IENE’s 18th National Energy Conference "Energy and Development 2013” conference (Athens, 3-4 December, 2013), highlighted the various problems and setbacks of the Greek energy market, mainly due to the current economic depression, as well as the regional perspectives and the international dimension of major energy infrastructure projects and related investments.
This year’s conference was held under the auspices of Greece’s Ministry for Environment, Energy & Climate Change and focused on the "Sustainability and Security of Greece’s Energy System”, reflecting the ongoing diminishing support in the funding of RES in the country and the European Union in general, due to Eurozone’s recession and restrictive fiscal policies, combined with the recent emphasis on research in the upstream sector in the wider SE Europe and the East Mediterranean region.
Following the introductory remarks by IENE’s Chairman Mr. John Chadjivassiliadis, the conference opened with an address by Prof. Costas Mathioudakis, Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment, Energy & Climate Change, who referred to the forthcoming changes the Government is planning to introduce so that it can safeguard the operation of the domestic electricity market.
Mr. Dinos Benroubi (First Deputy Chairman, Hellenic Association of Independent Power Producers) and Mr. Kostas Theofylaktos (Member of IENE’s Executive Committee) described the several aspects of the current situation in Greece’s energy sector.
Prof. Pantelis Kapros (Member of IENE’s BoD and Chairman of IENE’s Scientific Committee, Director of E3MLab, NTUA, Athens), in his keynote address on "The Domestic Energy Market: Prices and Sustainability”, underlined the problems and distortions that the country’s electricity market faces, owing to the lack of political will to promote essential reforms and the dominating presence of the state electricity company, which prevents competition.
At the next session, on the international
and regional energy developments, Dr. Fabian Kesicki, Energy Analyst at the
Directorate of Global Energy Economics of the International Energy Agency (ΙΕΑ,
Paris), Dr. Leo Drolas, Executive Director of the London-based CGES Institute,
one of the most prestigious think tanks on energy, and Prof. Uwe Leprich of the
Germany’s influential Institute for Future Energy Systems (IZES), provided
analysis on the changes now taking place in the current global energy agenda.
Finally, Mr. Costis Stambolis, the Institute’s Executive Director, stressed
Greece’s importance as an emerging supply corridor for European energy needs.
The second day of IENE’s conference (December, 4) started with a 3rd session,
on the investment and development prospects in Greece’s energy sector,
co-ordinated by Prof. Pantelis Kapros. Mr. Harry G. Sachinis (Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, DEPA
S.A.), Mr. Mathios Rigas (Chairman & CEO, Energean Oil & Gas SA),
Mixalis Philipppou (Operational Manager of Electricity Transactions, Greek Electricity
Market Operator - LAGIE S.A.), Dr. John Kabouris (Independent Power
Transmission Operator), Mr. Dimitrios Georgantonis (General Manager, HERON
Companies), Mr. Anastasios Tossios, (President, Hellenic Association for Cogeneration
of Heat and Power - HACHP) described the multi-faceted and crucial role that energy-related
investments (in electricity, natural gas, oil, energy efficiency, etc) are
expected to play in Greece’s economic
recovery.
A round table discussion, on Renewable Energy Sources, followed with the participation of some of high-ranking representatives of the most influential associations of the sector. More specifically, Dr. Ioannis Tsipouridis (President, Hellenic Wind Energy Association -HWEA), Dr. Sotiris Kapellos (President, Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies), Mr. Stilianos Loumakis (President, Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Energy Producers), Mr. Antonis Gerasimou (President, Hellenic Biomass Association) and Mr. Konstantinos Vassilikos (Vice President, Hellenic Small Hydropower Association) discussed the delays and obstacles that have prevailed over recent months in the country’s RES market and that have resulted in the present critical situation for the thousands of investors who cannot get paid regularly by the operator.
