CIRED works for the purpose of increasing the business relevant competencies, skills and knowledge of those who see themselves as a part of the electricity distribution community, whether they are from the utility, product, consultancy, service, business or academic sector.
CIRED is the leading open forum where all stakeholders—distribution system operators, equipment manufacturers, solution providers, academic and research institutes, policy makers and regulators—come together to shape the future of electricity distribution. By fostering collaboration and dialogue, we drive innovations necessary to address emerging challenges to build a more efficient, sustainable, and resilient energy system.
Leveraging on its thought leadership in the electricity distribution business, CIRED works for the purpose of driving the electricity grid sector evolution and harmonization by increasing the business relevant competencies, skills and knowledge of those who see themselves as a part of the electricity distribution community, whether they are from the utility, product, consultancy, service, business, policy makers, regulation or academic sector.
CIRED is dedicated to both the technical and management aspects of public distribution systems covering the whole field of related activities and associated services and assessing their impact on Society and People in the energy transition scenario. Among the topics covered: design, planning, construction, operation, regulation, cost reduction, safety, environment, organisation and skills.
To support its objectives, CIRED’s Technical Committee provides the technical structure and content, including papers and speakers, for a biennial conference focused on developments and best practices in the technology and management of electricity distribution. These conferences welcome participation and contributions from experts worldwide. The conferences, which include exhibitions by manufacturers and other companies serving the electricity distribution industry, are alternately organized by AIM (Belgium) and The IET (UK), who also assume the financial responsibility for the events.
CIRED can undertake activities in working groups to support its objectives.
CIRED can co-operate with other international organisations in support of its objectives.
‘CIRED’ is derived from Congrès International des Réseaux Electriques de Distribution, in English “International Conference on Electricity Distribution”.
The first CIRED Conference was organized in May 1971 by AIM – Association des Ingénieurs de Montefiore, Belgium, in response to the interest generated by a previous conference held in Liège in 1969. Similarly, in the UK, significant interest in conferences on electricity distribution was shown at events heldby the UK Electrical Research Association (ERA) and by the then Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), now the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
This demonstrated the need for an international conference on the subject. To avoid major overlap with existing conferences, it was decided to hold a conference every two years under the name CIRED, alternating between Belgium and the United Kingdom. The growing interest in CIRED activities and the increasing importance of the exhibition have led the organizers to consider venues outside Belgium and the UK, changing locations within Europe.
In April 2021, CIRED transformed into an international not-for-profit association, reflecting its ambition to expand its geographical coverage and not-for-profit mission.
The technical content of CIRED is primarily divided in the following six themes.
Session 1 deals with all aspects related to the components used in the electricity distribution networks: cables, overhead lines, primary and secondary substations, transformers, switchgear, protection and monitoring systems, power electronics. It covers topics related to the life cycle of assets from design to end of life management. The session also covers environmental concern including eco-design and life cycle analysis, standardisation, ergonomics and safety. It aims at providing an overview of the state-of-the-art and proposals for future components, including those needed for smart grids, e-mobility, smart cities and microgrids, as well as components for more resilient networks in the context of climate change anticipation. This session is an opportunity for DSOs and manufacturers to share their objectives.
Session 2 deals with any phenomena related to power quality (PQ). This includes e.g. flicker, unbalance, distortion in the frequency range from DC up to 500 kHz as well as events like sags or swells. The session also covers all aspects of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) including emission, immunity, its coordination and the related standardisation. Conducted and radiated electromagnetic interferences, electric and magnetic fields (EMF) as well as grounding issues are addressed.
Session 3 deals with operational use of components (Session 1) and systems (Session 4) in public, industrial and private distribution networks in normal operation as well as in any case of disturbance.
Session 3 covers all aspects of grid operation including strategies and management topics, challenges and new application, the integration of DER and special applications. Focus is on the use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and the operational challenges to integrate and operate new types of loads, such as electric vehicles and storage.
Session 4 deals with design and implementation of systems for protection, control and automation in distribution networks.
The consideration of historical grown concepts as well as the latest developments in the world of protection, control, communication, and automation are topics in this session. Emphasis is also placed on practical application and experience in operating the systems. But the latest developments, scientific findings and considerations as well as algorithms and simulations are also of great importance.
Session 5 deals with short- and long-term development of high, medium and low voltage distribution networks, concerning the changing requirements for electricity distribution including, but not limited to, smart grids and active distribution networks, electrification and electromobility, energy storage, flexibility, distributed energy resources integration, present and future customer quality of supply requirements, and optimum asset utilisation techniques and strategies. Papers dealing with meeting the energy transition goals, rural electrification, and strategies to increase resiliency are also expected.
The energy transition is well underway, where policies are shaped, reinforced and clarified with the target to speed up the transition, increase security of supply and system resilience, and enable flexibility. The DSOs are in the centre of this transition both to secure the current situation and enable the coming steps. This is certainly a challenging situation, but also a situation with a lot of possibilities and a high degree of engagement. Key aspects for Session 6 include policy/regulation, business management, customer interaction, digitalisation and cybersecurity.
While CIRED does not offer individual memberships in the traditional sense, we warmly encourage you to become a part of our vibrant community. Find out all the ways to get involved and let’s build something great together!
A Full Member Country is a country represented by a CIRED member in the General Assembly. The National Committee (or NC) associated with this Full Member Country should include representatives from all sectors involved in electricity distribution in that country, such as manufacturing, electricity supply, installation, contracting, consulting, research, and large consumers.
A country cooperating with CIRED but without a National Committee can establish a Liaison Committee. A country with a Liaison Committee is referred to as an ‘Affiliated Member Country’.
CIRED’s governing structure consists of :
CIRED’s supporting structure consists of :
Chair
Vice Chair
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Secretary
Chair
Vice-Chair
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
China
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Iran
Italy
Korea
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States of America
AIM Representative
IET Representative
Secretary
Chair
Theme 1 Chair
Theme 1 Rapporteur
Theme 1 Rapporteur
Theme 2 Chair
Theme 2 Rapporteur
Theme 2 Rapporteur
Theme 2 Rapporteur
Theme 3 Chair
Theme 3 Rapporteur
Theme 3 Rapporteur
Theme 3 Rapporteur
Theme 4 Chair
Theme 4 Rapporteur
Theme 4 Rapporteur
Theme 4 Rapporteur
Theme 5 Chair
Theme 5 Rapporteur
Theme 5 Rapporteur
Theme 5 Rapporteur
Theme 6 Chair
Theme 6 Rapporteur
Theme 6 Rapporteur
Theme 6 Rapporteur
Officer in charge of the relations with partner associations and working groups
AIM Representative
IET Representative
Secretary
CIRED is set up as an international non-for-profit association since April 2021, under Belgian law. CIRED is established at Rue du Congrès 35, 1000 Brussels, in Belgium. All costs in the operation of CIRED are covered by the individuals or companies who accept to undertake the tasks necessary to conduct CIRED’s activities.
Download the statutes of the CIRED International Association
