2026 Brussels CIRED Workshop, Brussels (Belgium). 09-10 June 2026
Summary:
The long service life of transformers means that uptake of newer, more energy-performant units remains slow. Increasing the annual replacement rate could represent a significant contribution to the targets of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and to wider EU climate objectives. EU-TRACE (EUropean TRansformers ACcelerated Efficiency), a project supported by the European Commission’s LIFE programme, will examine how regulatory interventions can unlock this potential.
The project began with a bottom-up characterisation of the current stock of distribution transformers in Europe. This investigation is crucial for enabling reliable impact assessments of replacement policies, since publicly available data on transformer age distributions are currently lacking. This paper presents the methodology and preliminary results of this mapping exercise.
Through stakeholder consultations, EU-TRACE is also identifying technical, financial, organisational, market-related, and regulatory barriers to transformer replacement. Initial trends in the barriers encountered by distribution system operators (DSOs) are presented here.
Finally, EU-TRACE also investigates to what extent accelerated transformer replacement can support EU circular-economy goals, and how this contribution can be enhanced. Preliminary findings on material circularity aspects of transformer replacement are presented.
Spanish layman's summary:
Muchos transformadores de distribución eléctrica en Europa son viejos e ineficientes. Este artículo explica cómo el proyecto LIFE EU-TRACE estudiará su reemplazo acelerado para ahorrar energía, qué barreras tienen los operadores de las redes de distribución y por qué la circularidad es clave.
English layman's summary:
Many of Europe’s distribution electricity transformers are becoming old and inefficient. This paper explains how the EU-TRACE LIFE project will study faster replacement to save energy, what stops distribution system operators from doing so, and why circularity is key to achieve these benefits.
Keywords: distribution transformers, energy performance, age distribution, recycling, replacement barriers
Publication date: 09-Jun-2026.
Citation:
O. Cerny, R. Henriques, M. Martínez, T. Jezdinsky, B. de Wachter, "Accelerating Replacement Of Ageing Distribution Transformers: Mapping The Landscape With EU-TRACE", presented at 2026 Brussels CIRED Workshop, Brussels, Belgium, 09-10 June 2026
IIT-26-096C_poster
