Forum John Atanasov, Sofia Tech Park

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Bruce Douglas, Eurelectric

Policies encouraging renewables have always lagged behind the market in SEE but the high energy prices and volatility on the market pushed policy makers to take swift action.

Greece is a clear leader, revising upwards its 2030 renewable energy target to 28 GW of new renewables plus 8 GW of energy storage.

Romania announced plans to lift the share of renewables in the power mix to 34%, in other words targeting 10 GW of new capacity by the end of the decade.

Bulgaria is still working out its long-term energy plans but a ‘silent’ revolution is taking place with a boom of self-consumption projects in the C&I sector and plenty of utility-scale projects in the pipeline, some of which are already starting to come online. The country added close to 400 MW new solar power projects in 2022 with a view of 700 MW more coming up this year.

Türkiye’s renewable electricity generation has nearly tripled in the last decade and the National Energy Plan for 2035 reveals an ambition to boost solar power capacity by five times and triple the wind power capacity.

The opening panel will gather representatives of the RES associations in Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Türkiye to share their views on policy developments, planned new investments, incentives and challenges for corporate procurement of renewable energy in the region.

Moderator: Daniel Dang, Director Business Development at SolarPower Europe, RE-Source Platform

Participants:

• Nikola Gazdov, Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity (APSTE)
• Miglena Stoilova, Bulgarian Wind Energy Association (BGWEA)
• Irene Mihai, Romanian Photovoltaic Industry Association (RPIA)
• Dimitris Varlamis, Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (HELAPCO)
• Halil Demirdağ, Turkish Photovoltaic Industry Association (GENSED)

Despite raised green ambitions in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Bulgaria is yet to adopt key legislation to accelerate renewables development and grid-integration. This panel will explore the views of key policy makers on cutting red tape and supporting investments and corporate procurement of renewable energy.

Moderator:  Nikola Gazdov, APSTE

Participants:

• Angelin Tsachev, Executive Director at Electricity System Operator (ESO)
• Ivan Ivanov, Chairman of Bulgaria’s Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC)
• Vladislav Panev, Member of Energy Commission in Parliament
• Radoslav Ribarski, Member of Energy Commission in Parliament
• Delyan Dobrev, Member of Energy Commission in Parliament

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Leading developers, original equipment manufacturers, EPC contractors and service providers will join us for this panel to discuss latest technological advances, supply chains, price trends and quality checks as well as lessons learned on how to ensure the best return on investment for RES projects. We will talk frankly about risks and how these can be mitigated. What the EU Green Deal Industrial Plan could mean for SEE markets and renewable energy buyers? How do we ensure quality and longevity of renewable energy assets?

Moderator: Arthur Claire, Head of Technology, Sinovoltaics

Participants:

• Alex Sekulovic, Chief Operating and Financial Officer, CWP Europe
• Maria Merdzhanova, Head of Sales Northern Europe, UK & Ireland, Jinko Solar
• Vladimir Tabutov, CEO, hec solar
• Martin Iliev, Managing Director, WPD Bulgaria
• Sam Zheng, Managing Director, Huawei Digital Power South Balkans, Photomate
• Radoslav Mikov, Partner, WolfTheiss

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While self-consumption and on-site generation is still the prevailing choice for SEE corporates, the PPA market has the potential to catch up fast, as first deals have already been announced in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania and most recently in Serbia and North Macedonia too. Across Europe, high market prices tempted power producers to shift towards short-term PPAs and more active energy trading strategies with a rising focus on short-term hedges. Last year, over 160 corporate PPAs were signed in Europe for a total of 8.4 GW of renewable energy assets. Does the SEE region benefit from this trend and what PPA pricing & hedging strategies can be applied?

Experienced European traders and developers are coming to this panel to share key insights and strategic views on the SEE power market.

Moderator: Maria Popova, Director Carbon Neutrality and Renewable Electricity, European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET)

Participants:

• Konstantin Konstantinov, CEO, Independent Bulgarian Energy Exchange (IBEX)
• Dr Evangelos Gazis, Market Lead for South Eastern Europe, Aurora Research
• Ivan Velev, Portfolio Manager, ACT Commodities
• Milena Videnova, Managing Director, Axpo Bulgaria
• Severin Vartigov, Country Manager Bulgaria, Enery
• Mats Lundin, Country Manager Romania, Emergy
• Dimitar Bartov, Managing Director, Synergon Energy

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This panel will gather leading corporations and financial institutions to discuss the role of the EU’s Green Taxonomy and environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations in fueling renewable energy development in Southeastern Europe. What drives demand for renewable energy on the buyer’s side? How do developers and corporates structure a bankable PPA? Is there a secret recipe for success when securing financing for self-consumption projects?

Moderator: Rositsa Chopeva, CEO, xFigure Finance

Participants:

• Svetlin Pislenski, Associate Director, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• Atanas Ivanov,  Public Sector Lending, Central and South East Europe Department, European Investment Bank (EIB)
• Patrick Zeitinger, Member of the Supervisory Board, ProCredit Bank Bulgaria
• Matej Kruspan, Chief Commercial Officer, Rezolv Energy
• Petar Georgiev, Managing Partner, Renewable Energy Insurance Broker (REIB) 

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The panel will gather companies from different industry sectors to discuss the challenges of implementing renewable energy solutions as a way to achieve climate neutrality and energy security at the same time. Different approaches will be presented – from steel production to sustainable tourism, and from on-site generation to corporate PPAs.We will discuss what drives corporate policies and targets for renewable energy and what is the difference of being ESG compliant, climate neutral, net zero or carbon negative.

Moderator: Stefano Miriello, Policy and Business Development Advisor, RE-Source Platform

Participants:

• Ema Popova, Industry Lead Southeast Europe, Microsoft
• Rumen Karamihalev, Managing Director for Eastern Europe, Ovako, part of Nippon Steel Group
• Yoanna Ilchovska, Legal and Regulatory Manager, Cetin, part of PPF Group
• Dimitar Stanev, Deputy Director Business Development, Albena seaside resort
• Nicholas Bitsios, Head of Brussels Office, Mytilineos