The President of the management board of HEP d.d., Mr Perica Jukić, answered the CEEP Report’s questions regarding CEEP membership, perspectives of the energy sector, and the added value of being part of the Central Europe Energy Partners project. HEP d.d., – Croatia’s leading energy company – has become the 25th member of Central Europe Energy Partners (CEEP) in February.
CEEP Team: What do expect accomplishing accomplish as a CEEP member?
Mr Perica Jukić (PJ): Being one of the youngest stakeholders on the EU energy market, I see CEEP membership as a two-sided opportunity for HEP. On the one hand, our goal is to position HEP on the EU’s internal market, to foster partnerships, and participate actively in the decision-making process at the EU level. Simultaneously, our target is to maintain a well-positioned role in the 'domestic' (Croatian) market. More precisely, our expectations are directed towards gaining higher efficiency in generation, transmission, distribution, and supply based on experience, or in co-operation with other CEEP members.
CEEP Team: What will be the main challenges for the sector in which you’re active, in the forthcoming years?
PJ: Due to the complex, multi-layered political situations on the European and global scene, the main challenges for the energy sector for the near future are reflected in providing continuous security of the diversified generation mix, exploring new energy sources, applying new technologies, and providing high environmental standards with acceptable costs for end-users. Shifting the balance from mainly East-West towards North-South, certainly opens up the prospects for companies from Central and South-Eastern Europe in securing independent, sustainable, and continuously diversified energy-mix supplies.
CEEP Team: In what ways can you contribute in order to strengthen CEEP, and therefore, the entire energy sector?
PJ: Witnessing new developments on the European and global energy markets, which are directed towards new energy sources and securing energy supply, HEP can contribute in strengthening CEEP through its existing infrastructure potential, contributing to a low-carbon economy, as well as new prosperous, cross-regional, interlinked projects, such as the South Stream pipeline and LNG terminal at the island of Krk, with a ‘spill-over’ effect in the neighbouring countries in South-East Europe and beyond.
CEEP Team: What should be CEEP’s priorities for the next two years from your perspective?
PJ: CEEP’s priorities should reflect the processes undertaken by the European Commission, related to reform and reorganisation of Europe’s energy policy, within a European Energy Union. In that sense, the priorities should be in pooling together resources, combining infrastructures, diversifying energy sources, and uniting the negotiating power - vis-à-vis other EU countries and the widely-understood third countries. More precisely, the emphasis should be reflected in the need to diversify our energy sources and facilitate the reduction of energy dependency of CEEP members and EU countries, respectively.
Other comments.
PJ: A high quality of energy supply, wide portfolio of companies, number of customers, professional staff and corporate social responsibility are reflected in HEP’s 120 years of tradition within the energy sector.