Energy Security, Environment, and Economy in the People's Republic of China and in the European Union

Organised by M.P. Amineh and Sarah Poss

Please note: the available space is limited, and those who are interested to take part in the discussions are invited to contact Dr Mehdi Amineh (M.P.Amineh@uva.nl).

In this workshop, we aim to discuss the traditional fossil fuel energy systems and renewable energy alternatives, focusing on energy supply security, energy transition and sustainable development in China and the European Union. After an introduction to the workshop, case studies and thematic papers will be presented in two sessions. Each session will be followed by a roundtable discussion.

The discussions will cover the energy supply security policies of the world’s main energy consuming, import-dependent countries and regions, namely China and the European Union (EU). Currently, China and the EU obtain supplies from the resource-rich countries in the Middle East, the Caspian Region, Latin America, Africa, and also from Russia. Unconventional fossil fuel resources - mainly tar sand oil and shale gas - are, to some extent, expected to change the geopolitics of energy supply security, in particular in the US, China and to a lesser extent, the EU.

Energy security is also affected by environmental constraints and advances in technology. Where pollution creates both domestic and cross-border tensions, innovations in alternative and renewable resources, such as biofuels, wind-power, solar-power, as well as increased energy efficiency, can reduce dependency on energy imports, and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The presentations will address the following specific research questions:

• What are the opportunities and challenges with which China and the European Union are confronted in search of energy resources (mainly located in the Middle East, the Caspian region and Africa) to maintain an adequate security of energy supply?
• What are the possibilities and impediments for the continuation of China’s economic development in the light of recent climate change agreements and China’s wish to increase the share of renewables in its energy-mix? What are the possibilities and impediments for the establishment of a European Union common energy policy as well as a foreign energy policy and how will they relate to national energy policies?
• What is the effect of the current relations between China’s state-led national oil companies and private multinational companies on the security of energy supply and the role foreign energy policies can play?
• To what extent is cooperation between the national oil companies taking place, and what does this mean for the international oil and gas market?
• Is investing in nuclear power an efficient strategy for producing clean energy for the EU and China in the long run? Or is it better to invest the same resources into energy efficiency, alternative energy sources and conservation policies?

 

Programme

Morning Session. Chair: Mehdi Amineh

9:30Coffee

10:00Welcome

10:10 Wina Crijns-Graus: Quantitative assessment of energy supply security in the European Union

10:30    Melanie van Driel: China’s energy security in the Central Asian Region

10:50   Mehmet Emre Demirkiran: Turkey’s energy supply security from Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan: analyzing the challenges to secure oil and gas supplies between 2000-2019

11:10 Niek Ong: Creating regional cooperation, the Chinese method. An examination of the activity of CNPC in the resource rich countries in the Caspian region

11:30 Sarah Poss: Sino-Russian interregional cooperation: Investment, trade, and development in the Russian Far East

11:50  Dimitris Psomiadis: China’s energy security in bilateral and multilateral context: CNPC in Uzbekistan 2006 – 2018

12:10 Max Tetteroo: The contribution of the Indio-Iranian energy relationship to India's energy security      

12:30 Discussion

13:00 Lunch

 

Afternoon Session

Discussion chair: Wina Crijns-Graus

14:20Irene Niet: EU 2020: The road to renewables?

14:40  Gido ter Heyne: The EU energy transition towards renewables fast and slow: A comparative analysis on the enabling and constraining factors for the energy transition in the Netherlands and Sweden

15:00  Ivana Zelalic: Energy transition in the Republic of Croatia in relation to the European Union’s energy framework

15:20 Caspar Henke: The political economy of natural gas transport between Germany and Russia in the context of the European Commission energy policy

15:40 Regine Portocarero: The Dutch-Qatari energy nexus and its relation with the EU: the role of the Dutch gas hub in securing supply security of natural gas in Europe

16:00  Discussion

16:30 Drinks and buffet