The development of sustainable energy -Panel

Northern and eastern Syria has faced many challenges since the beginning of the protests in Syria in 2011. Among these challenges, the Syrian government cut off the supply from within Syria, the drop in the water level on the Euphrates River, which led to the suspension of five turbines out of the six it was working in the dam, providing most of the region's electricity needs. The presence of Turkish forces and factions loyal to them at the Mabrouka substation on the M4 road. The result was the deterioration of the electricity sector, as well as basic services, and huge financial burdens for the population. The shortage of generation capacity was accompanied by unprecedented waste and excessive losses during electricity transmission, which adversely affected equity in the distribution to the cities, counties, and provinces of the Autonomous Administration.

Energy is urgently needed if we want to improve citizens' lives, reduce migration, and increase stability, as well as support the future of the economy in northern and eastern Syria, and all the economic sectors that need energy in order to reduce the cost of production, especially in the agricultural and industrial sectors. As electricity demand increased, the Autonomous Administration was unable to raise production. Due to this, the population, as well as the economy, relied on generators that used fossil fuels for power, despite the noise pollution they caused and the dangers they posed to the environment and public health, particularly in overcrowded areas.

The electricity crisis in northern and eastern Syria over a decade significantly damaged the competitiveness of industrial and agricultural sectors, and it imposed a heavy economic burden on the population. Using expensive private generators, poor families were left in the dark for hours on daily basis.

The urgent priority today is to provide affordable energy services to all those who lack the necessary economic resources to progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and support pathways to stability in the region, as basic energy services are directly linked to most social and economic development goals. It means, therefore, that energy should take priority over other priorities.

Through this roundtable, stakeholders from diverse economic sectors, local and international organizations, as well as academics in the fields of energy will discuss the following questions:

• What challenges does the energy sector face in northern and eastern Syria?
• What are the plans of the Autonomous Administration for developing the energy sector and how will these plans be implemented if any?
• Are these plans effective in supporting the industrial and agricultural sectors?

Speakers:

Hamid Muhaymid Al Muhaymid: Chairman of the Energy Committee in the city of Raqqa

Aliyah Fanoosh Alali:  Co-chair of Energy Directorate in Deir ez-Zor Province

Ziad Rustam  Co-chair of the Al- Jazeera province Energy Office

Noshin Omar: Prof. Dr. Eng, AVESTA BATTERY & ENERGY ENGINEERING, CEO and Founder,

Nidal Abdulla: Electrical engineer, CEO, Schneiders NES branch

Jandi Khalidi: Law degree, University of Aleppo.

Participants & Event format.

Over 50 participants are expected to attend the one-day event, which will include intensive discussions with speakers from the Autonomous Administration, Energy experts, industrial sector, government, engineers, and civil society. Participants will have the opportunity to ask speakers questions and share ideas on how to identify key interventions and explore strategic solutions to advance the energy sector. Arabic will be the language of the meeting, taking into account all the social aspects.