The draft programme of the Institute’s forthcoming major regional event, the SE Europe Energy Dialogue, now in its 13th edition, has just been posted on the event microsite. More than 60 speakers and panelists have now confirmed their participation in the conference appearing in person while few will join online. The draft programme of the Institute’s forthcoming major regional event, the SE Europe Energy Dialogue, now in its 13th edition, has just been posted on the event microsite. More than 60 speakers and panelists have now confirmed their participation in the conference appearing in person while few will join online. They come from a variety of backgrounds including government bodies, major companies, international and regional organisations, well-known think tanks, leading law and consulting firms, academia and independent analysts.
The conference is structured along ten main sessions spread over 1 1/2 days which between them cover all different angles of the current energy debate. The Energy Dialogue starts with a global and regional overview and then continues with a discussion on the war in Ukraine and Europe’s, and SEE’s in particular, energy dilemmas. The diversification of the regional gas market in terms of supply routes and suppliers is another important session with contributions from speakers from all different countries in SEE. Following that, the debate narrows down to the energy and security implications for SE Europe.
The role of EU’s Green Deal is examined in light of recent developments including the “Fit for 55” package and the latest “REPowerEU” plan. There are bound to be profound implications for the region and these will be discussed and analysed in the context of expanded electricity networks and much bigger energy storage installations required, so as to secure higher penetration of variable Renewable Energy Sources (RES). The role of Energy Efficiency is vital for the pursued energy market transformation and this is examined both globally and regionally. The need to combine RES with Energy Efficiency solutions emerges as a topic which is attracting increasingly greater attention by industry and consumers alike and this will also be discussed in some detail.
Electricity market integration is another major issue which will be first discussed at Energy Exhange CEO level to be followed with examples from regional markets including major industries. Market coupling, intraday, day-ahead, balancing and forward market issues along with bilateral contracts will be discussed and analysed at length. The Energy Dialogue will pursue further the discussion on the Green Agenda in the context of decarbonisation efforts now taking hold across SE Europe where the operation of efficient electricity networks is a sine qua non condition.
Accelerating decarbonisation in the region does not necessarily mean the abandonment of hydrocarbon exploration and production efforts since gas, along with nuclear, is widely recognised as a main transition fuel which has a specific role to play many years ahead in maintaining and optimising electricity system operations. In this sense, the Energy Dialogue is devoting a whole session in enhancing hydrocarbon exploration in SE Europe where active hydrocarbon geological formations are to be found in the Adriatic, in the Ionian, in the East Med and in the Black Sea.
This year’s Energy Dialogue will conclude with a session on energy investment challenges as there are mounting needs for channelling funds to various projects in all areas of the energy sector. Companies in the region have to compete hard with countries outside SEE in order to secure adequate funding for their projects. In spite of current difficulties in project finance, the whole SE European area is attracting much greater interest than say 5 years ago, and according to a latest IENE study, the total energy related investment needs in the region until 2030 are estimated to exceed €480 billion. Hence, the discussion on energy investment needs and financing mechanisms is expected to attract considerable interest.
As preparations for the Energy Dialogue are going ahead and the date of the event is fast approaching, interest from companies to participate and get involved in the conference is mounting. So far, five major companies are backing the event as sponsors, including KG Law Firm, one of Greece’s leading law offices, the Hellenic Petroleum Group of Companies and Motor Oil, Greece’s two top refining groups, the Hellenic Energy Exchange (HEnEx) and the DEPA Commercial gas company. The Energy Dialogue is further supported by a different group of companies which include Energean, the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), the Independent Bulgarian Energy Exchange (IBEX) and EnSCo.
