On the 7th of December 2021, the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will jointly host a high-level hybrid conference entitled “Optimising Energy and Empowering Nature”, co-organised by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E). The conference aims to disseminate sound solutions for a renewables-based energy system that contributes to nature conservation while swiftly advancing the energy transition.

With the COP26 ongoing in Glasgow, we are hearing many urgent calls to scale up and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and electricity grid infrastructure. This will be a vital step forward on our pathway towards decarbonisation. At the same time, infrastructure development must be complemented with actions to protect and enhance nature and healthy ecosystems, if we are to achieve our shared global goals for sustainable development.

Against this background, the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are hosting the hybrid conference “Optimising Energy and Empowering Nature” on Tuesday, 7 December 2021 from 10 am to 2:45 pm. The event is being co-organised by ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators, and will be live-streamed from a studio at their Brussels premises.

The conference aims to bring nature conservation and energy infrastructure representatives on stage together to discuss and promote sound solutions and best practices for a green energy sector that conserves nature while swiftly advancing towards a carbon-free world. Opportunities for improvement in the policy framework will be addressed specifically.

To stress the importance of sharing best practices across regions and sectors, the conference will be combined with a best practice fair and will host RGI’s award ceremony for the ‘Good Practice of the Year’ award 2021 where the winners of the three categories - Environmental Protection, Communication & Engagement and Technological Innovation & System Integration - will be announced. The award patron will be Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment.

Keynote speeches will be held by:

• Kadri Simson (TBC) - Commissioner for Energy, EC
• Bruno Oberle - Director General, IUCN
• Hervé Laffaye - President, ENTSO-E

The three panels of the conference will evolve around the following topics:

• Pathways to the future: Planning energy in harmony with biodiversity standards
• Optimising planning to achieve net zero and net biodiversity gain
• Optimising space: Needed actions, roles and responsibilities

You can register on this link!