Johnny Søtrup (right) and Dennis OKeefe
Strong and attractive candidate are just some of the adjectives that Mayor Johnny Søtrup heard after he had presented Esbjerg’s candidacy for mayors and representatives from the nineteen member cities of the World Energy Cities Partnership.
On the initiative of Mayor Johnny Søtrup, Esbjerg Municipality in Denmark has applied for membership of a network that includes some of the largest cities in terms of energy technology. The first step for inclusion in the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP) was the nomination of the twin city of Stavanger. The exclusive club does not receive applicants; candidates have to be recommended by a member city.
Esbjerg’s candidacy has just been presented to WECP at a meeting in Houston, Texas.
In advance Esbjerg Municipality had secured endorsements from some of the most important players in the Danish offshore industry. These include the Climate and Energy Minister, Martin Lidegaard, OffshoreEnergy.dk, Oil Gas Denmark, the Danish Wind Industry Association and several Danish companies supports the candidacy with recommendations. This was noticed among the current members of WECP.
Johnny Søtrup was greeted by praise after the presentation:
– Esbjerg’s ability to develop and actively create a name for the city as Denmark’s EnergyMetropolis was noted by my fellow mayors. “City branding” is obviously something that interests members of the network and the way we have promoted our unique business profile received praise. All in all, we have been well received and our candidacy is taken very seriously, said Mayor Johnny Søtrup.
– Stavanger supports Esbjerg’s candidacy in terms of being accepted as the Danish representative among the world’s energy cities. Johnny Søtrup made it very clear in his presentation that Esbjerg is Denmark’s energy capital, and Stavanger will definitely recommend that Esbjerg is included in the World Energy Cities Partnership this autumn, says Christine Sagen Helgø, who is mayor of Stavanger. Stavanger will take over the presidency of WECP in 2014.
The delegation from Esbjerg also includes chairman of Esbjerg Business Development, John Lesbo. After a few but eventful days in Houston his impression of WECP and the opportunities for Esbjerg remain very clear.
– For Esbjerg to have the opportunity of joining this network will be an endorsement of Esbjerg worldwide. But the title of member city is more than just a title. In Houston we have experienced how the network is actively used not only to share experiences, but also to create partnerships between organizations and companies from the different cities. It will be a collaboration that will benefit the offshore industry in Denmark and of course in particular EnergyMetropolis Esbjerg, says John Lesbo.
The meeting in WECP takes place during the largest offshore conference. Members of WECP use the opportunity to participate in the conference and in this way achieve synergy between the network and the many stakeholders in the industry.
Esbjerg’s candidacy will now be examined by WECP. In the autumn, Esbjerg will know whether the municipality will be the 20th member of the premier league of energy.
Facts about World Energy Cities Partnership:
WEPC was founded in 1995.
The Association consists of the following 19 energy capitals: Aberdeen, United Kingdom; Atyrau, Kazakhstan; Calgary, Canada; Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Daqing, China; Doha, Qatar; Dongying, China; Halifax, Canada; Houston, USA; Luanda, Angola, Malabo , Equatorial Guinea, Perth, Australia, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago, St. John’s, Canada; Stavanger, Norway; Tomsk, Russia; Villahermosa, Mexico.
The mayors of the member cities function as the board of the network, which is served by a secretariat in Houston, the United States.
See more at http://www.energycities.org and www.energymetropolis.com
