In a study carried out for Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) together with Compass Lexecon, Artelys delivered the multi-energy system modelling work underpinning the assessment of underground gas storage (UGS) needs and system and resilience under security of supply shocks towards 2030 and 2040.

The report has been published in March 2026, with a launch event organised by GIE.

A multi-energy modelling framework built to test resilience

Artelys performed the quantitative analysis using Artelys Crystal Super Grid, a state-of-the-art modelling platform designed to capture complex interdepencies between methane, electricity and hydrogen systems. The modelling represents major flexibility options across all vectors and simulates the European system at hourly resolution over full gas years, with a national (gas) or bidding zone (electricity) geographical resolution.

The assessment focuses on 2030 and 2040, building on the TYNDP 2024 NT+ scenario and a deviation scenario used to stress-test the system under slower electrification uptake (slower methane demand decline). To quantify resilience, Artelys has evaluated the impacts of three security-of-supply stress conditions: a harsh winter (based on historical climate conditions), a LNG supply reduction, and a Norwegian supply reduction.

The specificities of UGS are well-captured as the model is based on AGSI datasets and reflect available capacities (working gas volume, injection and withdrawal capacities) per type of UGS (salt caverns, depleted gas fields, aquifers) at national level, taking into account the impact of storage level on injection and withdrawal capacity. This detailed setup is specifically suited to representing storage operation dynamics.

Key findings: storage remains essential, especially under stress

The modelling shows that while the drivers of gas system operation evolve with decarbonisation, UGS remains a critical flexibility asset for Europe’s energy system, not only for methane adequacy, but also for overall resilience in an increasingly interconnected methane-electricity-hydrogen landscape.

In the NT+ scenario, seasonal flexibility services remain broadly stable compared to recent years, with similar operational patterns.

The study also quantifies how storage supports peak deliverability and system robustness under shocks. Between 2030-2040 and NT+2040, annual consumption decreases by 23% and daily consumption peaks by 12%, while UGS peak withdrawal supply increases by 15%, as import capacity contribution share decrease amid lower annual consumption volume. In particular, the role of UGS to support electricity security of supply increases, as peak daily methane demand for power generation is 10.7 TWh/day in NT+2040, while it was 5 TWh/day in 2021.

In stress situations, deliverability margins can become tight. These narrow deliverability margins could become insufficient if shocks occur late in the winter, if multiple shocks overlap, or if initial filling levels fall below 90%.

Overall this work illustrates Artelys’ ability to quantify system resilience to security of suply shocks with a robust multi-energy modelling framework, explicitly representing the interdependencies between methane, electricity and hydrogen in an integrated European energy system.

If you are facing similar challenges, namely the dimensioning of a system that is able to withstand shocks, we’d be more than pleased to have a conversation – do get in touch!

Read the full report for methodology details and full results. 

As energy systems become increasingly complex and interconnected, benefiting from advanced optimisation solutions can become a gamechanger. Artelys is thrilled to release a new major version of Artelys Crystal Super Grid, a solution dedicated to the dimensioning and optimisation of energy systems.  

This new release packs a wide range of novelties and of behind-the-scenes improvements, allowing for an acceleration of planning and optimisation exercises and more robust and transparent workflows.

If you’d like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact our team for additional information, a demonstration, or access to a trial version. 

The new main features of Artelys Crystal Super Grid are: 

Source: Artelys Crystal Super Grid, Map view and filters.

If you’d like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact our team for additional information, a demonstration, or access to a trial version. 

By joining IVADO, Artelys Canada aims to take an active part in collaborative research initiatives and the practical application of scientific advances in digital intelligence, while continuously enhancing its tools and methodologies.

This partnership will strengthen links between academia and industry, accelerating knowledge transfer toward innovative solutions with significant economic and social impact.

Through this collaboration, IVADO continues to develop an ecosystem that brings together complementary expertise in artificial intelligence, data science, and operations research. Artelys Canada’s deep knowledge in advanced mathematical modeling and decision support will enhance the collective capabilities of the IVADO community and contribute to the success of high-value collaborative projects.

