By Judith Mora
London (EFE).- Some 120 delegates from 60 countries attended the Future of Energy Security Summit in London on Thursday.
The meeting, co-hosted by the United Kingdom government and the International Energy Agency (IEA), will continue with a ministerial plenary on Friday, where conclusions will be presented.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that reliable and affordable access to oil and critical minerals are the main concerns affecting global energy security.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that clean energy production allows countries to regain some control.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a collective response to the challenges of an unstable world.
Tensions with the United States
Birol pointed out that “home-grown energy is the best friend of energy security, but to produce and manufacture the necessary clean energy technologies we need critical minerals,” he said.
Noting that the distribution of these “raw materials,” essential for the production of electric batteries and clean energy technologies, concentrated in the hands of a few countries, including China.
Birol who tly organized the summit with the UK also stated “three golden rules” for energy security: diversification, political predictability, and global cooperation to mitigate risks.
Starmer argued that in the face of volatile hydrocarbon markets, the transition to clean and renewable energy is “the only way to take back control of our energy system.”
Tommy Joyce, the US Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs, criticized the push for renewables championed by the previous istration of Joe Biden and defended the fossil fuels return advocated by President Donald Trump.
“Unfortunately, the focus during the last (US) istration was on climate politics and policies leading to that scarcity. These policies have been embraced by many, not just the US, and harm human lives,” he argued.
Advocating for a green transition, von der Leyen called for “greater collaboration across the entire energy value chain,” suggesting five points to work on.
First and foremost, allied countries must “set a clear vision of the direction of travel and determination to follow it,” and secondly, they must “turn targets into very concrete projects.”
Thirdly, she suggested working together to ensure access to critical raw materials and, fourthly, to work together on infrastructure development.
“We need to build grids, interconnectors, and cables. We need to connect our countries and diversify our energy supplies,” she added.
Finally, she stressed the need to work together to protect infrastructure “both from cyberattacks and physical attacks.” EFE
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