Agenda
Accelerating the transition to a low carbon energy system:
A Franco-British conversation
The Franco-British Council in partnership with the French Energy Think Tank Vista is
organizing a Climate Change Conference (25 June 2015) in Paris to present and discuss
the bilateral position of Great-Britain and France ahead of COP 21 at the end of the year,
and to address the common issues relating to the setting up of a carbon market in the
EU.
Mr Christian Pierret, former French Minister of Industry, Vice-President of the French
Section of the Franco-Bristih Council and President of the Energy Think Tank Vista, will cochair this Conference with Dr. Camilla Toulmin, Director of the International Institute for
Environment and Development.
The purpose of this meeting is to examine experience with both public and market-based
policy measures to accelerate the transition to a low carbon energy system in France and
Great-Britain in order to limit the climate change.
12:30
Lunch at the Hotel de Pomereu
Guest speaker
Mr Pierre-René Lemas, Managing Director - Caisse des Dépôts et
Consignations
13:45
Welcome by Profesor Christian de Boissieu and Lady Tessa Blackstone, coChairs of the FBC
13:50
Introduction and welcome by Christian Pierret, President - Think Tank
Energies Vista
14:00
Session One
The role of public policy and regulation in directing the current energy mix
in France and UK, and projected pathway to 2030
Speakers
Professor Jim Skea, RCUK Energy Strategy Fellow and Profesor of sustainable
Energy – Imperial College London (UK) and Mr Mario Pain, Energy Deputy
Head - France's Ministry of Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development
(France)
15:30
Break
15:45
Session Two
What combination of market instruments will be required to drive innovation
in demand, supply, pricing?
Speakers
Kirsty Hamilton, Head of Law - Carbon Finance Group (UK) and Philippe
Torrion, Group Executive Director Innovation, Strategy and Planning, EDF
(France)
17:15
Roundtable conclusions and recommendations
Suggestions on how UK and France can work on these issues together, to
ensure success in Paris and accelerate the transition to zero carbon energy
Led by
Dr Camilla Toulmin, Director - International Institute for the environment and
development
17:45
Cocktail/networking
The two countries exhibit quite a different history and current composition of the energy
mix and associated per head carbon emissions.
The difference in nuclear reliance is particularly strong, with France seeking a reduction from
its current 75%, and the UK seeking to increase from 15%.
UK has particularly strong off-shore wind capacity, and growing systems of distributed local
power, through use of feed-in tariffs. However both have made clear they will keep coal in
the ground.
Great-Britain and France are central actors in the shaping of the EU energy and
environmental policy, including the design of the EU energy union, a political goal which
should be reached as soon as possible.
The two countries have made ambitious proposals for reducing carbon emissions for 2030,
through a combination of regulatory and market-based measures.
What could we learn from the effectiveness of energy market reforms in UK and France ?
Could we seek a joint leadership for de-carbonisation ?
In partnership with
Location
Hotel de Pomereu, 67 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris
CDC, 56 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris