Congress Programme

Hall 4, Block 2

As global energy demand rises, the pressure to transition towards a lower CO2 energy supply, the market for natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) continues to expand. Growing supplies of unconventional gas, led by US shale gas and Australian coal bed methane have transformed the market realities with dramatic price developments. What does the long-term future of unconventionals look like?

Hall 4, Block 3

Blockchain technology has the potential to transform energy systems by lowering transaction costs among small players and devices and by enabling the Internet of Things in energy. This has profound scope for new business models and asset use optimisation. What are blockchain’s opportunities and risks in the energy sector?

Hall 4, Block 1

Africa’s energy transition is on the move but needs to accelerate and gain greater traction with critical enablers such as energy integration, market design and renewable energy. This session explores the challenges and opportunities around critical transition enablers and reviews the current status of progress.

Conference Room A, Block 5

Despite flat investment in clean energy over the last five years there has been increasing capacity additions (due to cost declines). However, more is needed to achieve Paris' goals and climate neutrality. What role do policy ambition, power demand growth and the speed of retirement of fossil assets play? What does it take to further accelerate investment in developing and developed markets?

ICC Plenary

The way cities are designed today is shaping the future of energy. Smart city planning and urban development have a significant impact on transport needs. Building design, smart appliances and smart grid have great potential in improving the energy and carbon footprint of our buildings. An integrated and smart design approach will determine the energy consumption of our cities years from now. Learn from leading cities, from old to new, big to small, that are driving solutions in energy, resource and resilience challenges.

ICC Fishbowl

The increasing interconnection and digitisation of the energy sector, along with the sector’s critical role in the functioning of a modern economy, makes it a highly attractive target for cyber-attacks. The advent of process control systems and next-generation communication networks brings a new scale of cyber risk, with a successful attack potentially impacting the power supply of an entire country. Greater resilience to cyber risk is critical to current and future energy security.

Conference Room A, Block 6

When organisations commit themselves to a diverse workforce, research shows that enhanced performance and profitability follows. A diverse set of ideas and perspectives drawn from teams with different genders, ethnicities and ages improves decision-making, problem solving and customer understanding. In short, it brings a competitive advantage.

ICC Plenary

In an increasingly interconnected energy era, infrastructure and system operators need to thrive in a context of fast emerging opportunities and new systemic risks – including extreme weather events and financial shocks. How are energy leaders and their organisations learning to manage emerging and systemic risks? What are the new capabilities and options in the search for dynamic resilience?

Hall 4, Block 1

Making up nearly 71% of the world’s renewable electricity, hydropower is one of the most dependable forms of green energy and a vital means of electrification. However, concerns around system resilience together with the environmental and social impacts of large hydro means the potential of this resource remains largely untapped. Where do the next generation of opportunities lie and what role will multi-country collaboration play?

Conference Room A, Block 6

As the energy sector moves toward greater electrification and decarbonisation, stranded assets and resources and increased regulatory requirements, investors are paying greater attention to the way carbon-based projects are chosen, executed and managed. An increasing number of development banks, sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors have started black-listing high-CO2 solutions in their investment portfolio and requiring companies to disclose carbon management and risk mitigation strategies.

Hall 4, Block 3

Solar is the world's fastest growing energy source. The industry has witnessed spectacular growth – globally there is now 305GW of solar power capacity, up from around 50GW in 2010 and virtually nothing at the turn of the millennium. However, progress has stalled in recent years. Despite the benefits that solar can bring in delivering fast and affordable low-carbon energy, intermittency and land use continue to be key challenges.

Conference Room A, Block 5

With increased power demands and concerns over climate change, everyone is looking to find the next best source of clean and sustainable energy. Yet one of the largest sources of energy may just be efficiency. It is estimated that the deployment of more energy efficient lighting, refrigeration and motors in industry could save as much as 10% of power generation; but could digitalisation bring even greater efficiency by reducing overall long-term demand?

Conference Room A, Block 4

Asia is the most rapidly growing energy market and the most populous and geographically diverse region in the world. The challenges of balancing increases in demand with climate action goals have a range of solutions, from alternative sources and better efficiency to energy storage and new technology. But how should these be prioritised when there is no “one size fits all” approach?

ICC Fishbowl

Profit with purpose is set to become the new norm. Investors and consumers are increasingly buying into companies that deliver positive social change on issues such as climate change, energy access and diversity and inclusion, alongside financial returns. What are the implications of purpose over profit for delivering energy prosperity?

Hall 4, Block 2

According to the World Energy Council’s Scenarios, gas is likely to play an important role as a ‘bridging fuel’ to a low-carbon economy. The substitution of coal to gas fired power plants, use of natural gas as a complement to renewable energy sources and power-to-gas technology all help to support climate change mitigation efforts. Do today’s policy and market frameworks enable the shifting role of natural gas and what does this mean for our existing gas infrastructure?