Conference Serbian Companies on Changing Power Market to be held in Belgrade on February 22

The conference Serbian Companies on the Changing Power Market, organized by Balkan Green Energy News, will take place in Belgrade on February 22 in person. The event (check the AGENDA here) will bring together leading power market experts from Serbia and abroad to discuss one of the burning issues in the country’s energy sector and economy – the outlook for Serbia’s electricity market for the next few years and new roles of market players. Since the number of seats is limited, REGISTER on time.

The 2021 energy crisis has spilled over to 2022, bringing about an unprecedented surge in electricity prices on power markets across Europe and Serbia. The Serbian government has thrown a lifeline to businesses by capping the price of electricity at EUR 75 per MWh for the period through June, but it remains to be seen at what prices companies in Serbia will buy electricity in the medium and long term.

The Ministry of Mining and Energy, the Energy Agency, SEEPEX, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Foreign Investors Council, the Nordic Business Alliance, the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia and Slovenian Business Club are the institutional partners of the conference Serbian Companies on the Changing Power Market

Along with the energy crisis challenge, several major changes are to re-shape the Serbian power market in the coming years: the decarbonization imperative for companies and the need to align their businesses with the Green Agenda principles, the projected growth of solar and wind capacities that will supply green electricity to the market, the increasing interest among companies to produce their own energy, and last but not least the announced carbon border tax on exports to the European Union (EU).

Platform to help understand power market trends and new models

The conference will provide a quality discussion and analysis of challenges facing participants in the electricity market undergoing the energy transition process.

Unlike energy companies, which know their own market very well, businesses from other sectors do not have the same level of the necessary knowledge and information, so the conference aims to provide a platform for the exchange of information, knowledge, and ideas needed to better understand trends and new models on the power market where new players are emerging.

Equipped with information and knowledge, companies will be able to make smart decisions in energy management, which will help improve their competitiveness and facilitate decarbonization.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlović and Energy Community Secretariat Director Artur Lorkowski will open the conference

The conference will be opened by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlović and the new director of the Energy Community Secretariat, Artur Lorkowski, who will be on his first visit to Serbia since taking over in December 2021.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlović will open the conference (photo: https://www.facebook.com/zorana.mihajlovich)

Supply, market share of renewables, prosumers

At the start of the conference, Dejan Stojčevski, Chief Operating Officer of the SEEPEX power exchange, will moderate a panel on the power market design and operation. The main discussion will address the current state of the power market in Serbia, the region, and Europe and the future development and trends that should facilitate a sustainable energy transition.

The key goal of the first panel is to provide insight into the current state of the market and the challenges that will come with the energy transition. Experts will talk about the expected impacts of new models and trends on the market in the coming years and what they see as the key potential challenges that lie ahead.

The second panel, titled “Opportunities for companies on Serbia’s power market,” will deal with challenges that businesses and renewable energy sources will face on the power market and ways to adapt to the new circumstances.

The conference is supported by CWP Global, BDK Advokati, ENEL PS, Resalta, WV International, CMS Law and Erste Bank

Buying electricity on the bilateral market, participating in the financial market, as well as the impact of the balancing market and the emergence of green energy as the dominant source in power generation in the future, are but a few of the topics that should give participants in the conference a clear picture of the direction in which the market is set to develop. Also, the conference will, for the first time, provide insight into how companies can jointly enter the market and purchase electricity. The panel will be moderated by Dragoljub Cibulić, the partner at law firm BDK Advokati.

The energy crisis and price spikes have prompted companies to start developing solar power projects for self-consumption to alleviate or eliminate future disruptions in electricity supply and reduce their reliance on electricity purchase and vulnerability to price volatility.

At a panel titled “How companies can ensure stable supply and decarbonize,” consultant Dejan Stojadinović will discuss the models available to companies and terms for financing such investments, as well as whether Serbia has removed all obstacles faced by commercial prosumers.

First-hand insight into EU’s carbon border tax

Besides the immediate and long-term impact of the energy crisis, the corporate sector, particularly energy-intensive companies, must also think about the Green Agenda changes.

A priority for exporters is to prepare for the introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in the EU or carbon pricing at home. European Commission representative Nicolas Kuen, of DG ENERGY, will explain how the EU’s CBAM will work.

The conference is intended for general managers, CEOs, chief technology officers, chief strategy officers, and energy managers.

The attendance fee, including lunch, is EUR 350, payable in Serbian dinars (RSD), while active members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, the Foreign Investors Council, the Nordic Business Alliance, the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, and AmCham are eligible for a 15% discount. As the number of participants is limited, please secure your seat by registering at this link.

The updated version of the agenda will be available in the Events section of the Balkan Green Energy News portal. Additional information is available via: bgenevents@balkangreenenergynews.com, or mob. +381628822322.