Organized by energynomics.ro, 2016 Spring Cocktail brought together over 100 participants and was supported by three top speakers. For opening the evening and stimulating the dialogue there were Romanian Energy Minister Victor Grigorescu, H.E. Mr. Hamid Moayyer ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran to Romania, Carmen Neagu, CEO at EnergoBit Group.
After greeting the audience, Iulian Harpa, managing director Wing Media Energy Consulting, publisher of energynomics.ro, has presented some of the most significant activities proposed by energynomics.ro this year. Iulian Harpa pointed especially to this idea of initiating an Energy Club dedicated to experts and decision makers in the Romanian energy industry. All those who have animated the community around the energynomics.ro website and magazine, during the past three years are be invited to join the club.
Victor Grigorescu: We have a clear potential to be an exporter of stability
Minister Victor Grigorescu started his speech with a sketch of the Romanian energy industry at the moment, with its complicated landscape of ups and downs. “I am really happy to be here because I see here a part of a very vibrant and strong energy sector. We are, for some time, a net exporter of energy. We are one of the biggest producers in the region and I think we have a clear potential to go outside of our borders to be not only an energy exporter, but an exporter of stability and good practices. We still have a number of issues that we are worried about. One example is the coal sector, the most visible now, but there are also sectors and areas where things can be improved. In this context, our demarch to have the national energy strategy finalized this year is even more important”.
Victor Grigorescu used the opportunity to develop on the principles by which he guides his activity in the field. “I just want to say that I am a big supporter of markets. I believe state policy could be a trigger to open the way to what we call new sectors, new initiatives or to support infant initiatives. But in the end of the day, market should decide. Technologies should become sooner or later mature and a clear contributor to the economic life without state support which most of the time or when in force for a long period of time can be disturbing”.
Victor Grigorescu opinated that it is the high time for having an open discussion about energy generation sources of the future. “It is not only a technical discussion on what it is more efficient, but it is also a philosophical discussion: do we want some or other sources of generation?”, asked the minister. As about the defining trends of the moment, he mentioned the development of renewables, in forms difficult to identify for the time being, and energy efficiency. “We are already experiencing a decoupling of economic growth from energy consumption, and energy efficiency is part of the reason for this”, he said.
Hamid Moayyer: We are removing barriers to investments and trade
H.E. Mr. Hamid Moayyer ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran to Romania opened his intervention by stressing the new context, which allows the recoupling of the Iranian economy to international markets and expertise. “Lifting Iran economy sanctions not only opens the door of unrivaled economic opportunities to the world, but also provides a unique chance to combat economical trends of the region and the world, which in turn reduces the political and social tensions”, the ambassador said.
His Excellency also pointed out that in Iran “Romania have always been associated with high quality and trustworthy products, with considerable chance to enter the Iranian market and establish long time partnerships”.
In a very concrete manner, Hamid Moayyer informed that new legislation in Iran offers extensive support to foreign investors, whom are granted the same rights as the Iranian citizens, such as:
- compensation payment in case of nationalization and expropriation
- guaranteed payment of damages due to laws or government regulations
- posibility of 100% foreign investment plans
- posibility of land ownership in the name of the company registered in Iran
- providing facilities and insurance of resident permit for three years in Iran for foreign investors, managers, experts, and their first degree relatives and the posibility of visa renewals
- foreign investments in the free and special economic zones of Iran are exempted of taxation for a period of 20 years
Carmen Neagu: 6 challenges and 29 risks
Last speech of the evening came with yet another perspective on the topics of the day. Adding the earlier systemic and political approaches, Carmen Neagu, CEO at EnergoBit Group, exposed the perspective of one of the most dynamic industrial groups in România. With its 85 million euro turnover, and 800 employees in 6 locations in Romania, EnergoBit is interested in developing new businesses abroad.
Clear understanding of the current global situation in economy and society – that is what Carmen Neagu displayed during her short and concentrated intervention at Spring Cocktail. The CEO of EnergoBit presented and elaborated on 6 of the most significant challenges of our time:
- digitalization
- demographic change
- climate change
- urbanization
- globalization
She also noted that these challenges are intermingled with very heterogeneous 29 risks, from weapons of mass destruction, to failure of climate-change mitigation and adaptation. All of these are subjects for reflection as well as business opportunities for the near future, suggested Carmen Neagu.
Download Mrs. Carmen Neagu presentation.
As in 2014 and 2015, the participants to the Spring Cocktail were mostly top representatives of companies active in Romania, including Mark Wagley (Hunt Oil), Michel Louboutin (Expert Petroleum), John Knapp (ExxonMobil), Sanya Melnicenco (NIS Petrol), Andrey Bogdanov and Dan Dănulescu (Petrotel LUKOIL), Kinga Daradics (MOL România), Camil Aliman (Emerson – Ridge Tool), Cristian Pîrvulescu (Enevo), Emilian Mateescu (Elcen), Răzvan Ionescu (SAS România), Marian Motocu (CE Oltenia).
Next to them there were also present representatives of companies such as Romelectro, CMS, Kerui, Energonuclear, UTI, Wolf Theiss, Serban&Musneci Associates, Safetech, CEMS Technologies, Bursa Română de Mărfuri, and also representatives from RNC-WEC, EFdeN, US Embassy in Romania, Greenpeace, Transylvania Energy Cluster.
For this year’s Spring Cocktail edition we had the honour to welcome as our guests and enjoy the contribution in debates from ANRE president, Niculae Havrileţ, NAMR president, Gheorghe Duţu, Competition Council president, Bogdan Chiriţoiu, and also Sorin Gal (ANRM), Horaţiu-Silviu Anghelescu (state secretary in the Ministry of Communications and Information Society), Silvia Vlăsceanu (ACUE), Daniel Apostol (ROPEPCA).
All present enjoyed the warm and sophisticated ambience from the Cesianu–Racoviţă Palace, occasioned by an original event, designed by energynomics.ro and supported by our partners ALD Automotive, Automobile Bavaria, BCR Pensii, Chivas, EnergoBit, Klarmedia, Ridgid, SGS România, Sixt New Koppel.
2016 Spring Cocktail was held under the patronage of Regulatory Authority for Energy – ANRE and National Agency for Mineral Resources – NAMR, with the support of many strategic partners, including ROEC, RNC-WEC, Aspen Institute, RoGBC, EFdeN, EPG, RPIA, ARPEE and CRE. Bursa and Mesagerul Energetic were the media parteners for this year.
During the event it was also launched the first issue of energynomics.ro Magazine in 2016. Another 184 pages, in a fully bilingual format, and highly professional design and production, it captures the trends and essential themes in the Romanian energy industry: news, analyses and opinion from personalities directly involved in the decision of the regulators and the most dynamic companies. These issue is featuring among others articles and interviews with Corina Popescu (Ministry of Energy), Carmen Neagu (EnergoBit), Mikhail Danilin (NIS Petrol), Cristian Secoşan (Romelectro), Andrey Bogdanov (Petrotel-LUKOIL), as well as the usual contribution from our permanent Guest Writers George Butunoiu and Alex Şerban.
For the first pages of the current issue of energynomics.ro Magazine (March 2016) enter the dedicated webpage, where you can also read the full content of all previous issues. For ideas, comments and editorial contributions, or commercial cooperation we encourage you to write us at office at energynomics.ro.