Plenary and Dual Plenary Sessions

47^th IAEE International Conference

 

Bridging Continents, Fueling Progress:

Energy Development in a Global Context

(IAEE 2026 – Santiago, Chile)

Introduction

The program for the 47th IAEE International Conference in Santiago is designed to provide a comprehensive, high-level exploration of the economic, institutional, and geopolitical dimensions shaping global energy systems. Through plenary dialogues, keynote addresses, and interactive panel sessions, the conference brings together policymakers, business leaders, academics, and representatives of international organizations to examine the challenges and opportunities of energy development in a rapidly changing global context.

The program addresses a broad range of topics, including energy markets and infrastructure; critical minerals and supply chains; oil and gas and diversification strategies; electricity market design; system flexibility and resilience; energy finance; access and affordability; transport systems; and regional integration. Throughout the agenda, perspectives from Latin America and Chile are situated within the broader global debate, offering insights that resonate across regions and stages of development.

In addition, the conference features an extensive Concurrent Sessions program built around peer-reviewed academic research, as well as selected special sessions on emerging themes. As with all large international conferences, the program will continue to be refined as the event approaches, reflecting speaker availability and evolving global energy developments, while preserving its overall structure and thematic balance.

Program at a Glance

Plenary Sessions

• Opening Plenary “High-Level Diplomatic Dialogue – Global Energy Security in a Fragmented World”
• Gala Dinner Keynote “Leadership in Global Energy Systems: Navigating Market, Policy, and Technology Change”
• Closing Plenary “Economics and Geopolitics of Energy: Latin America and the Caribbean in a Changing World”

Dual Plenary Sessions

• Economics of System Flexibility and Infrastructure Resilience: Storage, Grids, and Security
• The Future of Oil, Gas, and Diversification Strategies
• Electricity Market Design: Decentralization, Flexibility, and Regulation
• Critical Minerals, Supply Chains, and the Geo-Economics of Energy Transition
• Energy Finance: Investment Risk, Infrastructure, and the Transition of Energy-Intensive Industries
• Enabling Infrastructure for Economic Development, Energy Security, and Resilience
• Energy Access, Energy Efficiency, and Regional Integration: Lessons from the Global South
• Transport Systems Transformation: Economics, Energy Choices, and Sustainable Mobility

Sessions Overview

Opening Plenary, Monday, July 20, 9:00 – 10:30.

High-Level Diplomatic Dialogue: Global Energy Security in a Fragmented World

Description
The 47th IAEE International Conference opens with a landmark diplomatic exchange that sets the strategic tone for discussions on global energy economics. This high-level dialogue convenes senior representatives from leading economies to examine how geopolitical realignments, evolving alliances, and supply chain reconfigurations are fundamentally reshaping the architecture of global energy security.

As energy transitions accelerate amid heightened geopolitical tensions, supply chain vulnerabilities, and the emergence of regional economic blocs, the traditional frameworks for international energy cooperation are under unprecedented stress. Yet energy systems remain inherently interconnected—through trade in fossil fuels and critical minerals, technology supply chains, investment flows, climate commitments, and shared infrastructure. This creates both friction and opportunity: the imperative to maintain stability and manage shared risks even as national priorities increasingly diverge.

This opening dialogue creates a unique platform for diplomatic candor and strategic clarity on the forces reshaping energy geopolitics. Senior officials, ambassadors, and diplomatic leaders representing major energy-consuming economies, resource-rich nations, technology leaders, and emerging markets will address how their countries are adapting energy security strategies to a more fragmented landscape. The discussion will explore where competition is inevitable, where cooperation remains possible, and how energy diplomacy can manage risks that transcend borders—from critical mineral supply concentration to infrastructure resilience, from technology standards to emergency response mechanisms.

This opening session establishes the conference’s analytical framework: understanding the economics of energy in 2026 requires honestly grappling with the geopolitics of energy—recognizing fragmentation as reality while identifying spaces for pragmatic coordination that serve mutual interests in stability, affordability, and sustainable development.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

In an era of fracturing global consensus, what principles, mechanisms, and institutions can still enable international cooperation on energy security, critical supply chains, and climate objectives—and where must nations accept managed divergence rather than seeking elusive alignment? How are major economies recalibrating their energy security strategies to balance self-reliance with interdependence, and what role can energy diplomacy play in managing shared risks without presuming shared values?

Gala Dinner Keynote, Monday, July 20, 19:00 – 22:30.

Leadership in Global Energy Systems: Navigating Market, Policy, and Technology Change

Gain insights from a distinguished leader on how vision, strategy, and cooperation can guide organizations through volatility and transformation in global energy.

Closing Plenary, Wednesday, July 22, 16:00 – 17:30.

