Scotland Hosts Low Carbon Investment Conference

BOSTON, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- India's Renewable Energy Minister, the Head of Climate Change & Environment for the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the EU's North Sea Grid Co-ordinator are due to address a major international conference focused on the multi-billion pound opportunities presented by renewable energy and other low carbon developments.

Senior financiers, utilities chiefs and politicians will take part in the two-day Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference, to be opened by First Minister Alex Salmond on September 28 at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Confirmed speakers include: Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Minister for New & Renewable Energy in the Indian Government; the EIB's Head of Climate Change & Environment Christopher Knowles; Georg Adamowitsch, European co-ordinator for the connection of offshore wind power in Northern Europe; and UK Energy & Climate Change Minister Charles Hendry.  Additionally, several United States companies — representing both the industry and investment side of the renewable energy sector — will be in attendance and providing speakers at the event (full list of speakers follows).  

The latest schedule for the conference – to be chaired by Angus McCrone, Chief Editor of Bloomberg New Energy Finance – is available on the SLCI website, here: http://www.slciconference.com/

The Conference will provide a unique forum for Government, international finance, utilities and developers to engage directly, bringing projects and investors together - matching opportunities and debating the risks and rewards of major capital, public/private and 'venture' size projects in the low carbon sector.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: "A massively expanded renewables industry, together with advanced carbon capture and storage development and cleaner, more energy-efficient developments across transport, housing and other sectors are key to reducing worldwide CO2 emissions, tackling damaging global climate change and driving forward sustainable economic growth.  The low carbon economy is a global market, estimated to be worth 3 trillion pounds Sterling in 2007-08 (around $5 trillion) and forecast to grow to 4.3 trillion pounds (around $7 trillion) by 2015 – three times the size of the global aerospace sector.

"Just as Scotland has been blessed with North Sea oil and gas, we also have huge wind, wave and tidal resources well beyond our domestic needs, enabling us to become a net exporter of clean, green energy.  Together with our extensive offshore energy and engineering expertise and our record of financial innovation, this places Scotland at the forefront the development of the global low carbon economy.

"I have been in Norway discussing plans for renewable energy projects involving leading firms from our two nations.  The SLCI conference will build on these existing partnerships, bringing major utilities and developers of low carbon projects together with key financial leaders and investors – to scope opportunities, explore challenges, identify solutions and help forge the new green economy."

The Conference is strongly supported by Scottish Enterprise and forms part of the economic development agency's project to create innovation in finance and secure investment in Scotland's growing low-carbon economy.  For Scottish Development International (SDI) it will highlight the scale and diversity of the investment opportunities in Scotland and provide a showcase to attract inward investment.  Other key partners are the Scottish Futures Trust, Arup and Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, who are also the conference organisers.

David Smith, Interim Chief Executive of Scottish Development International, said: "Scotland is preparing itself to capitalise on a generational opportunity. This will require the co-ordination of key players from not just Scotland, but from around the entire world.  Through the Scottish Low Carbon Investment conference we are engaging with technology providers, supply chain companies and the world of finance to position Scotland as the optimum location for low carbon opportunity.

"In offshore wind alone, Scotland offers a skills base including that built on the offshore oil and gas industries, the infrastructure of our ports and harbours and close access to a market with the potential of employing at least 20,000.  With our partners, we are focused on bringing this opportunity together with industry and both public and private sector finance to ensure Scotland achieves maximum economic benefit."

Ron Hewitt, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, added:  "It is gratifying that the sector is so supportive of all of the work that is going into the project and the Conference. We will work with those involved in the sector and with the financial community to identify and debate the risks and rewards, opportunities and challenges within the renewables arena."

The latest speakers confirmed for the SLCI conference are:

Banking and Finance

Lady Susan Rice, Managing Director, Lloyds Banking Group

Andrew McLaughlin, Group Chief Economist, RBS

Andrew Buglass, Director of Power, Structured Finance, RBS

Kevin Maddick, Director of Infrastructure Finance, RBS

Rob Cormie, Executive Director, Quayle Munro

Chris Knowles, Head of Climate Change & Environment, European Investment Bank

Helen Wade, Director of Project Finance, National Australia Bank

Ed Wilson, Head of Renewable Energy, Lloyds Banking Group

Gareth Miller, Head of Renewable Energy Project Finance, Barclays

David Thorburn, COO, Clydesdale Bank

Thomas Ruschen, Global Head of Asset Finance, Deutsche Bank

David Kipling, Partner, Clean Earth Capital

John Rendall, CEO HSBC Scotland

Andrew Marsden, Managing Director, Europe, GE Energy Financial Services

Utilities, Developers and Industry

Ian Marchant, CEO, Scottish and Southern Energy

Nick Horler, CEO, ScottishPower

Keith Anderson, MD, ScottishPower Renewables

Michael Weinhold, CTO, Siemens Energy

Jim Dehlsen, Chairman, Clipper Windpower

Mauricio Quintana, CEO, Clipper Windpower

Martin McAdam, CEO, Aquamarine Power

Neels Kriek, CEO, Pelamis Wave Power

Eric McAfee, CEO, AE Biofuels

Jim McColl, CEO, Clyde Blowers Group

Professional Services, Advisory and Consulting

Paul Brewer, Partner, Corporate Finance, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Ron Norman, Partner Global Energy, PA Consulting

Ben Warren, Energy and Infrastructure Advisory Leader, Ernst & Young,

Angus McCrone, Chief Editor, Bloomberg New Energy Finance

Daniel Buira, Strategy Manager, The Carbon Trust

Michael Rea, COO, The Carbon Trust

Andrew Mill, CEO, NaREC

Dr. Richard Tipper, Managing Director, Ecometrica

Dr. Isabel Boira-Segarra, Renewable Services Director, WSP Environment & Energy

Nathan Goode, Partner, Grant Thornton

Jennifer Ballantyne, Partner, McGrigors

Government and Public Sector

Rt. Hon. Alex Salmond MSP, First Minister of Scotland

John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Scottish Government

Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise & Tourism, Scottish Government

Richard Lochhead MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment, Scottish Government

Jamie Hume, Head of Renewables and Low Carbon, Scottish Government

Crawford Gillies, Chairman, Scottish Enterprise

Lena Wilson, CEO Scottish Enterprise

Adrian Gillespie, Senior director for Energy and Low Carbon, Scottish Enterprise

Charles Hendry MP, Minister of State, Department of Energy & Climate Change, UK Government

Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Indian Government

Georg Adamowitsch, European Co-ordinator, European Commission

Rob Hastings, Director, Marine Estate, The Crown Estate

SOURCE Scottish Development International and Scottish Enterprise