This presentation is the Day 1 keynote address from the Energy Losses conference stream. Energy will have to be transmitted over greater distances. The further energy is transferred, the harder it is to maintain constant voltage on the transmission system and the higher the losses. Delivering energy over greater distances requires greater reactive support and could lead to voltage instability. It is necessary to look into ways of assessing the extent of the energy losses and discuss developing technologies that can reduce the loss and improve energy efficiency.