GIZ Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro’s Post

It is with particular motivation that I thank the Association of Turkish Universities for recognizing my participation in the debates in Turkey on energy and the environment, which constitute a reference for the energy transition processes in the Mediterranean. I hope that these initiatives to open up regional dialogue spread and consolidate in the Mediterranean. #Energy #TESPAM #Turkey

The #EnergyAgencies aim to be the leaders of #energytransition in #Europe through collaboration, joint efforts, and by promoting and implementing local actions. These days, the Dalmatian Energy Agency is hosting in #Split the Cyprus Energy Agency, for a #ManagEnergy expert mission, in order to be benefited from an in-depth onsite support, training, and direct one-to-one coaching. Both Energy Agencies agree to work closely to accelerate local sustainable energy investments. Picture (from left to right): - The Managing Director of the Dalmatian Energy Agency, Mario Jakić, - The Director of the Cyprus Energy Agency and Vice President for Smart & Sustainable Islands of Fedarene, Savvas Vlachos, - The Deputy Prefect of the County of Split and Dalmatia, Ante Šošić, and - The Head of the Department of Economy, EU funds, and Agriculture of the County of Split and Dalmatia, Anđelko Katavić The ManagEnergy Initiative is funded by the European Union through the Life programme.

🌎 Reflecting on recent National Workshop for Colombia on Decommissioning Oil & Gas Infrastructure     From September 17-20, our team had the honor of delivering the final national training event in Bogota, Colombia under UNEP’s eight-year collaboration with Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation's Oil for Development (OfD) program. This workshop, designed for Colombia’s national and regional government officials, focused on managing the environmental risks associated with the oil and gas sector—specifically, the responsible decommissioning of aging infrastructure as part of the country's broader energy transition.     💡 Learning activities equipped regulatory staff with the critical knowledge needed to address both the environmental and social dimensions of this important phase in the oil and gas lifecycle. A special highlight was the visit to a petroleum facility, where participants gained firsthand insight into the complex challenges involved in decommissioning such infrastructure.     🤝We're grateful to all the participants for their enthusiastic engagement throughout the event, and to the national experts from several entities who provided invaluable insights during the workshop: Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible Ecopetrol Corporación Autónoma Regional de la Orinoquía - CORPORINOQUIA Universidad Nacional de Colombia GeoPark Alcaldia de Bogotá Secretaría Distrital de Ambiente   This marks the conclusion of UNEP’s work with OfD in Colombia, and we look forward to seeing how the knowledge and strategies shared during this event will contribute to Colombia’s sustainable energy future. 🌿    We are excited to cheer on Colombia’s efforts in achieving a sustainable energy transition! 💚🎉    #Decommissioning #EnergyTransition #Environment #PetroleumManagement #Colombia #UNEP #Norad #Collaboration 

👏 to all speakers and experts for discussing the design of a long-term African Union and European Union partnership for sustainable energies – an inspiring session, which we were proud to organise and host! Renewable energy is a top priority for sustainable and liveable development in both the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). The EU’s Green Deal reinforces its commitment to advancing renewable energy, while the AU recognises renewable energy as essential to the continent’s sustainable development. A key factor in achieving this ambitious goal is fostering an African-European partnership that promotes continuous research, development and dissemination of new solutions. Yesterday, our DLR-PT Office in Brussels hosted a session of the AERAP Africa-Europe Science Collaboration Forum at the South African Embassy in Brussels. The session discussed these issues: ➡️ How to build a sustainable long-term AU-EU partnership for renewable energy ➡️ What operational priorities need to be addressed in order to promote the impact of research equally on both continents? With insights from Isayvani Naicker, Sigfried Tivana, Léonard Lévêque and Friederike Mathey, the participants discussed and prioritised actions necessary for realising an AU-EU partnership. LEAP-RE, EVISIGHTS, Africa Europe Science Collaboration Platform (AERAP), Declan Kirrane, Eudy Mabuza, Department of Science and Technology #AUEUPartnership #renewableenergies #technologytransfer Picture: © DLR-Projektträger

Efthimios Tartaras, Head of Geoscience and Management Consultant at Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company (HEREMA S.A.), represented the team at the Multi-Government Working Group Meeting and Global CCS Institute's 2024 Europe Forum on Carbon Capture and Storage, held in Rotterdam on 16 and 17 April 2024.   These annual events bring together policy leaders, NGOs, industry experts, academics and licensing and management authorities such as #HEREMA to   ✔  support government stakeholders in the development and implementation of policies, laws and regulations regarding Carbon Capture and Storage projects, and ✔ discuss developments in the implementation of CCS technologies in Europe #CCS #energytransition #Greece #GreeceEnergyFuture #climatetargets #Sustainability 🌿💡🔌

🌎Reflecting on recent National Workshop for Colombia on Decommissioning Oil & Gas Infrastructure     From September 17-20, our team had the honor of delivering the final national training event in Bogota, Colombia under UNEP’s eight-year collaboration with Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation's Oil for Development (OfD) program. This workshop, designed for Colombia’s national and regional government officials, focused on managing the environmental risks associated with the oil and gas sector—specifically, the responsible decommissioning of aging infrastructure as part of the country's broader energy transition.     💡 Learning activities equipped regulatory staff with the critical knowledge needed to address both the environmental and social dimensions of this important phase in the oil and gas lifecycle. A special highlight was the visit to a petroleum facility, where participants gained firsthand insight into the complex challenges involved in decommissioning such infrastructure.     🤝We're grateful to all the participants for their enthusiastic engagement throughout the event, and to the national experts from several entities who provided invaluable insights during the workshop: Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible Ecopetrol Corporación Autónoma Regional de la Orinoquía - CORPORINOQUIA  Universidad Nacional de Colombia GeoPark Alcaldia de Bogotá Secretaría Distrital de Ambiente   This marks the conclusion of UNEP’s work with OfD in Colombia, and we look forward to seeing how the knowledge and strategies shared during this event will contribute to Colombia’s sustainable energy future.🌿    We are excited to cheer on Colombia’s efforts in achieving a sustainable energy transition! 💚🎉    #Decommissioning #EnergyTransition #Environment #PetroleumManagement #Colombia #UNEP #Norad #Collaboration 

