Decarbonization Policies in South East Europe – between climate change and war

Romania Energy Center (ROEC) in partnership with the Institute of Energy for South East Europe (IENE) and the European Commission representation in Bucharest are joining forces once again to convene a one-day event to examine current topics of the region’s energy agenda. Our central theme – energy policies currently pursued in South East Europe and the changes in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.

The event will undertake a broader review of energy policies currently pursued in the SEE area with special reference on the followings aspects: the European response to Russia’s aggression on the energy front, main provisions of REPowerEU, changes in European industrial policy, advances in renewables in Greece and Romania. At the same time, the event will discuss the role of hydrogen, gas, nuclear and critical raw materials, especially in connection with the long-term planning of energy systems in Europe. The event will outline the macro-developments in European energy policy before tackling the latest market and policy developments. We shall examine the European policy response to the Russia-triggered war (REPowerEU) and the latest European industrial policy documents (NZIA, CRMA) as well as the efforts underway in frontier fields (hydrogen, SMRs) to speed up the green energy transition. The event will also shed light on the next big revolution in environmental policy – the battle to reduce methane emissions.

In addition to examining the forward-looking technologies, the event will also tackle legacy topics. Energy efficiency and cogeneration will be analyzed due to their growing importance in buildings and industry, in the context of demand side management policies. Furthermore, the crucial role of base load will be analyzed for the operation of electricity systems in the various countries with special reference to gas and nuclear. Securing adequate gas supplies will feature in the analysis especially in view of the recent strengthening of gas Interconnectors and increased gas supplies through the addition of new FSRU capacity in the region (e.g.: IGB Interconnector, Alexandroupolis FSRU). Progress will be reported on a number of projects.

Finally, the growing importance of energy security will be explored both at national and regional level. Energy security is the result of a delicate balance between supply, environmental protection and competitive prices all of which have come under duress in the last two years due geopolitical reasons.

MAIN TOPIC: Decarbonization Policies in South East Europe

SUBTOPICS:

EU market and policy changes in aftermath of Ukraine aggression
REPowerEU
NZIA, CRMA, solar strategy, economic security strategy
advances in renewables
EU and national hydrogen policies
role of gas and critical raw materials in the long-term planning of energy systems in Europe
regulation of methane emissions
decarbonization of transport
energy efficiency and cogeneration
role of base load
developments in nuclear (SMRs)
recent developments and project updates in natural gas