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Innovate4Climate

How do we move away from coal without leaving communities behind? This key issue will be explored in the session co-hosted by the Powering Past Coal Alliance, the Climate Investment Funds and the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program at this year’s Innovate4Climate conference .

Support to the Acceleration of Energy Transition in Coal Regions: Technical and Financing Instruments

Energy-related emissions continue to rise with CO2 emissions from coal responsible for over 0.3°C increase in global annual temperatures above pre-industrial levels. While a phase out is occurring, the process is slow as significant social, economic, and political challenges remain. The need for country buy-in, focus on economic regeneration opportunities for communities in the coal regions and handling of coal assets are critical components of an effective coal transition strategy.

This 2-part session will focus on infrastructure priorities and financing tools currently under development to support the coal-to-clean transition based on global and regional experiences in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe & Central Asia.

Part 1: Phasing Out Coal and Phasing in New Economic Opportunities: Repurposing Innovations.

26 May, 10:30 EDT / 14:30 GMT

Moderator: Christopher Evans, Deputy Director of Energy Transition and Finance at Environment and Climate Change Canada

Speakers:

  • Demetrios Papathanasiou, Global Director for the Energy and Extractives Global Practice, World Bank
  • Dr Wolfhart Pohl, Lead Environmental Specialist, World Bank’s Environment Global Practice
  • Kate Chisholm, SVP Planning, Stakeholder Relations and Chief Sustainability, Capital Power
  • Jan Bondaruk, Deputy Director for Environmental Engineering, GiG Research Institute, Poland
  • Mike Ward, Senior Evaluation Specialist, Climate Investment Funds

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A discussion on the challenges of transforming brownfields and related infrastructure assets to spur economic transformation of coal regions will present a catalogue of the present stumbling blocks to responsibly closing and transforming coal mining lands, coal power plants, and their related assets; share new methodologies and approaches to reach stakeholder agreement on future land uses; and lay out the financial instruments emerging that could facilitate public and private efforts to catalyse new investment and regional transformation.

Pat 2: Financing the coal transition

26 May, 11.30 EDT / 15:30 GMT

Moderator: Dr. Matthew Webb, COP26 Energy Transition Campaign & International Coal Transitions, UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Speakers:

  • John Morton, Climate Counselor, US Treasury
  • Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Director of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks, IEA
  • Aida Sitdikova, Director Energy, Eurasia, Sustainable Infrastructure Group, EBRD
  • Mandy Rambharos, General Manager, ESKOM
  • Mafalda Duarte, Head of the Climate Investment Funds

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The CIF is designing the world’s first dedicated coal transition investment program for developing countries that offers a holistic approach to target key barriers involving governance, people and infrastructure.

This workshop will:

  • Set the context for a coal-to-clean transition
  • Share lessons from the CIF’s work on just transition case studies on South Africa and India
  • Present real-life examples of innovative approaches to repurposing existing coal assets
  • Highlight key elements of CIF’s Accelerating Coal Transition Investment Program

Innovate4Climate is an annual global conference on climate finance, climate investment and climate markets. This year’s event will be held online from 25 to 27 May and hosted by the World Bank Group and the governments of Spain and Germany.