Brussels Energy Club is an independent, global platform for energy and climate discussions. Brussels Energy Club’s mission is to provide an independent platform for experts from all over the world to openly discuss global energy and climate matters without taboos. The Club likewise conducts and moderates these discussions in a manner where we aim to have stakeholders come into a closer understanding of each other’s points of view. Brussels Energy Club is free from any affiliation and acts as a bridge between the different perspectives on energy matters, particularly in the context of the energy transition.
THE HISTORY
BREC was registered as a Belgian not-for-profit organization in March 2012 and hosted its first-ever public event in June of that same year. We are part of the world network of energy clubs: London Energy Club, Houston Energy Club, Bosphorus Energy Club. BREC was founded by a group of international energy experts and enthusiasts led by Dr Marat Terterov. The idea was to create a discussion space for energy professionals from Brussels and from some of the world’s leading energy producers and consumers, where information and opinions could be exchanged in a friendly setting and under the Chatham House rule.
Ever since that time, the Club has been hosting some of the world’s best energy experts from outside the EU, so that they could freely share their views on the latest global energy trends with the Brussels community of officials, diplomats, executives and experts. The Club’s discussion events have been enabling networking in a unique blend of informality and in-depth information exchange. Right from day one, the Club’s meetings have been held in the Brussels premises of the Turkish industry and business association, TUSIAD.
See the list of our meeting discussions since 2012
In the first 10 years since its establishment, BREC has held more than 60 high-level, in-depth meetings on all facets of the energy debate. At the first stage of our development, we focused on EU energy security, the EU energy (particularly gas) market, EU gas supply relations with Russia and Ukraine, gas pricing, competition rules, gas pipeline construction, history and international relations in the context of the gas supply. We discussed at length energy markets and issues in the US, Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Caspian region, the Middle East and North Africa, Israel, the Eastern Mediterranean, Iraq, Iran, China, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Balkans – you name it! We debated oil, gas, coal, renewables, nuclear energy, hydrogen, shale gas, the environmental impact of large infrastructure projects etc.
Check areas of energy and climate and geographic areas that we covered in our discussions
Many participants took part in BREC discussion events, and their numbers continue to grow. The world of energy has become smaller, tighter and more integrated thanks to BREC. Volumes of new ideas, trust and cooperation have been created at the international level as a direct result of our meetings.
Since 2020, BREC has been holding discussions in online and hybrid formats, which has allowed our network to grow even stronger. Now, thanks to new and unexpected circumstances, participants in BREC discussions literally come from all continents.
Overview of BREC speakers since 2012
THE NEXT 10 YEARS
The Brussels Energy Club will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in 2022. We are the only Brussels-based platform to offer deep insights into the energy policies, markets and perspectives of non-EU countries. At the same time, we translate the EU's climate and energy policies, and associated decision making, to the rest of the world through discussions. Therefore, we see BREC's mission as one of enhancing the dialogue and understanding between different actors in the global energy market, in overcoming challenges and helping to attain energy and climate targets.
After the Paris Climate Agreement, it became urgent that governments from all over the world work together in order to make life on our planet sustainable for future generations. This is a mission to which BREC has been contributing from its very first discussion meetings,. Without such cooperation, “the transition to net‐zero emissions will be delayed by decades” (IEA, 2020). The key role in this global endeavour should be played by big developing nations, where the EU, with its Green Deal, climate diplomacy and funding programs, has assumed the driving seat.
With its nexus between EU policymaking and the non-EU economies, BREC continues to be a unique, bias-free exchange platform and a learning point for energy experts and governments from around the world.