A regional conference on energy sources started in Zagreb on Tuesday, focusing on the impact of the Japanese nuclear crisis and crises in the Arab world on the energy sector, new energy technologies, investments in the energy sector, transport corridors and equipment safety.
Participants in the Energy Arena 2011, the third such conference organised by Infoarena, heard that natural gas was an optimal energy source on which Europe could base its energy strategies, notably in light of political decisions on the gradual shutdown of nuclear power plants in Germany and the expected adoption of similar decisions in Italy and Switzerland.
The nuclear crisis in Japan could result in an increased demand in natural gas, said Vlatko Bilic Subasic of the Podzemno Skladiste Plina gas storage facility.
He said this called for adequate storage facilities as a basis of gas supply security and flexibility. In the coming period, European countries plan to build 76 billion cubic metres of new storage facilities, and Croatia too needs new storage facilities, Bilic Subasic said.
