Recap of the 6th Russian Energy Week International Forum

The Russian Energy Week (REW) International Forum took place for the sixth time on 11–13 October in Moscow. The Forum was attended by government officials from various countries, heads of major energy companies and organizations, scientists, and experts. This year’s central theme was ‘The New Reality of Global Energy: Building the Future’.

“REW features specialized, industry-specific, targeted discussions with experts from all over the world. It once again brought together everyone interested in the joint development of energy and people willing to work together for the future. It’s great that foreign countries were widely represented this year. I am confident that this platform will have a direct impact on international relations as a whole and on the energy sector in particular for many years to come,” Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak said in comments following the Forum.

“The Forum’s business programme and REW Youth Day included over 70 events that were attended by more than 225 speakers. In total, over 5,000 delegates from 84 countries and territories took part in REW 2023. Over 1,200 representatives of foreign and Russian businesses from more than 250 companies attended the Forum. There were also 36 heads of diplomatic corps. More than 2,000 participants took part in the Youth Day events,” Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the REW 2023 Organizing Committee Anton Kobyakov said. 

A programme built on four pillars

The Forum programme was built on four pillars: ‘The International Agenda’, ‘The Development of the Fuel and Energy Sector’, ‘Scientific and Technological Development, and the Digital Transformation’, and ‘Sustainable Development and the Climate’. The Forum also included bilateral meetings, negotiations, and business breakfasts.

The key event in the Forum’s business programme was the plenary session, which was attended by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani. The discussion was moderated by Al Ghad TV journalist Amr Abdelhamid.

The session ‘The Global Oil and Gas Market: Navigating a Period of Turbulence’, with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak, generated significant attention among participants. It was also attended by Caretaker Federal Minister of Energy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Muhammad Ali, Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Viskovic, Minister of Petroleum of the Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Owji, Executive Vice President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez, and Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov.

Another key event was the Global Energy Association’s ‘Building the City of the Future’ session, which was attended by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, Sberbank CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board Herman Gref, as well as foreign guests: Deputy Director for Information Technology of China’s State Grid Corporation Jiye Wang and Point Systems Zrt Founder and CEO Laszlo Kovacs.

The Joint Intergovernmental Russian-Saudi Commission held a meeting during Russian Energy Week. In addition, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak held a meeting of the Coordinating Council under the Government Commission on Import Substitution on ways to substitute imports of oil and gas equipment.

‘Global Energy’ and ‘Energy of the Pen’ Prizes

An official ceremony was held during REW 2023 to present the Global Energy Prize for outstanding scientific research and scientific-technical developments in the field of energy. This year, the prize was won by scientists from China. Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems Founding Director Zhong Lin Wang was awarded in the Non-Conventional Energy category. Ruzhu Wang emerged as the laureate in the New Ways of Energy Application category. During the ceremony, an Honorary Diploma was presented to Ljubivoje Popovic on behalf of the Global Energy Association.

In addition, REW 2023 hosted an award ceremony for the winners of the ‘Energy of the Pen’ international media competition. A total of 262 applications from Russia and 23 other countries were received. The winners were selected by a panel of judges.