E.ON Romania: 40 million euro digital and AI investment — NRG-IA

Automating customer interaction — E.ON expands Myline platform with virtual assistants E.ON will invest 40 million euros in digital solutions in Romania by 2030. This strategic decision represents a budget increase of nearly 70% compared to the funds allocated over the past five years for digital ecosystem development. The company's main goal is to optimize customer interaction by deploying virtual assistants powered by artificial intelligence (AI). According to data published by Economica.net and e-nergia.ro, the first commercial effects of this capital injection will become visible later this year. Currently, the E.ON Myline platform centralizes a portfolio of 1.6 million active accounts and manages 2.34 million consumption points nationwide. Through this digital infrastructure, the supplier issues approximately 1.9 million electronic invoices monthly. Claudia Griech, General Manager of E.ON Energie România, explained that the new budget will support the development of intelligent tools capable of actively assisting consumers, moving beyond basic chatbot functionalities. The development plan also aims to unify electric mobility services. The E.ON Drive application, used to manage the company's electric vehicle charging network, will be fully integrated into the Myline platform. Currently, E.ON operates over 700 private charging points across 39 Romanian counties. This integration will simplify payments and centralize consumption data for electric vehicle users. The pressure of client volume and the transition to decentralized services The necessity of accelerated digitalization is directly driven by the growing complexity of the customer portfolio. More than 110,000 customers within the E.ON network currently utilize sustainable energy solutions, such as photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, or private charging stations. Managing prosumers and bidirectional energy and data flows requires a much more flexible digital infrastructure than traditional systems can offer. Furthermore, the massive volume of daily interactions puts severe pressure on traditional telephone and physical support channels. By automating responses to frequent questions regarding bills, balances, and consumption, the company aims to reduce waiting times and lower operational costs. The "AI Search E.ON" tool, already active on the official website, represents the first step in a long-term strategy to decrease reliance on traditional call centers. Market impact: Digital standardization and the risk of excluding vulnerable consumers E.ON's decision forces other major suppliers in the Romanian market to accelerate their own technology investments to remain competitive. In a highly regulated market where profit margins are tight, operational efficiency achieved through AI represents the primary commercial differentiator. Massive digitalization reduces invoicing and contract administration costs, which can help stabilize tariffs over the long term. However, a clear social risk remains that the supplier must manage. Vulnerable consumers or those in rural areas who lack digital literacy or compatible mobile devices risk being marginalized. Although E.ON is expanding its Sales Platform for fully online contracting of energy solutions, maintaining physical and telephone support channels remains critical to avoiding communication breakdowns with these customer segments. Horizon 2030: AI integration and the undeclared restructuring of customer support By 2030, E.ON aims to complete the full integration of artificial intelligence into all sales and support processes. However, this massive digital transformation leaves an open question regarding the company's staffing structure. While the German group's total historical investments in Romania exceed 2.7 billion euros since 2005, the current 40-million-euro allocation for software and AI could signal a silent restructuring of customer relations departments in the coming years. In the short term, the stress test for these new AI-driven solutions will be the rollout of the first virtual assistants on the Myline platform in the second half of this year. The success of this transition will depend on the algorithms' ability to accurately process complex requests from prosumers, a rapidly expanding customer segment with demanding technical requirements.