Economics and Geopolitics of Energy: Latin America and the Caribbean in a Changing World

Co-organized with OLACDE

Description
The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) and the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) co-organize this high-level ministerial dialogue, positioning Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) not just as participants but as a global energy solutions hub. With one of the cleanest electricity matrices in the world and vast reserves of critical minerals and green hydrogen potential, the region is a vital bridge for interregional cooperation.

As the world navigates a changing landscape marked by trade tensions and supply chain realignments, LAC has become a strategic geopolitical anchor. This dialogue explores the region’s role in global energy security and as an emerging leader in economic resilience. Energy transitions are redefining the international landscape: the shift toward renewable electricity and away from long-distance fossil fuel trade is creating new patterns of energy regionalization. At the same time, critical materials and minerals supply chains are increasingly concentrated in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

The session addresses three strategic dimensions: the regionalization of energy trade as the world transitions away from oil, gas, and coal; the economics and geopolitics of critical minerals and green molecules in diversifying global supply chains and energy prices; and geopolitical resilience through renewable energy as LAC balances strategic partnerships with other regions. By bridging the gap between resource-rich nations and global capital, this ministerial dialogue examines how LAC can turn its competitive advantages into long-term prosperity, fostering interregional partnerships that stabilize global markets and accelerate a just, sustainable transition.

The Closing Plenary synthesizes conference discussions through a regional perspective, reinforcing Latin America and the Caribbean’s voice and strategic positioning in global energy debates at a pivotal moment when the region’s energy model can contribute to climate change mitigation while ensuring a reliable energy supply, fostering employment, and improving quality of life.

The session addresses three strategic dimensions: the regionalization of energy trade as the world transitions away from oil, gas, and coal; the economics and geopolitics of critical minerals and green molecules in diversifying global supply chains and energy prices; and geopolitical resilience through renewable energy as LAC balances strategic partnerships with other regions. By bridging the gap between resource-rich nations and global capital, this ministerial dialogue examines how LAC can turn its competitive advantages into long-term prosperity, fostering interregional partnerships that stabilize global markets and accelerate a just, sustainable transition.

The Closing Plenary synthesizes conference discussions through a regional perspective, reinforcing Latin America and the Caribbean’s voice and strategic positioning in global energy debates at a pivotal moment when the region’s energy model can contribute to climate change mitigation while ensuring a reliable energy supply, fostering employment, and improving quality of life.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

What strategic choices will shape Latin America and the Caribbean’s role as a global energy solution hub in the coming decades—particularly in critical minerals, clean electricity, and green hydrogen—and how can the region leverage its position as a provider of global energy security to translate competitive advantages into long-term prosperity through interregional partnerships that align regional development priorities with broader economic, security, and sustainability objectives?

Dual Plenary Sessions

Dual Plenary 1, Monday, July 20, 14:00–15:30.

Economics of System Flexibility and Infrastructure Resilience: Storage, Grids, and Security

Description
This session examines the economic foundations of system flexibility and resilient infrastructure in power systems undergoing rapid transition and increasing exposure to physical and climate-related risks, as wind and solar become the primary sources of new capacity globally. It explores the role of energy storage, grid reinforcement, interconnections, and flexibility services in maintaining reliability, affordability, and security of supply. The discussion also addresses cost trajectories for battery storage and other flexibility solutions, investments in resilient infrastructure to enhance system performance during extreme weather events and natural disasters, and the market and regulatory frameworks needed to deliver robust, adaptable energy systems.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

How should energy systems value and prioritize investments in flexibility and resilient infrastructure, and what mix of market mechanisms, regulation, and financing can ensure reliable, secure, and cost-effective power systems under both normal and stressful conditions?

Dual Plenary 2, Monday, July 20, 14:00–15:30.

The Future of Oil, Gas, and Diversification Strategies

Description
Despite rapid growth in low-carbon technologies, oil and gas remain central to global energy systems. This session assesses the economic outlook for fossil fuels under transition pressures, including demand uncertainty, investment cycles, trade dynamics, and diversification strategies in producing countries. It examines natural gas as a transition fuel, asset-stranding risks, and the fiscal and macroeconomic implications of changing hydrocarbon markets.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

How should producers, consumers, and investors manage uncertainty around fossil fuel demand while safeguarding energy security, fiscal stability, and orderly transition pathways?

Dual Plenary 3, Tuesday, July 21, 11:00–12:30.

Electricity Market Design: Decentralization, Flexibility, and Regulation

Description
As power systems become more decentralized and renewable-intensive, electricity market design faces profound challenges in ensuring adequate investment, system reliability, and affordable prices. This session examines regulatory frameworks, capacity mechanisms, ancillary services, and flexibility markets needed to support high-penetration renewable energy systems. It explores the integration of distributed energy resources, demand response, prosumer participation, and the evolving role of large energy users—from data centers to industrial facilities—in reshaping electricity market structures. The discussion addresses how market rules, price signals, and regulatory approaches must evolve to support the economics of renewable-dominated systems while maintaining grid stability and competitiveness.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

What electricity market designs and regulatory approaches best support investment in renewable energy, system reliability, and affordability in increasingly decentralized power systems, and how can large energy users contribute to market efficiency and flexibility?

