The Future of the Electricity System: European Ambitions & French Perspectives
Practical information
With the ETS reform about to be finally adopted and the Clean Energy Package now submitted to parliamentary debate, 2017 is set to be a critical year for the future of the EU electricity system. The goal is clear and widely accepted; accelerating investments in decarbonised sources, while guaranting security of supply and controlling costs for the EU consumers. However, the jury is still out on whether the new EU framework will be sufficiently ambitious, robust and flexible to actually bring forward the desired changes by 2030.
This Ifri high-level conference will gather key experts of the electricity system to discuss the relevance of the EU proposals, while placing the emphasis on recent developments within the French electricity system and the implications for today’s EU debates. The morning discussion will revolve around the adaptation of the French electricity system to the energy transition priorities. The afternoon session will discuss the appropriate level of European harmonisation in order to decarbonise the electricity system at least cost.
The conference will be held in French and English, with simultaneous translation available in the two languages.
10:00-10:15 Registration & Coffee
10:15-10:20 Opening remarks, Marie-Claire Aoun, Director of the Ifri Center for Energy
10:20-10:40 Keynote address, Vincent Thouvenin, Director for European Affairs, RTE
10:40-12:10 Building the 21st century European electricity system, the French approach
Chaired by Olivier Appert, Senior Advisor, Ifri Center for Energy
- The French energy transition and its implications for the electricity system, Mario Pain, Executive Director for Energy, Ministère de la transition écologique et solidaire
- What regulation for an innovative grid?, Domitille Bonnefoi, Director of Networks, Commission de régulation de l'énergie (CRE)
- Drivers for change and key priorities for the French electricity industry, Antoine Guillou, Markets and Networks Advisor, Union Française de l'Electricité (UFE)
12:10-12:30 Special Address by Florian Ermacora, Head of Unit, Wholesale Markets Electricity and Gas, DG ENER, European Commission
12:30-13:30 Lunch
13:30-15:15 Top-down harmonisation: additional rigidity or real enabler?
Chaired by Sonja Van Renssen, Freelance Climate, Energy and Environment Journalist, Brussels Correspondent for Energy Post
- Market integration and TSO cooperation, Laurent Schmitt, Secretary General of ENTSO-E
- New market rules for renewables: looking up to 2030, Michel Cruciani, Association Research Fellow, Ifri Center for Energy
- Clean energy package and ETS reform: ensuring consistency between EU climate and energy policies, Emmanuel Tuchscherer, Director for European Affairs, Engie
- Recognizing the real value of flexibility: current challenges and way forward, Frauke Thies, Executive Director, Smart Energy Demand Coalition
15:15-15:30 Closing statement on the negotiation priorities of the Estonian EU Presidency, Thor-Sten Vertmann, Permanent Representation of Estonia to the EU
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