Schneider Electric Aims to Transform Energy Technologies into Sustainable Performance at COP31

Schneider Electric will focus on electrification, energy and industrial intelligence, skills development, and energy access as part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP31, to be held in Antalya on 9-20 November 2026. With its holistic approach spanning clean energy generation, modern electricity grids, energy storage, and efficiency solutions, the company aims to support the sustainable energy transition.

Global energy technology leader Schneider Electric has announced its priorities and event program for COP31. The company's work at the conference is structured around three main pillars: developing the capacity and infrastructure required for electrification, increasing sustainable performance through energy and industrial intelligence, and supporting skills development, energy access, and local partnerships to ensure the benefits of the transition reach broader segments of society.

Schneider Electric supports the COP31 Presidency's goal of increasing electricity's share of global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. The company also highlights the potential for this ratio to reach 50 percent by 2050 as electrification is advanced further.

"We Are Entering a Decisive Period in Electrification"

Schneider Electric Chief Sustainability Officer Esther Finidori stated that developing energy infrastructure and using existing resources more intelligently are essential to capitalize on the opportunities offered by electrification.

Finidori made the following assessment:

"We are entering a decisive period in electrification. This super cycle offers significant opportunities. However, realizing these opportunities requires building the capacity needed for a world where electricity is used far more extensively. The opportunity ahead involves not only expanding electrification but also using energy, resources, and assets more intelligently. By combining energy and operational intelligence with local capabilities and partnerships, we can enhance competitiveness and resilience, delivering measurable benefits for businesses and societies."

Capacity and Infrastructure Will Be Developed for Electrification

Schneider Electric emphasizes that the widespread adoption of electrification requires the joint development of clean electricity generation, modern grids, distributed energy resources, energy storage solutions, demand flexibility, and energy efficiency. The expansion of electrification in buildings, data centers, industrial facilities, and infrastructure requires not only new capacity investments but also more effective utilization of existing assets.

Research published by the company's Research Institute, titled "Electricity System Costs in the Widespread Use of Distributed Energy Resources: A New Benchmark for the 21st Century Economy," also reveals the economic dimension of this approach.

According to the research, which is based on a total of 40,500 scenarios, the widespread use of rooftop solar power systems and batteries can reduce total electricity system costs below current levels when managed in coordination with rising electricity demand. In modeling based on current global average installation costs outside the US, the lowest system cost falls 10 percent below the benchmark level. This gap is stated to reach 40 percent when compared with projected costs for the 2030s.

Schneider Electric Senior Vice President of Climate and Energy Transition Research Vincent Petit also co-chairs the Electrification and Energy Transition Working Group within the COP31 Business Forum.

Efficiency Will Be Increased Through Energy and Industrial Intelligence

Noting that as electrification accelerates, energy and industrial intelligence can help organizations derive greater value from their resources and physical assets, Schneider Electric will bring its solutions in this area to the COP31 agenda.

Solutions within the Schneider Electric and AVEVA portfolios combine energy and operational data with automation, software, and artificial intelligence, helping businesses optimize their operations and asset performance.

At COP31, the company will focus on transforming data obtained from energy and operational systems into actionable insights for buildings, industrial facilities, data centers, and electricity grids. Adding smart management capabilities to existing systems in buildings can optimize energy use and deliver savings, while in industry, advanced digital solutions can improve resource utilization, extend the lifespan of physical assets, and support circular business models.

This approach aligns with the COP31 Presidency's goal of increasing the global circular material use rate to at least 15 percent by 2035.

Skills Development and Energy Access Among the Priority Topics

The expansion of electrification and digital technologies is also increasing the need for qualified human resources to build, operate, and maintain these systems. Schneider Electric aims to develop partnerships with public institutions, businesses, educational organizations, and local communities to close the skills gap in energy technologies and expand access to sustainable energy.

Schneider Electric Türkiye and Central Asia Zone President Mehmet Özalp stated that Türkiye's hosting of COP31 presents an important opportunity to bring together global experience with local needs.

Özalp used the following words:

"Türkiye's hosting of COP31 offers an important opportunity to bring global experience together with local needs. For businesses, electrification can mean lower emissions, more efficient energy use, and stronger competitiveness. Realizing these benefits requires investment in both infrastructure and the human resources needed to deploy new technologies. We want to focus on these issues in the discussions we will hold with our business partners at COP31."

Schneider Electric Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Affairs Gilles Vermot Desroches drew attention to the importance of COP31 for inclusive energy transition and the development of green skills.

Desroches stated, "COP31 is a critical milestone for public and private sector actors to strongly demonstrate the steps they are taking toward an inclusive energy transition and the role green skills play in our success in electrification."

The company is also addressing these goals under its sustainability roadmap, Impact 2030. The skills development and energy access commitments within the roadmap aim to enable more people to participate in the energy transition and benefit from the opportunities it provides.

Schneider Electric's COP31 Event Program

The events Schneider Electric will participate in as part of COP31 are listed as follows:

- Electrification, Competitiveness and Energy Sovereignty – France Pavilion (10 November, 10:30-12:30)

- Grid Flexibility and Financing Electrification – France Pavilion (10 November, 14:00-15:30)

- Scaling Renewable Energy Investments for an Inclusive Transition – France Pavilion (10 November, 16:00-17:30)

- Energy and Infrastructure Transformation: From Climate Goals to Implementation – Hosted by IC Holding (10 November, 16:30-17:15)

- Powering Tomorrow Together: Circular Mentoring Café on Skills, Belonging and Energy Transition – Children and Youth Pavilion (10 November, 17:00-17:45)

- The Importance of Efficiency in Data Centers – France Pavilion (12 November, 11:30-13:00)

- Powering the Transition: Electrification at Scale – As part of the COP31 Business and Investment Summit (12 November, 13:00-14:00)

- Efficiency First: How Regulations, Financing and Measured Performance Accelerate Building Decarbonization – France Pavilion (12 November, 14:30-16:30)

- Just Transition in Practice: Aligning Climate, Development, Employment and Investments – France Pavilion (13 November, 09:30-11:00)

- Sustainable and Low-Carbon Transitions, Resilient Value Chains and Inclusive Development – Event organized by the COP31 Presidency and the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade (13 November, 09:50-10:50)

- Climate Change Adaptation, Resilience and Sustainable Finance – France Pavilion (13 November, 16:30-18:00)

Among the Schneider Electric executives attending COP31 are Chief Sustainability Officer Esther Finidori, Executive Vice President of International Operations Manish Pant, Middle East and Africa Zone President Walid Sheta, Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Affairs Gilles Vermot Desroches, Türkiye and Central Asia Zone President Mehmet Özalp, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Sustainability Business Head Farrukh Shad, Middle East and Africa Strategy Head Dallal Slimani, and Pacific Zone President Colette Munro.

About Schneider Electric

Global energy technology leader Schneider Electric enables industries, businesses, and living spaces to operate more efficiently and sustainably through electrification, automation, and digitalization. The company's technologies transform buildings, data centers, factories, infrastructure, and electricity grids into open and integrated ecosystems, strengthening performance, resilience, and sustainability.

With a broad portfolio ranging from smart devices to software-based architectures, AI-powered systems, digital services, and expert consulting, Schneider Electric operates in more than 100 countries with 160,000 employees and 1 million partners.