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SEOUL, KOREA - These days, the future of energy has become a hot button issue where different nations take diverse stances. While some advanced nations have been spurring the development of renewable energy, on the other end of the spectrum there are countries without access to electricity and some that rely on burning wood for their basic energy requirements. For others still, energy demand is significantly on the rise to fuel economic growth, triggering environmental concerns such as climate change. The “Energy Trilemma”, broken down into energy security, social equity, and environmental impact mitigation, are known to be the key challenges facing mankind today and require nothing short of global cooperation in order to solve them.
The 22nd World Energy Congress will be held in Daegu, Korea from October 13th to 17th of this year. This marks the first important meeting on energy since the United Nation’s global initiative, “Sustainable Energy for All” last year. The Congress, also known as the “World Premier Energy Event”, has been the WEC’s representative global event since 1924. The event provides a venue where global leaders including ministers, high-ranking officials, CEOs and key figures of international organizations are able to meet to discuss a number of energy-related challenges currently facing mankind.
The 22nd World Energy Congress will welcome 5,000 government and business leaders, as well as other delegates from 100 countries around the world. The event will act as a forum for up to 25,000 participants to learn about the latest products and opportunities in the energy sector, and also serve as a useful platform for companies to conduct business.
“This year, under the theme of “Securing Tomorrow’s Energy Today,” a variety of specific agendas will be discussed. These will include the development of renewable energy, the effective control of nuclear energy, new business models for the power industry, sustainability of shale gas, and the capability of current infrastructure to match the demands of future energy. Diverse meetings will take place including minister-level meetings, WEC Executive Assembly, as well as lectures and debates with over 200 speakers representing a variety of stances on the future of energy,” said Lee Jongho, Secretary General of WEC Daegu 2013 Organizing Committee.
“The world is now facing the limits of contemporary forms of energy. Energy consumption in the Asian emerging countries is expected to more than double the levels that are currently used today by 2030. At present, more than 80% of global energy comes from fossil energy, but there are obvious disadvantages of these fuel sources include finite resources and environmental degradation. It is time for both developed and emerging countries to ponder the direction that energy consumption is currently headed in order to shift into the development of renewable energy.”
He continued, “This congress will offer opportunities to discuss what measures should be taken in order to provide a sustainable supply of energy that will allow the global population to equally enjoy sufficient energy resources regardless of their economic status. In order to achieve a true global consensus, the discussion will also include cooperation with international organizations such APEC, WTO, and UN.”
“Hot-button issues such as nuclear energy issues following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and the global impact of North American shale gas development will also be largely in the spotlight. In recent years, there have been heated debates over what should be given the foremost priority between safety and increasing energy prices in terms of being dealt with. Nuclear experts will conduct in-depth debates regarding the safety of power plants.”
Lee said that, “As the host country and also a nation that has garnered first-hand experience of both developed and developing countries, Korea has the unique opportunity of acting as a bridge between the two groups of nations. Korea will share its models for economic development as well as the development experience it has accumulated in the energy industry through the “Developing Country Programme”. On top of this, the exhibition will present an opportunity for Korea to display its cutting-edge energy technologies and the outcomes of sustainable energy development policies that have been put into practice.”
The WEC Daegu 2013 Organizing Committee is going to great lengths to ensure that preparation for the event is smooth and timely. To date, 134 speakers are confirmed to lecture on energy technology development and market exploration strategies. As well as 23 ministers, leaders of major international organizations including IAEA, and CEOs of global energy companies including Royal Dutch Shell and ARAMCO are slated to attend the Congress.