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.
