Last Thursday we held our conference on the theme of energy transition in Estonia, where our speakers, professionals from the sector, shared their views and forecasts on the development of the energy market in the region. Our members also had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss future issues.
The conference started with an introductory speech by our President, followed by our first speaker, Kristo Kaasik, Head of the Renewable Energy Sector in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications for Estonia. Kristo Kaasik began his speech by outlining Estonia's achievements in meeting its targets for renewable energy production and consumption, compared to other European countries. Estonia is a good performer as it is the 8th European country with the highest share of renewable energy in its production (30.2% in 2020). Nevertheless, Estonia has been experiencing difficulties in producing low-cost energy, which penalises the country and makes it less competitive on this market. However, the country is not lacking in ambition, as the government's stated goal is that 100% of the energy produced in Estonia should be renewable by 2030. Kristo Kaasik also gave us an overview of the resources and infrastructures deployed to reach these objectives, via projects in solar and especially wind power. It also involves changes in legislation to accelerate the launch of these projects and to reach these targets in time. In this way, Estonia also hopes to gain energy independence.
It was then the turn of Raido Hallik, Director of Services and Renewable Energy Development at Enefit Green, to take the floor. Raido Hallik began by pointing out that the current energy crisis has shown the extent of the EU's dependence on fossil fuels. Enefit Green's ambition is to become the largest producer of renewable energy in the Baltic States and to become a major provider in this sector in Poland. Enefit Green is currently relying on long-term energy sales contracts to invest in new renewable energy production infrastructure, with a focus on solar/wind complementarity. Our speaker particularly insisted on the need to develop offshore wind farms. When asked by one of our members about the absence of a plan to develop nuclear energy in Estonia, Mr. Hallik explained that Estonia had no experience in this field and therefore risked losing too much time in training the many engineers and workers needed for this type of project.
Finally, it was the turn of Stéphane Lobbedey, former director of the renewable energy department of the Normandy region, to speak. Mr Lobbedey began by presenting the Normandy region from the perspective of energy production. The Normandy region has been at the forefront of marine renewable energy (MRE) with the very first French offshore wind farm project in 2005 in Veulette-sur-mer. The region's attractiveness in the field of MRE is the result of a major effort towards coordination between local authorities, energy producers and universities, but also towards international cooperation (with Canada and Scotland in particular). The Normandy region has also made major investments in its infrastructure, such as the ports of Le Havre and Cherbourg. Mr. Lobbedey then addressed the topic of hydrogen, which again has been the source of major investments in the Normandy region. Many projects and initiatives related to hydrogen were presented.
Our conference ended with a buffet and a time dedicated to exchanges and networking. We thank our speakers for their insightful explanations and expertise, as well as our members for their presence.
Don't miss our next conferences & events:
5 April: Breakfast at the French Embassy in Estonia
20 April - 18:00/21:00: Start-up competition - New start: empowering ukrainian women through mentoring
8 May - Cocktail + Dinner with MEDEF Lille Métropole