More than 300 participants attended the
16th National Energy
Conference “Energy and Development 2011”, organized by IENE at the Ledra
Marriot
Hotel, in Athens, on November 22-23, 2011. The conference’s theme
focused on
“The Adjustment of the Greek Energy Market to the New Economic Reality”.
This
unique event attracted professionals and experts from the Greek and the
international energy sector at a very critical time for the Greek
economy.
The conference opened with a keynote
speech by the Deputy
Minister of Environment, Energy & Climate Change, Mr. John Maniatis,
who
referred to government plans for the privatization of power generation
and the
sale of a number of plants of the Public Power Corporation (PPC-DEI), as
well
as of other companies of public interest.
Dr. Nickos Vassilakos, Chairman of the
Regulatory Authority
for Energy (RAE), presented the views of the Authority on the
normalization of
market operation, the need of liquidity in the wholesale market, as well
as on
the need for transition to a new target model.
On behalf of IENE, the chairman, Dr.
John Desypris and the deputy
chairman and executive director, Mr. Costis Stambolis, stressed the
challenges
that the energy sector of Greece is facing and the need to overcome
economic
stalemate by long-term planning, investment and market liberalization.
In a speech which attracted considerable
public attention,
Mr. Ben Van Houtte, representing the Task Force Greece of the European
Commission, referred to the three priorities of the Task Force regarding
the
energy sector of the country: Modernization of electricity and natural
gas
networks, lifting of obstacles for investments and securing of funding
for
public and private investing in projects.
The chairman of the Greek Association of
RES Electricity
Producers, Mr. George Peristeris, referred to the measures that need to
be
taken for the further development of RES in Greece. The normalization of
the
the RES feed-in tariffs regime is one of the immediate priorities that
Mr.
Peristeris stressed.
The invited speaker at the conference’s
official luncheon was
the Minister of the Interior, Prof. Tasos Giannitsis (until recently
chairman
of Hellenic Petroleum S.A), who underlined the importance of the
restoration of
macroeconomic balance in Greece, in order for the productive forces of
the
economy to come into play and help the country return to a growth
pattern.
At the conference’s 2nd Session, which
covered natural gas
and investments in Greece, Dr. Michael Thomadakis, member of RAE, said
that the
natural gas market in Greece is still in its infancy. However, it has
made
significant steps towards adulthood. Especially the last two years, have
been
characterized by the opening of the market and the participation of new
players,
especially in the LNG market.
Mr. Evangelos Kosmas, a senior executive
representing the
Public Gas Corporation S.A. (DEPA), referred to the target for the
expansion of
the gas network in the whole of Greece, stressing the existence of a
solid
economic basis for this.
Dr. George Paparsenos, CEO of the
Hellenic Gas Transmission
System Operator S.A. (DESFA), underlined the need for gas-fired power
stations
and new Gas Distribution Companies as the two main factors that will
enhance
the demand for natural gas in Greece.
Mr. Panayotis Kanellopoulos, Managing
Director of M&M
Gas S.A., which specializes in LNG cargoes, presented the activities of
his
company adding that a deal with the Bulgarian Energy Holdings (BEH) for
buying
of 1 bcm of natural gas is underway.
Mr. Christos Balaskas, Managing Director
of the Attica Gas
Supply Company (EPA Attica), presented the most recent data concerning
the expansion
of the company’s customer base and plans for the further expansion of
the gas
network.
Mr. Mathios Rigas, CEO of Energean Oil
& Gas S.A., criticized
the government’s illegal decision to terminate his company’s concession
of the
South Kavala natural gas deposit to the company, as part of its
concession, in
spite of announced investments plans for turning the depleted field into
permanent gas storage facilitity.
The next session focused on the
electricity market and
investments in Greece. Opening with speeches by Prof. Michael
Papadopoulos
(Chairman, Hellenic Transmission System Operator S.A. - HTSO) and Mr.
Dimitris
Rachiotis (Deputy Chairman, RAE), this session’s first part was
dedicated to
RES, cogeneration and electricity grids, with the participation of
prominent
representatives of the Greek RES market. Mr. Vasilis Spiliotopoulos
(Audit
Committee, Hellenic Wind Energy
Scientific Association), Mr. Alexandros
Zachariou (Chairman,
Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies - HELAPCO), Mr. Antonis
Gerasimou (Chairman, Hellenic Biomass Company - HELLABIOM), Dr. John
Tsipouridis, CEO, PPC Renewables S.A., Mr. Elias Kakiopoulos (Secretary
General, Greek Association of Small Hydropower Producers) and Mr. Costas
Theofylaktos (Chairman of H.A.C.H.P and member of IENE’s Executive
Committee)
participated in a franc and exhaustive exchange of views on the
challenges facing
the market.
