|
11 April 2011
The Moscow International Energy Forum «Russian Fuel and Energy Complex in the XXI Century» (MIEF-2011) has finished its work. The Forum has been participated by more than 1200 delegates, including: experts, politicians, businessmen and representatives of legations from 33 countries, official delegations from 37 Russian Federation constituent entities, and 300 journalists from 70 Russian and foreign media. The produced reports and presentations, and adopted resulting documents, and wide media coverage by the Forum media-partners have confirmed the status of MIEF as one of the most prominent and important public events in the Russian power industry’s life. MIEF has securely established its reputation as an international discussion platform for the most acute and urgent issues of today’s power industry to be discussed on the highest expert and representation level.
Format of the Forum
The Forum provided its participants with a unique opportunity to present new ideas, state a new approach to the events  being observed in the world and Russian power industry, and independently evaluate strategic documents, decisions and statements by representatives of the authorities and the business. In the light of the events in the countries of the Arab world and in Japan, the central position at the Forum was given to provision of the world economy’s sustainable development and Russia’s role in this process.
The Forum was participated by the leading Russian and world experts, representatives of the international organizations, the biggest Russian and international corporations, representatives of the federal and regional authorities, as well as the leading scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The high expert level of the participants favored comprehensive examination and analysis of the questions on the agenda.
The international status of the Forum was fully proved by wide participation of foreign countries’ representatives. The MIEF-2011 was participated by experts, businessmen an politicians from Austria, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, Korea, Kuwait, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, USA, Ukraine, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan.
In his greeting to the Forum participants, Vladimir Putin, Chairman of the Russian Federation Government, gave a high assessment to the Forum’s potential: « …MIEF has proven its vitality and established itself as a needed authoritative discussion platform to concern the development and modernization problems of the Russian fuel and energy complex, as well as fortifying the positions of our country as one of the main participants in the world energy conversation. The Forum agenda includes such urgent questions as forming the global energy security system and elaborating consolidated approaches in this strategic direction of the international interaction».
MIEF-2011 Program
The Program of the MIEF-2011 included the Plenary Discussion «Russian Fuel and Energy  Complex in the XXI Century: International Dimension», 7 international conferences, 4 round tables and the Exhibition «Russian Fuel and Energy Complex in the XXI Century».
The central event of the Forum – the plenary discussion – began with the announcement of the greeting to the Forum participants from Vladimir Putin, Chairman of the Russian Federation Government. The first session of the Plenary Discussion was opened by Yuriy Lipatov, Chairman of the Energy Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. In his opening speech, he noted: «Russia, being one of the leading powers on the world energy market, is interested in finding a balance of all the market players’ interests. Russia has initiated adoption of the documents on the principles of the global energy security; Dmitriy Anatolyevich Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, has put forward the initiative to develop a legally binding international document to regulate the global energy cooperation and reflect the interests of the main energy market players. Russia possesses incontestable competitive advantages, since it is one of the world's leading suppliers of primary energy resources. Meanwhile, our strong positions on the world energy market should not become a systemic obstacle for sound and progressive technological structurally diverse development of the national economy, including implementation of the resource-innovative scenario of the energy sector’s development». In noting the increased Forum’s authority, Yuriy Lipatov said that «… MIEF is acquiring the features of an increasingly authoritative platform qualified to assist in furthering the international energy conversation and consolidating the efforts of the public-expert community, the business sphere, and the authorities».
