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28 January 2022

Energy transition: ENGIE is engaging in the debate and sharing its vision of an affordable and robust transition

Successfully delivering the energy transition involves ensuring that it is affordable and resilient – and that means making sure that the country sets itself on the path to net zero while keeping costs down and securing the energy supply. For a company like ENGIE, it also involves taking action now to provide the energy solutions that will make it possible. That's why – in a bid to contribute to public debate and share its experience – on 28 January 2022, the Group is teaming up with the Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) and think tank Terra Nova to stage a conference on the various challenges involved in the Energy Transition and how it can be successfully achieved. The conference will be held at the Maison de la Mutualité event venue in Paris' fifth arrondissement.

Three roundtable discussions will focus on the conditions needed to bring about a reliable, affordable and sustainable energy transition:

  • What economic levers are required for successfully achieving the energy transition?
  • How can we ensure that it is cost-effective and robust?
  • And finally, society in the face of the energy transition challenge: how can we make it appeal to as many people as possible?

At a time when energy, its availability and volatile electricity and gas prices are hitting the headlines, ENGIE is sharing its vision of the energy transition in France – a vision that is based on a balanced power mix made up of renewable energies and carbon-free gas, and both centralised and decentralised infrastructure, so that energy costs can be optimised and the resilience of its supply can be assured.

This scenario

is underpinned by the technological feasibility of the envisaged production solutions, the potential offered by green gas and robust hourly balancing between supply and demand.

and comes at a lower cost because of less electricity infrastructure needing to be developed, flexibility solutions being optimised (such as hybrid heat pumps, gas storage methane and hydrogen being mobilised) and of a wider selection of competitive decarbonisation options being used (hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, etc.).

Beyond this long-term vision, which could result in a significant reduction in the cost of the transition, this conference will be an opportunity to share the concrete decarbonisation experiences of two companies, and to discuss public tools and policies, as well as the associated societal challenges.

This morning of debate will be opened by Group CEO Catherine MacGregor, and will feature energy transition experts, as well as economic and political players with practical experience out in the field, all engaging in these three roundtable discussions.

Detailed programme:

  • Introductory keynote speech from Catherine MacGregor
  •  The economic levers required for successfully achieving the Energy transition By analysing the various scenarios put forward, how can technological, economic and climate uncertainty be integrated into the strategy? How can the risks of the transition be managed? What economic principles are involved in developing resilient, low-cost energy transition scenarios?

With Christian Gollier, Managing Director of the Toulouse School of Economics. Christian Gollier has contributed to a number of IPCC reports and advises governments on their public investment assessment policies. He is also chairman of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE).

  • How can we deliver a cost-effective and robust energy transition?What pathways are there for dealing with the climate emergency, economic uncertainty, national energy challenges and the scale of the technological challenges facing us? Solutions exist underpinned by technical feasibility, cost and resilience criteria.

With Pierre-Laurent Lucille, ENGIE’s Chief Economist, Yves Fanton d'Andon, Atlantic’s Strategic Marketing Director and an expert in thermal comfort, and Christine Cabau, Vice President of global maritime transport company CMA- CGM.

  • Society in the face of the energy transition challenge

How can we make this energy transition appeal to everyone? What governance is required to make it acceptable?

With Thierry Pech, CEO of Terra Nova,

Benoît Leguet, CEO of the Institute for Climate Economics (I4CE), Christophe Bouillon, Mayor of Barentin and chairman of Petites villes (an association of small towns in France) and Charlotte Roule, ENGIE's Director of Strategy.

  • Closing address given by Claire Waysand, the ENGIE Group's Executive Vice President and General Secretary, and Agnès Bénassy-Quéré, Head Economist at France’s Treasury.