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On May 26, 2021, the Office of the Executive Director for the Russian Federation and Syrian Arab Republic held a virtual session for the Bank staff to discuss the role of natural gas and hydrogen in meeting the targets set by the Paris Agreement.

With COP-26 getting closer, the policymakers and other stakeholders have been engaged in a heated debate on the optimal ways of enabling the green transition. As the energy sector remains one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, there are many suggestions as to how to make it greener. Among those suggestions: increasing the share of renewable generation in the energy mix, expanding battery storage, developing carbon capture technologies, as well as achieving greater energy efficiency. Over the recent years, as technologies are developing, conversation around low-carbon and renewable hydrogen as another important element in the global energy mix of the future has taken traction.

The BBL brought together experts in energy markets and covered the most recent research on the topic. The speakers discussed various scenarios of the green transition and underscored an important role of gas and hydrogen in the future global energy mix. The presentations were followed by a Q&A session from the World Bank audience.

The event was moderated by Prof. Jonathan Stern, distinguished fellow Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES).

Presenters:

Ralf Dickel, Senior Advisor at Zukunft Gas, shared his presentation on the Hydrogen for Europe 2021 study results ¡°Charting the path to enable net zero¡± ().

Dr. Peter Zeniewski, Lead Gas Analyst at IEA, presented his insights from the IEA World Energy Outlook in his presentation on the role of gas in clean energy transitions ().

SPEAKERS¡¯ BIO:

Prof. Jonathan Stern is a Distinguished Fellow of OIES; he founded the Institute¡¯s Gas Research Program in 2003. He is honorary professor at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum & Mineral Law & Policy, University of Dundee; visiting professor at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London; fellow of the Energy Delta Institute and a Distinguished Research Fellow of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (in Tokyo). From 2011-16 he was the EU Speaker and remains a member of the EU¨CRussia Gas Advisory Council. He is the author and editor of several books and numerous publications on gas markets, most recently on the future of gas in decarbonizing energy markets and the need to reduce methane emissions.

Ralf Dickel is an expert in energy trade and a Senior Advisor at Zukunft Gas. Before joining Zukunft Gas Ralf Dickel held various positions in the energy sector, including at the Energy Charter Secretariat as a Director for Transit and Trade, a head of the Energy Diversification Division at the International Energy Agency since 2001, being responsible for Policy Analysis of Energy Markets and of Energy Market Reform. Before joining the IEA, he worked as a Senior Specialist for Oil and Gas Policy for the World Bank, after a long career with Ruhrgas from 1980 to 1998 where he held various managing positions both in the gas purchase and the gas sales department. He managed and co-authored several publications at the IEA and the Energy Charter.

Dr. Peter Zeniewski is Lead Gas Analyst for the World Energy Outlook at the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA). He was formerly the Product Manager for Wood Mackenzie's European Energy Service and was a Policy Officer at the European Commission JRC Institute for Energy. He is a Chancellor's Fellow of Edinburgh University and holds a PhD from the University of Oxford.