The Institute of Energy for SE Europe is organising the 10th National Energy Conference, «Energy & Development 2005», to be held in Athens from December 7-9, 2005. The meeting will open with the official conference dinner at the Athens Hilton Hotel on Wednesday, December 7, while its sessions and deliberations will take place over the following two days (December 8 and 9) at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron) in the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall. The invited speaker for this year’s dinner function is Mr. Dimitris Maniatopoulos, Managing Director of the Public Power Corporation. The Minister for Development Mr. Dimitris Sioufas will also address the conference at its opening session on Thursday morning (December 8).
Other keynote speakers include Prof. Michael Karamanis, Chairman of the Regulatory Energy Authority (RAE), Dr. Evangelos Lekatsas, Chairman of the Hellenic Electricity Transmission Operator (DESMIE), Mr. John Agapitides, Chairman of the Centre of Renewable Energy Sources (CRES), and Mr. John Papantoniou, former Economy Minister and a PASOK MP.
A number of speakers will also travel from abroad to talk at the conference. These include: Mr. Chris Skerbowski, Petroleum Review Editor, Energy Institute, London, Mr. Hideshi Emoto, IEA, Paris, Dr. Mohamed A. Muntasser, President, International energy Foundation, Libya, Prof. Pippo Ranci, Director, Florence School of Regulation, Italy, Mr. Nickolas Opris, Energy Regulator, Romania, and Mr. Paul Bulteel, Secretary General, EURELECTRIC, Brussels.
The main themes of this year's conference concern the prices of basic fuels (crude oil, gas), which recently reached historically high levels and are expected to pursue an ascendant trend. The analysis of their consequences on long-term energy planning and the security of supply will be one of the Conference's main concerns. The strategy options to be adopted regarding the energy mix and the application of alternative non-oil-related technologies, both in Greece and in other South East Europe countries, will be examined and discussed at length.
In particular, the Conference will concentrate on subjects such as:
· International oil and gas prices and their impact on the economy and development
· Natural gas and its role as an alternative fuel and its limits for power generation
· The use of lignite and coal for power generation (especially in view of the restrictions regarding the level of emissions defined by the Kyoto Accord)
· Renewable Energy Sources and their contribution to the operation and management of electricity grids (e.g. RES and electricity grid stability)
· The evolution of electricity transmission and distribution networks, and the regulatory frameworks under free market conditions
· Co-generation and use of natural gas, modernization of district heating co-generation plants and networks in SE Europe countries
· Modernization/substitution of antiquated and polluting electricity-plants in view of the restrictions imposed by the EU's Emission Trading System
· Investments in power generation in SE Europe
· New energy inter-connections (crude oil, natural gas and electricity) in SE Europe and the creation of the Energy Community of South East Europe (ECSEE)
· New energy-related technologies (i.e. Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, Waste utilisation for power generation, etc.).
To examine the above topics a total of six sessions is scheduled, as well as thee panel discussions where specialists in each field will exchange opinions. Held without fail since 1996, the annual «Energy & Development» conference has become the most important energy policy event in Greece, as well as one of the better known such conferences to be held in South East Europe.
Responsible for the conference's organization is the Institute of Energy for South-East Europe (IENE), a non-profit organisation whose main activity is the study of energy matters and the provision of qualified information on the sector's latest developments to professionals and governments.
The conference's objective is to present the latest developments, nurture the exchange of opinions, reach appropriate and useful conclusions, and analyse the trends and perspectives regarding energy and the environment, both in Greece and internationally.
Further information on the conference, its agenda, the speakers and the terms of participation are available in the specialized websites www.iene.gr and www.energia.gr, as well as by contacting the Institute’s offices: tel. Numbers 210-3628457, 3640278, fax 210-3646144.