World Energy Council Central and Eastern Europe Regional Energy Forum - FOREN 2024

FOREN 2024 - World Energy Council Central & Eastern Europe Energy Forum

The largest regional energy event is from Sunday, 16 June - Wednesday, 19 June 2024, between 08:00 – 17:00 (GMT)

Hosted by the Romanian National Committee of the World Energy Council

There is a tradition for the Romanian National Committee of the World Energy Council (RNC - WEC) to organize the biennial Regional Energy Forum (FOREN). This event responds to a real need for analysis and debate on the status of the energy sectors in the Central and Southeast European region and for identifying cooperation solutions in the energy domain.

At this moment, the need seems to be even more acute as the challenges are growing, they are becoming more demanding: During the last two years, energy sectors of countries in the region faced many different challenges and the general landscape for development changed dramatically with effects on specific markets and energy consumers and the quality of life for populations of these countries. These impacts and the competitiveness of the whole region and – in particular – increased the important effort that some of these economies have to undertake in trying to get climate-neutral or – for others - to drastically reduce their carbon footprint. One can mention the painful recovery after the global medical crisis, the spreading military conflicts and other geopolitical extended tensions with their effect of transforming energy into a political weapon, the need to reshape and improve the technologies, and abnormal energy price increases. We may add economic development affected by inflation felt all over the region, perturbation of essential materials supply chains, pressure to fulfil the requirements of the energy transition, difficulties in energy accessibility, and many others.

Therefore, facing these challenges, a reasonable question could be raised: Does the energy sector remain the support for economic development and a pillar of stability for long-term development? One possible hurdle would probably be explained in the situation of a shortage of energy resources, but this is not the case. The region has resources, both fossil and renewable, with the Black Sea continental platforms having a recognized potential. So, the question may be changed: what can be done to use them optimally? That means access to the best technologies and appropriate materials, innovative financing, proper regulation/deregulation, skilled staff in this key domain, well-functioning markets, and a stable geopolitical environment. All these can help countries in the region to answer to the combined requirements of the Energy Trilemma, where its three challenges (stable energy supply, mitigation of its impact on the environment, and affordability) have equal importance. Stable supply requests a change of traditional routes, reshaping the energy mix, and access to new technologies. Reduction of energy impact on the environment is now under the imperative of energy transition to climate-neutral energy sectors, and affordability is connected to the new position of consumers and their active role.  

At all these, for the countries in the region, we have to add a very important ingredient: cooperation. Without it, the opportunities cannot be used, and the impediments are overpassed. Experience accumulated from the previous regional forums showed that to find the best solutions in this try there is a need for joint debate on common problems specific to this complex zone. In this respect, themes related to just energy transition in the region, how to adapt energy sectors to the new challenges, energy efficiency and smart consumption, use of an optimized fuel mix, new technologies, education of qualified energy staff, and many others will be discussed.

Taking into consideration this region’s distinctive features versus the other parts of Europe, the participants will find FOREN 2024 a good platform for information on specific problems and solutions, exchanges of experience and good practices among experts from the countries of the region, but also the business meeting opportunities needed in these special times.

To register, please click here.

Event contact for enquiries: secretariat@cnr-cme.ro

Visit the FOREN website for more details.