HAEE - the Greek Think Tank for Energy Economics - an affiliate of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) participated in the workshop organized by KAPSARC (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies And Research Center) in Riyadh on December 10^th. The subject of the workshop was “Electricity Reform and Technological Disruption: What options for Saudi Arabia?”. This event was an opportunity for academics, international institutions and market representatives to exchange views on electricity market transformation.

HAEE’s President, Dr. Kostas Andriosopoloulos, who was invited by Mr. Doug Cook, director of KAPSARC, presented his views and long experience, both as an academic and a professional in the energy market of Europe and USA. He presented opportunities for investment in the new environment and analyzed the “unbundling” (division of supply and electricity networks) and the new landscape of the gradual opening of the electricity market.

Each session of the workshop was seeded with brief perspectives from selected participants followed by a round-table discussion to develop new insights and identify future research directions. Some of the participants were Mr. Fahad Abu Haimed (Executive Director, Strategic Planning Sector, Saudi Electricity Company), David Shipworth (Proferssor, University College London), Omar Siddiqui (Technical Executive, Electric Power Research Institute), Amro Elshurafa (Research Fellow, KAPSARC), Matthew Wittenstein (International Energy Agency), Steve Griffiths (Masdar Institute), Andrea Bollino (Visiting Research Fellow, KAPSARC), Fereidoon Sioshansi (Merlo Energy), Jean Michel Glachant (Florecne School of Regulation), Amro Farid (Dartmouth College), Christoph Burger (European School of Management), Μarcello Contestabile (KAPSARC).

The workshop covered the following topics:

• Setting the context: Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030 in the electricity sector
• Megatrends in the electricity sector: From domestic PV to autonomous demand respond systems
• Saudi Arabia’s electricity reforms: what lessons can we derive from international experiences?
• New regulation for new markets: adapting regulation to facilitate the emergence of new electricity technologies
• New business model: How the delivery of electricity services is likely to evolve in Saudi Arabia?