Charles Hendry, a participant of the Russian-British Raw Materials Dialogue, held a lecture at the Mining University on the future of energy sector.
On the 1st of March Charles Hendry, a former British Minister of the Department of Energy and Climate Change, also President of the Russian-British Chamber of Commerce and Industry, delivered a lecture on the topic "World energy. Look into the future". The lecture was aimed at both the students and teachers of the Mining University.
It is not the first visit of Charles Hendry to the oldest Russian technical University. Moreover, he was one of the originators of the Russian-British Raw Materials Dialogue and took part in all the conferences.
As the former minister explains his interest in this project, "The events like this help us overcome political obstacles, as well as they contribute to development of relations between our states. The purpose of the Dialogue is to show that regardless of the political situation, Russian and British universities and companies have a possibility to cooperate on a mutually beneficial basis, that we can be useful to each other."
Vladimir Litvinenko, the Principal of the Mining University, in his welcome speech also drew attention to the need for mutually beneficial cooperation, specifically in the mining resources sector. Russia needs innovative technologies and investments in order to make the extraction processes more efficient and environmentally friendly. Britain, in turn, needs raw materials, as it is not possible to develop without them.
According to Vladimir Litvinenko, "Cooperation allows for increasing academic mobility and intensifying scientific research. It also helps to establish a dialogue between investors and industry, which is in need for financial contributions so as to improve its profitability. Both in the UK and in Russia, regardless of the political situation, people believe that it is important to increase trust and improve relations between our countries. I am glad that our honoured guest thinks the same way that I do".
The future of energy was the topic of Charles Hendry's lecture. The former minister drew attention of the students to the fact that the world is changing right now, and green energy sources, such as solar panels or wind generators, have been continuously growing in popularity. However, traditional raw materials are unlikely to become less demanded in the foreseeable future due to humanity’s expanding energy needs, and extracting hydrocarbons is crucial in order to meet the needs of population and enterprises. As the President of the Russian - British Chamber of Commerce and Industry explains, "The future lies in the combination of both renewable and traditional energy sources. It is quite naïve to believe that humanity will stop burning hydrocarbons in the nearest future".
Charles Hendry was awarded with a title of the visiting professor according to the decision of the Academic Council of the Mining University. The same title was previously awarded to sixteen other foreign teachers.
