The Ministry for Economic Development recently took part in a mission to Norway, where the Italian delegation took part in the ministerial meeting of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC). At a meeting with Johannesson, the Director of the Secretariat, the delegation confirmed Italy’s readiness to play an active role in the six working groups, most notably the Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) and Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) groups.
In Oslo, the delegation met the Norwegian Government’s Special Envoy for Arctic matters, Morten Hoeglund. Norway views the Arctic as a forum for true international collaboration, with an active role for observer countries too.
Lastly, the delegation met the Director General for International Relations at the Ministry for Oil and Energy, Haraldsen, who stressed the developments taking place throughout the Norwegian hydrocarbon sector. The future of the country’s production will increasingly depend on technological progress and on the specific costs of each technology.
The Norwegians also mentioned their interest in renewable energy sources: hydroelectric, which currently covers 95% of their country’s electricity needs, and (in future) wind power.
The two sides also discussed a possible visit to Italy by Haraldsen, and Italy’s niche segments in the energy field, such as the geothermal plant at Larderello. Agreement was also reached on resuming the Italian-Norwegian energy forum, which could be structured around the three pillars of government, administration and business. Source: infoMercatiEsteri. Read more, in Italian, from Greece/Albania, China and Spain
