Eng. Tarek El Molla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, stressed the importance of cooperation and integration between countries to achieve the goals of reducing emissions and preserving the climate through the exchange of expertise and successful experiences and providing the technologies required for green energies at an economically feasible cost, especially new technologies and applications, including those used in hydrogen and carbon management, noting that Egypt initiated the idea of establishing the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum as a platform for cooperation between the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, aiming to support regional integration in the field of energy, to participate in its resources and infrastructure, and to achieve energy security and the maximum benefit and sustainability of these resources. It has become an important success story for international cooperation in the field of energy.
This came during his participation in the Ministerial Session of the International Energy Agency for the year 2024 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Agency. The session comes within the activities of the Agency’s Forum for Innovation in the field of energy, which will be held in the French capital, Paris, during the period from 13 to 14 February, in the presence of a number of ministers and petroleum officials. The global energy and energy sector, led by Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the Agency, John Kerry, the US Climate Envoy, Kadri Simpson, the European Commissioner for Energy and Climate, and Dr. Amani Abu Zeid, the Commissioner for Energy and Infrastructure of the African Union. The Agency’s ministerial meeting aims to discuss the main issues and challenges that threaten energy security and international efforts to achieve the results of the summit. Climate COP28 and how to address these challenges that the world faces today and in the future.
El-Mulla added that it is important to support the role of such cooperation-based organizations, including the International Energy Agency, to support cooperation, coordination and collective work in facing the challenges facing the energy field, especially for developing countries, in addition to supporting the provision of technologies and financing necessary for developing countries to support the energy transition and sustainable development efforts.
The Minister pointed out that innovation in clean energy technologies must be accelerated in order to implement the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, especially in emissions-intensive sectors such as heavy industries, stressing the importance of cooperation of all parties in the energy industry through joint research and development projects, technology exchange, and investment partnerships.
It is worth noting that the International Energy Agency was established in 1974 to ensure the security of energy supplies, and its role has evolved and expanded since then to include clean energy, technologies, and challenges facing industry.