Energy from the Sea: An International Law Perspective on Ocean Energy
19-20 February 2014 – Utrecht, Achter Sint Pieter 200, Raadzaal Workshop co-organized by Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS) / Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (Utrecht University); K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea (University of Tromsø); Marie Curie Project OFFSHORELAW (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF Project 299703)
To guarantee energy supply at a reasonable price is one of the main challenges of our time. Policy makers, international institutions and the private sector increasingly look at the ocean as one of the main energy sources. Consequently, the activities at sea multiply and sometimes become riskier. Take, for instance, the oil and gas industry, which is reaching out towards deeper and more remote reservoirs. Moreover, energy security and efficiency imperatives, coupled with climate change mitigation mechanisms, are pushing for the development of marine renewable energy technologies, which also have a significant impact on the marine environment and other maritime uses. This situation threatens the marine environment, its biodiversity, but also the continuity of other traditional maritime uses, such as navigation and fishing.
The workshop aims at analysing the expansion of the ocean energy sector (both hydrocarbons and renewable energy sources) and its consequences on the relevant international normative and institutional framework. The workshop wants to flag out the main legal challenges posed by the expansion of the ocean energy sector. The speakers, renowned international lawyers with expertise in the law of the sea, international environmental law, international energy law and international economic law, will tackle them and, when possible, suggest viable solutions.
The workshop will take place in a room with a limited number of available seats. Persons interested in attending should contact Seline Trevisanut (s.trevisanut@uu.nl) before 5 February 2014.