Planning tomorrow’s grid before demand arrives

How Fluvius uses network intelligence to support smarter grid investment decisions

Fluvius is one of Belgium’s largest utility companies. It manages electricity and gas distribution networks across Flanders, connecting millions of homes and businesses. Keeping that infrastructure reliable while preparing for the energy transition requires a detailed understanding of the network: where its assets are, how they connect and how the system is changing.

GIS plays an important role in that work. Fluvius uses Esri’s ArcGIS technology, including ArcGIS Utility Network, as part of its broader information landscape. Fluvius leads the implementation, working with many of our partners that advise, consult, and develop solutions. At Esri BeLux, we share insights from across the utility sector on how GIS can help organisations prepare their electricity and gas networks for changing energy demands.

The need for that foundation is becoming more urgent. Electric vehicles, heat pumps and industrial electrification are changing where and when electricity is needed. Yet the grid cannot be expanded overnight.

A customer who buys an electric car today expects to be able to charge it tomorrow. For Fluvius, that means planning and investing in parts of the network before demand is fully visible.

Knowing where cables, cabinets and transformers are located remains fundamental. Fluvius also needs to understand how they are connected, how the network is being used and where additional capacity may be needed.

Electric cars are only part of the equation. Homes are switching to electric heating, companies are electrifying industrial processes, and solar panels, batteries and charging infrastructure are changing patterns of energy consumption and production.

These changes do not happen evenly across Flanders. For a grid operator, the challenge is not simply estimating how much electricity will be needed. It is understanding where and when demand may grow, and which parts of the network may be affected.

The scale is considerable. Fluvius’ current investment plan foresees around €11 billion between 2026 and 2035 to prepare its networks for the energy transition. The assumptions behind those investments continue to evolve. In 2025, Fluvius adjusted its plans partly because companies were electrifying faster than previously anticipated.

Vangronsveld has seen that uncertainty firsthand. The energy transition has repeatedly moved towards the faster scenarios, making accurate network data increasingly important. As investments need to be made before demand becomes clear, Fluvius needs to understand where future constraints may arise and where the network may need reinforcement.

Grid planning is increasingly about preparing for change, rather than simply responding to it.

Planning for future demand starts with knowing how today’s network is built.

Several low-voltage cables may run along the same street. Which customers are connected to each cable? Which phase do they use? Which transformer supplies them?

The physical network and historical records do not always match perfectly. Cables can also shift position when streets are opened and infrastructure is reworked.

Digital meters are providing another source of information. By analysing technical measurements such as voltage patterns, Fluvius can identify which customers behave electrically as part of the same network section. This information can help improve its network data. 

It is an example of how data collected for one purpose can also help build a more complete understanding of the network.

For Fluvius, knowing the location of an asset is no longer enough. The connections between assets matter just as much.

A transformer supplies a network. A cable connects assets. Customers are connected further along the network. Together, these relationships describe how electricity moves through the grid.

Fluvius is bringing this location and connectivity information together in Esri’s Utility Network. The model records how network assets are connected, giving Fluvius a consistent view of its network to support planning, operations and analysis.

GIS is one part of a wider information landscape. Fluvius combines network data with information from other systems, including asset registers, customer data, projects and interventions. Its GIS team provides location and connectivity data to Fluvius’ broader data environment, where it can be combined with consumption data, planned projects and other sources. 

These combined datasets support calculations and scenarios that help Fluvius assess where investments may be needed. Accurate information about asset locations and connections helps the company understand how the network is structured and where constraints may arise.

Fluvius reports three practical outcomes from this approach: improved network data quality, faster outage analysis and less manual engineering work.

The broader transformation is still underway, but these results show how a connected and reliable network model can support different business processes.

Fluvius reports three practical outcomes from this approach: improved network data quality, faster outage analysis and less manual engineering work.

The broader transformation is still underway, but these results show how a connected and reliable network model can support different business processes.

The same network information is already useful in day-to-day operations.

Vangronsveld describes an application showing an electricity interruption affecting six distribution cabinets and 172 customers. Fluvius can see not only the electrical structure of the outage, but also where it is happening and which area is affected.

That context can help call centre staff, technicians and crisis teams. By bringing asset connections, customer impact and location together in one operational view, Fluvius can analyse outages faster and support better-informed decisions during incidents.

Fluvius is also experimenting with automatically generating electrical single-line diagrams from the connections recorded in its network model. During an incident such as a cabinet fire, a diagram could help operators understand which sections can be disconnected or whether customers can be supplied through another route. It could also reduce the need to maintain a separate representation of the same network. 

The principle is simple: record the network accurately once, then use that information across different processes.

Getting there has taken time.

Fluvius has been moving from two legacy GIS environments towards a central network model. That affects not only data, but also registration processes, applications and the systems that use the information.

One lesson from the journey stands out:

“We once tried to tackle everything at the same time. That didn’t work.” 

The order of change matters. Organisations need to decide which data and processes to address first, while understanding how each change will affect other applications and users.

Fluvius’ transformation is not complete. Some parts are live, while others are being migrated or piloted. And not every benefit can yet be expressed as a return-on-investment figure. That makes the experience useful to other infrastructure organisations facing similar work.

Utilities are dealing with growing electrification and more distributed energy resources. They also need to modernise network models, integrate legacy systems and prepare infrastructure before demand arrives. Fluvius’ experience shows why accurate spatial data and a clear understanding of network connections matter for both daily operations and long-term planning.

From reactive planning to proactive grid investment

No model can predict exactly where every electric car, heat pump, solar installation or industrial investment will appear. The goal is to make better infrastructure decisions despite that uncertainty.

For Fluvius, this means connecting three questions:

What is there today? How is it connected? And what may happen there tomorrow?

By the time demand becomes visible, the most important decision may already need to have been made. A reliable view of the network helps Fluvius assess where to prepare and invest before that happens.

For utilities navigating the energy transition, the challenge is no longer simply documenting infrastructure. It is understanding how the network works as a connected system, and using that understanding to prepare for what comes next.