Which topics will be raised at the Trebinje Energy Summit 2022? – Decision makers and experts in one place

Preparations for the upcoming, third annual Energy Summit in Trebinje are underway. According to the organizers, the number of expected participants is the largest so far. They will participate in discussions and presentations on the most important current topics in the field of energy during three days of the Summit.

Since the second annual summit in May last year, a lot has happened on the global energy scene, and these days we are witnessing turbulence and the energy prices which have “gone wild”. One can hear that de-carbonisation will continue to be a key imperative, that some countries will give the green light to nuclear power plants, with the insistence on ensuring the steady supply of gas as a vitally important energy source. These days, the European Commission has classified gas and atomic energy as transitional sustainable activities

The year 2022 started very turbulently in that sense, and experts are closely monitoring the current global events.

There will certainly be exchanges of different opinions among the participants of the Trebinje summit on all of the above topics, and this year’s panels will once again be moderated by experts who have been closely monitoring the region’s energy scene for a long time.

– The big challenge, in this time of energy crisis, increasing energy prices and great energy shock – not to mention the chaos in the electricity and gas market, which shook the world – will be how to reconcile, i.e. how to choose between the goals of de-carbonisation of the Western Balkans and the whole Europe and a secure, stable energy supply. The ambitious agenda of the European Commission, which envisages the accelerated de-carbonisation of the continent, has become the subject of an expert discussion, which will open the first panel. Although the governments started shutting down thermal power plants, i.e. giving up on coal energy, many countries saw the continuation of thermal power plant production as the only solution for this crisis – points out Vedran Skoro, who will moderate the first panel of SET 2022.

Skoro says that he will also open the topic on whether, by giving up energy from fossil fuels and nuclear power plants, expensive and volatile kilowatts from the sun and wind should be forced.

– In their absence, a certain amount of energy will have to be imported, which results in a drastic increase in the price of electricity for both the economy and the population. We will look for answers to the question of whether the Western Balkan nations can sustain that. Due to the drastic increase in the costs of energy production from gas, coal production has become cheaper, even with the increased price of CO2 emissions. Regardless of everything said, is de-carbonization truly inevitable? Someone will have to pay for it, will it be the consumers? – Skoro wonders.

He expects SET 2022, in addition to top quality in terms of organization, content and technical data, to be an important platform that will connect and bring together decision makers, scientists, energy experts and business people, and to create key steps towards the future of energy sector with a focus on green energy.

– The mission of the Summit remains to achieve a better connection between the economy, politics and science, because energy is the issue of all issues, and the focus will be on the energy future of the Western Balkans with a special emphasis on de-carbonisation. De-carbonization has become a global trend and a new standard. At this moment, de-carbonization is perhaps the world’s most biggest challenge – concludes Skoro.

Mislav Slade Silovic, Head of Strategic Consulting in Energy for Southeast Europe at PwC, believes that SET’s program provides a good balance of topics that touch on broader sectoral aspects such as general trends, market development and policy-regulatory frameworks, corporate issues that give insight into the strategic and operational commitments of electric power companies, and finally, specific technological and sub-sectoral initiatives.

He will moderate a panel on the role of power companies in the energy transition.

– Energy transition is a process that has been going on for quite some time and is entering its most intensive phase, in which every new year brings significant changes and innovations. I believe that the information and discussion of the panelists will bring a lot of new perspectives from a market, strategic and operational point of view. In addition to the already traditional topics of investing in RES, which are still extremely important today, I would like to open a discussion about other segments of the electricity value chain, primarily on the topic of end users but also on new business models and the latest competition.

He emphasizes the importance of all participants in the regional electricity sector bringing fresh and different ideas to and from SET – ideas that will expand their horizons and enable them to raise the quality and speed of transformational initiatives in local markets through constructive dialogue and self-examination.

As someone who closely monitors the trends in the energy field, we asked him what will, in his opinion, mark the regional energy scene in the coming years.