New initiatives aimed at improving energy connectivity and sustainable energy in Central Asia and the Caucasus were discussed this week in Astana. The discussions featured a presentation on the key findings of United Nations ESCAP - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe joint UNDA project, "Strengthening Energy Policies of Countries with Special Needs to Build Back Better from COVID-19," focusing specifically on the #SDG7 Roadmap for #Kazakhstan. ESCAP also presented a draft subregional roadmap to inform multilateral power trading linked to the cross-border trade of renewable energy resources among Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states. The consultation was conducted under the broader ESCAP – UNECE Sustainable Energy Programme on Energy Connectivity in Central Asia and the Caucasus, launched in January 2024. Learn more: https://buff.ly/3VkChMB

I was invited to share my experience at the AERAP session organised by DLR on "Connecting Global Priorities: How to Build a Sustainable Long-term African-European Partnership for Renewable Energies? " African countries are serious about investing in renewable energy. South Africa, for example, started with the development of a Hydrogen Strategy in 2006, with a "National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Research, Development, and Innovation Strategy" published in May 2007. I  was part of the Strategy Working Group whose objective was to prepare a strategic framework for publicly funded R&D in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell (H&FC) Technologies to position South Africa to play a role in the emerging energy economy in which hydrogen was predicted to play a significant role. While a transition to renewable energy is the global goal, energy access remains the priority in Africa. The continent needs energy to close the gap in terms of income and welfare, between the region and the rest of the world, for global convergence. In this context, the African Common Position on Energy Access and Just Energy Transition adopted on 22 July 2022 by the African Union (AU) Executive Council states that “Africa will continue to deploy all forms of its abundant energy resources, including renewable and non-renewable energy to address energy demand.” The Africa-Europe partnership is critical to taking forward Research and innovation as a key driver for the green transition in Africa and Europe. We need to work at convergence in development and access to counter polarisation. #africaeuropeinnovationpartnership #greentransition #renewableenergy

🌍 RGS joins the European project RE-ENERGIZE to boost heat pump deployment! 🌿   We are thrilled to announce that RGS has signed the Grand Agreement for the RE-ENERGIZE project, part of the LIFE-2023-CET-HEATPUMPS program. This project represents a pivotal step in our journey towards a green and sustainable economy, under the leadership of our new president, Ban Horia.   Project details:   🌱 Objective: Increasing the number of qualified installers and promoting energy efficiency across Europe, with a strong emphasis on heat pumps. 🚀 Partners: Lietuvos Energetikos Institutas (Lithuania) - Coordinator Energy Agency of Plovdiv Association (Bulgaria) Eurotraining Educational Organization (Greece) Novel Group SARL (Luxembourg) Universidad de Malaga (Spain) Societatea Română Geoexchange (Romania) ADEPORTO-Agência de Energia do Porto (Portugal) 📅 Duration: 3 years (2024-2027).   Together with our partners, we will develop capacities in renewable heating/cooling technologies, focusing on advancing the adoption of heat pumps. This initiative aims to enhance energy efficiency and contribute to achieving EU climate goals. We are committed to raising public awareness and ensuring long-term impact through collaboration and disseminating results.   In parallel, the RE-ENERGIZE project runs alongside the COOLING DOWN project, part of the Horizon 2020 program coordinated by EGEC. Both initiatives aim to advance sustainable energy solutions and enhance climate resilience across Europe.     #RE-Energize #HeatPumps #SustainableFuture #GreenEnergy #EnergyEfficiency #ClimateAction

This week, together with the SE Works Council Executive Committee of #Uniper, I visited our Swedish hydropower business in Sweden. On Wednesday, we drove to our plant in Hjälta, one of the hydropower plants that efficiently utilizes local water resources to generate renewable energy. The quality of the plant and the operational performance are remarkable. On Thursday, we had our Executive Committee meeting in the headquarters in Sundsvall. CEO Hydro Sweden Michael Vann presented our wide range of projects from battery systems to repowering hydropower plants and redesigning dams. The main topics of our meeting were European codetermination at Uniper and the role of the European Works Council. We have to review international codetermination processes to ensure that European employee interests are fully safeguarded. We have to optimize the processes, modify our agenda and speed up consultation processes, so that the European Works Council can thrive and prosper. Other topics were the status of the People Strategy and the reprivatization of Uniper. At the end of our visit we were guided around the control room, which optimises and distributes the electricity for all Uniper plants in Sweden. Uniper implements high environmental standards to ensure sustainability and efficiency in our operations. We optimise our plants on a daily basis to ensure both security of supply and the generation of carbon-free electricity. Many thanks to Anne Hietamäki and Kent Hammarström for planning the trip and showing us around. This was one of the best site visits I have ever experienced. #Hydropower #EnergyTransition #Europabetriebsrat #europeanworkscouncil #ewc #codetermination #Betriebsrat #Nachhaltigkeit #sustainability #Mitbestimmung #Uniper #Europe #europeanunion #energiewende