Agenda

Keynote Address 2: The Role of Energy Democracy in the Transition

During his keynote address on the Role of Energy Democracy in the Transition, Mr.Fragiskos Parasiris, Member of the Hellenic Parliament, Iraklio; Director of Energy Sector, PASOK-KIN.AL., highlighted the need for a new approach to address the current energy crisis and emphasized the importance of energy democracy in the transition. He called for a transparent and inclusive governance model based on principles of openness and transparency. Mr. Parasiris stressed the critical role of citizens and social partners in energy planning to tackle issues like energy poverty, climate change, and intergenerational equality. He proposed principles for energy democracy, including fighting energy poverty and maximizing energy security. Additionally, he advocated for empowering consumers and promoting energy communities to drive social innovation and decentralized energy systems. Finally, Mr. Parasiris underlined the importance of a transparent institutional framework and urged collective action to address the energy crisis and secure a sustainable future, particularly for the generations to come.

Plenary 1: “Rethinking Energy Markets and Regulation”

On the RETHINKING ENERGY MARKETS AND REGULATION, RAEWW has stated that it has digitalized many of its services. It has developed pricing-cost comparison tools, energy-saving tools, customer complaints tools, and tools  for the retail market. In similar way that companies like Amazon, Uber and Airbnb -that do not owe assets- they engage market players and create a Market-place, RAEEW engages consumers and creates a Consumer-Place. The necessity of the redesign of the electricity market in Cyprus was pointed out, especially in an isolated system, as Cyprus. It is required to minimize curtailment and increase RES, focus on upgrading transmission and distribution grids, develop energy storage, implement new cost-competitive hydrogen technologies and treat consumers as market participants and energy traders.

Plenary 3: “Energy Cooperation And Investment Drivers Towards 2030”

On the ENERGY COOPERATION AND INVESTMENT DRIVERS TOWARDS 2030, There is a need to redefine the insurance market to support the energy transition. As it is estimated the transition is poised to spark the greatest capital reallocation in a century, requiring an estimated annual investment of more than $9.2 trillion in energy and land-use systems. Insurance providers need to build strategic partnerships across the whole energy value chain and act proactively in mitigating risks, even without previously recorded data. There is a need to balance the urgency of decarbonization and energy transition with social justice and energy democracy, especially in the Global South. Functional technologies such as commercially available CCUS and globally available infrastructure such as ready-to-intake-green-energy ships and ports need to be employed to that end.

Eleni Vrettou

CEO, Attica Bank

Dimitris Tsesmetzoglou

CEO, Howden Greece & Cyprus

Kostas Andriosopoulos (Moderator)

BoD Member, HAEE; Professor, Audencia Business School, CEO, Akuo Energy Greece

Plenary 4: “Electricity Markets Transformation Pathways”

On the ELECTRICITY MARKETS TRANSFORMATION PATHWAYS, the financial support to large-scale RES investments brings down the production cost and the wholesale costs. Therefore the wholesale market could not support new capital-intensive investments. A full Net-zero system will need a balance between RES and sustainable gas-fired power plans with CCS or nuclear power. The Marginal Pricing Mechanism and the current market design is sound and provides flexibility and adaptability to all the recent crises the energy system faced. There is need to compliment the short-term markets with a long-term contracting framework.

Derek Bunn

Professor, London Business School; Founding Editor, Journal of Energy Markets

Nikos Frydas

Vice President, Grant Thornton Business Solutions

Bassam Fattouh (Moderator)

CEO, Howden Greece & Cyprus

Plenary 5: “Energy Sector Transformation Through ESG Principles”

On the ENERGY SECTOR TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ESG PRINCIPLES, amid a series of policies aspiring to mitigate the multidimensional effects of climate change, reshaping the Energy industry to align with ESG principles has been absolutely necessary. DESFA SA – Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator implements such policies into its business strategy and the overall value chain. Integration begins initiatives targeting the environment and climate change, human rights protection, engagement with communities, and strengthening of governance.

Fernando Kalligas

Director of Corporate Affairs, ESG & Communication, DESFA SA

Plenary 6: “From Local To Global: Greek RES And Europe’s Energy Security”

On the CARBON-FREE FUTURE: HYDROGEN AND RENEWABLE GASES, the legal and regulatory framework is necessary to be modified and changed to promote hydrogen in EU. Easy to adapt rules and clear regulation are crucial towards this direction. Hydrogen should be considered as a storage solution and pilot infrastructure investments are needed. Cost effective solutions are of utmost importance and that will lead to paradigm shift. Hydrogen future is not a matter of sectors only but also a matter of regions. Regions with high renewable potential will lead the way to green hydrogen production.

Francois de Ricolfis

Head of the Regional Economic Service for SouthEast Europe, Embassy of France in Greece

Eric Scotto

Chairman and Co-Founder, Akuo Energy

Loukas Lazarakis

Head of Energy, Intrakat

Konstantinos Eleftheriadis

Partner, Energy, Resources & Industrials Leader, Deloitte Greece

Ioannis Karydas

CEO, Renewables and Battery Storage Business Unit, Copelouzos Group

Thomas Lamnidis (Moderator)

Managing Director, Lamnidis Law

Keynote Address 3: “The Complex Geopolitical Reality and the Energy Transition”

During the discussion with Mr. Kostas Andriosopoulos on the Complex Geopolitical Reality and the Energy Transition, Mr. Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources, highlighted the significance of Europe’s energy transition and the need for diversification of energy sources in response to geopolitical concerns and emerging crises, particularly Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Mr. Pyatt also illustrated the substantial investments in clean energy technologies made by the U.S. government. These technologies include green hydrogen, solar power, and carbon capture among others. The conversation also touched on global gas supply, efficiency and demand dynamics, emphasizing the U.S.’s role in supplying LNG to Europe. Both parties expressed confidence in market stability. Energy security, including reducing dependence on Russian energy, was an overarching theme, illustrating the United States’ commitment to assisting Europe in achieving energy autonomy. Finally, the strong partnership between the U.S. and Greece in addressing these energy challenges was reinforced.

Geoffrey Pyatt

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State (online)