The organization and operation of the
Greek electricity
market was the subject of the second part of this session, which opened
with a
keynote speech by Prof. Pantelis Capros, Director of E3M-Lab (NTUA) and
Chairman of IENE’s Scientific Committee. A panel discussion with the
participation of key market players took place, analysing the problems
that are
still to be solved, so that the market can incorporate the requirements
of market
liberalization (read 3rd Energy Package). Mr. Elias Karydoyannis (Vice
Chairman, EGL Hellas S.A.), Prof. Emmanuel Kakaras(General Manager,
HAIPP), Mr.
Const. Kouklelis (Chairman, UNICEN), Mr. Andreas Tzouros ( Managing
Director,
Elpedison Energy S.A.), Mr. Miltos Aslanoglou (Deputy Chairman B’, RAE)
and Mr.
Dinos Benroubi (Executive Director-General Manager, PROTERGIA S.A. )
participated in this lively discussion.
The second day (Wednesday, November 23)
of IENE’s “Energy
and Development 2011”
conference opened with the fourth session, which covered regional energy
developments.
The Director of International Affairs of DEPA S.A., Mr. Constantinos
Karayannakos, described the future plans of the company, announcing, in
the
long run, the formation of a regional natural gas trade company with the
participation of local companies in SE Europe. The Director of DEPA
characterised ITGI as the most reliable solution for the South Corridor.
Mr.
Rikard Scoufias, Country Manager of TAP AG for Greece, on the other
hand,
insisted that it is TAP the pipeline that will put Greece in the
foreground for
natural gas transmission in SE Europe. Mr. Pierros Chatzigiannis of
DESFA
underlined the contribution of the Revythoussa LNG terminal in promoting
market
liberalization and ensuring security of supply. Dr. Elias Konofagos,
Deputy
Chairman of Flow S.A., was optimistic for the hydrocarbons potential of
the sea
region south of Crete, because of the proved existence of numerous
volcanic
formations surrounding the seabed of the island.
The global view of the energy market was
the subject of the
fifth session. Mr. Dan Dorner, Senior Energy Analyst of IEA, stressed
the
importance of 2011 for the future trends in energy. The future of
nuclear
energy was put into question due to the accident at Fukushima, whereas
“Arab
Spring” seems to have jeopardized oil investments in North Africa and
the
Middle East. According to Mr. Dorner, all those developments pose an
alarming
scenery for energy in the start of the new decade.
Mr. Costis Stambolis, deputy chairman
and executive director
of IENE, forecasted that oil prices are likely to remain at their
present
current high levels of approximately 100 dollars per barrel over the
next 12
months. He stressed the fact that average oil price for 2011 look likely
to
close well above $ 100 per barrel, the highest since 1864. Dr. Theodore
Tsakiris, Research Coordinator of the Institute, emphasized the
importance of
the current political and economic instability in the Mediterranean
region and
its impact on the European energy security. Mr. Nicholas Sofianos,
European
Programmes Coordinator of IENE, on a presentation of global RES trends,
focused
on the accelerating expansion of renewable energy, which is largely
encouraged
by EU energy policies.
A keynote speech by Dr. Manthos
Santamouris, chairman of
Centre for Renewable Energy Sources (CRES) of Greece, opened the last
session
of IENE’s conference. Dr. Santamouris mentioned that, according to the
current National
Action Plan, energy consumption in the buildings sector will rise by 40%
by
2030 and, therefore, there is considerable scope for large-scale energy
efficiency measures which can take advantage of Greece’s excellent solar
radiation conditions.
The conference closed with the
presentations of selected
papers by researchers and academic staff following IENE’s call for
papers on
innovative energy technologies and their contribution to the development
of the
Greek economy.
Greece’s Natural Gas Transmission
Operator (DESFA) and two
of the leading independent power producers, Protergia S.A and Terna
Energy
S.A., were the main sponsors of the conference, whereas the Public Gas
Corporation (DEPA), Siemens S.A. and Hellenic Post (ELTA) were key
supporters.
Energia.gr, Greece’s top energy portal, “Kathimerini” newspaper and the
“Energy
World” magazine were the conference’s official media partners.