The 15th Central European Gas Conference
8th - 10th June 2009, Radisson SAS Carlton Hotel, Bratislava, Slovakia
Programme
Welcome Reception and Registration - Sponsored by JKX Oil and Gas
Conference Chairs:
- Zuzana Princova, Associate, Gas Strategies Consulting
- James Ball, President Director, Gas Strategies Consulting
- Professor Jonathan Stern, Director of Gas, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
Session 1 – KEYNOTES
As is our normal custom, CEGC will open with a contribution from our host .
- Bernd Wagner, Chairman of the Board, SPP
Session 2 – THE SECURITY RESPONSE TO JANUARY'S CRISIS: TOWARDS A COMMERCIAL APPROACH
The hard repercussions of this January’s gas supply crisis demand new approaches and actions. A repeat of events similar to those of January 2009 may or may not be inevitable; what is certain however is that the region wants to be prepared for all eventualities. More to the point, its companies will want to do so in a way which makes commercial sense in “normal” times too. As no one can predict how Ukraine or Russia will perform under the 11 year supply contract there are still many unresolved questions which could have significant commercial impact. How is EU going to react? Is there going to be a new comprehensive strategy adopted by Europe as a whole or will the individual countries and companies have to cope on their own? Is the current economic crisis going to push the problem on the back burner while Europe again waits for another crisis to hit the region? Are we going to see a switch to alternative energy away from gas?
Co Chaired by Dušan Randuška, Director of Trade Division, SPP
During this session, major players from the region will outline their reactions to recent developments. This includes::
- The January Crisis: Consequences for the Ukrain: Simon Pirani, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
- The Ukraine Monitoring Mission: Margareta Djordjevic, International Energy Relations, DG TREN, EU
- The Ukraine Balancing Model used for the Monitoring Mission: Ján Horník, Eustream
Country reports from:
- Czech Republic: Martin Herrmann, Chairman of the Board, CEO, RWE Transgas as
- SE Europe: Aleksandar Kovacevic, Independent Consultant
Panel Discussion - above speakers plus:
- Slovakia: Dušan Randuška, Director of Trade Division, SPP
- Hungary: László Varró, Vice President for Strategy, MOL
- Germany: Heiko Lohmann, Independent Consultant and Journalist
LUNCH sponsored by NAFTA
Session 3 – WHAT STORAGE THE REGION NEEDS TO ENHANCE THE SECURITY OF SUPPLIES
The January crisis highlighted the urgent need for storage facilities. The need for additional capacities is not going to be driven by the emergency needs only but by similarly important commercial changes. With the liberalisation of the central European gas industry, the role of underground storage facilities will expand and the industry will increasingly rely on them. During this session we will discuss the latest progress in expanding the role of storage and examine the level of advancement of gas trading in the region
Participants include:
- Storage Capacities for the European Gas Market - Stephan Parthier, Member of the Board, E.ON Földgáz Storage
- Contribution of the Slovak Gas Storage Business to Security of Supply- Michael Fipper, Chairman of the Board, Pozagas
- The Role of Ukraine’s Underground Natural Gas Storages (UNGS’s) in the EU Gas Supply System - Oleksandr Todiichuk, Professor in Energy Studies, Institute of Management, Kiev
- Lessons Learnt in the South East European Gas Market - Michael Schmoeltzer, Head of Gas, E-control
- The Role of UGS in Securing Gas Supplies to Poland - Slawomir Hinc, Vice President Finance, PGNiG
- Commercial Approaches and Political Approaches to Security: Can they be compatible? - Salman Wasti, Manager of the Midstream and Market Cluster, Gas Strategies Consulting
- The Offshore Bulgaria Galata Gas Storage Scheme - David Thomas, CEO, Melrose Resources
- Presentation - Jean-Luc Rupp, Chairman of NAFTA as Board of Directors
- A View of Security from Hungary - László Varró, Vice President for Strategy, MOL
- Security of Supply: Meeting the Challenge - Alain Rossignol, Deputy Vice President, Supply East, Gdf Suez
GALA DINNER – Hosted by SPP, at Cafe Reduta, Bratislava
Session 4 – KEYNOTES
Supply of gas to most countries in central Europe is contracted from Russia on a long term basis and each country has good connections to the Russian pipeline system. Yet developments in the Russian domestic gas market and Gazprom’s strategy are likely to influence Russian gas supplies to Europe in the future. This keynote address will examine the overall picture and the prospects for the Russian gas market in the coming years.
Sergei Komlev, Head of Directorate, Gazprom Export
Session 5 –– INTERCONNECTIONS AND INTERNATIONAL PIPELINES TO BRING MORE FLEXIBILITY TO THE REGION
International gas pipelines are crucial for regional security of gas supply and liquidity of gas in the entire European gas market and for this reason they continue to be a hotly debated topic. In the aftermath of January 2009 crisis the urgency to bring these project on stream is apparent. Representatives from major projects both in the development and on the drawing board will outline their projects and provide updates on the latest developments.
Representatives from major projects both in the development and on the drawing board will outline their projects and provide updates on the latest developments.
- Competition Between TSO's and Security of Supply - Antoine Jourdain, Chairman of the Board, Eustream
- ITGI Project - Ricardo Rocca, Business Development Manager, Edison
- Germany: Gas and Flexibility Roundabout for Europe?- Heiko Lohmann, Independent Consultant and Journalist
- Nord Stream: Secure Gas Supplies for Europe - Romans Baumanis, Regional Advisor for the Baltic States, Nord Stream
Session 6 – COMPETITORS
The region’s gas incumbents are starting to feel the pinch of competition as new players are entering the individual markets and some quickly gaining market share. Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have all introduced varying degrees of transparency including unhindered access to third parties and clarity of price mechanisms. These measures are key for the success of new operators and make it possible for them to enter their chosen markets and successfully build their businesses. The key new competitors will be sharing their experiences.
- The Role of New Gas Traders in Extraordinary Supply Situations - Václav Lerch, Vice President, Strategy, Vemex
- Natural Gas in the Ukraine: Demand, Supply and Price - Yvgeny Palenka, Finance and Commercial Director, Poltava Petroleum Company, Ukraine
- VNG: Strong Position and Dedication to Central European Gas Markets - Falko Thormeier, Head of Gas Sales, Central Europe, VNG
- Experiences In Entering the Slovak Gas Market - Miroslav Kulla, Exectuve Director, RWE Gas Slovensko
LUNCH sponsored by RWE Gas Slovensko
CLOSE OF CONFERENCE
THE SECURITY RESPONSE TO JANUARY’S CRISIS: TOWARDS A COMMERCIAL APPROACH
