AIR4NRG’S SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPOTLIGHTS INNOVATION, INCLUSION AND ENERGY POLICY
The Air4NRG consortium gathers this week in Valencia for its second General Assembly, combining technical milestones with broader reflections on energy innovation and inclusion—highlighted by a high-level workshop now recognised as part of EU Sustainable Energy Week 2025.
Valencia sets the stage this week for the second General Assembly of the Horizon Europe-funded Air4NRG project, a key initiative advancing isothermal compressed air energy storage technologies to support Europe’s clean energy goals. Over two days (13–14 May 2025), project partners will gather in a hybrid setting at Hotel Primus to share technical progress, assess exploitation strategies, and foster collaboration across the energy storage landscape.
The assembly opens on 13 May with a morning of collaborative workshops, beginning with a preliminary session led by EDP focused on scalability and social acceptance. This will be followed by a dedicated internal session on societal readiness, facilitated by LOMARTOV, which will explore how stakeholders perceive and interact with energy innovations like those being developed by Air4NRG.
In the afternoon, attention shifts outward with a public-facing workshop titled “(Em)Powering the EU Clean Energy Transition: The Role of LDES and Gender Equality”. Scheduled from 14:30 to 17:20, this hybrid event is now also part of the EU Sustainable Energy Week 2025 (#EUSEW2025) as a recognised Sustainable Energy Day, reinforcing its relevance in the broader policy discourse.
The first half of the workshop, “LDES: Enablers of the EU Clean Transition”, features contributions from Air4NRG and sister projects SEHRENE, SCO2OP-TES, and STREAM, alongside the energy modelling company Artelys. The session, moderated by ZABALA Innovation, will include keynote addresses from the European Commission’s DG ENER and French grid operator RTE, an interactive live polling exercise, and a panel discussion highlighting regulatory and market challenges, future deployment pathways, and how LDES can secure the EU’s decarbonisation ambitions.
The second session, “Energy Storage & Gender Equality”, moderated by LOMARTOV, turns the spotlight on inclusion. With support from the European Commission and a panel of gender and energy experts, the discussion will address structural barriers to women’s participation in STEM and energy-related fields, and how Horizon Europe projects can contribute to a more equitable energy transition.
Day one will conclude with an on-site video interview session hosted by ICONS, designed to capture partner insights on project progress and impact. The evening wraps up with a networking dinner at Valencia’s iconic Submarino Restaurant inside the Oceanogràfic.
The second day (14 May) focuses on technical updates and management. Following a welcome by Dana Dutianu, the project officer from CINEA. SEGULA, ABC, and IMT Atlantique will present their developments, which cover core technological advancements. Feedback from the Advisory Board will precede updates on dissemination, exploitation activities, and the progress of Work Packages (WP) 4 and 5. A session led by ZABALA and SEGULA will recap the project’s coordination efforts before closing with a wrap-up and roadmap for the coming months.
With contributions from all partners, Air4NRG continues to make strides in delivering sustainable energy storage solutions. This General Assembly not only marks an opportunity to assess progress but also underscores the project’s commitment to inclusive innovation and its active role in shaping the EU’s clean energy future.
For more information, follow the conversation on LinkedIn using #Air4NRG and #EUSEW2025.
