A new political mandate is on the horizon, and with it, the prospect of continuing our decarbonisation efforts right up to the next major milestone: 2040.

The war in Ukraine exposed Europe's critical dependence on fossil fuels and the central role of the heating and cooling sector in breaking away from them. Could the next mandate be the driving force to fast-track the EU heating and cooling transition? What will it take, and what role can district heating and cooling play in this development?

In this opening session, we will be presenting Euroheat & power's "Blueprint for smart and sustainable district heating and cooling", a set of high-level proposals and recommendations on how to harness the full potential of heating & cooling networks and exchange with high-level European and national policymakers on the way forward."

• 

  Aurélie Beauvais

  Managing Director of Euroheat & Power
• 

  Niels Fuglsang

  Member of the European Parliament
• 

  Birger Lauersen

  President at Euroheat & Power
• 

  Kadri Simson

  European Commissioner for Energy at European Commission
• 

  Frauke Thies

  Executive Director of Agora Energiewende
• 

  Chiara Martinelli

  Director of Climate Action Network Europe asbl

Supporting both district heating and electrification policies is sometimes depicted as a contradiction. Is it, though? Projects on the ground paint a different story, where district heating and electricity work hand in hand to achieve a more flexible and decarbonised energy system. What synergies and opportunities lie behind the deeper integration of electricity and district energy infrastructure? What are the regulatory and industry needs? In this session, association, policy and corporate leaders will share views on how to unlock this extraordinary potential.

• 

  Matthieu Ballu

  Policy Officer, Directorate General for Energy, Renewable Energy Unit of European Commission
• 

  Thomas Nowak

  Secretary General at European Heat Pump Association
• 

  Olivier Racle

  Head of District Heating & Cooling at ENGIE
• 

  Peter Van-Den-Heede

  Head of Sales and Marketing ABB Motion, Belux at ABB
• 

  Emma Wiesner

  Member of the European Parliament
• 

  Aurélie Beauvais

  Managing Director of Euroheat & Power

To deploy efficient heating and cooling solutions and reduce energy poverty, it is imperative to accelerate the renovation of Europe's worst-performing buildings. District heating and cooling networks offer significant energy efficiency gains, reaching their full decarbonisation potential when combined with building renovation strategies. Despite ambitious energy efficiency targets, building renovation is stagnating in Europe: how can we close the gap and develop integrated renovation strategies harnessing the potential of district heating and cooling solutions?

• 

  Femke De Jong

  Director, Buildings Programme of European Climate Foundation
• 

  Adrian Joyce

  Secretary General at EuroACE
• 

  Stefan Moser

  Head of Unit, Buildings and Products at DG ENER at European Commission
• 

  Charlotte Owen

  Head of Policy and Local Partnerships at Hemiko
• 

  Michael Hunnicke Jensen

  Head of EU Public Affairs at Grundfos

"Achieving energy independence" and "breaking free from fossil fuel use" are two sides of the same coin. In May 2022, the European Commission presented its proposal to RePowerEU, to drastically reduce Europe's consumption of imported natural gas while guaranteeing an affordable and secure energy supply to all European citizens. District heating and cooling solutions have a strong value proposition to drive this effort, but how much can be achieved and what is needed to make this happen? This session will host the exclusive launch of Aalborg University's study, quantifying the sector's contribution to reducing the use of fossil fuels in Europe by 2030 and reflecting on the policy framework needed to make this happen.

• 

  Morten Helveg Petersen

  Member of the European Parliament
• 

  Eloi Piel

  Director of Market Intelligence at Euroheat & Power
• 

  Michael Strebl

  Chairman of the Executive Board at Wien Energie
• 

  Brian Vad Mathiesen

  Professor at Aalborg University
• 

  Maiju Westergren

  Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Public Affairs at Helen
• 

  Patrick van der Stigchel

  Vice president of Benelux and south west EU at Kingspan Logstor

It is now more important than ever to recognise the excellence and resilience of district energy systems worldwide. It's time to award energy efficiency, innovation, and best-in-class examples of sustainable district heating & cooling solutions. This is the spirit behind the 2023 edition of the Global District Energy Climate Awards, an international initiative coordinated by the IEA-DHC, UN Environment Programme, Euroheat & Power, the International District Energy Association (IDEA) and the Asian Pacific Urban Energy Association (APUEA). Join us for a memorable award ceremony, followed by a cocktail and dinner reception!

