International Energy Audit ’06 Conference brings energy sector decision-makers and top energy saving experts to Lahti, Finland 11th - 13th September 2006
The Conference will be opened by Mauri Pekkarinen, Minister of Trade and Industry, on Monday 11th September at 10 a.m. One of the main speakers on Monday will be the EU Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs.
The Energy Audit ´06 Conference, to be held at Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland on 11th - 13th September, is intended for organisations and enterprises involved in promoting renewable energy and energy audit schemes in industrial countries, rapidly developing economies and developing countries.
The aim of the Conference is to examine promotion of energy saving and renewable energy particularly with reference to experiences gained through energy audit schemes, and to launch preparations for an international energy audit programme to accelerate promotion of energy audit activity.
About 200-300 participants are expected from all around the world. The most distant visitors will come from the Fiji Islands.
Assembly of top experts
According to Minister of Trade and Industry Mauri Pekkarinen, the objective of the Energy Audit ´06 Conference is to promote energy saving and use of renewable energies in businesses and buildings all over the world through energy audit activity. Pekkarinen is pleased that the Conference will be attended by real decision-makers and the world’s top experts on energy audit activity.
The European Union Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs states that energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable sources of energy contribute to three core objectives of the European Energy policy: sustainable development, competitiveness and security of supply. Now that the moment of taking decision has arrived, the discussions of this conference may provide Europe's decision makers with clear indications of the way to go.
International collaboration – vision for future
Heikki Väisänen, Senior Adviser of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, who has been proactive in introducing energy audit schemes to Finland, has been one of the driving forces of the Conference. Väisänen has been involved in international audit activity since the mid-1990s, acting as coordinator in the EU Audit I and Audit II projects, which for the first time collected comprehensive information on energy audit activity in all EU countries. Based on the Audit I project, the previous energy audit conference was organised in Turku in 1999. The Audit II project produced a guide book on the foundations of energy audit schemes, which it is intended to utilise in the international development initiatives now being launched.
Väisänen says that added impetus to increasing international collaboration in the field of energy audit activity was brought by the EU Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive which became effective last May and which compels member countries to draw up energy audit schemes of a high standard in order to speed up their energy saving measures. Along with the Directive, member states have also been given an energy saving target of nine percent for the period 2008–2016.
Väisänen identifies three important goals for the Energy Audit ´06 Conference: first, to launch an export programme of audit expertise under appropriate international organisation, a kind of framework programme. “The intention is to export expertise available in the European Union to outside the EU, to developing countries and rapidly developing countries, where energy consumption is growing at an alarming rate. Examples of such countries are India and China. Finland has already initiated this kind of activity in the Republic of Karelia in Russia and in the Baltic countries, and similar operations are now underway in China.”
The second important goal of the Conference, Väisänen says, is to launch preparations for an internal EU programme to help member states set up their own energy audit schemes required by the Energy Services Directive.
The third goal is to initiate collaboration in the area of developing audit models and methods, so that each member country is not separately grappling with the same problem.
Invitation to Press Luncheon at Sibelius Hall, Lahti, Finland
Monday, 11th of September at 12 o'clock
The Organisers welcome members of the press to join the speakers for a Press Luncheon, during which the speakers are prepared to answer questions and give interviews on their respective subjects.
Present are amongst others Mr Taisto Turunen, Director General (Ministry of Trade and Industry of Finland), Mr Mark Radka, Chief of Energy Branch (UN Environment Programme), Mr Vincent Berrutto, Head of Unit (Intelligent Energy Executive Agency, IEEA) and Mr Alexander Zhivov, Senior principal investigator (US Army Corps of Engineers). For other interesting speakers and presentations look for details in the Conference Programme enclosed with this invitation.
The Press Info at the Conference Venue Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland is open during the Conference (11th – 13th September), with personnel to help the members of the press to reach speakers for interviews and acquire materials on the various subjects presented by the speakers.
Registration to the Press Luncheon and Conference
The Members of the Press are more than welcome to take part in the Press Luncheon as well as in the Conference. Participation is free of charge but registration is mandatory. Onsite-registration is possible.
Registration to the Conference and Press Luncheon by 8th September:
Communications Manager Kirsi-Maaria Forssell, Motiva Oy
tel +358 400 464 787, kirsi-maaria.forssell@motiva.fi.
Interview requests for the Main Speakers are required in advance:
- Ministry of Trade and Industry in Finland (Minister Pekkarinen):
Communications Secretary Päivi Vuorivirta, tel +358 9 1606 2081, paivi.vuorivirta@ktm.fi - European Commission Representation in Finland
(Commissioner Piebalgs):
Communications Manager Marjatta Hautala, tel +358 9 6226 5452, marjatta.hautala@ec.europa.eu
The Energy Audit ´06 Conference is one of the events of Finland’s term of EU Presidency. The Conference is organised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Motiva Oy. Its execution is also supported by the European Commission Intelligent Energy Europe Programme.
Additional information:
- Senior Adviser Heikki Väisänen
Ministry of Trade and Industry, tel +358 9 1606 4834 - Customer Service Manager Timo Husu
Motiva Oy, tel +358 9 8565 3135 - Communications Manager Kirsi-Maaria Forssell
Motiva Oy, +358 9 8565 3106
