Maria van der Hoeven- the pragmatic visionary

Maria van der Hoeven opened MIIFED 2013 with her keynote lecture addressing the global energy landscape.
The Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) delivered an inspiring talk tackling energy choices, political responsibility and policy foresight. Her capacity to strike a fine balance between what is done and what needs to be done, given the transition that the energy sector is undergoing, did not come as a surprise. Previously, she served as Minister of Science, Education and Culture (2002-2007) and Minister of Economic Affairs (2007-2010) of the Netherlands, during which time she demonstrated leadership on energy policy at the national, regional and global levels. It was during the 2004 EU Dutch Presidency that she demonstrated her full determination to secure an agreement on ITER and the Broader Approach projects.
F4E News met with Maria Van der Hoeven to discuss the politics of energy.

F4E News: You were a key player in keeping all parties together in the negotiations about ITER and the Broader Approach. What is your recollection of this period which was intense in bargaining and trade-offs?
Maria van der Hoeven: Your question takes me back to the period when the Netherlands held the EU Presidency. We had a series of points that had to be addressed at the EU Competitiveness Council, all very important and with severe implications on Europe’s capacity to compete with other regions in terms of knowledge, growth and jobs. ITER attracted a lot of attention due to its international profile and repartition of tasks amongst the different parties. It was not easy reuniting all interests, especially when it became clear that Europe was going to host the project. We thought carefully how we could complement fusion research activities and pave the way for the post-ITER era and this is how the Broader Approach emerged. It had a real added value and strengthened the partnership between the ITER parties.

F4E News: ITER is the biggest international research collaboration in the field of energy pushing the envelope forward in many ways. Was it a risk to grant your political support to a project that we knew very little about the way it would work?
Maria van der Hoeven: We measure risks by evaluating their redistributive costs and benefits. The potential of fusion energy is still hard to grasp because it is work in progress. In 2004, Europe was standing at the crossroads trying to decide whether fusion could play a role in tomorrow’s energy mix. We could not let this opportunity pass by without developing fusion technology and learning more about its potential. We agreed that it was a political priority to invest in fusion and just like any priority it needs to be seen within a certain context. Today, we follow the ITER project with great interest because it will give us a lot of the answers that we are after. The rules of the global energy landscape as we know them are being rewritten. For example: 1.3 billion people lack electricity, 2.6 billion people lack clean cooking facilities, $544 billion went to fossil fuel subsidies in 2012 while we are desperately trying to contain our greenhouse emissions. We need the broadest possible investment in energy R&D in order to be prepared for different energy scenarios. There are two additional parameters that one has to take into consideration: security and abundance of fuel. Take for example fossil fuels, they will not be with us forever and their supply has proven to be a contentious issue. In the Netherlands, we broadened our energy mix not because we were running out of fossil fuels but because it was the right policy decision. We raised public awareness, exposed industry to new markets and fostered the development of new skills.

F4ENews: You mention new skills and emerging markets as direct consequences from the energy policies that are being decided. How do you see the collaboration between industry and scientific communities unfolding?
Maria van der Hoeven: The transition from science and technology to products is not an easy task. But this is where Europe needs to be creative and find ways of bringing these communities together to bridge the gap. We need to learn from other big industrial projects and see what worked and what didn’t. ITER is a great platform to discover how we can facilitate knowledge transfer and empower business operators to be part of a project, grow because of it and invest future resources. One of industry’s key objectives is to make money and this should not be a taboo. The capital raised is not only financial. It is knowledge capital which in turn will generate spin-offs with direct and indirect applications.

F4E News: The beneficiaries of these applications will be citizens. They are at the start of the process financing projects like ITER and at the very end acting as recipients. How can we make sure that they are involved throughout the entire cycle?
Maria van der Hoeven: Engaging with citizens is of fundamental importance. It is our duty to share the knowledge with them, help them make informed decisions, learn from their questions, listen to their concerns and build communication channels in order to receive public acceptance and legitimacy. A project like ITER has to engage with many different publics, especially with young people who want to change the world and declare an active interest in fighting climate change and consuming sustainable energy sources. My advice would be to get out there and reach out to them. Make them part of a project that they can aspire to be associated with and feel strong about financing.

F4ENews: Are you optimistic about fusion energy and ITER?
Maria van der Hoeven: Yes, I am. I think it is a project and an energy source that have a tremendous potential to change the world. This said, we ought to be patient in order to witness fusion’s transition from research to a commercially viable option. Most of all, we have to be confident and in the same time tenacious to get results. No matter how difficult it may get we must not lose sight of our overarching goal to broaden the global energy mix.

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