Luc Koechlin

Luc Koechlin holds a Master's degree in Finance and Business Administration from ESSEC Business school, one of the leading French Business School.

After 5 years as a consultant in Corporate Recovery and Turnaround Management for Arthur Andersen he joined EDF in 2005.

From 2005 to 2017, he has occupied various positions within EDF Group from advisor and auditor at EDF Presidency, to Regional Commercial Director managing the transformation of EDF to face the opening of the French electricity market to competition.

He joined EDF International Division in 2017, as Vice President for Southern and Eastern Africa, based in Johannesburg, in charge of the development of the Group in the region. During this period he has been developing projects, especially in Hydropower and Energy Efficiency to support the energy crisis and the energy transition from coal to clean energy.

In September 2022, he has been appointed as Managing Director and CEO, EDF Middle East, based in Abu Dhabi. Present in the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Bahrein, Oman and Lebanon with 250 employees locally implemented, EDF bring its well-recognized expertise to the Middle East region who has started its energy transition. Through a range of diverse solutions involving energy efficiency programs and the use of hydroelectric, wind, solar, biomass, thermal and nuclear power, EDF Group favors the most appropriate and low-carbon solutions answering the energy transition expectations.

Session Overview

Tuesday, 5 November

10:00

10:00 - 11:00

Investing in reliable grid infrastructure to deliver renewable capacity and energy efficiency commitments

Tripling renewable capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030 is seen as critical to achieving a sustainable and low-carbon energy future. However, this initiative faces a unique set of challenges for each goal, including the lack of investment in the grid infrastructure needed to deliver renewable energy from generation sources to end-users, as well as driving operational excellence through the adoption of efficient electric technologies like heat pumps, EVs, etc. While long-term operational costs are lower compared to traditional fuels, the initial investment can be a barrier for investors as can long ROI windows. Collaboration across all stakeholder groups including utilities, grid technology vendors, investors and others will be needed to de-risk investment and deliver a reliable grid infrastructure that will enable increased renewable capacity and energy efficiency.

Attendee insights:

Understand the significant role of investment in establishing a modernised, reliable grid infrastructure to enable renewable energy capacity.