Scenarios team gathers regional energy experts in India & South Africa

The World Energy Council will be gathering key decision-makers  in India and South Africa over the next month to discuss the region’s energy future.

 

The first workshop, to take place in New Delhi on 30 January, will debate and discuss the most pertinent issues to shape the energy landscape of the South and Central Asian region. Hosted by WEC-India, the workshop, planned to coincide with the India Energy Congress, will inform the regional context for the next set of World Energy Scenarios, set for release in 2016.

 

“The region faces a unique set of challenges such as meeting the growth in energy demand, energy access and challenges related to mega cities,” said Karl Rose, Senior Director of World Energy Scenarios.

The 2013 Scenarios study sees total primary energy supply in the South and Central Asian region to grow by between 2.1 and 3.2 times, while meeting energy demand in electricity alone will require at least US$3.1 trillion of cumulative investment between 2010 to 2050.

Professor Rose will moderate discussions at the workshop.

 

 

Next month (16 February) the team will host another workshop in Johannesburg, at the Africa Energy Indaba, the Council’s annual regional event which will this year inaugurate the WEC’s Year of Africa.

The workshop, to be hosted by SANEA, the WEC South African committee during the Africa Energy Indaba, will see experts from the region debate and discuss recent events in the political, economic and social environments that impact on energy. They will also look at the most pertinent technological and environmental changes that will shape the energy landscape.

This discussion will be used to form the basis for a regional Scenarios report, which, provided there is sufficient interest, would be developed into more detailed African scenarios, accompanied by modelling. The insights gained would also be presented during the week of the WEC Executive Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this October.

Ged Davis, Executive Chair of World Energy Scenarios, commented: “The continent is resource-rich and holds significant potential, but also faces numerous challenges, which include increasing energy access and energy affordability. Growth in energy demand and infrastructure investments, trade barriers and sustained economic growth are also big issues that add to the complexity.”

The 2013 study sees total primary energy supply in the Sub-Sahara region to grow by between 1.9 and 2.2 times, while meeting energy demand in electricity alone will require at least US$ 1.2 trillion of cumulative investment between 2010 to 2050.

Ged Davis and Karl Rose will moderate discussions at the Johannesburg workshop.

Commenting on both workshops, Karl Rose said:

 

“We will be drawing on a number of World Energy Council studies and using the framework of the Jazz and Symphony Scenarios of 2013 as lenses, to investigate key drivers for the region and their possible development trajectories over the coming years. For these kinds of insights, the expertise of regional and national strategists will be crucial.”

After both events the core scenario team of international energy strategists will analyse the workshop results to compile at the regional report and as input for the World Energy Scenarios report in 2016.