A high-level seminar on renewable energy sources was organised by RES4MED&Africa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, addressed to a select group of senior officials at the ministry, it said on Friday.
At the seminar, several leading market operators gave participants an overview of the increasing importance of renewable energy sources in Italian economic diplomacy.
“Renewable energy plays a significant role in our energy policies, and therefore, also in Italy’s international actions at bilateral level, in the main multilateral fora and in supporting the excellence of our enterprises," said Envoy Massimo Gaiani, DG for Global Affairs (DGMO), who gave the seminar's opening speech.
"Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation invests heavily in providing its diplomats with updated instruments to meet the challenges in this ever-evolving key sector,” Gaiani added.
Renewable energy sources play an increasingly important role in Italy's 2017 energy strategy and are universally recognised as key to the sustainable development of markets and policies in emerging countries, especially in the Southern Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa, the ministry noted.
Cooperation between the private and public sectors is of vital importance to increase the efficiency of the mass development of renewable energy sources, the ministry underlined.
“A bright future and achievement of universal access to electricity in Africa will occur through the promotion of regional programmes backed by international organisations," said Antonio Cammisecra, CEO of Enel Green Power and Chairman of RES4MED&Africa.
"This is the idea behind RES4MED&Africa: a platform that counts among its partners leading entities from the entire Italian and international chain of production in the area, and which provides opportunities for interaction to promote the public-private partnership.”
Some of the main Italian operators and members of RES4MED&Africa, including Terna, Italgen and the Maccaferri Group, brought their direct experience and viewpoints to the seminar, the ministry said.
Speakers at the event discussed the main renewable energy technologies in terms of their potential, costs, new business models and the economic-social effects of the mass development of renewable energy, according to the ministry.
