24th October 2023 - Tuesday
10:00 - 11:15 | Lecture Theatre A | Opening Institutional Panel
“The new scenario and current emergencies: Focus on the outcomes of COP27 in view of COP28”
The Opening session will provide an overview of the new emergencies with a focus on current and future challenges the Mediterranean region will have to face to proceed on the path of energy transition and ensure development and growth.
The new geopolitical contest has highlighted the importance and urgency to deal with the ‘trilemma’ of the transition: namely how to combine and grant competitiveness, availability and sustainability.
There is general consensus on the need to accelerate and build a new and more resilient energy system as quickly as possible, trying to fill the gap between Europe and the southern Mediterranean countries.
Over the next 25 years the southern Med region will experience a substantial growth in energy demand, as a result of population and economic growth. Therefore, energy consumption is expected to double and electricity consumption even triple.
The demand will be covered by conventional gas resources, mainly located in the South, as well as by renewables, which are abundant although still largely unexploited (including onshore and offshore wind, bio energies and marine sources).
Europe on its part is called to sustain a strong collaboration with Med countries to exploit its combined expertise, technologies, assets in order to ensure sustainable growth while effectively cutting CO2 emissions.
The OMC Opening session will comment this scenario, integrate the perspectives of the current policies to an inclusive and comprehensive goal, catalyze the synergies between the North and South sides of the Mediterranean, thus ideally building a bridge with the next Cop28, to continue the dialogue on energy transition.
Moderating: Silvia Berzoni, Class CNBC
Keynote speeches
Invited Authorities:
- Tarek El Molla - Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Egypt
- Mohamed Arkab - Minister of Energy and Mines, Algeria
- Gilberto Pichetto Fratin - Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Italy