EFET Chairman Paul Dawson: “we need to restore faith in energy trading markets”

Nov. 7, 2012 - PRLog -- The Chairman of EFET* (European Federation of Energy Traders), Paul Dawson, says the energy trading community needs to restore faith in markets in the wake of the financial crisis.  Mr Dawson, who is also the Head of Regulatory Affairs at RWE Supply & Trading, was speaking in the run-up to the 14th edition of EMART Energy in Amsterdam, where more than 850 energy trading professionals will gather from 21-22 November at what is regarded as Europe’s largest and leading platform for energy traders.  

*EFET is a group of more than 100 European energy trading companies dedicated to stimulate and promote energy trading.

Neutrality of markets invaluable
According to Mr Dawson, restoring faith in the energy markets “will require exemplary standards of market conduct and transparency to rediscover and reinforce the market’s unique ability to uncover the lowest cost way to deliver our future energy supply.”  He explains:  “traded wholesale energy markets ensure that energy is delivered to the right places at the right times at the lowest cost to society and are therefore essential to affordable, sustainable and secure energy supplies.  Markets don’t pick winners and their neutrality will be invaluable in uncovering the best path to the European Energy Transition.”  

He continues:  “The full integration of renewable generation into competitive wholesale markets presents the largest challenge and the key will be to ensure that we retain the benefits of efficient energy and carbon markets while delivering the required investments to ensure that we cut emissions in the most efficient and affordable way.”

Non-market interventions a concern
The EFET Chairman says all the essential building blocks of a single European energy market vision are falling into place.  He explains:  “it’s been a long road to travel but the Single Energy Market vision is increasingly a reality.  The concern is that non-market interventions undermine and restrict that achievement.  The challenge now is to take the best of the markets that have developed and broaden these into other countries and jurisdictions and address the challenge of the low carbon transition without throwing out the benefits of the market.”

Mr Dawson will be the moderator of the opening plenary session at EMART Energy on “Managing the European Energy Transition: can traded markets survive?”  The esteemed panel will include:

- Bert den Ouden, CEO, APX ENDEX
- Klaus Schäfer, CEO, E.ON Energy Trading
- Paul van Son, CEO, Dii (Desertec) and former EFET Chair
- Mark van Stiphout, Member of Cabinet G. Oettinger, European Commission

More leading speakers:

· Stephen Asplin, Managing Director, Vattenfall Energy Trading, the Netherlands
· Edouard Neviaski, CEO, GDF SUEZ Trading, France

Event dates and location:

Pre-conference workshops:  19-20 November
Conference:  21-22 November

Amsterdam RAI, the Netherlands

Event website:  www.emart-energy.com