WEC's Bi-Monthly Commentary on Energy Issues, 1 October 2008

FT - WEC ENERGY LEADERS SUMMIT

On 16-17 September, WEC and the Financial Times presented the first FT-WEC Energy Leaders Summit. A total of 240 delegates came to the Cumberland Hotel in London to discuss the possibilities and challenges of "Investment Opportunities in Clean Energy Businesses". The Summit featured 52 speakers, including WEC Chair Pierre Gadonneix; Angel Gurria of OECD; Patrick Kron of Alstom; Geir H. Haarde, Prime Minister of Iceland; Joseph Hogan of ABB; Sir David King of the University of Oxford; Dr. Johannes Teyssen of E.ON; Anil Razdan of the Ministry of Power in India; and Jeffrey Kupfer of the US Department of Energy.
The two days of roundtable discussions and keynote addresses focused on topics such as "Transforming the Underlying Economics of Our Energy System"; "How Can Governments Help to Deliver the Vision? The Vital Role of Policy and Regulation in Building our New Energy Future"; "Green Transportation and Sustainable Cities"; and "Energy Efficiency and Demand Management". Dr Susan Hockfield, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), gave one of many memorable speeches, in which she stressed that mankind cannot wait for the perfect answers to the energy challenges we face today and in the future. She said the world is lacking innovations and investments in R&D; therefore, intensifying the level of expenditure on research is one of the main ways to achieve a sustainable energy future. This need for research and human resource development was mentioned repeatedly during the Summit as a key factor in moving toward a sustainable energy future.
The panel sessions were moderated by WEC members Mary M'Mukindia and Simon Godwin and by top level journalists from the Financial Times and Handelsblatt. The conference was widely covered by the international press, and a guest column signed by the WEC Chair was published on 16 September in the Financial Times 2008 Energy Report.
Speeches, presentations and pictures will soon be available on the WEC website at:
/news__events/ftwec_energy_leaders_summit_2008/1535.asp
Designed to promote the WEC Congress by maintaining WEC visibility in non-Congress years, the FT-WEC Energy Leaders Summit will be held on an annual basis, in London in 2009 and in Montreal in 2010.
At the Summit, a White Paper on WEC's Assessment of Energy Policy and Practices was launched and presented by Pierre Gadonneix. The White Paper is the first major step in a multi-year global study by WEC which aims to identify public policies that offer the best solutions for different countries. The White Paper is available to download at:
/publications/assessment_of_energy_policy_and_practices/default.asp

UAE BECOMES NEWEST WEC MEMBER

The application of the United Arab Emirates to become a member of WEC has been approved via a postal ballot, bringing WEC's total membership to 94 countries. Representatives from the new Committee will be invited to attend the Mexico City EA, so that they can be formally welcomed into WEC. Thanks to all WEC Member Committees who returned their ballots, and congratulations to UAE, WEC's newest member.

WEC ASIA REGIONAL SYMPOSIUM HELD IN TOKYO

A WEC Asia Regional Symposium and other related events took place in Tokyo from 3-5 September. The theme of the Symposium was "The Challenge to Improve Energy Efficiency of Coal-Fired Power Plants in Asia". David Younghoon Kim, WEC Vice Chair for Asia Pacific & South Asia, delivered the Opening Address, and Teruaki Masumoto, Chairman of the Japan Energy Association, gave the Welcome Address. Nearly 340 energy experts from Japan and other WEC member countries, including China, Korea, the US, Thailand, and Hong Kong, participated.
In his Keynote speech, the Chairman of the Japan Coal Energy Centre said coal will continue to play an important role in the future from the perspective of stable supply and cost and that the greatest challenge in the use of coal will be harmonization with the environment. The reduction of CO2 emissions from coal-fired power generation has huge global potential, and Japan must transfer its self-developed energy-efficient technologies to other countries by using the "Flexible Mechanism", including CDM. Key technologies will include coal gasification and CCS.
Speakers from China, India and Japan gave presentations on the policies and status of coal-fired power generation in their own country. In particular, the representative of the Asia Pacific Partnership (APP) explained the activities of its Power Generation and Transmission Task Force. The Task Force has identified best practices for power generation, transmission and distribution which can be applied as appropriate to increase generation efficiency and reduce emissions. The APP brings together seven major Asia-Pacific countries -- Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea and the US - which collectively account for more than half of the world's economy, population and energy use. The Partners are cooperating in an effort to address increased energy needs and associated issues of air pollution, energy security and climate change. A roundtable discussion on the efficiency of coal-fired generation also took place.
The Symposium was organised by the WEC Asia Region and the Japan Energy Association and was supported by the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan and the Japan Coal Energy Centre.
The day after the Symposium, on 4 September, the Japan Coal Energy Centre hosted "Clean Coal Day in Japan 2008", and on 5 September, a site visit was made to the National Institute of Advanced Industrial and Science Technology and Tokyo Electric Power Company's Hitachi-naka coal-fired power plant.
The Japanese Member Committee will hold another Symposium on "Innovative Mobility Technologies and their Fuels" in Tokyo on 28 October. Members interested in participating in the Symposium should contact info@jea-wec.or.jp.

FUTURE ENERGY WEBPAGE LAUNCHED

WEC launched an updated Future Energy Leaders website on 1 September which aims to build on the Rome Congress Youth Programme and develop an ongoing "community" of young energy professionals. All Member Committees and interested young persons are encouraged to visit the website and become involved.
The plan is to work through the WEC Member Committees to draw in young energy professionals,  involve them in the national WEC activities and integrate them into WEC's regional and global work programme activities. The Future Energy Leaders Community will be based on national or regional youth working groups associated with WEC Member Committees. The newly launched webpage will provide an online platform for communication for the entire group.
The intention is for the Future Energy Leaders Community to become an international network that allows the energy leaders of tomorrow to debate and discuss WEC's key goals, become actively involved in WEC's work alongside the triennial Congress youth programme and network with colleagues around the world. Questions and ideas are welcome. For further information, please contact Stephanie Flinth in the WEC London office (future@worldenergy.org).

GERALD DOUCET     
Secretary General
World Energy Council     
5th Floor, Regency House,
1-4 Warwick St.
LONDON W1B 5LT
TEL:  (+44 20) 7734 5996