• 

  Aurélie Beauvais

  Managing Director of Euroheat & Power
• 

  Zhuolun Chen

  Senior Advisor at UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre
• 

  Aksana Krasatsenka

  Director of Knowledge Transfer at Euroheat & Power
• 

  Michael Wiggin

  Director of The Boltzmann Institute
• 

  Robin Wiltshire

  UK representative and Chairman at IEA-DHC
• 

  Rob Thornton

  President & CEO of International District Energy Association (IDEA)

The recently adopted Energy Efficiency Directive establishes a clear path towards 100% renewables and waste heat supply and fully decarbonised DHC systems by 2050. This pathway requires, to a large extent, scaling significantly the use of renewable and waste heat sources in the district heating and cooling energy mix. This session will ask experts and policymakers to define the ingredients for achieving these goals while preserving and strengthening the sector's competitive edge regarding supply security and affordability.

• 

  Pauline Lucas

  Policy Director of Euroheat & Power
• 

  Tsvetelina Penkova

  Member of the European Parliament
• 

  Hans van Steen

  Principal Adviser at DG ENER, European Commission
• 

  Valérie Séjourné

  Managing Director of Solar Heat Europe
• 

  Victor Ferré

  Senior Director of Xylem
• 

  Samir Abboud

  CEO of Innargi

District heating and cooling is a highly cost-effective solution, but project financing isn't always straightforward. The complex administrative procedures and highly decentralised nature of DHC projects can pose real problems in accessing public funding. At the same time, high upfront costs and long payback periods sometimes challenge the involvement of private investors. In this session, our experts roll up their sleeves to identify promising financing schemes and the regulatory developments needed to improve access to clean, affordable heat for all European citizens.

• 

  Karine Bauler

  Investments Director of Kyotherm
• 

  Christian Bjerrum Jørgensen

  Energy Attaché at Royal Danish Embassy in Berlin
• 

  Pierre De Montlivault

  Chairman at FEDENE
• 

  Oliver Frey

  Chairman at ISOPLUS Group
• 

  Gabriele Pesce

  Director of Innovation & Sustainable Finance at Euroheat & Power
• 

  Lada Strelnikova

  Senior Principal Sustainable Investments at DWS Group

District heating and cooling networks already supply more than 65 million European citizens and are set to at least double in size by 2040. With great power comes great responsibility. Ensuring competitive and transparent prices as well as robust consumer protection frameworks is critical to build trust with policymakers and accelerate market adoption. What are the lessons learned from the various ownership and regulation models developed in Europe, to ensure transparency and meet consumer protection requirements? This session will shed light on the challenges and best practices for the sector, discussing the role of European and national consumer protection frameworks in the way forward.

• 

  Wim Jacobs

  CEO & Co-founder of Zero Friction
• 

  Birger Lauersen

  President at Euroheat & Power
• 

  Tomislav Novosel

  Expert Advisor at REGEA
• 

  Frans de Heij

  Program manager at Energie-Nederland

In October 2022, President Von Der Leyen declared 2023 the European Year of Skills to raise awareness on the exponential need for qualified workers driving the European energy and climate transition. The district heating and cooling industry is no exception: from engineering to project conception and installation, more workers are needed to achieve our expansion and decarbonisation objectives. How can industry, policymakers and organisations contribute to solving the gap?

• 

  Julie Beaufils

  Secretary General at EuropeOn
• 

  Donna Gartland

  CEO of Codema - Dublin's Energy Agency
• 

  Nicolai Kipp

  Head of department at Danish District Heating Association
• 

  Aksana Krasatsenka

  Director of Knowledge Transfer at Euroheat & Power
• 

  Igor Krupenski

  Co-founder and CEO of Enerhack
• 

  Mantas Sekmokas

  Policy Advisor DG EMPLOYMENT at European Commission