Cablegate: Finland: Minister Pekkarinen to Attend Wirec 2008

VZCZCXRO6611
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHHE #0768 2840955
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110955Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3826
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000768

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES FOR WIREC ACTION GROUP LEADER STAN SPECHT AND
OES SPECIAL ASSISTANT CAMILLE HILL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG KGHG EPET SOCI TRGY KPAO KSCA FI
SUBJECT: FINLAND: MINISTER PEKKARINEN TO ATTEND WIREC 2008

REF: A. STATE 138428
B. HELSINKI 00690

1. (SBU) According to Finnish MFA sources, Minister of Trade
and Industry Mauri Pekkarinen will lead a Finnish delegation
to the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference
(WIREC 2008) in March 2008. The exact composition of the
delegation will be decided at a later date. According to
Henri Backman, Senior Advisor in the Ministry of Trade and
Industry, Pekkarinen is interested in speaking opportunities
during the Conference. Renewable energy, mostly from wood
sources, already accounts for 20 percent of Finland's primary
energy consumption and 10 percent of electricity demand.
Pekkarinen is a strong advocate of GOF policies to increase
Finnish renewable energy use to 35 percent in the next decade.

2. (SBU) Following WIREC 2008, Pekkarinen will likely travel
to California to learn more about renewable energy production
on the west coast and to visit Finland,s business promotion
office, FinNode, in San Jose.
WARE

© Scoop Media