Aspen Institute Romania and Adevarul Holding are pleased to organize the Bucharest Forum Energy- Navigating Changing Currents: New Energy Policies and Business Trends in the Black Sea – Caspian region on May 23-24, 2013. Contributors and supporters include Maldon & Wat, the National Development Committee, GMF Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation and The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The conference follows the highly successful Bucharest Economic Forum held in the fall of 2012: „Equity for Long Term Growth and Stability in Romania and the Danube and the Greater Black Sea Region – Is a New Silk Road possible?”.

Bucharest Forum Energy builds on a series of events covering energy security, energy efficiency and green energy the Aspen Institute Romania developed within the framework of its Energy and Environment Policy Program. 

Bucharest Forum Energy’s mission is twofold: to serve as an influential debate and reflection platform for Romanian business sector and political decision-makers in the energy sector; and to create a trans-regional (linking the Caspian, Adriatic and Black Seas) strategy and policy review platform in the energy field (for anchoring the Western gate of the New Silk Road). This allows us to explore in an integrated way critical areas like the optimum energy mix and trans-regional interconnections, energy infrastructure investments etc. We aim for a lively, non-partisan and inclusive debate that will bring together relevant Romanian, European and regional actors (both from the public and the private sector) from the Balkans and the countries bordering the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. These will include energy experts, national and European regulators, government representatives, relevant corporation and businesses – either in the generation or distribution sector, large scale consumers, suppliers, investment companies, beneficiaries, equipment providers and developers, specialized European media, European Commission and Parliament representatives. 

Bucharest Forum Energy will take place over two days and it will be a mix of conference and round table format conversations. Discussions will cover a wide range of topics spanning from the future of energy sources exploration and production, trade, investment and cooperation at the Black Sea, the role of the new classics in the energy mix of Romania and the region, interconnections, physical but also legal and institutional, green economy and energy efficiency, management of the resources mix, local market trends and expectations in terms of the legal and regulatory framework for energy, corporate and public investments in the energy sector and realistic scenarios for the right energy mix for Romania. 

Confirmed speakers include:

Constantin Niţă, Minister Delegate for Energy
Daniel Stein, Senior Advisor on Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State
Tudor Constantinescu, Principal Advisor, DG Energy, EC
Nicolae Havrileţ, President, ANRE
Reinhard Mitschek, CEO, Nabucco Gas Pipeline International
Kakha Kaladze, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Georgia
Luca D’Agnese, CEO, Enel Romania
Edward Chow, Senior Fellow, CSIS
Julian Popov, Minister of Environment and Water of Bulgaria
Dan Gheorghiu, Honorific Adviser on Energy to the Prime Minister
Cornelius Granig, CEO, Siemens Ukraine
Neil Brown, Former senior adviser to Senator Lugar and one of the authors of the Lugar Report
Gheorghe Duţu, President, National Agency for Mineral Resources (ANRM)
Alexandros Petersen, Advisor to the European Energy Security Initiative (EESI), Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars*
Vasile Iuga, Country Managing Partner, PWC Romania
Diana Mangalagiu, Associate Professor, Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, University of Oxford; Expert, German Ministry for Environment, Coupling environmental and economic policies in Europe
Varujan Vosganian, Romanian Minister of Economy
Kristine Berzins, Independent Energy Consultant
Grzegorz Konieczny, CEO, Franklin Templeton Romania
Bogdan Chiriţoiu, President of the Romanian Competition Council
David Koranyi, Deputy Director, Atlantic Council Patriciu Eurasia Center
Adina Vălean , Member of the European Parliament
Michael Sipos, International Independent Expert Energy – Finance, Associated Expert – ENERO -Center for Promotion of Clean and Renewable Energy
Iulian Iancu, Chairman of the Commission on Industry and Services of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Valeriu Alexandru Binig, Director, Energy & Resources Leader, Deloitte

Day One – Thursday May 23

08:30-09:00: REGISTRATION OF PARTICIPANTS
09:00-09:30:  WELCOME REMARKS

09:30-11:00 SESSION I: The Rationale for a Black Sea Energy Agenda – Plenary session

