Elia Group
TLDR
Elia Group is the Brussels-listed Belgian high-voltage transmission system operator and owner of 50Hertz in Germany, with a Bel20 listing on Euronext Brussels.
Overview
Elia Group is the listed holding company that owns and operates electricity transmission grids in Belgium (through Elia Transmission Belgium) and in northern and eastern Germany (through 50Hertz, held jointly with KfW). In Belgium it operates the entire 380, 220, 150, and 110 kV high-voltage network, connecting domestic and offshore generation to distribution operators and large industrial consumers. The group serves around 30 million end users across the two countries and ranks among the five largest European transmission system operators.
Elia's regulated activities sit under the supervision of the federal regulator CREG and regional regulators in Belgium, with the German subsidiary regulated by Bundesnetzagentur. The group is at the centre of the energy transition in north-west Europe, building offshore connections in the North Sea, cross-border interconnectors, and onshore reinforcements needed to integrate renewable generation. Capex programmes include the Princess Elisabeth Zone offshore grid hub, the Ventilus high-voltage line in West Flanders, the Boucle du Hainaut extension in Wallonia, and the Nemo Link and ALEGrO interconnectors with the United Kingdom and Germany.
The group went through a significant leadership reset between late 2023 and early 2025. Chris Peeters left as CEO on 30 October 2023 to become CEO of bpost. Catherine Vandenborre served as interim CEO from November 2023 until Bernard Gustin took up the role on 15 January 2025. Marco Nix, previously CFO of 50Hertz, became CFO of Elia Group on 1 April 2025. As of end 2024 the group employed 4,020 people, up roughly 16 percent year on year as the energy-transition build-out scaled.
Key People
- Bernard Gustin - CEO (since January 2025)
- Marco Nix - CFO (since April 2025)
- Frédéric Dunon - CEO of Elia Transmission Belgium
- Stefan Kapferer - CEO of 50Hertz
- Peter Michiels - Chief Alignment Officer
- Michael von Roeder - Chief Digital Officer
- Bernard Thiry - Interim Chairman of the Board
- Catherine Vandenborre - Former interim CEO, former CFO
- Chris Peeters - Former CEO (2015 to 2023)
Major Projects
- Ventilus: 380 kV line in West Flanders, environmental permit granted in late April 2026 by Flemish minister Jo Brouns subject to 54 conditions on flora, fauna and construction noise.
- Boucle du Hainaut: high-voltage extension in Wallonia, in permitting.
- Princess Elisabeth Zone: offshore grid hub in the North Sea designed to integrate roughly 3.5 GW of additional offshore wind capacity.
- Nemo Link: HVDC interconnector between Belgium and the United Kingdom, 1 GW, in operation since 2019.
- ALEGrO: HVDC interconnector between Belgium and Germany, 1 GW, in operation since 2020.
Listing
- Euronext Brussels: ELI (Bel20 component)
Subsidiaries
- Elia Transmission Belgium - Belgian high-voltage operator
- 50Hertz - German transmission operator covering northern and eastern Germany, held jointly with KfW
- Elia Grid International - international consultancy and engineering
Notes
The 2024 to 2025 capital structure was reinforced through a rights issue to fund the offshore and onshore grid build-out. CREG sets the Belgian regulated tariffs under multi-year frameworks. The group publishes an integrated annual report combining financial and sustainability disclosures.
Sources
- https://www.eliagroup.eu/en/about-elia-group/corporate-governance/corporate-bodies
- https://investor.eliagroup.eu/en/news/2024/12/202412_pressrelease
- https://www.belganewsagency.eu/bernard-gustin-to-become-next-ceo-of-grid-operator-elia
- https://www.50hertz.com/Portals/1/Dokumente/Medien/Pressemitteilungen/2024/241213_EN_Pressemitteilung_Marco_Nix_CFO_Elia_Group.pdf
- https://www.elia.be/en/press/2023/12/20231212_frederic-dunon-confirmed-as-ceo-of-elia-transmission-belgium
- https://www.belganewsagency.eu/flemish-environment-minister-grants-planning-permission-for-controversial-ventilus-power-line-project
- https://stockanalysis.com/quote/ebr/ELI/employees/