The second session of the Plenary Discussion «Energy Challenges of the XXI Century: Scenarios of Tomorrow» was moderated by Vitaliy Bushuyev, Director General of the State Institution «Institute for Energy Strategy; Anatoliy Dmitrievskiy, Director of the Institute of Oil and Gas Problems of the Russian Academy of Science, conducted the third session «World Power Industry: Legal framework and Global Energy Security». The Plenary Discussion was attended by the following specialists as panel experts:
Valeriy Golubev – Deputy Chairman of Board of OJSC «Gazprom»;
Dominique Fache – Regional Director for Russia and CIS, Enel S.p.A;
Jean Pierre Thomas – Special Representative of the President of the French Republic for French-Russian Business Relations Development;
Reiner Hartmann – Head of Representative Office, E.ON Ruhrgas AG;
 Leonid Grigoryev – Deputy Director General – Research Supervisor at the Federal State Institution «Russian Energy Agency»;
Alexander Epishov – Principal Analyst of MIEF;
Aleksey Kontorovich – Research Supervisor of A. A. Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics SB RAS;
Alexander Bychkov – Deputy Director General of IAEA;
Andrey Konoplyanik – Consultant of the «Gazprombank» Board;
Urban Rusnak – Ambassador, Leader of the Slovakian External Energy Security Project (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic).
Between 6 and 8 April, 7 international conferences and 4 round tables were conducted within the MIEF-2011.
• «Foreign Investments in the Russian Fuel and Energy Complex: Current State and Prospects»;
• «New Energy Strategy of the EU: Aftereffects for Russia»;
• «Forecasts of the World and Russian Energy Sector Development»;
• «East Vector in the Russian Energy Strategy»;
• «Russian-Chinese Strategic Energy Partnership: Potential and Ways of Implementation»;
• «Global Energy Safety: New Agenda»;
• «Modernization of Facilities in Electric Power Industry: Problems and Solutions»;
• «Human Resourcing of the Russian Fuel and Energy Complex Modernization: High School in Focus»;
• «Updated Legal Mechanisms of Stimulating Investments in the Heat Power Industry: First Results and Assessments by Market Players»;
• «Smart Electric Grids: World Experience and Prospects of Russia»;
• «Modernization of Russian Oil and Gas Complex: Concepts and Strategies».
The MIEF-2011 participants took a great interest in those events within the framework of the Forum. The total number of the participants of the conferences exceeded 1200 people; 128 reports were presented. Representatives of the science, business and expert communities had an interested talk about the development prospects for the world power industry and creation of the preconditions for sustainable development. They also discussed establishment of a new institutional legal system for the global energy safety, and prospects of the modernization of the Russian fuel and energy complex.
Media Coverage and Partner Support
During the Forum, the experts actively commented on the latest events having seriously influenced the world  power industry and assessed the development prospects for different sectors of the world and Russian power industry. The press center organized at the Forum facilitated the process. The press center engaged experienced journalists who managed to organize 20 briefings and interviews during the four days of the Forums work. The press’s interest to the MIEF-2011 was the greatest in the Forum’s history. The Forum was attended by more than 300 journalists. The leading Russian media covered the Forum events acting as information partners. Among them, there were: the Russian State International Information Agency «Rossia-24», the TV channels RBK-TV, Russia Today, «Mir», the magazine «Energy Academy», «Rossiyskaya Gazeta», RBK Daily, the magazines «Russia in Global Politics», the holding «United Media» represented by the first business radio station Business FM and the Internet portal BFM.ru. Journalists from the central channels’ information programs, IA Interfax, and a number of the specialized Internet-portals were also attracted to the Forum.
The Forum’s preparation and work were performed with support from: OJSC «Gazprom», General Partner of the Forum, Honeywell Corporation, General Sponsor, and RMG Company, Strategic Partner. The Forum was also supported by the Association of European Businesses in the Russian Federation, MIEP of MGIMO (University), the Institute of Oil and Gas Problems of RAS, the Energy Research Institute of RAS, NCTC Association, «President-Neva» Energy Center» Company, the insurance company «Stolitsa», «Nizhnekamskneftekhim», «Ilma» and others.
Exhibition «Russian Fuel and Energy Complex in the XXI Century»
On 7 April, at 10.00, the official opening of the exhibition took place in CEH «Manege». Members of the Organizing Committee and the Forum partners welcomed the participants of the Forum Business Program and of the exhibition «Russian Fuel and Energy Complex in the XXI Century». The ceremony was participated by:
Herbert Arents – Managing Director of RMG Group of Companies;
Valeriy Golubev – Deputy Chairman of OJSC «Gazprom» Board;
Andrey Epishov – Director General of MIEF;
Konstantin Kosachev – Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Co-Chairman of the MIEF-2011 Organizing Committee
Yuriy Lipatov – Chairman of the Energy Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Co-Chairman of the MIEF-2011 Organizing Committee;
Valentin Mezhevich – First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Natural Monopolies, Member of the MIEF-2011 Organizing Committee;
Jean Pierre Thomas – Special Representative of the President of the French Republic for French-Russian Business Relations Development.
