As the repercussions of the recent energy crisis are still being felt across Europe, the Institute is going ahead with its plans to organise its annual “SEE Energy Dialogue” which will be held in Thessaloniki, at the end of May. The town of Thessaloniki, Greece’s northern commercial capital, has been chosen once again for this year’s colloquium as it is located at the commercial and energy crossroads of SE Europe and the East Mediterranean. In this sense the Institute is expecting maximum participation from all counties in the broader region including the West Balkans, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel, Cyprus and Greece as well as from regional and international organizations and think tanks.

From the very start the “SEE Energy Dialogue” has been established by IENE as an important regional event spanning the entire energy spectrum. The purpose of this regional forum, which is being organized, with the support of leading and regional organisations and major energy companies, is to bring together high-ranking government officials, senior business executives and energy experts from all countries of S.E. Europe and beyond. The objective being the exchange of information and ideas, networking and the furthering of cooperation between all countries in SE Europe.

Above all the “SEE Energy Dialogue” has been conceived as an open forum for furthering the idea of a SE European energy bridge and for promoting initiatives aimed at tackling the region’s complex energy and environmental challenges. In this context representatives from major energy suppliers are also expected to have a strong presence in this year’s conference including senior government officials and company executives from major Middle East producers.

The high dependence of Europe, and SEE in particular, from fossil fuels, the current volatile energy pricing environment, the global concern for the development of viable alternatives and the need to promote further carbon free solutions emerge as key policy issues. As usual the “Energy Dialogue” will also cover the latest developments in the region’s evolving natural gas, electricity and RES markets and the ongoing energy partnerships with major suppliers.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year and the huge negative impact on European energy markets, gas supply disruptions and unprecedented high electricity and gas prices the issue of energy security has come into sharp focus. In this context this year’s SEE Energy Dialogue is expected to discuss at some length the region’s priorities in securing uninterrupted and competitively priced energy. The role of alternative gas supply routes, LNG shipments, cross border electricity and gas interconnections, electricity grid upgrades together with latest achievements in renewable technology and CCUS applications will also be examined.

The 14th SE Europe Energy Dialogue will be held at The Met Hotel in Thessaloniki. The conference will start at approx. 5 pm on Thursday, May 25 to be followed by the official dinner and will end on Friday, May 26 at 18:00. The event programme is under preparation with the detailed Energy Dialogue agenda and keynote speakers to be announced shortly.