Morocco, India co-chair first Arab-India Energy Forum

Morocco and India co-chaired the first edition of the Arab-India Energy Forum, which was held by videoconference on June 8-9.

The event is part of the implementation of the executive program of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum and the third meeting of senior officials of India and the Arab League, held virtually on January 12, 2021, the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement

Plenary sessions explored the potential and challenges of cooperation in the fields of energy transition, intra-regional power trading, hydrocarbons and nuclear power generation.

“The forum witnessed exchange of knowledge, expertise and best practices in the fields of energy efficiency programs for different economic sectors, accelerated development of new and renewable energy, fostering regional power-sharing arrangements, enhanced oil recovery, tight gas extraction and safe nuclear power generation etc.,” the statement said. “There was also a discussion on respective national regulatory policies governing these sectors, investment opportunities as well as R&D and training collaboration possibilities,” it added.

Participants represented a wide range of public and private sector institutions from India and the Arab League member states as well as key regional organizations such as the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA).

The opening session of the forum was marked by speeches of Moroccan Minister of Energy, Mining and Environment Aziz Rabbah, Indian Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh, and Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs of the Arab League Kamal Hasan Ali.