The 44th International Association for Energy Economics Conference will be held in Riyadh from Feb. 4-9. First held in the Middle East and North Africa, the conference will bring together policymakers, academics, corporate executives, and NGO officials to present, discuss, and debate the energy trilemma, KAPSARC said.
The need for this conversation comes from rising energy costs and pressure to switch from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy sources. Individuals, businesses, industries, and nations need long-term energy reliability, affordability, and sustainability. KAPSARC said Egypt’s recent hosting of COP27 provided the groundwork for good post-conference outcomes.
The event might boost the region’s climate change leadership ahead of COP28 in the UAE in 2023. Fahad Alajlan, president of KAPSARC, said, “As accelerating the energy transition becomes more important for achieving net zero and overcoming the climate crisis, the global community has a unique opportunity to realize mutual aspirations. The 44th IAEE Conference represents another key chapter in facilitating dialogue and exchanging knowledge and innovation on the local, regional, and international levels, and we’re proud to host such a high-profile event.”
The event’s open forum format will allow participants and the scientific community to identify opportunities that “unlock new value in an evolving energy landscape” and discuss breakthrough research that helps combat climate change and shapes sustainable and holistic energy policies of tomorrow.
Dr. Majid Al-Moneef, chairman of the Saudi Association for Energy Economics, said, “This timely conference will address energy and environmental issues facing the region and the world.”
He added that Saudi Arabia had been active in global energy and climate change fora, launching Saudi and Middle East green initiatives.
The event will feature 11 plenary sessions and three seminars, beginning with a speech by Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, also KAPSARC’s board chairman.
Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of S&P Global, Jason Bordoff of Columbia University, Javier Blas of Bloomberg, Jeffrey Currie of Goldman Sachs, Roberta Gatti of the World Bank, and Ahmed Al-Khowaiter and Ashraf Al-Ghazzawi of Saudi Aramco will present at the conference.
Arunabha Ghosh, Council on Energy, Environment, and Water; Hoesung Lee, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Rola Dashti, UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; Bassam Fattouh, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies; Amrita Sen, co-founder and director of research at Energy Aspects; and Kenneth Medlock III, Rice University professor.
Independent research and educated conclusions will be used in presentations, KAPSARC said. The 44th IAEE Conference programme committee approved more than 300 papers from 42 nations for panel and poster sessions.
Energy and the environment, renewables, economics, energy modelling, and electricity were popular.
Saudi Arabia is a behemoth of today’s energy and is already exploring renewables and green hydrogen, said IAEE 2023 president Jean-Michel Glachant. Our IAEE conference in Riyadh is a great chance to meet Saudis and explore the Middle East. But, he continued, “Missing that is pointless.”
Social and cultural events will allow participants to explore Saudi culture. In addition, Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage site, will be visited.
“This is a milestone for the IAEE because the Middle East plays a critical role in world energy markets,” said Peter Hartley, IAEE 2022 president and Rice University economics professor.