Dual Plenary 4, Tuesday, July 21, 11:00–12:30.

Critical Minerals, Supply Chains, and the Geo-Economics of Energy Transition

Description
Focusing on lithium, copper, rare earths, and other critical minerals, this session explores how supply chains, industrial policy, and geopolitics are shaping the energy transition. Attention is given to sustainable mining, domestic value addition, investment frameworks, environmental and social standards, and the strategic role of mineral-producing regions, including Latin America, in global energy systems.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

How can critical mineral supply chains balance security of supply, sustainability, and economic development amid growing geopolitical competition?

Dual Plenary 5, Tuesday, July 21, 14:00–15:30.

Energy Finance: Investment Risk, Infrastructure, and the Transition of Energy-Intensive Industries

Description
Mobilizing capital at scale is a central challenge of global energy development. This session examines energy and infrastructure finance from the perspectives of risk, investment, and policy, covering project finance, blended finance, green bonds, carbon pricing mechanisms, and the roles of multilateral development banks, DFIs, and institutional investors. Attention is given to large-scale infrastructure and energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sectors, including mining, metals, cement, and industrial processing, where capital intensity, long asset lives, and policy uncertainty complicate transition pathways. The discussion explores carbon pricing and border adjustment mechanisms as drivers of industrial competitiveness and investment decisions, alongside risk allocation, policy credibility, and financing conditions in emerging and developing economies, with a focus on how financial structures can support both decarbonization and competitiveness.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

What financial instruments, carbon pricing mechanisms, risk-sharing arrangements, and policy frameworks are most effective in mobilizing long-term capital for energy, infrastructure, and industrial investments, especially in energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sectors, while managing transition risk, maintaining economic competitiveness, and driving decarbonization at scale?

Dual Plenary 6, Tuesday, July 21, 14:00–15:30.

Enabling Infrastructure for Economic Development, Energy Security, and Resilience

Description
The focus is on physical assets and institutional capacity, beyond market design or pricing mechanisms, on the role of large-scale energy and enabling infrastructure in supporting economic development, energy security, and system robustness. It examines infrastructure planning, investment coordination, climate resilience, and institutional capacity, highlighting how infrastructure underpins growth, regional integration, and long-term energy system stability.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

How can countries design, finance, and govern energy infrastructure to simultaneously support economic development, energy security, and resilience to climate and physical risks?

Dual Plenary 7, Wednesday, July 22, 11:00–12:30.

Energy Access, Energy Efficiency, and Regional Integration: Lessons from the Global South

Description
This session examines how countries in the Global South navigate the interconnected challenges of expanding energy access, improving demand-side efficiency, and advancing regional integration amid fiscal constraints, institutional heterogeneity, and accelerating energy transition. Drawing on experiences from Latin America and other emerging regions, the discussion explores how market design, regulatory coordination, interconnections, and cost-sharing arrangements can enhance affordability, reliability, and economic resilience. Emphasizing structural trade-offs, political economy constraints, and intertemporal fiscal considerations, the session highlights scalable governance and economic frameworks that support inclusive and financially sustainable energy systems.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

The panel explores how regulatory and institutional design can manage the trade-offs between affordability, efficiency, and regional integration while preserving fiscal credibility and long-term investment incentives. It examines pricing and subsidy mechanisms that expand access without distorting consumption signals, the role of efficiency policies in maintaining financial viability, and the governance and risk-allocation frameworks required for cross-border energy cooperation. Participants will gain insight into the economic principles and institutional choices that determine whether access, efficiency, and integration strategies can deliver inclusive development while remaining sustainable over time.

Dual Plenary 8, Wednesday, July 22, 11:00–12:30.

Transport Systems Transformation: Economics, Energy Choices, and Sustainable Mobility

Description
Transport systems are undergoing significant transformation driven by economic, technological, and policy pressures, while remaining central to trade, competitiveness, and social connectivity. This session examines the economics of transport system evolution across multiple pathways, including electrification, liquid and gaseous fuels, alternative energy carriers, logistics optimization, urban mobility, and supporting infrastructure. The discussion emphasizes cost-effectiveness, energy security, competitiveness, and institutional frameworks, noting that transport solutions will vary across regions based on resource endowments, income levels, and development priorities.

Guiding questions / Intended takeaway

What combination of technologies, fuels, infrastructure, and policy frameworks can support economically efficient, secure, and sustainable transport systems across diverse regional and development contexts?