WEC Inside

15–31 May 2014

Welcome to WEC Inside, your exclusive briefing from your WEC network

News

Amid growing uncertainties in the energy sector of

eastern and central Asia, the WEC will be hosting

closed talks with more than 60 senior energy

figures including ministers and company CEOs at

its World Energy Leaders’ Summit, to take place

in Astana, Kazakhstan, this week (21-22 May).

The Summit will be co-hosted with Karim

Massimov, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.

The talks will address the opportunities and

emerging risks in an energy sector under rapid

transition in the region. It will focus discussions on

unconventionals, nuclear power, de-risking energy

infrastructure, and power-to-gas technologies.

Held in the margins of the Astana Economic

Forum, the summit brings together energy leaders

from 26 countries, including 10 prime ministers,

ministers and senior government officials from

eight countries.

The ministers will be joined by CEOs and

heads of energy companies from 14 countries,

including Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France,

Political and industry leaders gather at WEC summit co-hosted by Prime Minister of Kazakhstan

Italy, India, Kazakhstan, Korea, Russia, Switzerland,

UAE, UK and the USA.

Speaking ahead of the Summit, Christoph Frei,

WEC Secretary General, said: “At a time of shifting

tectonics in the energy sector it is critical for energy

leaders to keep connecting the dots. We are

pleased to work with the Kazakh government and

we look forward to convening an influential group of

energy leaders to discuss implications for the region

and beyond.

“Of particular interest will be the potential role of

unconventionals in the region, emerging new risks in

a context of great uncertainty, and updates on inno-

vation in the field of energy storage,” he added.

The WEC will also use the gathering to inaugu-

rate a high-level advisory group on nuclear energy.

Three years after Fukushima, the impact on the

nuclear sector is still being felt in many parts of the

world. The group will assess the realistic future for

the sector and analyse how governments will use

the technology in the energy mix. ■

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15–31 May 2014 WEC Inside 1

What does this year’s ACEF aim to achieve?

Asia promises to be a global clean energy

investment hub. Investments have been growing

exponentially over the past decade, but in order for

them to continue to grow the region needs to keep

on revisiting its institutional frameworks and

strategies.

ADB and its development partners designed

the ACEF for that purpose. For the past seven

years this annual flagship ADB event has been

seeking to fill knowledge gaps in energy policy,

regulation, finance, investment, energy access,

and technology.

For the first time, ACEF will this year also co-

host a ministerial dialogue with the WEC. This will

bring together high-level government officials to

tackle policy barriers to the deployment of clean

energy solutions. The lessons we learn through

this will assist our developing member countries in

devising national strategies for the deployment of

clean energy.

Interview

What does the ADB hope to achieve by partnering with the WEC?

The theme of this year’s ACEF is “connecting the

policy, technology, and finance communities”.

This has a multifold meaning.

We found that developing member countries

are very willing to deploy clean energy solutions.

It is just a matter of how to do it.

For instance, clean energy technology is

available, but choosing the right technologies to

fit local needs can be confusing with all of the

choices available out there. Thus, only by sharing

knowledge and expertise can we realise the

“how”.

This is where we envision the WEC can pro-

vide invaluable assistance. With a network that

spans over 90 countries, and with a programme

that fosters knowledge exchange across regions,

the WEC’s agenda and goals are very much in

line with our own.

To that end, we are thrilled to collaborate with

the WEC in hosting this year’s ACEF at our

headquarters in Manila, along with the US Agency

for International Development.

We envision our collaboration with the WEC in

the Forum to be the beginning, and hope to con-

tinue partnering with the WEC in future.

What is the development finance situation in Asia for energy projects?

There is adequate financing for energy projects.

While global clean energy investments declined by

11% to $254 million in 2013 and the additions to

renewable generation capacity also declined,

renewable energy investment in the Asia Pacific

region continued to grow steadily, increasing by

10% in the same year.

Governments within the region need to be

serious about climate change and its impacts on

their respective countries. Governments also

need to mobilise their pension funds to fund clean

The WEC is supporting the Asian Development Bank’s Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) next month. ADB’s Anthony Jude talks about how the collaboration could foster energy knowledge for

powering growth in the region.

Anthony J. Jude is Senior Advisor and Practice Leader for Energy at the Regional and Sustainable Development Department of the Asian Development Bank.

World Energy Leaders’ Summit will take place in

Astana, Kazakhstan

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