ENERGY COMMITTEE URGED TO EXAMINE POLICIES TO CHANGE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
Press Release
EN/236
ENERGY COMMITTEE URGED TO EXAMINE POLICIES TO CHANGE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
19960216 The Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for Development was this afternoon urged to examine policies that would bring about changes in energy consumption and production patterns.In a statement on the energy activities of the Department for Development Support and Management Services, Kui-Nang Mak, Chief of the Energy Planning and Management Branch, said although the need for the changes had been frequently expressed, few recommendations had been suggested. The Committee could also consider the scope for developing energy entrepreneurs and increasing private sector activities for energy supply and services. It should examine how energy development could be modified to improve the involvement of people in decision-making and benefit-sharing.
The activities of the Department included technical assistance and advisory services to governments, studies, workshops and seminars on energy development and exploration and in promoting the development and utilization of new and renewable sources of energy. The Department was putting together a comprehensive manuscript on the extensive natural gas industry in the Russian Federation. Similar surveys on energy and environmental issues in countries of the Caucasus and central Asian regions were scheduled. A regional project for Arab States was being launched to consolidate cooperation there on energy development and environmental issues.
The work of the Department in Africa focused on both poverty elimination and the more efficient use of energy, he said. A meeting scheduled for next May in Soshanguve township in South Africa on energy and poverty alleviation would consider decentralized renewable and centralized electrification schemes for the benefit of both the rural and urban poor. At the request of the African Development Bank, the Department had completed a survey of African energy institutions at the national, subregional and international levels. A workshop organized by the Bank in February 1995 had considered the results of the survey and had recommended the formation of an African energy unit to promote integration of the African energy sector, including rural energy. The proposed unit would be responsible for developing a regional energy information system and database network and also encourage regional exchange of expertise and engage in training and capacity-building.
The Department was also attempting to follow up on the Committee's recommendations regarding the establishment of international centres of excellence in the field of renewable energy sources, he continued. It was trying to strengthen national centres to work at the international level. Comments reflecting most of the recommendations of previous sessions of the Committee had been accepted by the Preparatory Committee of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II).
Discussing the report, an expert said that there was a need to establish in the Russian Federation a regional centre dedicated to the development of new and renewable energy. Though the economic situation of the Organization had made United Nations funding unavailable, plans for the centre would continue. The expert from Algeria also said that his Government had tried to establish a centre in his country.
An expert asked for an indication of the allocation of proportion of the Department's budget by energy sources. The impression was that the budget was dedicated mostly to activities related to fossil fuels. Energy efficiency should be a high priority. He asked what kind of work the Department was doing in that area.
Mr. Mak responded that as a result of the Organization's financial crisis, establishing new national or regional centres dedicated to energy was difficult. The United Nations had to review its current efforts around the world and work closely with donors to determine their interests. No particular country was being left out; his Department was looking at matters from the financial, technical and political points of view. It was hoping to work with non-governmental organizations, such as the Rockefeller Foundation. The Department had agreed to work with the World Bank regarding a global solar initiative.
Funding in the United Nations system was shrinking, including funds within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). His Department wanted to establish centres dedicated to energy efficiency in power plants. The objective was to identify power plants which were not efficiently run and work to improve their performance. Most funding was now coming from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which was focusing on global warming.
Speaking this afternoon were experts from the Netherlands, Algeria, India, Russian Federation and France.
The Committee will meet again on a date to be announced.
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