Conference: An Infrastructural Path to Green Industry and Jobs
On September 30, 2024, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), the Royal Danish Embassy in Berlin, and Think Tank EUROPA will co-host a high-level conference on the future of cross-border energy infrastructure in Europe.
To achieve a Europe powered entirely by renewable energy, it is imperative to strengthen cross-border energy infrastructure. This includes electrification enabled by functional and efficient power grids, as well as renewable hydrogen solutions for hard-to-abate sectors.
Besides mitigating global warming, enhancing Europe's energy networks is crucial for European industry and green job creation in a highly competitive global landscape. Accordingly, the European Union has set ambitious goals and launched significant political initiatives such as the European Green Deal Industrial Plan, Net Zero Industry Act, REpowerEU, European Hydrogen Bank, and the EU Grid Action Plan. However, progress is slow, particularly in hydrogen production, hydrogen infrastructure, and power grids expansion, highlighting the need for further action amid high interest rates and volatile energy prices due to the war in Ukraine. Overcoming economic and political challenges is vital to achieving these targets and ensuring European energy sovereignty.
To set a precedent for the rest of Europe, the Danish-German Hydrogen Backbone project can serve as an illustrative test case, comprising both a Western onshore segment (Jutland Hydrogen Backbone) and an Eastern offshore segment (Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector). This initiative can demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of such collaborative efforts across the continent. Such projects are vital in regions like the Iberian Peninsula, where there is a pressing need for solutions to connect Spain to continental Europe via France. Similarly, the UK and Ireland face challenges in integrating into the single energy market of continental Europe - notably following Brexit.
To accelerate progress, it is essential to address key obstacles such as innovative financing, cross-border partnerships, regulatory frameworks, and community support for local economic development and job creation. Think Tank EUROPA, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and the Royal Danish Embassy in Berlin are organizing a conference in Berlin in September 2024 to discuss the future of cross-border energy infrastructure in Europe.
PROGRAM: (Please note that several speakers are TBC at this stage in time).
Moderator: Dr. Lykke Friis, Director, Think Tank EUROPA; Former Danish Minister of Climate, Energy and Gender Equality
13.00: Arrival and coffee
13.30-13.35: Welcome
- Ambassador of Denmark to Germany, Thomas Østrup Møller
Empowering a Greener Europe: Bridging Borders and Financing the Future
13.35-14.05: Financing Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure
- Nicolai Wammen, Minister of Finance, Denmark
14.05-14.30: The Path to a Renewable Energy Europe
- Franziska Brantner, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Green Growth: Job Creation and Community Engagement in the Renewable Sector
14.30-14.40 Holger Lösch, Vice-President and Deputy Director General the Federation of German Industries (BDI)
14.40-14.50 Ines Jesse, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
14.50-15.30 Green Jobs and the Future of German Industry
- Jürgen Kerner, Zweiter Vorsitzender der IG Metall
- Peter Hohaus, Head of Representative Office Berlin, UNIPER SE
- Mikael Bay Hansen, Chief of Staff, Danish Metal Worker‘s Union
15.30-16.00 Coffee Break
Taking Stock of the EU’s Single Energy Market: Key Challenges and Opportunities
16.00-16.10 Christian Zinglersen, Director, ACER (EU Agency for the Cooperaion of Energy Regulators)
16.10-16.20 Thomas Egebo, CEO, Energinet Denmark
16.20-16.50 Uniting Europe: Addressing Financial and Regulatory Hurdles in Energy Infrastructure
- Christoph Kuhn, Deputy Director General, European Investment Bank (EIB).
- Ulrich Benterbusch, CEO Gascade
- Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO, Hydrogen Europe
- Verena Kempe, Head of Investment Management, KENFO
16.50-17.00 Concluding Remarks
- Philip Christiani, Partner, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP)
17.05: Reception in the exhibition area of the ‘Gemeinschaftshaus’
