IKV Chairman Ömer Cihad Vardan and Vice President Zeynep Bodur Okyay attented on the 24th March 2014 the Second Energy Sector Meeting which was held within the preparation for ICCI 2014 – 20th International Energy and Environment Fair and Conference scheduled for the end of April.

In his speech, IKV Chairman Ömer Cihad Vardan focused on the economic problems of the energy sector by mainly stressing the importance of Turkey for EU’s energy security. Within this framework, Vardan touched upon the issues of energy security and energy supply in the light of EU’s energy goals and latest crises that have occurred in the region.
During his speech, Vardan called for the opening the chapter on energy within Turkey’s EU accession negotiations. In this regard, he drew the attention to the European Parliament’s Report on Turkey where it was underlined that Turkey constituted an important asset for the EU in terms of energy security as well as its renewable energy sources.  Vardan pointed out that the opening of this chapter will be in the interests for both Turkey and the European Union. Within this framework, Vardan further stated that Turkey’s involvement in the gas transmission and connection projects will help further Turkey to integration EU market while it will also contribute to EU’s energy security and diversification of energy resources

Vardan spoke about the negative effects of the Crimean crisis on energy supply by mentioning the possible impacts of the sanctions applied by EU Member States towards Russia. IKV Chairman also pointed out the increasing use of renewable energy sources and the importance of energy efficiency for ensuring supply security. Lastly, Vardar touched upon the issue of the nuclear energy and the necessity for Turkey to liberalize its energy market in order to ensure its integration to EU’s domestic energy market.

IKV Vice President and ISO Council President Zeynep Bodur Okyay, in her speech presented the energy problems encountered in the industrial sector by emphasizing on the need to interpret global energy trends correctly for investment decisions. Okyay also pointed out to the importance of supply safety for industrial production process.  Okyay, lastly, mentioned some studies conducted by ISO in regards to renewable and nuclear energy.