This partnership reflects the recognition of Artelys’s high-quality contributions across key sectors such as energy, transportation, environment, telecommunications, finance, and logistics, as well as its support to organizations facing complex challenges that demand rigorous quantitative approaches.

It also highlights the Artelys Crystal software suite, known for its ability to turn sophisticated optimization models into powerful, operational tools accessible to decision-makers.

“We are delighted to welcome Artelys Canada among our industrial members. Their expertise in optimization and modeling, combined with a strong culture of innovation, will reinforce our collective ability to develop concrete solutions to the complex challenges faced by organizations.”

Nancy Laramée, Director of Partnerships at IVADO.

“Joining the IVADO community represents a unique opportunity to collaborate with a leading research environment and top-tier industrial partners. We look forward to bringing our modeling expertise to projects that drive innovation and create meaningful impact.”

Louis-Pierre Campeau, Optimization Director at Artelys Canada.

Artelys releases Knitro 15.1, bringing a new wave of performance upgrades and usability improvements to help you solve large-scale optimization problems faster than ever. 

More Accessible Interfaces

• New Command-Line Interface:

The new command-line interface is available through an executable named “knitro“, which accepts MPS and LP formats as well as any Knitro user options, to easily test Knitro on your instances.

• New API Functions:

The new API functions allow to manipulate model characteristics simplifying updates and KPI generation.

• Support of Linux ARM64 architectures:

All supported platforms are available on our website, check the detailed list on our dedicated page.

More Accessible Interfaces

• New Command-Line Interface :

The new command-line interface is available through an executable named “knitro“, which accepts MPS and LP formats as well as any Knitro user options, to easily test Knitro on your instances.

• New API Functions:

The new API functions allow to manipulare model characteristics simplifying updates and KPI generation.

• Support of Linux ARM64 architectures:

All supported platforms are available on our website, check the detailed list on our dedicated page.

To learn more about Knitro 15.1 and its capabilities, visit the official documentation or review the detailed release notes.

Use-cases

Discover the use-cases that transform your ideas into practical realities, building a future where technology meets real needs in an exceptional way with Knitro.

A data-driven seating system

OPTIPLACE is a seat allocation algorithm developed for OUIGO trains.The project addresses a clear need: ensuring coherent, reliable seat placement that aligns with passenger expectations, while improving seat organisation in order to free up resellable seats during periods of high demand, all while taking into account the constraints specific to rail operations.

To achieve these objectives, the module integrates directly into the reservation system. Each day, it retrieves the initial seating plan for trains at D+4, optimises it according to several criteria, and then uploads the new proposal just before tickets are sent to passengers.

The reservation system then takes over again to handle new bookings up to departure, relying on the optimised seating plan generated by OPTIPLACE.

Towards more coherent and industrialised passenger seating

Thanks to this process, OPTIPLACE ensures more coherent, smooth and balanced seating across the trainsets, while incorporating the operational preferences defined by business teams. The project therefore helps secure and industrialise a key step in SNCF Voyageurs’ operational chain.

Artelys’ contribution

A heuristic phase, generating a list of candidate seats for each booking.

A mixed-integer linear programme, selecting the optimal assignment based on the defined business objectives

Beyond developing the module, Artelys contributed to several key aspects of the project, including:

Code quality improvement, documentation and industrialisation.

Integration of new data sources.

Co-design and prioritisation of business objectives.

Integration of the module within the existing process and its interface with the information system.

Definition of a suitable technical architecture (solver choice, infrastructure sizing, etc.).

Key figures

Since its progressive deployment in July 2024, OPTIPLACE has reached full operational scale and demonstrated its effectiveness. As of the end of August 2025, more than 15,000 trains have been optimised, including nearly 10,000 that benefited from seat release, amounting to more than 138,000 freed seats in total.