Kindly hosted by our Moroccan Member, the Electricity Regulatory Authority ANRE, MEDREG held its 2nd Presidents’ workshop in Marrakech. Top representatives from Moroccan institutions and energy regulatory authorities from more than 20 countries of the Mediterranean region addressed energy challenges in the context of international crises.

As our region and its citizens are being severely affected by soaring energy prices and security of supply disruptions, the Energy Regulators of the Mediterranean met at the highest level to rightly and timely define a response to these challenges and the steps to be taken in a collaborative and common way, in particular to minimise the impact of energy price surge.

Opening the workshop, Petrit Ahmeti, MEDREG President and Chairman of the Albanian Energy Regulatory Authority ERE stated that:
“The current international context urges us to reduce dependence on Russian gas, and to accelerate the transition to green energy. The Mediterranean region has a role to play to help its Euro-Mediterranean neighbours strengthening their security of supply. Regulators are stronger and more voiced together, thus today’s exchanges are crucial to build consensus, foster a common vision and ultimately develop coherent regulatory policies that enable reliable and sustainable energy systems.”

Addressing the energy transition challenges in the Mediterranean region, Abdellatif Bardach, MEDREG Vice-President and Chairman of the Moroccan Electricity Regulatory Authority ANRE noted that:
“Under the High Clairvoyant Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, May God Assist Him, the kingdom of Morocco has made the energy transition a national priority and has become one of the Mediterranean countries’ frontrunners in renewables. In addition to developing large renewable projects aiming for a power capacity of more than 52% by 2030, we are improving the legal and regulatory frameworks of our country to attract investments in order to fully attain the energy transition and guarantee reliable energy supply to the moroccan people at a reasonable price. Furthermore, we attach particular interest to regional integration, in the belief that cross-border energy trade is essential to enhance the security of electricity supply in Mediterranean countries and to help manage the high share of intermittent renewables; this can only be achieved through high-level political commitment, investment in infrastructure and harmonized standards and regulations.”

Proposing solutions to security of supply concerns, Karem Mahmoud, MEDREG Vice-President and CEO of the Egyptian Gas Regulatory Authority GASREG mentioned that:
“Egypt’s offshore gas resources have the potential to turn the country into a regional energy hub, offering its Mediterranean neighbours an alternative to the Russian gas supply. GASREG is in the process of modernising its gas market and opening it to competition, which will allow third parties’ access to Egypt’s gas network for trading purposes. We are also working on improving and reinforcing our transmission and distribution infrastructure, in order to deal with increasing quantities of gas and a larger number of shippers. Efficient interconnectors, infrastructures and storage will be key to mitigate possible gas disruptions and ensure sufficient and secure energy supply to the Euro-Mediterranean countries.”

The Presidents also touched upon the energy price surge, exacerbated by the Ukrainian conflict and which recorded major volatility, amidst a climate of great uncertainty. Exchanging on regulatory good practices which proved effective to minimize the impact on consumers, Stefano Besseghini, MEDREG Permanent Vice-President and President of the Italian Energy Regulatory Authority ARERA, shared the policy applied to Italian consumers:
“Extraordinary measures have been taken for an objectively extraordinary situation: in Italy, 30 million domestic users and 6 million companies will have their bills reduced, thanks in part to the Government's actions, which confirm the cancellation of general charges and the reduction in VAT on gas.”

The President’ workshop was preceded by MEDREG’s 33rd General Assembly meeting held on 22 June in Marrakech too.

The General Assembly took stock of the progress made in the 2022 deliverables, the planned cooperation initiatives with partners and exchanged on the 3 year-strategy for 2023-2025 which will match the renewed financial support from the European Union.