5 October 2012: The International Energy Agency (IEA), in collaboration with the Observatoire Méditerranéen de l’Energie (OME) and Renewable Energy Solutions for the Mediterranean (RES4Med), held a workshop titled “From Mediterranean Plans to Renewable Energy Power Plants.”

Participants at the workshop, which convened on 3 October in Rome, Italy, explored the potential for renewable energy, particularly solar and wind technologies, in the Mediterranean region.

The workshop was hosted by Gestore Servizi Energetici (GSE), under the auspices of the Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment, Land and Sea. Participants discussed how to deploy renewable energy technologies in order to operationalize renewable energy power plants in the region.

Acknowledging the benefits the region could gain via trade in power, Ambassador Richard Jones, Deputy Executive Director, IEA, noted that, with mutually supportive governments and an increase in private sector investment, the Mediterranean could lead in green growth efforts. He prioritized next steps for the region’s renewable energy sector as developing policy frameworks to attract investment in renewables and energy efficiency projects; expanding regional multilateral deployment approaches; and developing projects that share benefits of this deployment (including technology transfer and employment opportunities) equitably. [IEA Press Release]