Electrifying the Three Seas: accelerating renewables and connectivity across 3SI countries
April 11th, 2024, 03:30 PM. Organized by Ember.
Three Seas countries are currently facing multiple decisions that will shape the future of national energy systems. 3SI governments need to find new ways to ensure energy security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tackle the cost of living crisis fueled by high energy prices, and bring investments and innovation into their economies. The recent growth of solar energy and the offshore wind ambitions in 3SI countries can help tackle these challenges, but only cross-border collaboration can unlock the region’s full renewables potential while maximizing cost-efficiency and savings for consumers. Barriers such as grid connection declines and curtailment, permitting delays and high cost of capital, are piling up, and without addressing them the region will not be able to maintain the current clean energy momentum. This exclusive Chatham House Rule discussion, organized jointly by the energy think-tank Ember, the Slovak Foreign Policy Association and the European Council on Foreign Relations, will explore ways of advancing clean energy projects such as power interconnectors, solar and wind farms, storage and hydrogen facilities. The roundtable will feature high-level officials from Three Seas and partner nations, aiming to connect investors, financial institutions, policymakers and grid operators across the whole region, building new partnerships, exchanging knowledge and initiating the development of new projects. The conversation will also examine synergies between the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund, the Connecting Europe Facility and other EU funding schemes, in strengthening the 3SI’s energy security, as well as in the integration of Ukraine and Moldova with the broader EU energy market.