NORDIC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS TO HOLD ENERGY AND CLIMATE DAY AT SHANGHAI WORLD EXPO 2010

PRESS RELEASE OSLO, NORWAY. (14 December 2009) – The Nordic Council of Ministers is to hold a Nordic- Chinese Energy and Climate Day on the 25th of June 2010 at the Shanghai World Expo, bringing together ministers, business leaders, researchers and other key stakeholders from China and the Nordic region. The event will focus on how greater Chinese-Nordic cooperation and interaction can contribute to the development and deployment of clean energy and climate technologies.

The event will be held at the Nordic national pavilions and will feature speeches and panel discussions from experts and leaders from the public and private sector. Among the confirmed speakers are Halldór Ásgrímsson, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Minsters, as well as other ministerial-level delegates. Chinese and Nordic delegates to the event will represent public and private energy R&D, as well as bilateral cooperation initiatives, creating a unique networking opportunity. Cooperation between China and the Nordic region in energy and climate research, development and deployment has excellent potential to match needs to complementary competencies, and unlock synergies in energy technology development. China is fast emerging as a key player in the development of many clean energy technologies, and is implementing these technologies on a large scale and at a rapid rate. Together the countries of the Nordic region – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – offer both competencies in a diverse range of clean energy technologies and unique experiences in international energy R&D cooperation. Linking complementary strengths and realising multilateral cooperation between China and the Nordic region form the motivation behind this key event. It aims to build Chinese-Nordic research networks, foster knowledge of respective energy R&D activities, promote complementary energy and climate solutions, help to establish a base for Chinese-Nordic multilateral cooperation, and lastly provide input to a platform for furthering these objectives. The event is being organised by Nordic Energy Research, an agency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, in partnership with the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. For more information, visit www.nordicenergy.net/china Contact: Heidi Hautajärvi, hh@nordicenergy, net +47 95 700699 Benjamin Donald Smith, bs@nordicenergy.net +47 9040 6203