In a global economy dealing with moribund growth, particularly in Europe, Turkey’s robust economy and its distinctive efforts to deregulate its energy business while encouraging cutting edge investment have attracted attention from governments and industry around the world.

With the country’s energy sector in the spotlight, Istanbul proved the ideal place for the World Energy Council to hold the fourth World Energy Leaders’ Summit. The city, a historic crossroads for cultures and trade, will host the summit on April 20, and the roughly 100 leaders invited from 33 countries have begun to prepare for the event.

The theme of the conference will focus on “delivering tomorrow’s energy in a context of high uncertainty,” the World Energy Council said. Read a full description of the summit and find details of some of its high-level expected attendees here.

“Turkey plays a pivotal role in the energy markets thanks to its crucial geopolitical position as a main link between source countries and consumer markets,” World Energy Council Secretary General Christoph Frei said in announcing the summit. “Its fast growing economy and demand makes it an attractive energy market and one of those countries that will hold the future of energy development.”

Deciphering a Trilemma

The energy industry needs to provide energy that is stable, affordable and environmentally sensitive, and discussions at the Istanbul summit will include roundtable sessions dealing with a wide range of issues impacting that trilemma of issues.

Officials will join CEOs and other senior industry executives in discussing subjects ranging from the intersection of natural gas and geopolitics to energy storage and Turkey’s potential as a regional energy hub. “Turkey is fast becoming a regional center for Asia and Europe, and this means that the impact of its energy policies will directly affect global security,” Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and co-patron of the summit Taner Yildiz said in a statement from the WEC.

The WEC will also be gathering insight for its widely regarded studies during the summit, including the WEC Global Energy Scenarios 2050 and the WEC’s annual “Assessment of Country Energy and Climate Policies.” The WEC issued a recent report on the state of the global nuclear energy sector one year after Fukushima, which can be downloaded on Breaking Energy here.

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