OREANDA-NEWS. September 30, 2009. Reykjavik, Iceland, welcomed an Executive Assembly of World Energy Council (WEC) at which Mr. Christopher Frei, Secretary General of WEC officially announced admission of Kazakhstan (KazEnergy – Kazakhstan Association of Oil-and-Gas and Electric Power Industry) to this organization. Executive Assembly events have been participated by Almassadam Satkaliyev, First Vice-President of KEGOC (Chairman of Kazakhstan Member Committee of WEC) and Sergey Katyshev, Advisor to President of KEGOC (Executive Secretary of Kazakhstan Member Committee of WEC). Mr. Satkaliyev, speaking at the plenary session of Executive Assembly, has thanked other 92 Member Committees for their voices in support of KazEnergy admission to World Energy Council.

Within the framework of WEC Executive Assembly, Kazakhstan representatives took part in European Regional session. Participants reviewed the results of the following researches carried out by WEC: “Current economic crisis: impact on energy sector”, “Roadmap for competitive energy market”, “European policy in climate change after 2012”, as well as promising areas of WEC future regional activity.

“Energy Policy Assessment and Its Implementation Practices” Roundtable has been held during WEC Executive Assembly. It aimed to discuss the results of a three-year research on energy policies and assessment of their implementation in 34 WEC-countries.

Executive Assembly participants have reviewed preparation for the major global event – World Energy Congress, which is held by WEC every three years. The forthcoming 21st Congress is scheduled on September 2010 in Montreal, Canada. Its main theme – “Responding Now to Global Challenges. Energy in Transition for a Living Planet” – determines the key challenges of power sector. The following discussion topics have been defined:

Meeting energy demand: a global challenge requires global solutions

What is the right mix for long term stability?

Energy solutions for a living planet (environmental and social development aspects)

Policies, regulations, and financing for the most efficient use of energy sources

More than 200 sessions and events will be held during World Energy Congress. The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of the republic of Kazakhstan, chief managers of energy companies of the country, WEC Kazakhstan Member Committee members, as well as KazEnergy top management staff were invited to participate in the 21st World Energy Congress.

Reference: World Energy Council is a leading energy organization established in 1923. It is a non-profit NGO with a headquarter in London which is officially registered with UN. Among the goals of WEC are: cooperation in reliable energy supply and energy resources utilization for maximum satisfaction of energy demand. World Energy Council (WEC) is made up of National Member Committees for 93 countries. The 20th World Energy Congress took place in 2007 in Rome, Italy. More than 3000 energy industry leaders, industry representatives, and representatives of majority of governments participated in that Congress.