Over three days, a team from CINEA travelled through Germany, Czechia and Slovakia to see how three CEF-supported smart grid projects are transforming electricity networks in Central Europe.
Their trip was built around the commissioning and closing event of ACON, a flagship cross-border smart grid project. On their way to Bratislava, the team used the opportunity to visit key substations under Gabreta Smart Grids in Germany and Czechia, and Danube InGrid in Slovakia, turning the journey into a tour of some of the region’s most important grid modernisation projects.
ACON: celebrating a cross-border smart grid milestone
The highlight of the visit was the ACON Smart Grids closing event in Bratislava, where partners gathered to celebrate the project’s successful completion.
ACON (Again COnnected Networks) is the first Project of Common Interest jointly implemented by two distribution system operators – ZSD (Slovakia) and EGD (Czechia). With €91.2 million support from CEF Energy granted in 2018, ACON has strengthened the electricity grids in both countries, rolled out digital technologies and boosted flexibility, making the network more reliable and better prepared for renewables and cross-border power flows.
Ahead of the closing event, the CINEA team visited the Brno-Sever primary substation, one of ACON’s most important assets on the Czech side. Already commissioned and in operation, the substation plays a critical role in improving grid stability, enabling smarter cross-border power flows, and integrating more renewable energy into the system.
During the closing event itself (held on 29 October), CINEA Director Paloma Aba-Garrote joined a panel with project partners. Speakers underlined how EU funding combined with close technical follow-up from CINEA helped move fast from planning to a fully functioning smart grid on the ground.
“A key lesson from ACON’s success has been the power of collaboration. From top management in the beneficiaries’ companies, to contractors, local and central authorities – everyone’s commitment and engagement were essential to turning this ambitious vision into reality. Reflecting on this milestone, I am inspired by how much we can achieve when we join forces across borders and sectors to build a smarter, affordable and more connected energy future for Europe,” said Paloma Aba-Garrote.
ACON now stands as a reference for future smart grid investments in Central Europe: a first-of-its-kind cooperation at a distribution level that shows how smarter, more digital grids can benefit consumers and support the green transition.
Danube InGrid: upgrading networks and enabling clean power flows
Also in Slovakia, the team met the beneficiaries of the Danube InGrid project and visited key sites, including the Vajnory and Stupava substations.
Danube InGrid, supported by CEF Energy with €102 million of EU funding, is a large project that upgrades both transmission and distribution networks, enhancing electricity flows between Slovakia and Hungary and helping the region integrate more renewable energy.
On site, the CINEA team saw that works are clearly progressing: at Vajnory, a new high-to-medium voltage facility developed by ZSD and SEPS is taking shape; and at Stupava, civil works and preparation for new equipment are underway. The upcoming highlight will be the delivery of the transformers, scheduled for January 2026 for Stupava and March 2026 for Vajnory, with works on the ground already preparing for installation.
Discussions with the beneficiaries confirmed strong commitment and the visit showed that the project is moving in the right direction.
Gabreta: digitalising the grid in the German-Czech region
The trip also covered some time in Bavaria (Germany) and Czechia, where the team visited several key Gabreta substations: from Rottenburg Süd and Kirchenthumbach, where new primary substations are under construction, to a digital secondary substation already in operation; and the Slavětice substation in Czechia, where advanced remotely controlled protection systems are being deployed.
Supported by CEF Energy with over €100 million, the Gabreta Smart Grids project is helping to digitalise and modernise the distribution grid across the German-Czech border region, improving reliability and resilience and preparing the network for more renewables.
On the German side, the visit showed good momentum: works are advancing, new digital infrastructure is already supplying customers, and the transformer for Rottenburg Süd is planned for March 2026, adding new capacity to the upgraded substation. On the Czech side, secondary substations are ahead of plan, while some interconnections and smart devices are moving through permitting and procurement, with teams coordinating next steps to keep delivery on time.
Taken together, the mission showed how CEF Energy is powering smarter, more digital and more resilient distribution and transmission electricity grids across Central Europe – celebrating success stories like ACON, showcasing tangible progress on Gabreta, and supporting major upgrades under Danube InGrid, while working closely with beneficiaries to keep every part of the journey on track.