The Russian Energy Week International Forum 2022 (REW) has concluded in Moscow and once again confirmed its status as a key platform for discussing the main challenges faced by the energy sector. This year, the Forum was attended by over 3,000 participants and media representatives from more than 80 countries. The Forum was organized by the Russian Ministry of Energy and the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Moscow Government.

Russian society ‘Znanie’ served as a co-organizer and partner of the REW this year and implemented several successful projects. In particular, the Russian society ‘Znanie’ had its own podcast studio called the ‘Energy of Knowledge’ at the Forum venue, where fuel and energy sector experts answered questions from the presenters, spoke about prospects for the development of the industry, and shared plans and forecasts. Over its three days of work, the ‘Energy of Knowledge’ studio recorded 1,300 minutes of educational content, while the number of online listeners exceeded 8.5 million people. The discussions held in the studio generated great interest. All the key speakers at the Forum visited the studio, and their interaction with the participants proved to be lively and informal, primarily due to the format of the studio itself and the interviewers as represented by Vladimir Arkhireysky and Alevtina Penkalskaya. All multimedia materials and podcasts will be stored in the Russian society ‘Znanie’ database. They can already be listened to on the educational organization’s official platforms: the website and the VKontakte community.

The Russian society ‘Znanie’ was also involved in preparing multimedia films for the Forum. Infographic videos accompanied each REW session and were also broadcast on the Forum’s official websites and the educational organization’s online resources. A total of 10 videos were created that addressed various aspects of the industry. In particular, the session ‘Global Markets: Cooperation for Development’ opened with a video with an analysis of the global oil and gas market today. In addition, the session dedicated to Russia’s technological sovereignty was accompanied by a mini-film about the digital transformation of the fuel and energy industry. The social sector was also addressed with a video about fuel and energy workers that turned out to be very informative: not only did it include data about the number and regional features of people working at industry enterprises, it also painted a portrait of employees with their needs and personal characteristics.

“To educate young people, we need to utilize all the opportunities that digitalization has provided us. Social media, video hosting, other platforms – Russian society ‘Znanie’ is everywhere. We focus on young people and offer smart content that meets their needs both in terms of the relevant themes as well as formats. Overall, we strive to become their reliable partner and guide to the vast world of knowledge,” said Georgy Budny, Deputy Director General of Russian society ‘Znanie’.

The final day of REW was devoted to the younger generation, who are the future of the country’s fuel and energy industry. Youth Day was co-organized by the Reliable Change Foundation for Educational Projects, and its events were attended by more than 1,000 students from Russian universities, colleges, and schools, as well as young professionals, experts, rectors, teachers, and CEOs of industry companies. The Forum venues hosted interactive sessions on the creation of youth projects, educational master classes, and roundtables all day long. The issues raised during Youth Day reflected the prospects for the industry’s development not only in Russia, but also around the world. In particular, the participants devoted much attention to the discussion of energy-efficient solutions based on solar energy, thereby setting a trend for the industry’s eco-friendliness in the future. In addition, panel discussions addressed how to effectively generate motivation in the industry in Russia and emphasized the need for progressive changes in the industry. Several people attended a master class on the effective promotion of fuel and energy projects, during which experts spoke about special aspects of the practical implementation of ideas in the domestic fuel and energy industry.

The key event of the REW Youth Day was a panel discussion attended by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak. The discussion platform brought together numerous experts and observers given the prominent status of the speakers. Welcoming the participants, Novak not only emphasized the importance of the young generation of specialists for the industry, but also shared his views on the main trends in the global fuel and energy sector.

“Today, I would single out three global energy trends. The first is, of course, the acute energy crisis, which essentially affects energy security. The second is the global transformation of the energy market. The third is the energy transition, where we are witnessing a reassessment of the pace and goals,” Novak said.

Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Grabchak told the audience about future trends in the industry, but emphasized the Russian electric power system.

“In terms of new trends, the Russian energy sector has always developed from a position of catching up. We have always been conservative, and this is our strength. The Russian energy system is one of the most stable. Its foundations were born a hundred years ago. Our energy balance is based not on one single type of fuel, but on several. This is what enables us to maintain stability. At the same time, innovation processes are ongoing, including intellectualization, the introduction of smart power grid management systems, decision support systems, and robotization systems. We have all this in our power industry,” Grabchak said.

There was an interesting discussion about the prospects of the coal industry. Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Sergey Mochalnikov told the audience that even though coal has started being perceived as an obsolete fuel in recent years, digitalization processes in the coal sector are proceeding at a rapid pace. Specifically, almost all the equipment in a modern mine is already digital: Wi-Fi, electronic positioning systems, and real-time health check systems. All data is displayed on 3D maps, including employee movement and equipment loads.

“Moreover, Russia has unique coal reserves. We have every type. Our coal assortment is unparalleled. But the main feature of Russian coal is that it contains very few harmful impurities: low sulphur, little phosphorus, virtually no arsenic. And all this hinders the active use of coal. That is to say, we also have a qualitative advantage,” Mochalnikov said.

The Russian Energy Week International Forum marked its fifth anniversary this year. Each year, the REW platform becomes a point of attraction for government leaders, industry ministers from different countries, and CEOs of the world’s largest fuel and energy companies. This heightened attention is not accidental, as key decisions are taken and agreements are signed at the Forum that will largely dictate the industry’s development for the coming year. Thus, Russian Energy Week has transitioned from a discussion platform to the status of a global event of a political and economic scale.

For more please visit the official website and the Roscongress Foundation’s ROSCONGRESS.ORG Information and Analytical System.