The 6th Central European Day of Energy (CEDE)

Energy sector resilience in the time of transition

Brussels, the 3rd of December 2021

Resilience of the Central European power sector in the time of transition:

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The current energy crunch reminds us that the resilience of the European energy system is increasingly important as the EU energy system integrates more decentralised and intermittent renewable energy, and fossil fuels are gradually phased out. Energy security, as one of the five dimensions of the EU Energy Union, remains a priority, especially in the Central European region which has been seriously affected by supply disruptions in the past.

The context of transition towards net-zero economy emphasizes new aspects of energy security, that can be accommodated in a wider framework of energy sector resilience. In addition to the issue of security of supply, resilience may include cybersecurity, resilience of supply chains (including critical raw materials and components), climate adaptation, electricity grid stability as well as the changes in climate and energy diplomacy. These topics are usually elaborated by different experts separately. In order to fully understand the complexity of the challenges we face we want to zoom out and discuss a wide spectrum of aspects of energy sector resilience across the whole value chain during a single event.

Keynote speakers

Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy

Kadri Simson is Estonian politician from the Centre Party. She is serving as a European Commissioner for Energy in the Von der Leyen Commission since 1. December 2019. She was previously Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure in Jüri Ratas’ first cabinet from 2016 to 2019. During the Estonian Presidency in the Council of the EU, Ms Simson chaired both energy ministers and transport ministers meetings in TTE Council and ministers of economy format in EU Competitiveness Council. From 2007–2016 Ms Simson was a member of the Estonian Parliament. She holds a master’s degree in Political Science from University College London.

Jerzy Buzek, Member of the European Parliament

Jerzy Buzek is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament from Poland. He has served as Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001, since being elected to the European Parliament in 2004, he has served as the President of the European Parliament between 2009 and 2012. He is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. Since 1997 he has been a professor of technical science.

Alejandro Ulzurrun, Head of Unit Energy security and safety, DG Energy, European Commission

Alejandro Ulzurrun leads the unit dealing with the EU’s energy security and safety in the context of the transition towards climate-neutrality in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy, where he was head of unit for interinstitutional relations and communication between 2015 and 2020. He joined the European Commission in 1997, working in its Secretariat-General, Enterprise, Communication and External Relations departments before becoming head of unit for a global and sustainable Europe in its Spokesperson’s Service between 2010 and 2014.

Panellists

Dries Acke, Director for Energy Systems Initiative, the European Climate Foundation

Dries Acke is the Director for the Energy Systems initiative at the European Climate Foundation. Dries carried forward the ECF’s flagship Roadmap 2050 project and now heads ECF’s activities on EU energy policy and the Energy Union. Previously, Dries worked at Apple, Inc. where he worked for five years in the EMEA Public Affairs department. He holds an M.A. in Contemporary History from the Catholic University of Brussels and Leuven, Belgium, and was awarded a post-graduate degree in International Relations from the Karl-Rüprecht University in Heidelberg, Germany. As a Belgian and native Dutch speaker, Dries also masters English and French and has a good level of German and Italian.

Nemunas Biknius, CEO, Amber Grid

Nemunas Biknius is a CEO of Amber Grid, operator of Lithuania’s natural gas transmission system. He is responsible for strategic management and efficient organization of the natural gas transmission activities. Before joining Amber Grid in 2020 he was Director of Strategy and Development of Lithuania’s state-owned energy transmission and exchange holding company EPSO-G and Director of Services and Development of Lietuvos Dujos.

Gniewomir Flis, Project Manager Hydrogen, Agora Energiewende

Gniewomir Flis is project manager for hydrogen to Agora Energiwende, a think tank that develops evidence-based and politically viable strategies to advance the goal of climate neutrality. He seeks to unlock hydrogen’s potential as a decarbonization and development tool. Prior to joining Agora, Gniewomir was the content lead and lecturer behind Terra.do New Hydrogen Economy course, and led the study on hydrogen in Northwestern Europe for Aurora Energy Research. In London, he worked for two years as personal analyst to Michael Liebreich, founder of BloombergNEF, as well in a shared mobility startup and in investment banking. He holds Masters in climate change and finance from Imperial College Business School, and in chemistry from University College London.

