Economists from international agencies and executives from leading financing and specialised market intelligence firms will speak at the Finance Forum taking place as part of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi.

The Finance Forum will be held on the final day of the summit, which is taking place from January 17-20.

Focusing on the effects of the recently changed economic landscape, the forum will discuss the effects of challenging economic conditions on renewable energy projects, products and services, the criteria investors seek in projects, and where the chief risks lie. Prominent financiers and venture capitalists participating in the forum will also reveal their outlook for future energy financing, said Reed Exhibitions, organiser of the WFES .

Frederic Theux, president, Reed Exhibitions, said: “Financing has always been a pivotal step, and a challenging one, for renewable energy project innovators especially given recent economic conditions. This year we have assembled a stable of leading financiers, investors, advisors and market intelligence firms to provide our delegates a well-rounded overview and insight on current and projected financing conditions and solutions for future energy.”

The Finance Forum will open with a keynote address by Fatih Birol, International Energy Agency (IEA) chief economist, who will be sharing the latest market research and statistics from the IEA as well as current analysis of global energy policy. The IEA recently suggested that the investment bill to decarbonise the global energy mix has risen by $1 trillion in the past year, and it is expected that speakers at the Finance Forum will be looking at ways to tackle this, among other energy financing issues.

The keynote address will be followed by the main session Finance Leaders in Renewable Energy – Insights from the Investors, chaired by Michael Liebreich, CEO, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, UK. It will feature Kenneth Bateman, board member, National Energy Board of Canada; Baron Stern of Brentford, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics, UK; Morgan Bazilian, special advisor on energy, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Austria; Caio Koch-Weser, vice chairman, Deutsche Bank Group, UK; and Alex O’Cinneade, Head of Investments, Masdar Capital, UAE.

This will be followed by three different sessions discussing Financing Future Energy. The first of such sessions will be Innovation in Renewable Energy, discussing new ways of funding. This will run concurrently with a session on The Challenges for Venture Capitalists in Clean Tech Investing, in which the risks and opportunities that lie ahead for venture capitalists as demand grows for new energy financing will be debated. The final afternoon session will focus on International Policy – Funding Development and will be chaired by Kirsty Hamilton, associate fellow, Renewable Energy Finance Project, Chatham House, UK.

Held under the Patronage of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed forces and hosted by Masdar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company focused on advancing the development, commercialisation and deployment of renewable energy and clean technology solutions, the World Future Energy Summit comprises the four-day conference, alongside two exhibitions – a World Future Energy Exhibition and World Future Environment Exhibition that will be attended by more than 600 exhibitors from around 40 countries. – TradeArabia News Service