Europe’s energy transition is gathering pace, but so too is the complexity of the systems we must design, operate, and govern. With growing interdependencies across energy carriers — electricity, heat, gas, hydrogen — alongside increasing decentralisation, digitalisation, and citizen engagement, energy planning has become a multi-dimensional challenge. Infrastructure decisions must now be informed not only by technical and economic considerations, but also by their implications for markets, regulation, environmental goals, and social acceptance.

This workshop explored how data-driven approaches, and in particular the use of digital twins, can support better planning and decision-making in this complex context. It brought together European and national research and innovation initiatives that developed digital platforms, advanced analytics, and interoperable modelling frameworks to help anticipate, simulate, and evaluate future energy system scenarios. By integrating real-time and historical data with predictive models, these tools provided strategic and operational support for actors navigating the transition, helping them assess infrastructure options, coordinate across carriers, and manage uncertainty.

The session also highlighted how digitalisation contributes to improving the resilience and reliability of energy networks, especially in the face of cyber-physical threats and increasing interconnection. Digital twins, in particular, were developed not only to plan system evolution but also to enhance situational awareness and support real-time response to disruptions. These efforts were often linked to broader goals of improving grid security, enabling cross-border cooperation, and facilitating energy system restoration.

In parallel, the workshop examined the role of flexibility and decentralised resources in system optimisation. As new digital tools emerged to support prosumer participation, demand response, and market integration, questions of system coordination, regulatory readiness, and user engagement came to the forefront. Projects working on energy data spaces, user-centric platforms, and social co-creation were therefore an essential part of this evolving landscape.

By bringing together diverse perspectives — from infrastructure operators and market actors to researchers and public authorities — the workshop aimed to build a shared understanding of the role of digital technologies in guiding Europe’s energy transition. It provided insights into how planning processes were being reshaped by data and modelling, how resilience was being embedded into digital tools, and how future-oriented decisions were made more transparent, inclusive, and robust.