1. The Foreign Ministry will host a Republic of Korea-Americas Energy Cooperation Seminar in Seoul on October 31.

° The event will bring together some 200 people, including energy experts from the US, Canada, Panama, Mexico, Chile, Guatemala and El Salvador; and those from energy-related organizations, private companies and academic circles at home and abroad.

2. The Seminar will kick off with opening remarks by Director-General for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Affairs Lee Hyung-jong of the Foreign Ministry, followed by congratulatory remarks by President Park Joo-Heon of the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) and Vice-President and Chief Global Business Officer Ha Bong–soo of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). It will consist of three sessions, during which presentations will be delivered on electricity, petroleum, gas, and new and renewable energy industries in the Americas, and ways will be sought for the Republic of Korea and the Americas to work together in the field.

° In session I, Senior Vice President Arshad Mansoor of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will deliver a presentation on “the future electricity market and the fourth industrial revolution,” President Juan Pablo Carrasco of the American Chamber of Commerce in Guatemala on “electricity markets in Central American countries and an outlook on their integration,” Managing Director of Electric Industry Coordination Diego Villarreal Singer of the Mexican Ministry of Energy (SENER) on “the electricity industry and relevant projects in Mexico,” and director for energy planning David Eduardo Parada of the El Salvador’s National Energy Council on “the electricity industry and relevant projects in El Salvador.” A discussion will ensue on ways that Korean companies can build presence in the region’s electricity industry.

° In session II, Senior Advisor of the Bureau of Energy Resources Melissa Simpson at the US Department of State will deliver a presentation on “petroleum and gas in the US and ways to work together in the field,” President Allan Fogwill of the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI) on “petroleum and gas in Canada and their outlook,” and Chief Development Officer Richard Donohoe of Paladin Equity on “petroleum and gas trends in different regions of the world and their outlooks.” A discussion will ensue on ways for Korean companies to build presence in the petroleum and gas sectors in the Americas as well as ways to work together in the field.

° In session III, Managing Partner Walter Howes of Verdigris Capital will speak on “new and renewable energy projects and financing in the US,” Secretary Victor Urrutia of Panama’s National Secretariat of Energy on “new and renewable energy policy and relevant projects in Panama,” director for project management Rodrigo Terc of the Chilean Ministry of Energy on “new and renewable energy policy and relevant projects in Chile,” and Manager Richard Adams of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) on “the future market, technology and outlook of new and renewable energy.” A discussion will follow on ways that Korean enterprises can join the new and renewable energy market in the Americas.

3. In a related move, the Foreign Ministry has set up business meetings between Korean entrepreneurs and the aforementioned presenters, including high-level officials of foreign companies, for November 1, the day after the Seminar. These meetings will serve as opportunities to introduce Korean companies to countries they are seeking presence in and to discuss possible participation of Korean companies in projects of those countries.

° Some 20 energy-related Korean companies, big, small, and medium, will attend the business meetings, during which 60-odd consultations are expected to take place.

4. The Foreign Ministry expects the forthcoming Seminar to serve as a good opportunity to share an understanding on the Americas’ energy market, which is seeing a steady growth in significance in the global energy market, and energy project environments of individual countries in the region; and to seek an accelerated entry of Korean companies into the energy market in the Americas.


* unofficial translation