The 4th Energy Forum begins next Sunday, November 15th, in Budapest.
The organizers of the Forum are the Energy Constellation Institute from Budapest and the Eastern Institute from Warsaw - the organizer of the Economic Forum in Krynica.
The Forum will be held under the auspices of the President of Hungary Laszko Solyom. This year, the Forum will be attended by more than 300 representatives of political, business and scientific world dealing with various aspects of energy issues. Two plenary sessions, 12 discussion panels and a few presentations will be organized during two days of the debates.
Programme
November 15
18:00 - 19:30 Report Presentation
Hosted by the Royal Danish Embassy
Venue: Marriott Hotel, Apáczai Csere János utca 4
"The intelligent energy system infrastructure for the future", September 2009
Report by Risø - National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark
Today's energy system is the result of decisions taken over more than a century, developed according to basic engineering requirements: energy is produced to meet the needs of consumers. A new supply structure based on variable energy resources such as wind power will require a much more flexible energy system, also including the flexibility of the energy consumers. Long-term targets for renewable energy deployment and stable energy policies are needed in order to reduce uncertainty for investors. A mix of distributed energy resources is needed to allow system balancing and provide flexibility in the electricity system. Electric vehicles, electric heating, heat pumps and small-scale distributed generation, such as fuel-cell-based microCHP, are promising options.
Presented by: Hans Larsen, Director of Systems Analysis Division, Risø - National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark
Moderator: Paul Domjan, Member of the Executive Board, Constellation Energy Institute, United Kingdom
Commentators:
András Péntek, Head of Portfolio Management
19:45 - 22:00 Reception
Venue: Marriott Hotel, Apáczai Csere János utca 4.
November 16 (Monday)
Venue: Danube Palace, Zrínyi utca 5
8.45 Opening remarks:
Zygmunt Berdychowski, Chairman of the Economic Forum Programme Council, Poland
Janos Csak, Chairman of the Executive Board, Constellation Energy Institute, Hungary
9:00 - 10:30
I Plenary Session: Energy as a Factor of Prosperity and Sovereignty
Venue: Theater room
Moderator: Paweł Lisicki, Editor-in-Chief, "Rzeczpospolita" daily, Poland
Speakers:
Richard L. Morningstar, Ambassador and Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy, USA
Viktor Orban, Member of Parliament, former Prime Minister of Hungary
Mirek Topolánek, former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
Aleksandr Babakov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, Russia
10:30 - 10:45 coffee break
II Panel discussions
10:45 - 12:15
1. Impact of the Financial Crisis on the Energy Sector
Venue: White room
The financial crisis has dealt a double blow to CEE economies. First, the amount of liquid capital available in the Western world has dropped dramatically. Commercial banks have started a deleveraging process, i.e. shrinking of their total assets, which is likely to last for a long time. Consequently, there will be less capital available for the CEE region, as well. Second, the crisis exposed the region's vulnerabilities and showed it to be more risky than previously assumed. As a result, the inflow of foreign funds, which served as the basis of the region's export-led growth model, dropped drastically, and it will not reach its pre-crisis levels any time soon.
This made funding, which was previously a non-issue, a key obstacle to energy investments. In fact, it is hard to see how the region could attract enough capital to finance its major energy projects. The panel addresses the issue of how the financial crisis affected and will affect investments planned in the energy sector in CEE.
Moderator: Kate Hardin, Senior Director, Head of Russian and Caspian Research, CERA, USA
Speakers:
István Varga, Minister of Economy, Hungary (TBC)
Michał Krupiński, Alternate Executive Director of the World Bank for Azerbaijan, Kyrgyz Republic, Poland, Serbia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Marc O. Bettzuege, Director of the Institute of Energy Economics, Cologne, Germany
Alexandre Fernandes, Chairman of the European Energy Network (EnR); Director General of the Portuguese Agency for Energy, Portugal
Oleg Valenchuk, Member of Parliament, State Duma, Russia
Enno Harks, Global Public Policy Institute, Senior Fellow-at-large, Germany
Commentator :
