The inaugural presentation of the Institute of Energy for SE Europe (ΙΕΝΕ) was held on April 21, 2005 at the National Bank of Greece's amphitheatre situated in the "Governor B. Karatzas" building. Attended by politicians, representatives of the energy sector and business executives, the event opened with messageς of congratulations addressed by Mr Dimitris Sioufas, minister of Development and by Deputy Minister Mr George Salagoudis, and by Mr Christos Papoutsis, representative of the opposition party PASOK and ex-EU commissioner for energy. Among the foreign guests, the contributions of Mrs Louise Kingham, chief executive of the Energy Institute (London) and Dr Valentine Kunev, general director of the Balkan & Black Sea Petroleum Association were particularly appreciated.
The event began with introductory remarks made by IENE's vice-chairman, Mr Spyros Paleoyannis, while the Institute's chairman, Mr Costis Stambolis gave a detailed presentation of global and regional energy-related developments and of the important role IENE aspires to hold in this arena.
«In today's admittedly difficult -but also very promising- energy landscape, the creation and active participation of an independent organization such as IENE fills a serious gap that exists in Greece and South-East Europe as regards the institutional representation of the energy sector,» Mr Costis Stambolis pointed out after giving a detailed presentation of the conditions prevailing in the energy markets.
«Because of its lack of political or other commitments, and thanks to its members' longstanding experience in this field, to their important know-how and their professional reputation, IENE is in a position to offer independent, high-quality expertise in terms of assessing and objectively studying the energy sector and its secondary branches, while simultaneously taking into account the various technological, economic, financial and diplomatic parameters relating to it».
The Institute's chairman stressed the fact that «within its capacities, ΙΕΝΕ hopes to contribute to a better understanding of issues regarding energy, their correct presentation, the creation of a dialogue and the definition of an efficient energy policy, both on a national and a regional level». At the same time, «ΙΕΝΕ wishes to play a significant part in terms of economic development, by promoting the necessary energy-related investments covering the whole of this sector's spectrum, while simultaneously constituting a bridge of communication between consumers, the energy industry and its related businesses, and the government,» as Mr Stambolis noted. Towards this end, the Institute has already acquired the support of international organizations such as the Energy Institute and the International Energy Agency.
An important part of IENE's mission is to offer, both to energy specialists and the public opinion, continuous and reliable information regarding current energy-related issues, a fact made possible by its modern infrastructure, which is constantly updated. Already, IENE organizes workshops, meetings and conferences on a regular basis, while in parallel it publishes working papers, conference proceedings, surveys, studies and research papers.
IENE's inaugural presentation also included the projection of «Energy, the Crucial Factor», a documentary produced by the Institute and which is part of its activities regarding the dissemination of energy-related facts. During the event, short speeches were also made by Mr George Kotsorides, director of Project Finance at the National Bank of Greece, Mr George Spyrou, Senior Consultant to Terna Energiaki, as well as by IENE members Mr Dinos Maniatopoulos, chairman of the Energy Policy & Geopolitics Committee, Mrs Tereza Fokianou, IENE's secretary general and chairman of the Hydrocarbons' Committee and, Mr John Hadzivassiliadis, member of IENE's executive committee and chairman of the Institute's Renewable Energy Sources Committee.
As Mr Stambolis stressed, because of being an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organization, in order to function and develop its activities IENE relies on the support of its members (individuals and businesses); on sponsoring by companies, organizations, public utilities and individuals; on offering its advisory services; and, on its participation in research and other projects as well as through educational services offered in the context of professional training programmes.
IENE's presentation was sponsored by the National Bank of Greece and Terna Energiaki SA and was supported by ELINOIL SA, ENERTA SA and the Attica Natural Gas Company. Further information on IENE and its activities is available on the website www.iene.gr .