Alexander Novak Attends Russian Energy Week Day Three

October 13, 2023

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak was on hand to participate in the final day of the Russian Energy Week International Forum. He spoke at the plenary session, ‘Energy 2035: The Future of the Sector’, and took part in the special ‘Battle of Generations: Experts vs. Young Minds’.

The Deputy Prime Minister captained the team of experts competing in the battle of generations against a team of young minds that consisted of young specialists, students, and postgraduates from the leading educational institutions of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The six young men and women included champions and laureates of various international and domestic scientific and practical competitions and class and production leaders specializing in the energy and fuel industry. The expert team consisted of the heads of Russian fuel and energy companies and a special guest member – Hungarian Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjártó. The experts engaged the young specialists and students in discussions on a wide range of issues, from the role of artificial intelligence and robots in the energy industry to the overall outlook for the energy transition, including the introduction of electric transport and renewable energy as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Alexander Novak noted three essential objectives for Russia’s energy development strategy: “Firstly, we must ensure our traditional energy sector of oil and gas, electricity, and coal is sustainable. Secondly, we must continue to diversify our fuel and energy sector by developing new areas and products in petrochemicals and liquefied natural gas production. And the third thing we need to do is make our energy mix cleaner, by increasing the share of nuclear and renewable energy in Russia while maintaining the right balance between oil, gas and coal, and other sources. The government has developed a strategy for improving the energy balance as part of the Energy Strategy of Russia for the Period until 2035, though we are already thinking of extending that to 2050.”

Peter Szijjártó commented on the European Union’s programme to completely replace internal combustion engine vehicles with electric transport beginning in 2035. “Many market players have already invested billions of euros in the production and maintenance of electric cars. Electric transport depends on batteries, though, and they are produced primarily in the East: the top 10 producers are located in China, South Korea, and Japan, making European industry 100% dependent on these producers and creating very inconvenient risks,” Szijjártó said.

It was the audience’s job to evaluate both teams’ answers in each round, and the competition ended in a tie.

At the end of the panel discussion, Alexander Novak handed out commemorative diplomas to the pupils, students, postgraduates, and young specialists participating in Olympiads and professional competitions related to oil, gas, and energy.

Alexander Novak also met with Governor of Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev at the Forum to discuss issues related to providing customers in Irkutsk Region with a reliable energy source and how to modernize the region’s power grid.

The Russian Energy Week International Forum is a key global platform for discussing current trends in the development of the modern fuel and energy sector. This event is traditionally held at the highest level, featuring the participation of leaders from the largest companies in the energy industry. In 2022, more than 70 events, with the involvement of over 270 speakers, were held as part of REW. The Forum attracted over 3,000 participants and media representatives from Russia, as well as 83 foreign countries and territories. The Forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, with the support of the Moscow City Government.

Official website of REW: rusenergyweek.com. For news about the event and the industry, please follow the official REW page on VK.

Source: Russian Government, Source: government.ru/news/49793.

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