Alexander Cherepanov , Deputy Editor-in-Chief, "Neft Rossiya" magazine, Russia
10:45 - 12:15 in parallel
2. Towards Secure Energy Supplies - Politics or Business?
Venue: Szechenyi room
Moderator: Liviu Mureşan, President of EURISC Foundation, Romania
Speakers:
Reinhard Mitschek, Managing Director, Nabucco Pipeline, Austria
Mihaly Bayer, Ambassador-at-Large for Nabucco, Hungary
Konrad Kreuzer, Chairman of the Board of Directors E.ON Hungária
Zsolt Nemeth, Member of Parliament, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Hungary
Victor Dolidze, Vice Chairman, Political Part "Our Georgia - Free Democrats", Georgia
Dariusz Szymczycha, Senior Consultant, Pressdor, Poland
12:15 - 12:30 coffee break
12:30 - 14:00
3. Skeletons in the Cupboard: Lessons Learned from the January 2009 Gas Crisis
Venue: White room
While there was a lot of talk about the political side and implications of the January 2009 crisis, very little public discussion was devoted to the technological aspect. How did the January gas crisis affect the European gas market, the Baumgarten hub and the gas transmission networks? The panel aims at uncovering some light on the above issues.
Moderator: Jiří Schneider, Director, Prague Security Studies Institute, Czech Republic
Speakers:
Keith Smith, Senior Associate, Energy and National Security Program, CSIS, USA
Andrey Konoplyanik, Advisor to the Board, Gazprombank, Former Deputy Secretary General of the Energy Charter Secretariat, Russia
Jordi Pedret, Member of the Spanish Delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), Congress of Deputies, Spain
Oleksandr Chaly, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Ukraine
Peter Poptchev, Ambassador for Energy Security and Climate Change, National Nabucco Coordinator, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria
Marko Mihkelson, Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee, Parliament of Estonia
Sandor Bogoly, FGSZ Natural Gas Transmission Ltd., Hungary (TBC)
Commentators:
Patrice Dreiski, Special Adviser, Secretariat of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, France (TBC)
Giacomo Goldkorn, Editorial Director, "Equilibri", Italy
Lubov Kizilova, Deputy Editor in Chief, "Mirovaja Gazeta", former Chief Press Officer of "Gazprom", Russia
12:30 - 14:00 in parallel
4. Growth Through Innovation. Energy and New Technologies
Venue: White room
Moderator: (TBC)
Speakers:
Brian Binley, Member of Parliament, Chair of the Clean Coal Group, United Kingdom
Margaret Kneller, Professor, John Cabot University in Rome; former Graduate Research Assistant at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Italy
Edit Herczog, Member of the European Parliament, Hungary
Marc Brunner, President, Chief Executive Officer, Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd, USA (TBC)
Markus Becker, European Energy Policy Executive, GE Energy, Belgium
Igor Dekanić, Professor, Head of Petroleum Engineering Department, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Commentator:
David Dean Judson, Editor-in-Chief, Hurriyet Daily News Economic Reviews, Turkey
14:00 - 15:00 LUNCH
15:00 - 16:30
5. The EU and the United States in the Run-Up to the Copenhagen Conference
Venue: White room
Moderator: Maximilian Teleki, President, Hungarian American Coalition, member of International Board and Constellations Energy Institute (CEI), USA
Speakers:
James Atkins, Chairman of Vertis Finance, United Kingdom
Daniel Freifeld, former Middle East advisor to Hillary Clinton, USA
Konstantin Simonov, General Director, National Energy Security Fund, Russia
Hans Larsen, Director of Systems Analysis Division, Risø - National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark
Vittorio Cogliati Dezza, Chairman, Italian League for the Protection of Environment, Italy
