Germany is on its way into the age of renewables. We are proceeding resolutely down the road towards a future of climate-friendly, resourceefficient and secure energy supply, spurred on in equal measure by environmental and economic concerns. Climate change, dwindling energy resources and the ensuing trends in energy prices speak a language that is well under-stood beyond the confines of Germany and Europe.
That is why the German Government took a major role in drawing up the European Mediterranean Solar Plan as a means of supporting initiatives in the North African regions. What we want to see in the end is a long-term and equal partnership between the countries of North Africa and Europe. After all, cooperating as partners will present opportunities for growth to all involved. First and foremost, this collaboration will open up more prospects of improving standards of living in the countries of North Africa.
If we are to realize the Mediterranean region’s great potential for wind and solar power, we are going to need actual pilot projects on the ground. That said, we all know what slow, difficult work it can sometimes be to turn theory into practice.
The German Government is already supporting a pilot project in Ouarzazate, in Morocco. We stand ready to carry on working in conjunction with the European Commission, our partners in Europe and the countries of North Africa to see more use made of renewables in the Mediterranean region.
The Desertec Industrial Initiative is playing a vital role in that work. Not only has it done much to stimulate political dialogue, it is also uncovering ways in which more solar power from the desert can be harnessed for energy supply. The Initiative is helping to forge a broad alliance across business, science and politics to enable big ideas to become reality.
On that note, let me wish you all a successful conference; I hope your conversations prove both stimulating and fruitful.
The EU and the MENA region are facing a common challenge: to ensure the secure supply of sustainable energy to citizens and industry at affordable prices. Success will be crucial for future prosperity and welfare.
In its Roadmap 2050, the European Commission set out its new strategy – to not only implement our 2020 policy and the target for renewable energy but also to lay the foundations for reaching our ambitious objective of a decarbonized EU by 2050. In a follow up Communication on renewable energy adopted in June 2012, we put a strong focus on cooperation with the MENA region, gradually working towards a Mediterranean Energy Community.
The „2050 Desert Power“ study recently published by Dii explores the long term perspective from a different angle than the Roadmap, complementing the picture and contributing to the debate. It confirms the need for creating a functioning regional market in the MENA region and shows opportunities for a closer collaboration between the EU and its Southern partners.
The MENA region has abundant and largely untapped renewable energy resources. Developing them can contribute to meeting the increasing energy demand in the region, while giving a push to local economies and creating jobs. The use of renewables could also free resources that would otherwise be spent on fossil fuels. And in the mid-term it has the potential to create new revenues through the cooperation with Europe.
Working together will create a win-win-situation for all partners around the Mediterranean. For Europe access to renewables from the MENA region will contribute to the cost-effectiveness of our future energy system. Combining resources from North and Central Europe with energy from the Mediterranean will help us balance an integrated system. Increased deployment of CSP with its energy storing possibilities will also help to match supply and demand in an EU-MENA market.
However, it is one thing to formulate the objective of a low-carbon energy supply in 2050. To achieve this we must act today. It is encouraging to see Dii taking another step together with its member companies. Now we need pilot projects to demonstrate that cooperation is possible. We need to learn and gain experience together for the Mediterranean Energy Community to become a reality.
The Commission will continue to support renewable energy cooperation around the Mediterranean, bringing together governments and industry.
Together we can pave the way for future investments.
I wish you a fruitful discussion and a successful Dii Annual conference 2012!
Both the EU and the Southern Mediterranean Countries face common challenges: diversify and secure sustainable energy supply to their citizens, develop and modernise the energy infrastructures.
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) as well as Dii are both addressing these challenges.
The Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) is a flagship initiative of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). The main concern of the MSP is how to create a large-scale and sustainable market for Renewable Energies, and Energy Efficiency, in the Mediterranean that will lead to the consolidation of secure, affordable, and clean energy systems in the region, and use this as a driver for the development of skilled jobs and industrial capacities in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries.
Within this context, the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean is coordinating, in close cooperation with the UfM Member States, the European Commission, the financial institutions and the concerned stakeholders, the elaboration of the MSP Master Plan. The MSP Master Plan is aiming at contributing to a structured, coordinated, and integrated policy approach establishing visible, feasible, credible, and effective strategies and targets. It will provide road maps and detailed action plans, to set out the nature and thrust of policy measures. The Secretariat is also working on the identification and promotion of concrete pilot projects and on dedicated tools aiming at easing the development of a robust project pipeline, in the context of the MSP.
As both UfM and Dii are therefore striving for the same long-term objective in fostering the use of renewable energy in the Mediterranean region, both parties have agreed to intensify their cooperation in order to utilize existing synergies. Within this cooperation framework, UfM and Dii develop their long-term strategies “Mediterranean Solar Plan” and “Desert Power 2050” for one common cause.
Working together will create a win-win-situation for all partners around the Mediterranean. I believe that the cooperation between the UfMS and Dii is a key step for the implementation of the Mediterranean Solar Plan, and for the development of economically and technically sound pilot projects. Connecting the Mediterranean countries with Europe will facilitate climate action across the entire region – and provide sustainable power.
Having this target picture in mind, we aim at building a regional process taking into account national strategies and specificities. A regional framework is indeed necessary to develop integration of markets, shared targets and methodology, common tools as well as cross-Mediterranean infrastructures. Regional and national approaches are complementary and should be articulated.
We are working to demonstrate that cooperation across the Mediterranean region is possible and to contribute to an Energy Community gathering the two rims of the Mediterranean.
We are looking forward to continuing our renewable energy cooperation, bringing together governments and industry from around the Mediterranean.
I wish you a fruitful discussion and a successful Dii Annual conference 2012!
Three years ago the industrial initiative Dii was established to create and connect markets for electricity produced from the MENA deserts for the benefit of the local economies and Europe. This summer we presented our long-term strategic framework “Desert Power 2050”, compiled together with our 57 shareholders and partners from industrial companies, scientific associations and a significant number of partners in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe (EUMENA). The study clearly demonstrates that the abundant solar and wind resources in EUMENA make an integrated power supply system based almost exclusively on sun, wind and other renewable resources economically viable.
With this in mind it is now time to step forward and work on the issue of how the transformation to a system powered mainly by renewable energy can be implemented with the support of all relevant stakeholders of the public and private domain.
It is necessary to act immediately as the power plants and lines built in the next 20 years will influence the energy supply until 2050. Dii is currently focusing its activities in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia where the first Reference Projects are being defined which show and confirm that the Desertec vision is made reality. During the conference you will learn about the projects´ progress and challenges being faced.
I strongly believe that an energy transition through collaboration, as proposed in “Desert Power 2050”, will create winners on all sides: the massive expansion of renewable energy and the relevant transmission grid structure will provide sustainable and secure power to a MENA region facing significant growth in population size and power demand. Europe too will benefit from cheaper and cleaner electricity. An integrated EUMENA power system will both encourage mutual reliance and lay the groundwork for a more expansive cooperation between Europe and MENA.
I am looking forward to discussing these points with you during the next three days of the conference.
