Energy Norway's 2020 winter conference, the trade association's main annual event, has been canceled.

The cancellation takes effect on account of avoiding coronavirus contagion risk, writes Energy Norway Chief Executive Knut Kroepelien to the backdrop of COVID-19 gaining ground in both Germany and Norway.

The conference was supposed to held in Hamburg from March 25-27 and would have focused on themes of electrification and the green energy transformation of Norway, which aims to be a forerunner for the rest of Europe.

A total of more than 300 people had signed up to partake, and most of these, beyond a few speakers, are leading figures in the domestic energy sector.

"Both Norwegian and German authorities have intensified precautionary advice on limiting travel and holding larger conferences to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We therefore no longer find it prudent to move such a large group of Norwegians beyond the country's borders," Kroepelien writes in a press release.

The CEO also announced that the event had already faced challenges because of several Hamburg-bound flight cancellations, while Norwegian members of Parliament have been issued with a travel ban.

"We deeply regret having to cancel the conference. This is our most important commercial-political meeting space, for which many people have long prepared, and many have been looking forward to it. However, we must take responsibility for participants' safety by limiting the spread of cross-border infection," Kroepelien writes.

The coronavirus continues to spread, and Germany is one of the hardest-hit countries at the moment. According to John Hopkins University, Germany had registered 1,224 confirmed cases of infection as of Tuesday morning, thereby making the country the seventh most severely impacted nation in the world.

COVID-19 also continues its advance in Norway. Tuesday morning, the Scandinavian country had 227 confirmed cases of infection.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has not yet warned against traveling to Germany but has, like the Danish Health Authority, added the region of Tirol, Austria, to the list of areas affected by the rapid spread of contagion.

English Edit: Daniel Frank Christensen

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