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.
