IENE’s "7th S.E. Europe Energy Dialogue”, which took place in Thessaloniki on June 19 – 20, 2013, was successfully concluded yesterday. Focusing on "The New Regional Parameters” of the energy agenda of SE Europe, IENE’s 7th SEEED, was once more organized in association with the World Energy Council (WEC).
The latest developments of the evolving natural gas and electricity markets of the region, as well as the ever deepening energy partnerships of S.E. European countries with the Caspian Sea, the East Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa provided the general background against which the energy debate on key energy issues was conducted. Combined with the present difficult economic situation facing most European countries and the implications on security of energy supply and the global concern for the provision of viable alternatives, these developments, formed the basis for the agenda of IENE’s 7th SEEED.
The first session, on Wednesday, June 19, focused on the global and regional perspectives of the energy sector. The second session, on power generation, electricity infrastructure & market operation, was divided in two parts. The first was dedicated to power generation, cogeneration, market constraints and investment opportunities in the SE European region, while the second one focused on the operation of the electricity market and its integration at the regional level. RES and energy efficiency at a critical juncture in SE Europe was the subject of the third session which concluded the proceedings of the first day of the conference.
In the evening, the official conference dinner took place, with invited speaker Ms. Maria Tsantsanoglou, the Director of the State Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki and curator of the renowned Costakis Collection of Russian futurism.
Thursday, June 20, the second day of the annual Energy Dialogue, opened with a session on the new era for natural gas in SE Europe, followed by a lively panel discussion on the prospects of establishing a regional gas market. The workings of this year’s IENE "Energy Dialogue” concluded with the fifth and last session of which focused on regional investment and business opportunities in oil & gas.
For the seventh consecutive year, IENE’s "7th S.E. Europe Energy Dialogue” gathered high-ranking government officials, senior business executives and energy experts from the countries of S.E. Europe but also from major energy producing countries with the objective of exchanging information and ideas, networking and discussing the shaping of the political action required in order to face the increased global and regional energy and environmental challenges. Conference participants included delegates from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Turkey, Croatia, Romania, as well as from the United Kingdom, South Korea, Austria, Belgium, Iran and Switzerland.
IENE’s "7th S.E. Europe Energy Dialogue” was sponsored by Greece’s Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) and Protergia SA, part of the Mytilineos Group. Supporting companies also included KG Law Firm, Sky Solar SA, Terna Energy SA and Siemens. The conference’s media partners included the Energia.gr portal, SEENews website (seenews.com), as well as the "New Europe” and "International Herald Tribune” newspapers.