The narrow triangle between the Adriatic, the Caspian and the Back Sea is in many ways a key to the future of trade and economic security for Europe when it comes to its South East. For Bucharest Forum, this area, as well as the connection it creates between Europe, Central Asia and the Levant, is the central object of attention. In this logic, the Black Sea is the very hinge of the economic and political forces that shape the dynamics of the three seas triangle. From hard-core security issues to East -West relations and economic competition versus cooperation, all types of challenges converge here. When it comes to energy, again the Black Sea is a gateway, a solution provider but also a source of contentions and tough competition. An almost closed sea reputed for the fierce storms that haunt it (in particular during winter) and that appear very quickly and apparently from nowhere. Navigating its waters is the purpose if this opening panel of BF Energy. We will raise questions regarding the future of energy exploration, trade, investment and cooperation at the Black Sea. Some of the items on the agenda of the panelists are:
 Exploration of Black Sea offshore energy resources; state of play and future development expectations; investment needs and opportunities; energy cooperation, business opportunities; environmental concerns
 Certificates and standards
 The Lugar Report on „Energy and Security from the Caspian to Europe”
 The Black Sea as an energy transport and trade route: South Stream, Nabucco etc.
 Energy markets around the Black Sea and plotting a course for a cooperative energy agenda

Moderator:
Mihnea Constantinescu, Ambassador-at-Large, Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Speakers:
Titus Corlăţean, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Kakha Kaladze, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Georgia, Vice Prime-minister
Reinhard Mitschek, CEO, Nabucco Gas Pipeline International
Edward Chow, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Neil Brown, Former senior adviser to Senator Lugar and co-author of the Lugar Report
Tudor Constantinescu, Principal Adviser, DG Energy, European Commission
Gulmira Rzayeva, Leading Research Fellow at the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan (TBC)
Vasile Iuga, Country Managing Partner, PWC, Romania
Regional Companies

11:00-11:15 COFFEE BREAK

11:15-12:45 SESSION II: The Known Unknowns: New Classics – Working session 

Despite the downturn in the economic growth rates in the region and in particular in the EU, energy appears to be a long term and stable growth sector. There are many good reasons for this. From renewable sources and energy efficiency to fossil fuels, all sectors see investment and a rethinking of operational paradigms. Trade and investment patterns but also interlocking economic development, profitability and energy independence or energy security issues play a significant role. One area that has seen a very dynamic interest from investors, governments and regulators concerns the new classics. Shale, third and fourth stage gas and oil fields exploration are hot items for energy investors and energy technology companies. Among the proposed topics for discussion:
 Shale gas exploration and use
 Technology and technological challenges; Environmental concerns
 Models for regulatory framework for various phases
 Investment requirements and opportunities
 The role of the new classics in the energy mix of Romania and the region
 Pricing policies and impact on energy security and trade

Speakers:
Gheorghe Duţu, President, National Agency for Mineral Resources (ANRM)
Kristine Berzins, Independent Energy Consultant
Corneliu Condrea, Director, Ministry of Economy
Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (TBC)
Companies

11:45-12:45 SESSION III: More than Energy: a Continuum of Natural Resources – Working session

Energy is maybe the highest growth game in town but it is not the only one and does not take place in a vacuum. It is intimately linked to a continuum of natural resources that are or may be explored and exploited. A regional perspective is highly relevant here as national energy generation and consumption mixes and resources do not overlap perfectly. This allows for a huge potential of cooperation between the Adriatic, the Black Sea and the Caspian. Energy is a factor in natural resources exploitation but it also offers synergies in investment, infrastructure development, etc.The question of managing a resources mix thus becomes a very special area of policy making at both the national and the EU level. The panel looks at some of the interactions and aims at exploring existing and future opportunities in the field. Investment perspectives and a common logic across the region offer incredible room for growth, employment and competitiveness if environmental and other externalities are also carefully considered.
 Coal – is it still worth it? What’s the future?
 Smart exploitation
 Industrialization
 Water management for energy production
 The future of nuclear energy
 Regional Markets for Natural Resources
 What about the other resources?
 Tackling resources exploitation externalities at national, regional and EU level.

