Global electricity leaders conclude 2015 International Electricity Summit

News Article

Chief executives from electricity industry associations across the globe, including Edison Electric Institute of the United States, the Canadian Electricity Association, the Energy Supply Association of Australia, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan and EURELECTRIC, gathered in Okinawa, Japan on 13-14 April for the 2015 International Electricity Summit. Discussions centred on the changes in the business environment since the last meeting in San Diego in April 2013, with focused debates on four specific themes:

  • The future of electricity: demand and supply sides
  • Renewable energy: issues arising from the wider introduction of renewables
  • Combination of power sources: political and regulatory trends affecting coal and nuclear, in particular
  • Climate change: challenges and implications for the industry in the context of the new international framework under discussion (COP 21 in Paris this December)

Deliberations were summed up in a closing joint statement in which leaders reiterated the key role electricity plays in the transition to a globally sustainable energy system and reaffirmed their common goal to provide sustainable, reliable, affordable and accessible electricity to further economic growth on the path forward.

The next meeting of the International Electricity Summit is scheduled for September 2016 in Portugal.

The closing statement adopted in Okinawa is available here.

The statement adopted at the 2013 San Diego summit is available here.