technologies such as advanced monitoring, DER management and edge intelligence are helping utilities improve reliability, resilience and operational efficiency under real-world regulatory and operational constraints.

As power systems become increasingly decentralized, utilities need to manage bidirectional power flows, distributed generation, electric vehicle charging, storage systems and growing operational complexity. This requires a shift from reactive grid management to predictive, automated and data-driven operations.

One of the examples discussed during the session was Italy's automation journey, where the progressive deployment of remote-controlled substations and automated network technologies has contributed to significant improvements in service continuity and outage management. Similar experiences shared from other markets demonstrated how digitalization can deliver measurable operational benefits while preparing networks for future flexibility requirements.

The visit ended with a tour of Gridspertise's Smart Meter and Grid Virtual Devices Labs. The laboratories replicate a complete grid environment, allowing utilities to test and validate technologies under realistic operating conditions. Participants were guided through demonstrations covering advanced metering infrastructure, grid automation, fault management, resilience use cases, interoperability testing and edge intelligence applications.

The exchange highlighted a shared conclusion: digitalization is a critical enabler of the energy transition. While countries face different regulatory, financial and operational realities, the need for more observable, automated, resilient and secure grids is increasingly universal. Sharing practical experiences and lessons learned will be essential to accelerating this transformation worldwide.