Jakub Groszkowski, Executive Director, CEEP

Jakub Groszkowski joined CEEP in 2021 as the Executive Director. Before, he worked for the Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG) at its Brussels office. Between 2009 and 2019 Jakub was an analyst, and subsequently the head of Central Europe Department at the Warsaw-based think tank Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), where he covered issues related to the Central European region, including energy and climate policies. Jakub holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Warsaw, Poland. ​

Leszek Jesień, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CEEP

Leszek Jesień serves as a Director for International Cooperation at PSE, electricity Transmission System Operator: responsible for inter-TSO relations, general strategy and innovations. He is a professor for international relations and sustainable development at the Collegium Civitas University and a co-author of New Electricity and New Cars. Previously, he worked as advisor for European affairs and energy to three Polish prime ministers, and ministers of economy and environment.

Enikő Kácsor, Senior Research Associate, REKK

Enikő Kácsor is a senior research associate at REKK. She studied Economics and Actuary and received her PhD in Economics in 2021 at the Corvinus University of Budapest. She joined REKK in 2011. She works on projects related to electricity market modelling and renewable energy policies (international price comparison, monitoring, regulation, support schemes), and on natural gas related projects (transmission tariffs, benchmarking, regulation). She is a regular lecturer at different REKK trainings.

Eryk Kłossowski, CEO and President, PSE

Eryk Kłossowski has been CEO & President of PSE since the beginning of 2016. PSE, state owned company, acts as the transmission infrastructure owner, system operator and balancing authority. Eryk has orchestrated and made the company walked through a deep cultural shift to the risk driven business model. Cybersecurity of company’s OT/ICS assets is one of the key objectives set out by the management board led by Eryk. Lawyer by education, prior to joining PSE he spent several years at various roles within the Polish business and public administration. Between 2015 and 2016 Eryk was a member of the board of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority.  Between 2011 and 2015 he served as a general counsel at US company involved in the Polish shale exploration. Between 2006 and 2011 he was a partner in a local boutique law firm focusing mainly on energy law. Eryk also lectured at a number of university-level schools and served as an expert at several think-tanks.

Zuzana Krejčiříková, Director for Public Affairs, ČEZ Group

Zuzana Krejčiříková is Head of ČEZ Group Public Affairs team in Prague. She joined ČEZ Group in November 2006. Until November 2006, she worked as a lawyer-linguist at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. During 2003-06, she worked in the law firm Peterka and partners, v.o.s. in Prague. She is specialised in the European law with focus on energy, environment and competition law. She holds Law Degree from Charles University in Prague, Toulouse University in France and Cambridge University in the UK.

Danijel Levičar, Chief Operating Officer, GEN energija

A physicist with a master’s degree in management, Mr. Levičar has been gaining experience in the fields of energy and the functioning of the electricity system since 2000, at the Krško Nuclear Power Plant and at GEN energija, where he participated in preparations for the JEK2 project. He worked at the European Commission in Luxembourg and at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. In 2013, as the head of the Energy Directorate at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Mr. Levičar and his colleagues drafted a proposal for Slovenia’s energy concept, aimed at the development of a low-carbon society. He advocated for the inclusion of transportation in the energy strategy and for the transition to alternative energy sources, with an emphasis on e-mobility. His responsibilities also included preparations for the new energy legislation adopted in 2014, which finally put in place the necessary conditions for the introduction of market principles for the functioning of all energy sectors. He joined GEN-I in 2016 as a member of the company’s Management Board. On 1 August 2019 he started a four-year term as a Chief Operating Officer (COO) of GEN energija, d.o.o.

Sławomir Sieradzki, Gas Market Development Division Director, GAZ-SYSTEM

Sławomir Sieradzki is Director of the Gas Market Development Division at GAZ-SYSTEM – the Polish Gas Transmission System Operator. He has been actively involved in the energy sector since 2006, starting his career at the Oil and Gas Department of the Polish Ministry of Economy. Sławomir Sieradzki joined the GAZ-SYSTEM Group in 2011, first as a chief specialist at Polskie LNG (GAZ-SYSTEM’s SPV developing and operating LNG Terminal). In 2016 he joined GAZ-SYSTEM as Deputy Director of Development Division. He built his expertise working for the construction of the LNG terminal in Swinoujscie as well as in the supervisory boards of various companies of the PGNiG S.A Group. Since 2018 he has been the Director of the Gas Market Development Division, with the main responsibilities comprising: development of the national and regional gas transmission system including new cross-border interconnections; preparation of system development plan and gas market in Poland and Central European region; customer relations; international and institutional cooperation and representation in sector organizations at the European and international level; European gas regulatory framework; LNG infrastructure development in Poland and hydrogen and biogas system development. From 2016 Slawomir Sieradzki has been a member of GLE Executive Committee and the chair of the GLE Advocacy Group within the Gas Infrastructure Europe. Since 2019 he has been chairing a Study Group under International Gas Union (IGU) Strategy Committee on “Long term strategy in environment-conscious markets”.

