On April 25, the largest wind energy conference in the Baltics “WindWorks. Connecting Industries” will take place at ATTA centre in Riga. More than 40 international and local energy experts, representatives of organizations and policymakers will take part in panel discussions to talk about energy developments in the region. European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson and Latvian Minister for Climate and Energy Kaspars Melnis will open the conference. This year’s conference will focus on the development of Baltic interconnection projects, different financing opportunities for these projects, and the role of wind energy in supporting the development of other industries. BalticWind.EU is a media partner of the conference. We strongly encourage you to attend the event on site, but if you cannot be in Riga on 25 April, you can watch the live stream on BalticWind.EU.
“At the industry’s most important annual event, we will delve into current and practical energy issues, discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by wind energy, as well as creating synergies between wind energy and other national economy sectors. Renewable energy has a huge economic potential in the Baltics, which we are not exploiting enough in Latvia. In the near future, a lot of work will have to be done to improve the existing regulations on onshore wind power and to develop a new, meaningful and investment-led auctioning system for offshore wind power development. By exchanging opinions and best practices, we can contribute to our region’s economic growth, energy independence and security,” says Toms Nāburgs, CEO of the Latvian Wind Energy Association.
During the first panel discussion, representatives of the ministries in charge of wind power will outline the current developments in the Baltic wind energy industry, including the development of onshore and offshore wind energy policy in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. This will be followed by a discussion on the development of offshore wind farms: the Latvian-Estonian cross-border project ELWIND and Lithuania’s experience.
Source: WindWorks.lv
One of the central discussions at the conference will focus on how the regulatory framework for the industry has evolved over the last year and whether this has contributed to creating positive preconditions for the industry’s development in the Baltic region. Experts will also discuss strengthening and development of the transmission network and the creation of a targeted regulatory framework to optimize the use of the network.
The second part of the conference will include several parallel discussions on practical issues such as the rules for auctioning offshore development licenses in the Baltic countries, experience of the Netherlands and Denmark, the Baltic ports’ progress with preparing for servicing offshore wind farms, different financing models for wind industry projects, and opportunities for public-private partnerships. The discussions will also focus on the benefits of increased use of wind energy in various related sectors and on energy storage technology as a solution to the lack of interconnections.
“WindWorks. Connecting Industries” is one of the largest wind energy conferences in the Baltics, which will for the fourth year bring together international energy experts, policymakers, entrepreneurs and partners of the industry, where they will share their experience and discuss the most pressing challenges in the global and regional energy context. The conference is organized by the Latvian Wind Energy Association and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia in cooperation with the Lithuanian and Estonian Wind Power Associations, and in partnership with the Embassies of Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Norway in Latvia. Registration for online attendance: https://www.windworks.lv/register.
Source: WindWorks.lv
