Paris session 2024: The Next Generation Network Forum
The 2024 Paris session is fast approaching, and an international organising group is planning the well-known Next Generation Network (NGN) Forum, which will take place on Wednesday the 28th of August from 11am to 2pm Paris time in the Palais des Congrès. This event has been held during the last five Paris sessions in addition to being held during the e-Session in 2020 and the Virtual Centennial Session in 2021. It has become a can’t-miss event for students and young professionals attending the Paris session to meet and learn from other NGN groups and CIGRE experts and to see how NGN members are benefiting from their participation in CIGRE.
The purpose of the event is to showcase NGN contributions to CIGRE and highlight the work being undertaken by NGN groups across the globe. Senior CIGRE leaders regularly attend the event and offer their time as guest speakers. In addition, they are always willing to participate in an interactive Q&A discussion with the audience to offer further insights to NGN members in the audience. Another key feature of the forum is to not only ask thought-provoking questions, but to also discuss them through a practical and feasible lens, with a view that audience members can leave the forum more informed and inspired to pursue their goals within the power systems industry.
The details of this year’s forum are still being developed, but quite a lot of information can already be shared. We are pleased to confirm that the CIGRE Vice President – Technical and Technical Council Chair, Marcio Szechtman will present. His presentation will focus on the rollout of new initiatives to assist NGN members, and students and young professionals more broadly, within CIGRE to get the most out of their CIGRE experience. As always, we encourage any audience members to ask questions and take advantage of Marcio’s expertise to maximise their understanding of the organisation and what it can offer young people.
Another key pillar of the event has been the opportunity to hear from specific NGN groups around the globe. We are currently in discussions with several NGN groups to confirm the presentation line up. This is not only an opportunity to hear about the unique initiatives of some of the NGN groups, but it is also an opportunity for NGN members to share their contributions in front of an international audience. It is our hope that by showcasing NGN groups at various stages of their development it will inspire growth and engagement within other NGN groups that might be just starting out or looking to become a chartered NGN group. While the current CIGRE community consists of power system professionals across more than 90 countries and from 61 National Committees, there are only 33 officially chartered NGN groups with several additional groups in various stages of development.
A feature of any forum is the opportunity to hear from guest speakers who are leaders in our industry. These speakers can offer insights, statistics and theories that may not yet be commonplace to further spark discussion not only during the forum, by way of Q&A, but also after the forum during the Paris session. Hopefully, these discussions extend back to each attendee’s company or university to create positive change. This year, our guest speaker is Rena Kuwahata from the International Energy Agency (IEA). There is a lot happening in our industry at present, and there are few that are more informed to speak to some of these changes than Rena. It is important to act during these times of prolific change and transition and Rena’s presentation will no doubt be a catalyst to empower us all to drive this transition forward.
We look forward to seeing you all at this year's Paris session and hope you stop by our NGN Forum to participate in this signature event. Furthermore, there will also be an NGN booth setup throughout the session as part of the technical exhibition. We encourage you to also stop by the NGN booth as it will be staffed at all times with NGN representatives who can offer knowledge or support to other students and young professionals.