15:00 - 16:30 in parallel
6. On the Way to European Energy Security: What to Expect from the European Union?
Venue: Szechenyi room
Moderator: Patrick Allard, Counsellor for International Economic Issues, Center of Analysis and Forecasting, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France
Speakers:
Vasily Likhachev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Relations, Council of Federation, Russia
Serge Poignant, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Affairs, National Assembly, France
Kjell Aleklett, Professor of Physics, Leader of Global Energy Systems association, Uppsala University, Sweden
José Eduardo Martins, Member of Parliament, Portugal
Viacheslav Kniazhnytskyi, Ambassador-at-Large for Energy Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine
Anatoly Kozeradsky, Member of the CIS Committee, State Duma, Russia
16:30 - 16:45 coffee break
16:45 - 18:15
7. The Role of Foreign Investment - How to Attract Energy Investments to the CEE Region?
Venue: White room
All of the countries of Central Eastern Europe are considering major investments in their energy sectors in the next years: pipelines, LNG terminals, nuclear reactors, interconnectors and so on. Additionally, there are some privatizations coming up most particularly in South Eastern Europe. The project addresses the issue of how countries of the region could attract foreign investment in their energy industry in the new financial and economic realities? Is this the time for major FDI in the energy sector in CEE? What incentives countries should create to attract foreign investment? What obstacles foreign companies face?
Moderator: Daniel Apostol, Editor-in-Chief, The Money Channel, Romania
Speakers:
Nuno Ribeiro da Silva, President of ENDESA, Portugal
Imre Martha, Chief Executive Officer, MVM, Hungary
Josef Auer, Senior Analyst, Deutsche Bank, Germany
Cesare Cuniberto, Chairman of Tigáz Zrt., Italy
Alex Cranberg, Chairman, Aspect Holdings, USA
Helmut Schmitt von Sydow, Professor of European Law, University of Lausanne; former Director General of TREN, Germany
16:45 - 18:15 in parallel
8. Russian Energy Strategy and New Economic Realities
Venue: Szechenyi room
The financial crisis hit Russia much more than expected. How did the crisis affect major Russian energy companies and planned investments? Will Nord Stream and South Stream go ahead? Do Russian energy companies have enough capital to invest in the Central European energy industry? How long it will take for Russia to recover from the crisis?
Moderator: Mark Pritchard, Chairman of the All-Party British-Russian Parliamentary Group, House of Commons, United Kingdom
Speakers:
Alexandros Petersen, Senior Fellow, Eurasia Energy Center, Atlantic Council, Atlantic Council of the United States, USA
Mikhail Kroutikhin, Editor-in-Chief, "Russian Energy Weekly"
Emmanuel Gaillard, Head of the Arbitration Practice of the International Law Firm, Shearman & Sterling LLP, France
Frank Umbach, Senior Associate Centre for European Security Strategies Munich, Germany
Alexey Gromov, Deputy Director, State Institute of Energy Strategy, Russia
Commentator
Valery Fedorov, General Director, Russian Public Opinion Research Center, Russia
18: 25 - 18: 55
Global Gas Report
Venue: White room
Due to severe economic recession, we are witnessing a gas demand drop when supply is rising. The focus is therefore shifting from "Security of Supply" to "Security of Demand". This relaxed supply-demand balance shouldn't last too long as we are facing new challenges leaving gas as the fuel of no choice. We need to rethink our European gas policy taking into account this changing landscape and the 2-week dispute between Russia and Ukraine that stopped transit flows.
Presented by: Thierry Bros, Senior Analyst, Utilities, Société Générale Cross Asset Research, France
Commentator:
Ole Gunnar Austvik, Head of Research, Lillehammer University College, Norway
20:00-22:00
Gala Dinner in the Hungarian Parliament co-hosted by
H.E. Ms. Joanna Stempińska, Ambassador of Poland to Hungary
&
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian Parliament
Meeting Point:
entrance of the Danube Palace at 19:00 or entrance of the Marriott Hotel, 19:20
Admission to the Parliament with the personal ID or passport only
November 17 (Tuesday)
Conference venue: Danube-Palace, Address: 1051 Budapest, Zrínyi u. 5.
9:00 - 10:30
II Plenary session: Common EU Energy Policy: Is it Really a Must?
