POWER-GEN Europe celebrates show success and looks ahead to 2014

London, UK, 12 June, 2013 – The POWER-GEN Europe Conference and Exhibition, and its co-located show Renewable Energy World Europe, the continent’s largest event dedicated to power generation, has once again proved a huge success. Despite the challenging market conditions, there were more companies exhibiting in Vienna this year than ever before, with leading international power industry organisations from across the conventional, renewable and nuclear sectors demonstrating state-of-the-art  services and technologies covering every aspect of power engineering. The exhibition drew more than 12,000 visitors from 104 countries, while 1200 conference delegates enjoyed a thought-provoking and highly focussed multi-track conference covering a diversity of strategic and technical topics.

This year’s event opened with an unprecedented five keynote speakers including senior politicians, energy providers, and engineers taking to the lectern to provide a complete picture of the power industry. Nigel Blackaby, PennWell’s International Director of Conferences, summarised the current state of the industry and warned of a lack of optimism in the market as investment continues to decline, but made it clear the industry is united in driving towards Europe’s decarbonisation target. Integration will be key to achieving this target, he said.

Reinhold Mitterlehner, Austria’s Federal Minister, Economy, Family and Youth, reflected on how the recent flooding in Austria reinforced the importance of international co-operation, and how this is especially true for the energy industry. He discussed the significance of diversification and flexibility, and placed special emphasis on shale gas and the enormous impact it has had in North America and its potential in China. Mitterlehner was followed by Hasan Murcat Mercan, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, from event partner nation Turkey, who echoed the call for co-operation across Europe. With international demand for energy set to increase by a third by 2035, the impact will be felt by all European nations, he warned, before encouraging the EU to be open minded about entering into relations with non-EU countries as many have a lot to offer.

Russia’s Yury Sentyurin, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, opened his keynote by summarising Russia’s significant achievements over the last year in the field of power generation. He outlined how Russia had addressed its increased energy demand by generating record beating megawatts from coal and oil. However, he also highlighted the challenges that Russia still faces, including volatility in the market, the need for more efficient electrical generation plants, and the wider lack of investment across the industry. Meanwhile, Wiener Stadtwerke’s Director of Energy Marc Hall highlighted Austria’s green credentials. Energy from renewable sources makes up 66 per cent of the energy mix in Austria, he said, before examining the need to develop energy efficient technology that can save power ´while the lights are on´ and called for a workable political environment that encourages competition in the market and engenders innovation.

The final keynote speaker, Philippe Cochet, President of Alstom Thermal Power also  called for a long term European power generation strategy looking beyond 2020 targets and allowing for the construction of plants and development of technologies that can be sustainable up to 2050. The EU is currently at a cross roads, he argued, and urged each country to develop a balanced portfolio across all energy sources.

Day 2 of the event saw a joint plenary panel discussion on the topic of liberalisation and decarbonisation. Moderated by international journalist and broadcaster Stephen Sackur and featuring prominent figures from across the European power industry, the debate proved lively, with the panel voicing their opinions on the wisdom of current policies concerning integration of renewables, replacement of ageing plant and infrastructure, and ensuring utilities remain solvent. Known for his provocative interview style, Sackur also probed the panel with some tough questions around the future of investment in the sector given the current climate of uncertainty.

While uncertainty in the market is nothing new, the panel shared concerns that change was being forced too quickly on a system unprepared to deal with it. Capacity, subsidies and pricing were identified as critical issues that need to be addressed urgently to ensure further investment and a more stable future for the sector in Europe. The lack of political and strategic leadership was also lamented, with panellists calling for brave decisions to be taken around future policies and pricing. The plenary debate was broadcast via the internet and drew participation from 87 countries.

“POWER-GEN Europe and Renewable Energy World Europe have once again provided an essential platform for industry leaders and influential players from across the fossil fuel, renewable and nuclear sectors to debate the most pressing issues and explore the solutions to help drive the industry forward,” says Nigel Blackaby, conference director POWER-GEN Europe. “The European power industry continues to face a multitude of challenges that must be addressed if it is to remain globally competitive and attract investment. With the market going through a period of major and complex change, emerging successfully from this transition will be those individuals and organisations willing to embrace change, develop and adopt new technologies, and implement visionary business strategies.”

The winners of the POWER-GEN Europe and Renewable Energy World Europe Best Paper Awards for 2013 were announced during the closing ceremony. Wärtsilä, DNV KEMA, Alstom Power, Boehler Schweisstechnik, Metso Power, Ansaldo Energia all had winning papers for POWER-GEN Europe, while Clifford Chance, ENSEA, and DTU Elektro received prestigious awards for their presentations at Renewable Energy World Europe.*

The next POWERGEN Europe and Renewable Energy World Europe is being held 3-5 June 2014, and returns to Koelnmesse, the heart of both Cologne and Europe’s largest business region.

Notes to editors:

A full breakdown of the Best Paper Award winners, copies of the keynote presentation slides and high-res images from the event are available on request from Aspectus PR at pennwell@aspectuspr.com. Video highlights of the three days of the event can be accessed here http://bcove.me/s334gb5h

The international joint plenary panel for Day 2 comprised: Peter Traupmann, Managing Director & Energy Expert, Austrian Energy Agency, Austria; Andreo Aparo, Senior Advisor for R&D to the Chief Executive Officer, Ansaldo Energia Spa, Italy; Susanna Zapreva, Chief Executive Officer, Wien Energie, Austria; Wolfgang Anzengruber, Chief Executive Officer, Verbund AG, Austria; Fabien Roques, Senior Director, IHS CERA, European Power and Carbon, France; and Dr Michael Fübi, Chief Executive Officer, RWE Technology, Germany.

About PennWell events

POWER-GEN Europe and Renewable Energy World Europe are owned and organised by PennWell Corporation. These events form part of a series staged annually in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and provide exhibitors with an international ‘one-stop-shop’ for penetrating markets and presenting their products and services to a global audience. For delegates and visitors, the events offer a dedicated forum tailored to their specific regional needs, putting them in touch with suppliers of solutions to their particular problems. The conferences address topical issues critical to the development of power generation in the host region. For more information please visit www.powergeneurope.com

Media contact:
Amy Redhead
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Email: amy.redhead@aspectuspr.com
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