Changes at RTE to prepare for the energy transition

The electricity sector has been turned upside down since it was opened up to competition and new renewable energies emerged. RTE (Réseau de transport d’électricité) has carved itself out an original place. It is a subsidiary of EDF (from which it was formed) but is independent from its parent company. It has always been a public company in a highly competitive world. RTE arrived at a time when the energy market was based on centralised nuclear power, but nowadays it has to meet the network requirements of clients and suppliers which are increasingly varied. It has managed to emerge successfully from a difficult situation within a European context which is constantly changing. It was able to achieve this after ten years of radical change during which it had to adapt to economic and technological evolutions, anticipate increasingly strict societal requirements, and extend its network to a European dimension.