Orgalime at European Sustainable Energy Week: A Strategic Partner in the quest for European leadership in the clean energy transition

Gathering representatives of the EU Institutions, NGOs, associations, private companies, public authorities and consumers, Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) will be a unique opportunity to spotlight the importance of the prominent Clean Energy Package for industry, the environment and our society as a whole. Organised by the European Commission, the event is set to run from 19 to 25 June in Brussels and is built around a month-long series of activities and initiatives, including workshops, competitions, and power station visits. The aim is to promote the use of renewables for ‘clean, secure, and efficient power’ as well as energy-efficiency and a fair energy deal for consumers. This year’s programme features a number of highlights – in addition to a packed conference schedule, participants can discover the year’s top innovations at the EU Sustainable Energy Awards ceremony or meet and greet with new contacts at the Networking Village. The Networking Village will also host the ‘SparkShow’, where delegates will pitch their projects to journalists in a rapid-fire Q&A session.

For this year’s EUSEW, Orgalime has been chosen as a Strategic Partner – a select group of organisations who will play a central role in contributing to and promoting the event. Not only will we be promoting European leadership in the energy transition at the Opening Session with Commissioner Arias Canete and several other high-level speakers, we will also provide our views on future governance at the policy conference session and contribute our ideas to the debate on ‘Flexible Energy Markets – New Players, New Rules’. The latter will look at the role of demand-side flexibility in achieving a cost-efficient and sustainable transition towards a decarbonised, ever more decentralised and digitised energy system.

Orgalime’s nomination as a Strategic Partner to Sustainable Energy Week is a recognition of our longstanding active engagement on EU energy policy issues. Many of the themes addressed throughout EUSEW reflect our priorities as outlined in our Position Paper on the Commission’s Clean Energy Package of November 2016. We are calling for a timely and ambitious implementation of an EU package based on pillars such as ‘more renewables, more energy efficiency and smart, flexible distribution grids’, boosting the potential of digitisation and empowering consumers. This will be a crucial phase in the modernisation of Europe’s energy and economy, with the potential to provide a real boost to innovation, jobs and economic growth.