For the tenth consecutive year the "Energy & Development" conference is being organised in Athens, Greece. The conference is convened by the Institute of Energy for South East Europe (IENE), an Athens based non profit and non-governmental organisation involved in energy policy, information and documentation in the energy sector. The conference has been established over the past years as a major event in Greece for energy policy and business.
The conference which will be held in Athens, is scheduled for December 7-9,2005. The conference’s official dinner will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Athens in the evening of December 7 while the actual conference will be held at the Megaron-a prestigious concert and conference centre – very near the Hilton, in central Athens on December 8th and 9th .
More than 400 participants are expected to attend this year’s conference, including many senior executives, government officials, policy makers, scientists and engineers from all major Greek energy-related companies. A large participation is also expected from other countries, especially from the European Union and S.E. Europe.
The Greek Minister for Development, Mr Dimitrios Sioufas, the Deputy Minister in charge of Energy Mr. George Salagoudis, the Chairman of Greece’s Energy Regulatory Authority (RAE), Prof. Michael Karamanis, the Chairman of Public Power Corporation (PPC), Mr. Yannis Palaiokrassas, the Chairman of Public Gas Corporation (DEPA), Mr. Rafael Moissis, the Chairman of Hellenic Petroleum, Mr. Timos Christodoulou, and several CEO’S from Greece’s major oil, gas and electricity companies, will address the conference. Senior executives from most of the leading energy companies of SE Europe are also expected to attend and speak at the conference.
A number of important speakers from other European countries will also travel to Athens to participate at the conference including De. Leo Drollas, from the Centre for Global Energy Studies in London, Mrs Nina Commeau from the European Commission in Brussels, Dr. Valedin Kunev from the Balkan and Black Sea Association in Sofia and others This year’s key subject area concerns the impact of the prevailing international high oil and natural gas prices on consumption, demand, investment and long term energy planning.
Other subjects to be covered in the conference include: Greece’s expanding role as an energy corridor in SE Europe, competition in the Greek electricity sector and the liberalization of the Greek energy market, the development of the regional S.E. European electricity market and the expansion of the Greek natural gas market, refining and marketing of petroleum products, international oil and gas market developments and their impact on the Greek and SE European market, co-generation and renewable energy sources, energy conservation, and financing and risk management of energy projects.
There will be a small scale exhibition at the conference venue for participating companies, corporations and research institutes to display examples of their work and projects.
The conference is sponsored by TERNA Energy S.A., a leading Greek engineering and energy company which is the event’s main sponsor. Other sponsors and supporters include ALSTOM (Greece) S.A. and the Regulatory Energy Authority (RAE). The daily newspaper KATHIMERINI, Greece’s oldest and most respected newspaper, and its English language edition (published jointly with the International Herald Tribune) and the business web site www. euro2day are the official communication sponsors of the conference. The conference’s detailed programme will be announced by October 25, 2005 through IENE’s website (www.iene.gr) and also in www.energia.gr.