During his visit to Austria last week where he participated in BBSPA’s annual conference, the Executive Director of IENE, Mr. Costis Stambolis had the opportunity to visit some of the leading energy organizations based in ViennaDuring his visit to Austria last week where he participated in BBSPA’s annual conference, the Executive Director of IENE, Mr. Costis Stambolis had the opportunity to visit some of the leading energy organizations based in Vienna.
To start with on the afternoon of April 9th Mr. Stambolis visited the headquarters of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at Heferstorferstrasse . Mr. Stambolis was received by Mr. Hasan Hafidh, head of the PR and Information Department. Following a meeting with Mr. Hafidh, during which IENE’s Executive Director fully briefed his host on IENE activities and structure, and the Institute’s interests on matters related to the hydrocarbon sector, Mr. Stambolis was taken on a conducted tour of OPEC’s office building, including the Ministerial meeting room, video studios, computer facilities and the organization’s library. IENE is already receiving on a regular basis OPEC’s information which it uses as part of its analytical tools in the preparation of its various newsletters. During the Executive Director’s visit it was agreed that IENE will start sending OPEC its regular information output and that closer contact to be maintained from now on between the two organizations.
On the morning of April 10 IENE’s Executive Director visited the Energy Community Secretariat offices at Am Hof in the centre of Vienna. There he had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Simeon Uzunov, head of the organization’s electricity section and a good friend of IENE who has participated on several occasions at IENE events in Thessaloniki and Athens. IENE’s Executive Director briefed Mr. Uzunov of IENE’s latest activities, especially the forthcoming 8th SE Europe Energy Dialogue where the Director of the Energy Community Secretariat Mr. Janez Kopac will participate and speak. The regional electricity and gas markets and energy efficiency in the building sector were topics of common interest that were discussed during Mr. Stambolis visit to the Energy Community offices.
Later in the day Mr. Stambolis accompanied by Mr. Pantelis Manis and Mr.Radamanthys Tsotsos, from the Thessaloniki branch of the Hellenic Central Securities Depositary, visited the Central European Gas Hub AG known as CEGH. This is one of Europe’s oldest gas hubs and Central Europe’s gas market nerve centre with thousands of transactions each year. During the visit Mr.Stambolis and his colleagues from HCSD, which is part of the Hellenic Exchanges Group, had the opportunity to watch a detailed presentation on CEGH organization and activities, made by Mr. Gottfried Steiner, CEO of CEGH and his executive colleagues from the Gas Hub.
The visit was organized upon the initiative of IENE as part of a study project currently conducted by the Institute on the conditions and prospects for the setting up of a regional gas trading hub in SE Europe. CEGH’s first class operation and overall experience could indeed prove most useful to IENE and Hellenic Exchanges in examining further the possibilities for the creation of such a gas hub in the SE European region. It was therefore agreed that close contact should from now on be maintained between CEGH, IENE and the Hellenic Exchanges Group.
