TRANSrisk partner University of Graz (UniGraz) organised a stakeholder workshop regarding the decarbonisation of the Austrian steel sector, on the 17th of November 2017, in Vienna, Austria.
The workshop is the 2nd within the TRANSrisk case study in Austria and its objectives were to present back to the stakeholders the model results, to deepen the understanding of risk and uncertainty aspects, to prioritise the implementation and consequential risks by sector experts, to amend the insights by views of participants from NGOs, admin and politics, and to develop approaches or measures to avert these risks or minimize them.
From the previously implemented work (stakeholder interviews, 1st stakeholder workshop, bilateral calls, model runs) more than 90 risks were identified and divided in 6 risk clusters. The clusters are "Energy infrastructure", "Political and institutional framework", "Environment", "Consumers/ Acceptance", "Conditions of competition and (financial) markets", "Innovation and technology choice". Also, low-carbon transition pathways for the steel sector and the energy supply sector along with their economic impacts were formed and summarised.
During the workshop, a stakeholder participatory exercise was implemented in order to prioritise the risks within the identified risk clusters. More particularly, there were 6 tables, each one representing a risk cluster, and participants had the opportunity to choose the one they were interested in the most. At the table there were lists of risk and a host explained the risks of the cluster. Then, discussions took place regarding the most important risks for low-carbon transition from participants' company, research, or sector perspectives, and the risks were prioritised accordingly.
Moreover, the results of the model runs were presented to stakeholders, and discussions took place regarding the development of potential measures aiming to avert or minimise risks.
The TRANSrisk case study in Austria uses the WEGC-computable general equilibrium (WEGC-CGE) model. More information on the model is available here.
If you are interested in the case study see the relevant report: "Context of 15 case studies: Austria - Steel & Iron Sector and Energy Production".
