Roundup: Sustainable energy achievable, but not easy
SYDNEY, Sept 9, 2004 Xinhua
The 19th World Energy Congress wound up its five-day discussions on the key issues facing the world's energy here Thursday, saying that sustainable energy systems people have hoped for are achievable.
The congress, which themed on sustainability, was held at a time when the energy industry is concerned about the skyrocketing energy prices.
"Energy source diversity is the bedrock of a robust system," the congress concluded, referring to both the conventional options of coal, oil and gas, nuclear and hydro, and the new renewable energy sources.
Nuclear has been one of the hot topics discussed at the congress as European and the US delegates showed increasing interests.
A number of European countries and the United States used to virtually suspend their nuclear energy projects during the past decade or so after a number of fatal accidents like the Chernobyl.
A German delegate told the congress Thursday that Europe should now need to reconsider it's reluctance to accept nuclear energy again.
Apart from energy options, delegates have repeated there is no one-for-all energy reform pattern to guarantee the success of sustainability. "You must take into account the difference in each country's circumstances," said Francois Aillert, chair of study of World Energy Council (WEC).
The congress also called for a larger share of global infrastructure investment, saying the energy systems that fail to do so are not sustainable.
Delegates said more pragmatic market interventions like subsidies may be needed to make sustainability, but without doing much to affect prices.
They also stressed on the need of a reliable electricity supply and regional integration of energy supply systems to boost supply security.
"Supply disruptions -- experienced by many in developing countries on a recurring basis and by North America and Europe in the blackouts of 2003 -- exact a heavy economic penalty, highlighting the importance of ensuring security of supply in an increasingly interdependent global energy system," said the communique.
Technological innovation and development is vital to satisfy energy demand while protecting the environment at the same time, delegates agreed, calling for stronger support to research and development.
There has been a call for cooperation between developed and developing countries in helping solve the energy poverty problem in developing countries.
Aillert said rising power prices and other energy problems could bar about 2 billion people in the world from gaining access to electricity.
And a cooperation link between developed and developing countries will have a potential win-win result, he said.
In what caught the congress's attention on the last day of the convention, a delegate from Botswana said poor countries have been neglected in the world's largest energy gathering, pointing out few of the 2,500 delegates are from the poor countries.
The triennial congress drew industry leaders, government ministers and researchers from around the world to discuss the key energy issues under the auspices of the WEC. The next congress will be held in Rome, Italy, in 2007.
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