Speakers:
Maricel Popa, Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy
Ştefan Hârşu, National Agency for Mineral Resources
Foreign Investors Council representative (TBC)
Companies

12:45-13:00 COFFEE BREAK

13:00-14:30 SESSION IV: Mutual Benefits: Trans-regional Opportunities – Plenary session

The key to a cooperative energy agenda in South Eastern Europe is inevitably linked to trans-regional opportunities. These include a whole spectrum of undertakings, from cross-border electricity and gas interconnections that make a trans-European market for energy practical, if not necessarily easy, to long distance gas and oil pipelines and port and river terminals. Discussions will cover not only physical infrastructures but also legal and institutional ones. All these face economic, political and governance challenges. Besides a common vision, or at least a set of shared perspectives, there is the practical need for bilateral and multilateral agreements, joint projects and the competition and the jostling for rich but limited resources (both in terms of energy and investment capabilities) remain acute. We will cover some of the critical issues:
 Interconnections – pipelines; the shift from long-term contracts to hub pricing; governmental agreements; compensations; stock exchanges; the Third Energy Package regarding interconnections and energy cooperation
 State of play of energy cooperation in the region
 Energy transport agreements between states
 Intra-European compensation mechanisms
 EU energy security policy

Moderator:
David Koranyi, Deputy Director, Atlantic Council Patriciu Eurasia Center

Speakers:
Constantin Niţă, Minister Delegate for Energy
Daniel Stein, Senior Advisor on Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State
Alexandros Petersen, Advisor to the European Energy Security Initiative (EESI), Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Ştefan Gheorghe, Executive Director General, Transelectrica (TBC)
Claudiu Sorin Dumbrăveanu, Vice President, Romanian National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE)
Companies

14:30 LUNCH

Day two – Friday May 24 

09:00-10:30 SESSION V: Green Economy, Energy Efficiency – Plenary session 

Closing the first day, we will look at what are the main driving forces for competitiveness in the future European economy. Energy price and security of supply are certainly part of it, but equally so are the elements related to the EU framework for a green economy and emerging green energy technologies and solutions. The 20/20/20 targets the energy efficiency directive, as well as the entire green economy package of EU policies, which need to be considered together. Besides, there are challenges related to implementing costly schemes and using new technologies that have an impact on both managing greenhouse emissions and cost via energy efficiency and clean energy solutions. We are not only talking about energy generation but the entire ecosystem. For Europe and Romania, this offers a new technological revolution on a par with the impact of the digital economy. All these, however, have a price tag for companies, the government and the end user. Making the right policy choices in the framework of EU policies is not always easy. When, on top of everything, the Romanian economy needs to balance the reindustrialization and retooling of its economy and its workforce for a digital and globalized context, it is clear that decisions are becoming critical and their effect lasting.
 Renewables, lessons learned and what next
 European directives – Romania’s energy efficiency gap
 Energy efficiency dimensions: technology, public policy
 Green economy – investments in technology by businesses, competitiveness, cost, impact on employment
 Smart grid and the electricity sector’s contribution to a green economy
 Public authorities – transport, thermal insulation

Moderator:
Ion M. Ioniţă, Senior Editor, Adevărul

Speakers:
Rovana Plumb, Minister of Environment and Climate Change (TBC)
Julian Popov, Minister of Environment and Water of Bulgaria
Tudor Constantinescu, Principal Adviser, DG Energy, European Commission
Emil Calotă, Vice President, Romanian National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE)
Diana Mangalagiu, Associate Professor, Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, University of Oxford
Michael Sipos, International Independent Expert Energy – Finance, Associated Expert – ENERO -Center for Promotion of Clean and Renewable Energy
Ştefan Gheorghe, Executive Director General, Transelectrica (TBC)

10:30-10:45 COFFEE BREAK

10:45-12:15 SESSION VI: How to Build the Ideal Legal and Regulatory Framework for Energy: Local Market Trends and Expectations – Working session
 Public and private players in this sector are constantly balancing EU, regional and national frameworks for energy sector development and investment. Making the right choices creates opportunities for investment and, in the context of Romania, it could facilitate its role of regional energy gateway or hub. We will consider existing and new regulation and trends; the need for a new environment and economic legislation package for all types of exploration and extraction; royalties; state property regimes; market liberalization.

