Minister Joubert and delegation attend India Energy Week 2024 |12 February 2024
Minister Joubert in a panel session on day two of the event (Photo: Contributed)
Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment Flavien Joubert, accompanied by the chief executive of the Public Utilities Corporation Joel Valmont, and acting chief executive of the Seychelles Energy Commission Bernice Charles attended the India Energy Week from February 6-8, 2024 in Goa, India.
The Seychelles delegation attended the opening ceremony on February 6 where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honor. After the opening ceremony, the delegation visited the various companies and businesses that were showcasing their products and services they offer. This was a chance for Minister Joubert to engage with these businesses and companies, especially renewable energy companies and alternative energy providers.
In the afternoon, the delegation attended a ministerial panel session about ensuring energy security for the nation and industry in a VUCA world i.e. (a world that is increasingly filled with volatility, uncertainty complexity and ambiguity).
On the second day – February 7 – Minister Joubert attended a ministerial panel entitled ‘Powering Tomorrow - Future Outlook for energy markets’, and this was a closed-door session. In the afternoon, the minister attended another ministerial panel on ‘South-South Cooperation: Energy for
Inclusive Growth’, held in the plenary hall. In this session, Minister Joubert was one of the participants. He discussed the various challenges that Seychelles faces in ensuring that it achieves its nationally determined contributions (NDC) commitments and also succeeds in achieving the energy transition.
Minister Joubert also highlighted that like other small islands developing countries (Sids), Seychelles is suffering from the consequences of climate change even while it is doing its utmost to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Minister Joubert also had a bilateral meeting with Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the government of India.During this session the minister discussed amongst other things the development of biofuel in Seychelles, renewable energy for the agricultural sector. He also discussed the management and abatement of emissions from the Roche Caïman power plant, and technical cooperation for the utilities sector including knowledge exchange, technical training but also placement of experts in these sectors to build local capacities in the sector.
On February 7, Minister Joubert was interviewed by the Business Standards newspaper of India. In this interview, Minister Joubert discussed the various assistance that India has provided Seychelles in the energy sector and also the outcome of the discussion that he had had with his Indian counterpart. Minister Joubert also touched on the challenges that Seychelles faces in tackling climate change.
The India Energy Week 2024, organised by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas of India, stands as a premier event in the energy sector, drawing in over 30 ministerial speakers, 350 exhibitors, 400 conference speakers, and more than 35,000 energy professionals and 4,000 conference delegates from 120 countries.
The inaugural India Energy Week took place in Bengaluru from February 6-8, 2023, with Jean-François Ferrari, Minister for Blue Economy and Fisheries of Seychelles, leading a two-member delegation from the country.
Contributed
