KEY – The Energy Transition Expo: the energy hub becomes increasingly global

Of the over 1,000 brands exhibiting at Italian Exhibition Group’s energy transition event, to be held from March 4 to 6 at Rimini Expo Centre, about 32% will be foreign. Over 500 hosted buyers and delegations from around 50 countries are expected to attend. Focus on cooperation with Africa: the Africa Investment HUB will make its debut in Hall D3

KEY – The Energy Transition Expo, Italian Exhibition Group’s (IEG) leading event in Europe, Africa and the Mediterranean basin on energy transition, will be back from March 4 to 6 at Rimini Expo Centre with an even greater international profile.

This coming edition will accelerate the event’s growth, confirming its role as a global energy hub, and launch it even further beyond national and European borders. The aim is to extend dialogue between markets, institutions and operators from all over the world and speed up the journey towards achieving decarbonisation targets.

Over 1,000 exhibiting brands are expected to attend, of which about 32% will be foreign (from 30 countries), as well as over 500 hosted buyers and delegations from around 50 countries, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).

Markets targeted by KEY 2026 will include North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Turkey and Europe, with particular focus on Germany, Spain, the UK, Poland, Serbia and the Balkan area in general.

A Japanese delegation, involved in collaboration with H2IT and the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Clust-ER Greentech as part of the hydrogen partnership between the two countries and as a follow-up to IEG’s mission to EXPO OSAKA, will also be attending for the first time.

For those travelling from Spain, the LuxWing airline will be operating a direct flight between Madrid and Rimini.

Initiatives for Africa

In line with the Mattei Plan priorities, the growing centrality of the African continent in the global energy transition and in European energy and industrial policies, KEY aims to strengthen cooperation between Italy and Africa by connecting businesses, institutions and investors to favour new synergies.

As part of the event’s new layout, Hall D3 will include the Africa Investment HUB, a brand new 126-square-meter area, which will host African industry associations from Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, the Ivory Coast, Senegal and South Africa and provide a specific space for networking and business meetings.

KEY will also be collaborating with Piantando, a B Corp that launches, finances, and monitors projects with a high social and environmental impact. During the event, and as part of Piantando’s Light Up initiative, three solar street lamps will be installed in a village in Malawi.

International events

The event schedule, defined by KEY’s Technical Scientific Committee, will include around 18 events in English for international visitors and operators.

Wednesday, March 4:

1. Next Generation AI for a carbon-free built environment, organised by KEY’s Technical Scientific Committee: a discussion with international experts and professionals on the latest innovations, technologies and projects that use artificial intelligence to support the decarbonisation of the built environment. A comprehensive overview of concrete applications, benefits, critical issues, and future prospects with a particular focus on the consequences in industrial, urban and civil terms, as well as opportunities for companies, public administrations and sector stakeholders.

Thursday, March 5:

1. Strengthening collaboration between Italy and Japan on hydrogen technology innovations, organised by H2IT, Cluster Greentech and JH2A – Japan Hydrogen Association: based on the memorandum of understanding between H2IT and JH2A, the event aims to strengthen the partnership between Italy and Japan in the hydrogen sector. The Embassy of Italy in Tokyo, NEDO and industrial players from both countries will be participating.
2. Electric Car Charging Networks: Where Do We Stand in Italy and Europe, organised by GSE and Motus-E: a discussion between operators, institutions, regulators and dealers to assess the opportunities and challenges for creating an efficient and widespread charging network in Italy and Europe
3. Dual harvest, double trouble: Tackling EPC barriers in agrivoltaics design, organised by PV Magazine, on the technical and engineering challenges from a European perspective
4. Italy in the European and international agrivoltaics scene, organised by AIAS – Italian Sustainable Agrivoltaics Association
5. How Norwegian offshore wind supply chain cluster members can support the bankability of FOW in Italy, organised by Norwegian Offshore Wind (NOW)
6. Towards a Circular Economy for Solar and Energy Storage: Strategies and Innovations in PV and Battery Recycling, organised by ETA Florence, in collaboration with Ecomondo
7. GERMAN-ITALIAN Energy Talk on hydrogen, organised by Hannover Fairs International, Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe, ITKAM, Die Gas- und Wasserstoffwirtschaft and H2IT
8. Powering Italy’s Storage Decade: Markets, Technologies & the Road to 95 GWh, organised by IBESA
9. Bridging academia and industry: shared pathways for the energy transition, organised by Sapienza University of Rome to foster debate among researchers, industry and policy makers, laying the foundations for the 2027 Scientific Conference
10. Solar PV/Wind and Battery Storage Systems: the key to energy self-sufficiency, Driving Africa’s Energy Transition, organised by Res4Africa
11. Energy Communities Beyond Borders: Scalable Models from the Western Balkans, organised by the Emilia-Romagna Region and ART-ER
12. Türkiye’s Energy Transition and Investment Outlook: A Platform for Italian–Turkish Collaboration, organised by Invest in Türkiye

Friday, March 6:

1. Multiple financing instruments need to be scaled up to accelerate Africa’s energy future and to improve energy access, organised by Res4Africa
2. Italy’s Solar Transformation: Business Models, Policy Shifts & ESG for the Next Decade, organised by IBESA
3. EPBD & One-Stop-Shop: Technical assistance facilities to boost building energy renovation, organised by ENEA
4. Fit4Micro – Clean and Efficient MicroCHCP by Micro Turbine Based Hybrid Systems, organised by ETA Florence in the DPE – International Electricity Expo schedule

The complete, constantly updated, KEY 2026 events programme is available at the following link: www.key-expo.com/events.

Events in English are available at this link: www.key-expo.com/english-events.