Moderator:
Vasile Iuga, Country Managing Partner, PWC, Romania

Speakers:
Nicolae Havrileţ, President, Romanian National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE)
Iulian Iancu, Chairman of the Commission on Industry and Services of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Bogdan Chiriţoiu, President, Competition Council
Dan Manolescu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Public Finance (TBC)
Luca D’Agnese, President & CEO, Enel Romania
Olivier Salles, International Affairs, Directorate B – Governance of the Single Market, DG Internal Market and Services, European Commission (TBC)

10:45-12:15 SESSION VII Realistic Scenarios for the Energy Mix – Competing Options, Possible Outcomes – Working session

We conclude the Forum with a topic that integrates all the previous elements into a classical question: what energy mix for Romania? Public and private players need to answer this question. From both an investment perspective and from a strategic angle, the answer to this question cannot be autarchic. Trade and investment developments, EU regulatory framework, corporate stockholder’s options and policies, employment and competitiveness contexts, political priorities, technological and geological challenges, financing questions, security issues all have to come   together in shaping the possible into the actual energy mix. Romania has options. That is the good part. Some are better than others, but several may be considered. However, the scale of investment and the duration of choices make the window of opportunity relatively narrow. This panel will look into how to best link these aspects into a strategic conversation on the optimal mix. Ideally, this is one that offers: the best price for the highest availability and independence, with greatest competitive advantage for the Romanian economy, maximizing employment, FDI and trade, but also transferring technology, protecting the environment and fulfilling Romania’s EU obligations. In fact, this is not impossible. We aim less for a theoretical discussion about the energy strategy and more for an educated conclusion building on the expertise of panelists and the results of the work done in previous panels.

Speakers:
Dan Gheorghiu, Honorific Adviser on Energy to the Prime Minister, President, Institute for Studies and Power Engineering – ISPE
Romanian National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) representative
Mihai Albulescu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy (TBC)
Alexandru Săndulescu, Adviser on Energy Policy to the Prime Minister’s Office, European Union High Level Policy Advice Mission to the Republic of Moldova (TBC)
Razvan Nicolescu, Director Public & Regulatory Affairs of Petrom, Vice Chairman of the Administrative Board of ACER (TBC)
Companies

 12:15-12:30 COFFEE BREAK

12:30-14:00 SESSION VIII: Financing Energy – Plenary session

This session is dedicated to the conditions and challenges to putting money behind ideas. Banking institutions IFO, national budgets and the EU as well as private and public corporations all have billions of euros scheduled for investment in this sector and in Romania’s region. What will make those businesses really profitable for both investors and developers, as well as the countries in the region, is a complex question. This panel is dedicated to addressing this question via the voice of those making investment decisions from corporate leaders in the energy but also banking sector, European Commission and EBRD, EIB representatives, to ministry officials.
 Corporate investment in the electricity and oil and gas sector
 Public investment in the energy sector; Financing efficient transformation of the transport sector
 Investment in transportation rehabilitation
 Developing the electricity grid
 Large scale investment in energy infrastructure
 Local schemes for energy efficiency
 Certificates
 Competition and regulatory issues
 Legal and institutional stability for large scale investment

Moderator:
Valeriu Alexandru Binig, Director, Energy & Resources Leader, Deloitte

Speakers:
Varujan Vosganian, Romanian Minister of Economy
Adina Vălean, Member of the European Parliament
Grzegorz Konieczny, CEO Romania, Executive Vice President/Portfolio Manager, Franklin Templeton Investment Management Ltd UK Bucharest Branch
Louis Borgo, Senior Banker Power & Energy Department, EBRD
Adrian Ciurtin, Managing Partner, Ciurtin Brasoveanu & Partners
Narcisa Oprea, Member of the Board of Directors, the Bucharest Stock Exchange
Representatives of the banking sector

14:00 LUNCH