– I think that the key topics will be new investment strategies and smart transition of the production portfolio towards RES. Also, the “hot topic” will become the so-called PPA or Power Purchase agreement models that are becoming increasingly popular in the world; then, the support of the EU and IFI in the direction of “Just transition mechanisms” – creation of a stable legislative and regulatory framework for RES investments by private investors, transformation of companies to adapt to energy transition, customer expectations and new business models – concluded Silovic.

Balancing the RES market is the task of the entire region

Maja Turkovic, Vice President of CWP Global for Serbia, a company that develops wind and solar parks in Serbia, will discuss the challenges of balancing energy from RES in the countries of the region, together with her interlocutors.

These challenges, as Turkovic tells us, concern both the national electricity systems and the regional connection of balance markets.

She will moderate the panel with the participation of representatives of Elektroprivreda HZ HB, Elektromreža Srbije, Wind Europe, VE Podveležje, Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, as well as the Croatian energy market operator.

– The summit in Trebinje is the most important and most relevant gathering in the region that deals with the issue of energy transition, and which is attended by both decision makers and the professional community from the entire region. I expect it to be extremely well visited and to raise the chief topics of importance for the region – de-carbonization of electricity systems, the role of the electricity market in the integration of renewable energy sources, disruption of electricity prices, but also challenges related to balancing renewable energy sources, liberalization of electricity markets and the introduction of the CBAM mechanism in the region – said Turkovic.

The Energy Summit in Trebinje is a very important place to openly and responsibly discuss topics of European and regional importance, says Predrag Grujicic, head of the Gas Sector at the Energy Community Secretariat.

– Not only the topic of transition to low-carbon energy sectors, but also the implementation of a favorable regulatory framework for gas, i.e. the lack of one; we need to discuss the security of supply and responses to the crisis caused by high electricity and gas prices, as well.

Mr. Grujicic and his interlocutors will, at the panel he is moderating, attempt to answer the following questions: what is the potential for gas as one of the energy sources in the national mix on the path of energy transition of a country, are there valid plans for coal output, what is the regulatory framework for investment and market etc.

“The electricity market will need new participants in the future”

Marko Jankovic, director of the market directorate in the Electric Network of Serbia, also believes that the Trebinje Energy Summit is becoming more and more important for the exchange of expert opinions.

– Observing the previous two summits, it is evident that the Trebinje Energy Summit is causing great interest throughout the region. Given that the energy sector of the SEE region is, on one hand, burdened by price distortions in the electricity market, and on the other hand strongly influenced by investments primarily in RES and new technologies, as well as expectations of newly defined participants in the electricity market – aggregators and chargers of electric cars – there is no doubt that this year’s conclusions from the summit will be a signpost for the further development of the energy sector of the SEE region.

The main topics to be discussed at the panel moderated by Jankovic are the disruption of prices in the electricity market, as well as the challenges of further development of the electricity market in the region of Southeastern Europe. In the introductory part of the panel, a new strategy for further development of the electricity market in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be presented.

Jankovic will be joined by representatives of the Energy Community, EFT Group, the Croatian Transmission System Operator, Elektroprivreda HZHB, as well as the BiH Ministry of Foreign Trade and the director of the organized day-ahead electricity market in Serbia.

– There is no doubt that the electricity market is striving to abolish borders. This can be concluded through the process of integration of RES into the energy sector and the electricity market, where the integration of RES must be viewed as a regional, and not merely as a national challenge. Also, the electricity market will be “looking” for new participants in the future, and these will certainly be the users of the distribution network. In the end, we must not forget the integration of national markets into one single European electricity market – Jankovic concluded.

Trebinje Energy Summit 2022 is being held from March 16 to 18, organized by Elektroprivreda RS, the City of Trebinje and the company SET.

The eKapija portal is the media sponsor of the Summit.

Teodora Brnjos

Izvor: eKapija