The energy challenges confronting Europe and the world today require urgent and ambitious decisions by politicians and industry alike. While Europe does have a comprehensive energy and climate agenda, it will take decades to put our energy system onto a sustainable and secure path if public awareness is not sufficiently raised...
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In the context of a fast-moving and rapidly changing energy world, set against the background of a gloomy domestic economy, EURELECTRIC’s two-day annual gathering of top industry executives and EU and international officials from across the world, is intended to give fresh impetus to on-going debates on Europe’s new energy challenges. Under the scrutiny not only of our own customers but also of regulators, policy-makers, eagle-eyed investors and bankers, electricity companies are becoming ever more efficient, dynamic and innovative. But for challenges to be turned into business opportunities to the benefit of society at large, markets must be allowed to function and give the right investment signals, and governments must avoid inconsistent, multiple and overlapping policies, which place unnecessary burdens on the sector and give rise to customer resistance and slow economic recovery. “Politics vs Industry: On the Cliff Edge” is a unique opportunity to discuss this underlying conference theme. I invite you to join us in Malta to what promises to be a thought provoking and stimulating event on how industry strategies can be transformed into innovative and cutting-edge solutions for our customers and for our World.
It is a true pleasure to welcome EURELECTRIC to Malta for their 2012 Annual Conference. We are honored to host a forum which, this year, will tackle such a challenging and important topic; that of "Politics vs Industry" in today’s energy markets. We believe that EURELECTRIC is the perfect stage where such matters can be debated freely thanks to the presence of esteemed delegates from all across Europe. The sessions will offer us a striking opportunity to delve into the fine balancing act between economic challenges and consumer’s expectations, interlaced with political thrust, a prevailing theme we encounter locally. Personally, I am looking forward to the fruitful discussions but I am also delighted that our guests will have a chance to discover all the gems our islands have to offer.
A plethora of international events have profoundly impacted energy and climate policies worldwide: the Fukushima nuclear tragedy, the “Arab Spring” Middle East / North African uprisings, the euro crisis, the financial and economic crisis, the uncertainty that surrounded Durban climate negotiations, and the breakthrough in shale gas, to name but a few. This “new era” for European energy has forced governments to refocus efforts on reducing import dependency and bolstering supply through stimulating competitive and integrated markets. In this context, the ability of our sector to attract and efficiently invest capital becomes a key driver for success and industry strategies are being refined to make sustainable innovation an integral part of the business.
The energy challenges confronting Europe and the world today require urgent and ambitious decisions by politicians and industry alike. While Europe does have a comprehensive energy and climate agenda it will take decades to put our energy system onto a sustainable and secure path if public awareness is not sufficiently raised, energy / climate policies remain uncoordinated, and finance is not forthcoming. Europe urgently needs to wake up to these facts and conduct an internal “reality check”. Without a change of mind set, the EU risks failure on its decarbonisation agenda and market integration ambitions.
Massive investments, both in generation and in grid infrastructure, are clearly required in the coming years if the EU is to meet its low-carbon energy agenda. In the context of the current economic, financial and sovereign debt crisis in Europe, capital markets are, however, reluctant to provide the levels of financing needed for long-term investments. How do our CEOs view the future? What strategies do they have? What will be the end game? And who’s ultimately accountable – industry or politics?
The large majority of Europe’s islands are isolated systems. They thus face particular challenges in terms of secure and sustainable energy supply. The development of innovative and alternative technologies, including affordable renewables, electricity storage and smart grids, is key to a successful - and sustainable - energy strategy for islands, whilst reducing, in the long-run, the dependency on diesel oil for conventional generation. Islands also play a significant role as “test beds” for deployment of new technologies, for example, or for the integration of variable RES into the system.
© 2012