The Director-General of IRENA, Ms. Hélène Pelosse, visits Norway

The newly appointed Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Ms. Hélène Pelosse, encourages Norway to use its competence in renewable energy to provide clean energy and electricity to more people in developing countries. –Norway is blessed by nature and can contribute in the creation of smart solutions for renewable technology worldwide, Pelosse said when visiting the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy yesterday.

Norway is the first country she visits as head of IRENA.
-Norway has a huge expertise in the hydropower sector. There are lots of projects were Norway could help, Pelosse says.
Tuesday afternoon she met with State Secretary Robin Kåss. They discussed the challenges the new organisation faces. The goal for IRENA is to become the main driving force in promoting a transition towards a widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy globally. The organisation has 136 member states and is seated in Abu Dhabi. IRENA was established in Bonn in January this year.

Hélène Pelosse is now working to set up the new organisation, making it into a professional and efficient promoter of renewables internationally. One of her top priorities is to promote new technologies which can provide more people in developing countries with clean energy from for example solar power cells.

-In what areas of the energy sector could Norway improve?
-First and foremost in the transportation sector. Your trains and trams already run on hydropower. This I would like to see developed to the road transportation. In addition there are areas where I know you are already are working hard on, like electrification of the oil and gas installations and to stop using electricity as heating.

In two weeks Hélène Pelosse meets with the UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon. Pelosse states that she will discuss future co-operation with the UN organisations on pitching out some territories to be 100 per cent supplied by clean energy.
-I see Ban Ki-moon as very keen on fighting climate change. In this area IRENA could be helpful, but new framework is needed. This is an issue I will discuss with the UN General Secretary, she says.

During her stay in Norway Hélène Pelosse visits among others Statkraft and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.