Europe’s energy transition has placed the sector under strain. Members of POWER-GEN Europe and Renewable Energy World Europe’s Advisory Board have come together to discuss Europe’s security of supply, ahead of the conference and exhibition being held in Milan from 21st to 23rd June 2016.
Roundtable participants:
• Azad Camyab – CEO, Pearlstone Energy
• Simon Hobday – Partner, Osborne Clarke LLP
• Rudy Koenig – Principal, QENIQ Advisory
• Peter Ramm – CEO, Advanced Power Europe
What is the current state of security in the system?
Rudy Koenig: Precarious might be the right word. I think we’re okay for the time being, but there are many threats to Europe’s security of supply and not all of them are being adequately addressed.
Simon Hobday: Is ‘security of supply’: ‘are the lights going to go out’? Or do we mean: ‘is there enough fuel to produce power’? I think the two have been slightly mixed up at some level. We have a challenge in the UK around producing enough electricity, which could cause brownouts or blackouts and the sources of the energy production, whether nuclear, coal, gas or wind and solar. But it’s not just about energy production; it’s also key to understanding the value of electricity and when you use it and when you don’t.