 The main competitive advantage of the Exhibition «Fuel and Energy Complex in the XXI Century» over other numerous energy exhibitions was an extremely high participants’ presentation layer, and appearance of the first persons of the biggest energy companies in Russia and in the world. The total area of the exposition was about 1,000 square meters. The compact and convenient arrangement of the display stands in CEH «Manege»’s territory enabled the participants of the Forum and of the Exhibition to examine the exposition in detail and establish interesting business contacts. It was traditional that the exhibition was looked round by representatives of the federal and regional, legislative and executive authorities, the top managers of the world’s leading energy companies, major experts of public associations and scientific organizations.
This year's exhibition displayed the stands of such companies as Honeywell, Klinger, RMG, Gazprom, Zarubezhneft, Ilma, Nizhnekamskneftekhim, LOESK, MOEK, MOESK, IDGC of Siberia, IDGC of Ural, Russian Railways, Tatneft, TMK, Energy Center «President-Neva», State Company «EFESk», and other companies of the energy sector, as well as the stands of the universities training engineers and specialists for the fuel and energy complex. The exhibitors’ stands represented the newest innovative designs and products, and technologies, as well as the projects for increasing production environmental friendliness.
Intellectual Component of the MIEF-2011
The Forum’s intellectual component was introduced as early as on the preparation stage, when the Program Committee – a new public body under the MIEF Organizing Committee – engaged four RAS academicians,  leading scientists and analysts of the most authoritative research institutes, the rectors of the leading energy-related universities and institutes. The second factor determining the Forum’s extremely high intellectual level was the composition of the reporters and the panel experts. It would not be too much to say that literally all the «stars» of the Russian energy scientific and expert community were present at the Forum to read absolutely new reports reflecting the recent events in the world politics and economics. All the reports presented at the Forum, as well as the speeches within the framework of the discussions, will be available upon completing the processing of the Forum sessions’ transcripts. The analytical group under the Forum Organizing Committee is preparing a special analytical report on the basis of the analysis of these speeches. The Forum participants adopted the Concluding Declaration reflecting commitment to the principles of sustainable development, understanding of the common energy-, environment-, and climate-related challenges faced by the international community. The Declaration contained the key theses proposed upon analyzing the world economy’s post-crisis restoration, and the call to the leaders of the G20 states for more intensive efforts aimed at coping with the consequences of the recession, as well as reforming the international financial institutions, that should provide dynamic, stable, and balanced growth of the world economy, stability and sustainable development.
The MIEF-2011 Outcomes
One more time, the Moscow International Energy Forum «Russian Fuel and Energy Complex in the XXI Century» has indicated that the scientific and expert community, the business and the authorities show  increasing interest to interacting and developing agreed approaches to the key economic problems. The participation in the Forum of the leading world experts and representatives of the authoritative international organizations proves that MIEF, as an international non-governmental platform, is integrating into the institutional framework of the transnational scientific and expert civil society more and more actively. The Forum participants unanimously believe that analyzing the first but numerous publications on the Forum outcomes is enough to state that the MIEF-2011 has been successful. The Forum organizers’ special optimism relies on the circumstance that the event has been recognized by the leading and most authoritative representatives of the community of the Russian scientists and experts, dealing with the power industry. Such attention to the Forum shown by the specialists evidences that MIEF has a great potential as a platform to assist the international energy conversation on the public level.
Undoubtedly, MIEF has made its positive contribution to the further development of the international energy cooperation and it will facilitate building greater confidence and consolidating different countries’ efforts to reach sustainable energy development.
Translated from Russian into English by Literra translation bureau
|
|
