Geneva, 5 November 1999

Financing Energy Investments

A UN/ECE Round Table

10 November 1999, 10:00-13:00 am

(Geneva, Palais des Nations, Room XXI)

In conjunction with the IXth Session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) Committee for Sustainable Energy a Round Table on Financing Energy Investments in the ECE Region, will be held from 10:00-13:00 am, in Room XXI of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Round Table will address the current relationships between the energy sector and financial markets. It will also explore the key trends and prospects in financing energy investments in the region.

The following panelists will participate in the Round Table:

Mr. L. O'Keeffe, Director, Power Financing, (Credit Lyonnais, London)

Dr. K. Kaempf, Director (Dresdner Bank, Office in Brussels)
Mr. D. Morariu, Business Development Manager (Shell, London)
Mr. E. Muller-Elschner, Vice President and Head of Department (Wintershall, Kassel)
Mr. F. Ferretti, Principal Banker, Energy and Power, (EBRD, London)
Mr. H. Warsch, Director of Political and Public Relations Department (Siemens KWU, Erlangen)
Mr. O. Tichy, Director (El Paso Energy, Czech Republic operations)
Mr. M. Walis, (Clean Coal Technologies, Czech Republic)

The international character of the energy business in the ECE region, the undergoing liberalization, the increasing reliance on imported energy and the difficulties in obtaining finance for energy projects in emerging markets should provide a challenging background for the panel.

To focus discussions and make the Round Table productive, four issues will be discussed:

• Liberalization of markets and the consolidation of energy industries; financial and investment implications.

• Regulation, state intervention and financing of the energy sector and projects in the UN/ECE region.

• Key obstacles and constraints to capital flows to the energy sector in transition countries and the role of international financial institutions (IMF, WB, EIB and EBRD) in facilitating those flows.

• The impact of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol in financing energy projects in the ECE region.

For more information please contact:

Mr. George Kowalski
Director
Energy Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)
Palais des Nations, Bureau 440
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Telephone: + 41 22 917 24 17
Telefax: + 41 22 917 00 38
E-mail: george.kowalski@unece.org