The fourth session focused on investment, business plans and projects in the country’s energy sector, under the co-ordination of Mr. Gus Papamichalopoulos, Partner, Head of Energy and Infrastructure Department of KG Law Firm and IENE’s General Secretary, and with the participation of Mr. George Kamaras (Managing Director, Helesco S.A.), Mr. Loukas Lazarakis (C.E.O., EDF EN Hellas S.A.), Mr. Dimitris Assimakis (Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright), Mr. Alexandros Papadopoulos (Managing Director, Heliotron Energy S.A.) and Dr. Georgios Livanos (General Manager Power Plants, Wartsila Greece S.A.).
The next session of IENE’s "Energy and Development 2013” conference, co-ordinated by George Syntzanakis (Member of IENE’s BoD and Chairman of IENE’s
Electricity Committee), provided a thorough perspective of the several aspects on ongoing transformation of the electricity and gas market, and the necessity of strengthening competition in that field. Mr. Antonis Kontoleon (Secretary General, Hellenic Union of Industrial Consumers of Energy - UNICEN), Mr. Aristides Tassoulis (Executive Director for Regulatory and European Affairs, LAGHE S.A.), Dr. George Stamtsis (Deputy General Director, Hellenic Association of Independent Power Producers), Mr. Miltos Aslanoglou (2nd Deputy Chairman, Regulatory Energy Authority – RAE), Dr. John Desypris (Director, Regulatory Affairs, Mytilineos Holdings S.A. and Member of the BoD, IENE) and Dr. Savvas Seimanidis (Deputy Chairman, EREF) identified the problems that the setbacks in reforms have caused to the domestic energy market.
"The Oil & Natural Gas Market: Hydrocarbon E and P, Investment and Retail” was the topic of the sixth session. Co-ordinated by Ms. Tereza Fokianou (President and CEO, Flow Energy & Environmental Operations SA., Member of IENE’s BoD) and with Prof. Sofia Stamataki (President, Hellenic Hydrocarbon Management Company),
Dr. Dinos Nikolaou (General Manager, Kanergy Ltd and Member of IENE BoD),
Mr. Alexis Athanasopoulos (Member of the Permanent Committee for Energy, Technical Chamber of Greece), Mr. Spyros Paleoyannis (Vice Chairman & Deputy CEO, Public Gas Corporation of Greece,DEPA S.A., and Member of IENE’s BoD) and Mr. Vassilis Nikoletopoulos (MD, Natural Resources GP), this session provided a comrehensive outlook of the prospects of a sector, currently attempting a reluctant yet promising restart in Greece.
A round table discussion on energy and foreign policy concluded IENE’s conference, under the co-ordination of one of Greece’s best known geopolitical analysts, Dr. Ioannis Th. Mazis, Professor of Economic Geography (Dept of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) with the participation of academics experts, and professionals from the country’s energy sector and also of representatives of Greek political parties. Mr. Notis Marias (Professor of European Institutions, University of Crete and Parliamentary Representative of the political party Anexartitoi Ellines - Independent Greeks), Dr. Constantinos Grivas (Professor of Geopolitics at the Military Academy and of Geography of Security and Disarmament at the Department of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies, University of Athens), Dr. Kiriakos Nikolaou-Patragas (Law School of Athens, Islamic Law),
Ms. Eirini (Rena) Dourou (Member of the Hellenic Parliament and Head of SYRIZA’s foreign Affairs Committee), Dr. George Paparsenos (Consultant, Mechanical Engineer) and Mr. George Dimitrakopoulos (International Relations Expert, ex Vice President, European Parliament) participated in that session.
Presenting the conference’s conclusions, Mr. Costis Stambolis, Deputy Chairman and Executive Director of IENE, underlined the unstable situation that Greece is facing in its energy sector and stressed the need for decisive and bold political action.
The main sponsors of the 18th Annual National Conference «Energy & Development 2013» included Greece’s Public Gas Corporation S.A. (DEPA S.A.), Protergia SA of Mytilineos Group and Hellenic Petroleum S.A. The Law Firms KG and Norton Rose Fulbright, as well as Siemens and Wartsila were the conference’s supporters. Greece’s leading daily «Kathimerini» and Energia.gr, Greece’s foremost energy portal, as well as SeeNews, a worldwide provider of business news and market intelligence, and FM Voice, a website and web radio focusing on economy, markets and business, were the conference’s official media partners.