Alain Taccoen, Head of Stakeholders Relations and Senior Market Advisor, EDF European Affairs

Alain Taccoen is Head of Stakeholders Relations and Senior Market Advisor at EDF European Affairs, in charge of coordinating EDF Group participation in think-tanks and some Brussels based associations. In preceding years, he held several positions, in EDF in charge of Retail Markets Regulation and in RTE, as Deputy-Head of the Regulation and Finance Department in charge of all activities regarding financial and economic regulation of the French TSO. He is Chair of the Eurelectric Customers and Retail Services Committee. He holds a Degree from Ecole Centrale de Paris, France and a PhD in Physics from the University Paris VI.

Ralf Wezel, Secretary General, EUGINE & EUTurbines

Ralf Wezel is Secretary General of EUTurbines, the European association representing the gas and steam turbine industry with offices in Brussels and Frankfurt. When taking over this task in 2014, he was at the same time appointed Secretary General of EUGINE, the sister association of EUTurbines, representing the interests of the European engine power plants industry. Ralf Wezel, an economist by education, started his career working for VDMA, the German engineering industry association. In 2001 he moved to Brussels, where he headed the offices of different European industry associations in the engineering sector, including the European construction equipment association CECE and the European agricultural machinery association CEMA.

Georg Zachmann, Senior fellow, Bruegel

Georg Zachmann is a senior fellow at Bruegel - an independent economic think tank based in Brussels. At Bruegel he has worked since 2009 on energy and climate policy. Between 2018 and 2021 Georg led the project LowCarbonUkraine that supported the Ukrainian government in designing and implementing ambitious energy and climate policies. Georg Prior to Bruegel Georg worked at the German Ministry of Finance, the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin and the energy think tank LARSEN in Paris. Georg holds a doctoral degree in economics.

Rolandas Zukas, CEO, EPSO-G

Rolandas Zukas is a CEO of Lithuania’s state-owned energy transmission and exchange holding company EPSO-G. He is a member of the management board of Lithuania's National Energy Association. Rolandas Zukas is also a member of Central Europe Energy Partners association management board. Prior to taking his job in EPSO-G Rolandas Zukas, oversaw bringing to operation the region’s first floating liquefied natural gas import (LNG) terminal of Klaipėdos Nafta that marked the end of the country ‘s dependency on gas supplies from a sole source in the East.

Moderators

Andrei Marcu, Founder and Executive Director, ERCST

Andrei Marcu has vast experience in managing policy-focused organisations, creating partnerships, managing stakeholder relations and fundraising. His focus has been on sustainable development, climate change and energy. In different capacities, he has been engaged in multilateral negotiating processes and subsequent implementation action, both at the global and sectorial level. During his career, Mr. Marcu has performed at the highest managerial level, both in business organisations and in non-profit organisations. This includes: Sr. Vice President and Head of Regulatory and Policy Affairs at Mercuria Energy Group; CEO of Bluenext, a Paris based exchange; Managing Director for Climate & Energy at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and as Vice Chair of the Energy and Environment Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris; Senior Associate to the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Senior Advisor on Climate Change and Emissions Trading at Bennett Jones LLP in Canada; Founder, President and CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). Mr Marcu founded the organisation and made it into one of the leading global business NGOs and the voice of business in its field.

Claudia Patricolo, Editor-in-chief, CEENERGYNEWS

Claudia Patricolo is the Editor-in-chief of CEENERGYNEWS, the English-speaking news portal entirely dedicated to the energy industry in Central and Eastern Europe. Trained as a journalist in Italy, she worked for different media outlets covering foreign policy, business, investments and macro-economy. After starting her career in Rome she moved to Paris, where she worked at Le Monde. Now she lives in Budapest from where she previously covered the CEE region as Deputy Editor of Emerging Europe, a UK-based news, intelligence and community platform. Her areas of expertise include energy, climate change and business in CEE.

Our event will be live - streamed on our website and our YouTube channel 

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• 2020 – Prospects for offshore wind development in Central Europe
• 2019 – Pathways of energy transition in Central Europe
• 2018 – Cross-border energy cooperation in Central Europe
• 2017 – New technologies driving the energy transition in Central Europe
• 2016 – Security of gas and electricity supply within the Central European region