Belgrade Energy Forum 2023 – where the leaders of energy transition in SEE meet

Energy transition leaders from across Southeastern Europe will meet at Belgrade Energy Forum 2023 on May 8-9 to discuss ways to overcome the ongoing energy crisis and boost green electricity production, strategies and challenges on the path to carbon neutrality, the sustainability of the existing market design, and technologies, infrastructure and financing needed for reaching net-zero emissions. Secure your spot in time for the regional conference at the Crowne Plaza Belgrade hotel, which is expected to bring together about 400 participants, including energy ministers and officials from the region and Europe and representatives of European Union institutions, leading European energy industry associations, and over 150 companies.

Belgrade Energy Forum 2023 (BEF 2023) is a meeting point for the leaders of Southeastern Europe’s energy transition. The new conference format builds on the success of the major events that Balkan Green Energy News has organized so far – First Big Conference on Solar Energy in Serbia in 2021 and Serbian Companies on the Changing Power Market in 2022.

More than 50 speakers will offer their views and visions at eight panel discussions. Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia Dubravka Đedović will officially open the conference together with Energy Community Secretariat Director Artur Lorkowski. Attendance has been confirmed by, among others, Petar Đokić, minister of mining and energy of the Republic of Srpska, Giles Dickson, Chief Executive Officer of WindEurope, George Agafiței, State Counselor in the Government of Romania, Julije Domac, Special Adviser on Energy and Climate to the President of Croatia, Viktor Andonov, Energy Advisor to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, and Anže Predovnik, Director of ADEX Group, the operator of the first regional electricity exchange, which was recently established.

On the occasion of his participation at BEF 2023 George Agafitei said that Romania has set high standards for energy stability and reaching decarbonization targets: 55% fewer GHG emissions by 2030; reducing dependence on imports from 20.85 % down to 17.8 % by 2030; removal of up to 4.59 GWe of coal-based energy by 2032, and its replacement by clean energy sources.

Nuclear power plays a strategic role, and its projects to develop the Romanian nuclear energy program is a priority for our country, he added.

Dickson: Things are moving

Giles Dickson is delighted to be taking part in the Belgrade Energy Forum.

“Things are moving on wind energy in Serbia, not least with the auctions planned by the new Government. And they’re moving across the whole of South East Europe, with a blossoming number of projects now under development, Dickson said.

Many of the participants and speakers will come from the corporate sector – including the leading investors in the region, financial institutions, consultancies, law firms, and suppliers of technologies and services.

Institutional partners and sponsors

The forum’s institutional partners are Serbia’s Ministry of Mining and Energy, the Energy Community, WindEurope, SEEPEX, ADEX Group, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, the Nordic Business Alliance, the Slovenian Business Club, and National Biomass Association Serbio.

Belgrade Energy Forum 2023 is supported by renewable energy investors, mostly from the wind park and solar power plant segments: WV-International in partnership with Emergy, developing an 800 MW wind power portfolio in Serbia, the company CWP Global, with an overall portfolio of 1,180 MW in Serbia alone and projects under development in the countries of the region – Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro.

The conference is also supported by Slovenian company Interenergo Group, a subsidiary of Austrian company Kelag. It has a wide portfolio with renewable electricity plant development, long-term power purchase agreements, support for companies in decarbonization and improvement of energy efficiency as well as electricity trading.

One of the exhibitors is the company ECOwind, a subsidiary of well-known German company BayWa, based in Munich, which recently commissioned the biggest floating solar power plant in Central Europe.

As in the previous events, this year’s conference has a significant presence of the leading financial institutions – the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which has developed a serious support program for Western Balkan countries to decarbonize their district energy sectors over the last several years, and the Green for Growth Fund (GGF), which recently announced that it is financing Blue 1, a solar power plant project in Albania of 50 MW that doesn’t benefit from any state incentives.

UniCredit Bank will present its portfolio at the panel on winning corporate strategies to reach net zero.

The conference enjoys support from ENEL PS – A1’s partner company in the construction of solar power plants at base stations throughout Serbia, and CORAB, the leading solar PV system producer in Poland and also a distributor of other well-known brands.

Solutions for region’s greatest challenges in energy sector

Belgrade Energy Forum 2023 is taking place amid a grave energy crisis, fueled by geopolitical jitters and rising inflation.

Participants at BEF 2023 will try and provide answers to some of the region’s key challenges in the energy sector at the moment: how to successfully implement the energy transition to a low-carbon economy in line with the Green Agenda and climate action principles, decarbonize energy but other sectors as well, obtain infrastructure, technology and funding for a secure energy supply for the region, and achieve energy security through cooperation between  countries in the region and with important partners from around the world.

Achieving energy security through cooperation between countries in the region and with important partners from around the world

“With BEF 2023 regional conference we are expanding the Balkan Green Energy News media platform and offering it to the main players in the energy sector as a platform for dialogue and a meeting point. A successful implementation of the energy transition towards green and sustainable energy solutions, and energy security, are the most important tasks of the current generation of energy leaders. Through our work on the news portal and at the conference we support these leaders in their efforts to turn challenges into opportunities and secure a sustainable future,” said Branislava Jovičić, Founder and Editor of the Balkan Green Energy News news website. She invited everyone who is seriously counting on the region to come to Belgrade in May.

Two days, eight panels

A total of eight panel discussions will be held at the two-day conference. As some changes are possible, the conference website will be updated regularly:

• Panel 1: Energy system of Southeast Europe – strategies for overcoming the crisis
• Panel 2: Regional power utilities in energy transition – a transformation toward green megawatts
• Panel 3: Modern technologies for sustainable heating and cooling
• Panel 4: Market design – is the current electricity market model sustainable?
• Panel 5: Four challenges for an increased share of renewable energy sources in the region
• Panel 6: Winning corporate strategies to reach net zero
• Panel 7: Infrastructure, technologies and financing for carbon neutrality by 2050
• Panel 8: Flexibility and digitalization for distributed energy production and consumption