The Electric Summit, a conference discussing the future of energy, took place yesterday, 20 June, at the Carvalho Guerra Auditorium at Universidade Católica in Porto. A partnership initiative between Jornal de Negócios, Revista SÁBADO, CMTV, Galp, and Siemens brought the debate on Energy Transition and Mobility to the forefront, with the presence of international experts.

Diana Ramos, the Director of Jornal de Negócios, delivered the welcome note. The opening session was followed with the theme "Transforming the Iberian Peninsula into a green energy powerhouse" by the Secretary of State for Energy, Maria João Pereira. Lívia Franco, Associate Professor and Principal Researcher at the Institute of Political Studies at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, then took the stage to share her vision on "The Geopolitical Changes in the Post-Carbon World."

Next was the roundtable discussion with João Pinto, Dean of Católica Porto Business School, on "Transforming Mobility in the Real World," along with Fernando Silva, CEO and Managing Director of Siemens Portugal, and João Diogo Silva, Board Member and Executive Committee Member of Galp. Negócios' contributing journalist, Susana Marvão, moderated this segment.

"My perception is that the initial hesitation and doubts have faded, with a clear commitment to electric mobility by major car manufacturers. Given the significant investments in new factories, the development of more efficient batteries, and the growth of the charging network, partly funded by European funds, a regression in the adoption and mainstreaming of electric mobility, at least in Europe, is not expected," said João Pinto during his speech.

Subsequent debates covered the themes "The Path to Sustainable Mobility," "Smart Cities – How to Optimize Processes," and "Barriers to Implementing Sustainable Mobility."

João Pinto, who highlighted the measures from the last United Nations Climate Conference, COP28, led the closing session. "It wasn't a perfect conclusion, but I still consider it positive. Rather than merely asking countries to adopt new, more generic goals, the focus was on clear and specific proposals for action: tripling global renewable energy production capacity by 2030, doubling the average annual global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030, accelerating the phase-out of all coal-fired power plants, and abandoning fossil fuels."

Learn more about the Electric Summit here.