In the premises of Elektroprivreda BiH, last week, a meeting of the Program Committee was held with the aim of defining in more detail the program and panels within the Sarajevo Energy and Climate Week (SECW), which will be held from September 25 to 29, 2023. The meeting was attended by representatives of USAID, UNDP, GIZ, KfW, the EU4Energy project, Elektroprivreda BiH, Elektroprivreda HZHB and Energoinvest.
During the discussion, the participants pointed out that the key topic for the panel discussion is the just transition of coal-rich regions, within which World Bank representatives would present the results of a project dedicated to the transition of coal regions with a road map. The road map contains activities such as creating new jobs, retraining workers, building infrastructure, rehabilitating and using areas devastated by coal mining.
Besides the mentioned topic, a very important and current topic both in BiH and in the region is the improvement of the electricity market. Bosnia and Herzegovina is still the only country in the region that does not have an electricity market, and at the same time it is the only exporter, so the organizers will organize a panel on the mentioned issue on the first day of the Sarajevo Energy and Climate Week. Panel participants will be representatives of regulatory bodies from Bosnia and Herzegovina and regional countries, the Secretariat of the Energy Community, companies that trade electricity, etc.
One of the key topics for the BH economy is the introduction of carbon pricing, especially for the power industry, cement and metal industries. Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, initiated activities on the introduction of the emission trading system. In this way, the application of the so-called CBAM, which would mean payment during the export of goods from BiH to the EU in proportion to the carbon dioxide emissions that were emitted during the production of those goods, would be avoided. In this way, the competitiveness of the main export goods from BiH to the EU would be threatened.
Other panels will cover the challenges related to the construction of the transmission and distribution network for the connection of renewable sources, sources of financing for renewable energy projects, the circular economy as an important element of the energy transition, energy efficiency on the side of energy use, new business models in energy such as the provision of energy services (ESCO), electric transport, decarbonization of district heating, environmental requirements that projects must fulfill, etc.
Considering the very rich program, the organizers have opened a call for participants, which you can find on the website: Sarajevo Energy & Climate Week – SECW 2023.
