Experts at the SPIEF discussed the topic of energy security and recalled Merkel's mistakes

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez supported the thesis that energy security issues should come first.

"We always advocate that the energy transition should be carried out responsibly, taking into account reality, in order to avoid drastic changes that could jeopardize energy security," said Rodriguez, speaking at the Energy Panel at the SPIEF.

According to her, the energy system of the future needs energy security, reliable supplies, accessibility for all, and minimal environmental impact. Among the main threats to energy security, Rodriguez named illegal sanctions against producing countries and the hegemony of the dollar.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the non-profit initiative of the Government of Japan for the development of low-carbon technologies Nobuo Tanaka, in turn, noted that energy security is always associated with the diversification of sources of supply, increasing energy efficiency and the search for alternative energy sources, including renewable, nuclear energy and market regulation through predictable policies.

Tanaka recalled a conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2009: "I asked her a question about why Germany doesn't use nuclear energy. She replied like this: Mr. Tanaka, I am a scientist, I know how important it is to use nuclear energy, but in order to use it in Germany, she said, give me the votes of the voters in exchange for it."

Tanaka is confident that Merkel has made a serious mistake by changing her policy regarding the use of nuclear power plants under pressure from public opinion. Another mistake was the abandonment of Russian energy resources and Russian natural gas.

Alexander Dynkin, an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, added that although the German energy crisis has formally ended, "the country has paid for it with three years of stagnation, deindustrialization, inflation, and the migration crisis."

"Geopolitics is a factor of the world economy of the 21st century," Dynkin stressed. He noted that European bureaucrats are concerned about the complete abandonment of energy supplies from Russia by 2027. "They are not deterred by rising costs, which undermine the competitiveness of the EU," said Dynkin, recalling that last year the American economy was 50% larger than the European one.

Igor Sechin, the head of Rosneft, speaking at the Energy Panel, noted that the global energy sector is shaping a new face, "due to the multiple growth in electricity consumption, which will be generated by both fossil fuels and renewable sources." Among the factors that affect the state of the global energy sector are the need to ensure energy security and commercial efficiency of energy sources, budget deficits and an avalanche of public debt, as well as an increase in the population of developing countries and the digital revolution.

Sechin also noted the growing worldwide interest in nuclear power generation and, consequently, the growth of investments in this area. According to him, this is happening against the background of increasing energy consumption, and in the future nuclear energy will be in demand along with fossil sources and renewable energy sources.