A primary goal of strategies both to adapt to the impacts of climate change and to manage risks from natural and other hazards is to establish resilience. Resilience has been defined as the capacity to resist, to accommodate, to recover from, and to evolve through shock and stress. It encompasses activities that strengthen the physical, social, ecological and financial dimensions of well-being. In climate policy discussions it has been conventional to see energy sector issues as mitigation issues, distinct from adaptation. However, energy systems themselves are widely exposed and often sensitive to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, so that building the resilience of the energy sector is an emerging priority. Resilience as a guiding principle is also needed to prepare the energy sector for a wide range of changes—both anticipated and unknown—in addition to climate change. These include rapid evolution of technologies, along with social and economic co-determinants. These sessions will explore how energy sector resilience can be enhanced through planning, technology, capacity building and finance.
Session 4.1: Planning for Resilient Energy Infrastructure and Supply Chains
This session will present methodology, experience and plans for climate-proofing energy infrastructure including existing and future developments. It will be important to protect existing fossil fuel infrastructure such as pipelines, bulk terminals, and port facilities during the energy transition.
Potential topics in this session could include:
- Energy system planning for adaptation and resilience
- Energy infrastructure enhancement for Resilience
- Risk information for the planning of a resilient energy sector
- Policy and legislative requirements for a resilient energy sector
- Regional cooperation for a resilient energy infrastructure and supply chain
- Floating energy infrastructure
Session 4.2: High Level Technology and Innovative Design for Power System Resilience
This session will highlight recent and upcoming experience for ADB and its developing member countries (DMCs) advanced technologies for power system resilience. Cyber security is a particularly important issue to address as energy infrastructure and services become more fully digitized.
Potential topics in this session could include:
- Improving resilience planning, operations and maintenance, including remote sensing and artificial intelligence applications
- Use of high-level technology in climate-proofing of energy infrastructure—e.g., advanced conductors, dynamic line ratings, 21st century SCADA
- Big data: role of advanced data, modeling, and analysis to support sector assessments and planning for electricity and other energy forecasting
- Micro-grids and virtual power plants
- Cyber security
- Digital transformation, including integration of 5G telecommunications, data centers, etc., with electricity and other energy services
Session 4.3: Managing for Resilience
Climate change and increasing extreme events have posed greater challenges for energy utilities as they operate and maintain the energy infrastructure. Improving management capacity can increase the reliability and resilience of the energy supply in the most economic and efficient manner. In this sense, energy resilience could be achieved by taking proactive measures, introducing emergency plans and working procedure, enhancing coordination and synergy with other public service department etc. This session will focus on operation and maintenance related knowledge/practice sharing between countries, electric utilities and other energy service enterprises.
Potential topics in this session could include:
- Power transmission and distribution systems: 21st century operations and maintenance programs to ensure system reliability
- An emergency management approach and coordination mechanism
- Remote monitoring, prediction, and early-warning systems
- Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR)
- Asset distribution and resource deployment
- Leveraging ICT technology for accident prevention, minimizing losses, and accelerating recovery
- Enhancing community resilience
Session 4.4: Financing Resilience
In the climate change context, financing for mitigation is well-established while financing for adaptation is still on the learning curve. This session will present recent experience with various sources of funds and financing instruments including blended finance, insurance policies, non-traditional donor funds. Case studies of corporate restructuring and reinvention may also be included.
Potential topics in this session could include:
- Legal, regulatory, and financial instruments for “anti-fragility”
- Insurance for the 21st century including nature-based defenses for protection of coastal infrastructure
- Case studies in adaptation finance
- Future-proofing energy companies and corporate evolution