Venue: Theater room
Moderator: János Martonyi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary
Speakers:
Claude Mandil, former Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), France
László Varró, Senior Vice-President for Strategic Development, MOL Group, Hungary
Serhii Pavlusha, Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy, Ukraine
Christiane Brunner, Member of Parliament, Chairwoman of the Committee on Environment, Austria
Maciej Woźniak, Chief Energy Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of Poland
Commentator:
Natalia Grib, Correspondent, "Kommersant", Russia
Panel discussions
10:45 - 12:15
9. Financing of the Energy Sector in CEE: Are There Financial Resources Available?
Venue: White room
In light of the impact of the financial crisis on CEE, this panel addresses the question where financing can come from. The different options are: government, European Union, World Bank, EBRD, or own initiatives of CEE countries. Some of them will be presented at the panel.
Moderator: Charles Kovacs, Deputy Chairman, BIA Committee to the OECD on Non-Member States, Hungary
Speakers:
Pierluigi Orati, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, ENEL, Italy
Adalbi Shkhagoshev, Member of the Committee on Labour and Social Policy, State Duma, Russia
Justin Dargin, Research Fellow, The Dubai Initiative, Harvard University, USA
Gyorgy Matolcsy, Member of Parliament, Hungary (TBC)
Igor Krugovykh, Expert, Russian Gas Association, Russia
Grzegorz Onichimowski, President of the Board, Polish Power Exchange, Poland
Commentators:
Andrey Bachvarov, Chairman of the Business Council at the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
Łukasz Dziekonski, Chief Negotiator, PKO Bank, Poland
10:45 - 12:15 in parallel
10. Regional Strategic Energy Projects
Venue: Szechenyi room
This panel covers the most important regional strategic energy projects like Nabucco, TGI, NETS and provides a status report about them. The panel also addresses the issue of obstacles and challenges for cooperation in the field of energy in Central Eastern Europe. It is also a venue for testing new grounds and ideas for potential cooperation in the region to enhance the region's energy security in general.
Moderator: Alan Riley, Professor, London City University, United Kingdom
Speakers:
Peter Gordos, Deputy Minister on Energy, Hungary
Igor Prokofyev, Deputy Director, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia
Vladimir Socor, Expert, James Town Foundation, USA
Michael Mertl, Managing Director, Adria LNG, Croatia
Giorgij Vashakmadze, Director, Energy Security Studies, World Experience for Georgia, Giorgia
Commentator:
Maxim Bobrov, Journalist, Channel 1 TV, Russia
12:30 - 14:00
11. Challenges for the Development of the Nuclear Energy
Venue: Szechenyi room
Moderator: Gabriel Pellathy, Hungary Country Director, Manager International Business Development & Strategy, Westinghouse Electric Company
Key note speaker:
Joachim Pfeiffer, Member of Parliament, Energy Spokesman for CDU Parliamentary Group, Bundestag, Germany
Speakers:
Gérard Cognet, Delegate for Central Europe, Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), France
Huseyn Chechenov, Chairman of the Committee on Education and Science, Council of Federation, Russia
Thomas Epron, Central Europe & Near East Area Director, AREVA, France
Gilbert J. Brown, Coordinator of the Nuclear Engineering Program, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA
Steve Thomas, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom
12:30 - 14:00 in parallel
12. The Role of Alternative Sources in the Energy Mix - What Future for Green Energy in the new Economic Realities?
Venue: White room
Moderator: Lutz Mez, Professor, Free University of Berlin, Germany
Speakers:
Aleksander Solovyanov, Advisor to the General Director, PodzemGazProm, Russia
Eduardo Oliveira Fernandes, President, Energy Agency of Porto, Portugal
Hans-Joachim Ziesing, Advisor, German Institute for Economy Studies, Germany
Andor Nagy, Member of Parliament, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Environment, Hungary
Mikhail Shchadov, President, International Mining Congress, ex-Minister of Mining Industry of the USSR, Russia
Carlo Manna, Head of the Study Department, National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), Italy
14:00 - 14:15 Closing remarks
14:15 - 15:30 LUNCH
