The BRICS Committee of Senior Energy Officials convened in Moscow on February 26–27, 2024. This event marked the first BRICS energy dialogue of the year and included participation from the new member countries. During the meeting, there were discussions about the history of the BRICS energy dialogue, as well as detailed presentations on key mechanisms and cooperation priorities. Iman Rahmati, head of Electricity market researches and monitoring office from Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC), attended this meeting. For this purpose, we had a conversation with Iman Rahmati about the goals and events of this summit:
Please provide explanations regarding BRICS member countries, organizational structure, and goals of this collection?
The BRICS group was formed in 2005 with the membership of four countries, Russia, China, Brazil, and India, and in 2010, South Africa joined them, and recently with the addition of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia, the number of members of this group has reached 10 countries and other countries are applying to join this group.
Generally, BRICS member countries are countries that are growing economically, and one of the goals of forming this group is interaction and strengthening within the framework of cooperation and agreements between them in various fields. So far, various issues have been on the agenda of this group, including banking, agriculture, transportation, health, food security, and energy. Every year one of the member countries of the BRICS group is elected as the head of the group and the programs and meetings of this group are managed by the head of the group. In 2024, the presidency of the BRICS group is with Russia, and with their planning, the first meeting of the energy committee of the BRICS group was held in that country in February of this year.
 What were the main topics of the BRICS group's energy committee at the Russian summit?
The February meeting of the energy committee of this group in Russia focused on topics such as energy efficiency, new technologies in the field of energy, and energy justice (including the access of the general population to energy, cheap energy for everyone's use, reliability in the field of energy, reduction of pollution environmental).
Although the BRICS group has taken measures in the field of energy in recent years, the main achievement of which is 9 comprehensive reports in energy-related fields, the holding of the first meeting of experts in the field of energy shows the determination of this group to deepen cooperation in the field of energy. Considering Iran's position in the field of energy in the national and international arena, participation in the BRICS group can facilitate the growth and promotion of the country in this field. In this meeting, the representatives of the countries presented the state of energy and developing programs in their own country, and in the continuation of the discussion and exchange of opinions in the field of energy and the plans of BRICS activity in the field of energy. One of the notable things is that India has taken significant measures in clean and renewable energy development, and the United Arab Emirates has made a formal plan regarding long-term energy planning until 2071.

 In your opinion, what are the advantages and benefits of the participation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this group?
 Undoubtedly, using experiences and interactions and aligning with the goals of the BRICS countries will bring many benefits to the country. For example, this group established a joint bank in 2015, which members can use to finance projects in line with BRICS priorities, and this can help a lot in advancing the development of various projects. Undoubtedly, close scientific, research, and information exchanges between experts in each field, along with political and social interactions, will lead to the growth and success of national and international projects. In addition, synergy in acquiring new knowledge and technologies in the field of energy is also a significant issue in BRICS, which is also of great importance for our country. For example, India, China and Brazil are among the leading countries in the world, especially in the field of energy efficiency and the use of clean energy on a wide-scale, and now that Iran is trying to take an effective step in these fields. Cooperation with these countries in the framework of BRICS can bring many benefits to the country.
How do you evaluate the prospect of Iran's presence in the BRICS group in the future?
Some member countries of the BRICS group are also members of the G20 group of countries, which have extensive activities in the field of energy. Therefore, it can be said that even though Iran is not among the G20 countries, it will be in line with the comprehensive energy programs at the global level to some extent through its membership in the BRICS group. Especially since this year and next year, BRICS member countries hold the presidency of the G20 (respectively Brazil and South Africa).
Another issue that will be important in the future of energy is to be able to expand the energy portfolio in the country. The BRICS group is very active in the use of some new technologies, such as the use of clean coal and hydrogen, which have fewer environmental pollutants, and the examination and evaluation of these areas in our country, can identify possible potentials for diversifying the energy portfolio.