Program

Day I, 18th of April 2024 r.

9:00 – 9:10 Opening of the conference

BLOCK: Energy transition and economic development in Poland: Challenges and prospects

9:10 – 9:20 Introduction – speech by the Chairman of the Advisory Board

• Leszek Juchniewicz, Chairman of the EuroPOWER Program Council

9:20 – 9:35 Speech by Government Representative

• Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment

9:35 – 9:50 Speech by Government Representative

• Marzena Czarnecka, Minister of Industry

9:50 – 10:00 Speech by Government Representative

• Maciej Bando, Undersecretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Ministry of Climate and Environment

10:00 – 11:10 Energy transition and economic development in Poland: Challenges and prospects

The transformation of the energy sector is a program of far-reaching measures that will determine our future and place in modern Europe. We are facing downright fundamental changes. A new government and a new approach, new challenges and new perspectives. How much continuity vs. how much change and why is ahead of us in basic government documents and the real economic processes implied by them, including investment? How can and should we finance the increased investment effort? How will our energy mix change when we realistically move away from fossil fuels in our economy? Will sustainability principles promote the removal of existing barriers or generate new ones? What areas, processes or issues need urgent intervention and modification? To what extent will transformation and R&D in the energy sector accelerate economic growth and raise the standard of living of Polish women and men? Throughout the transformation process, we must not lose sight of the security of power generation sources and critical infrastructure.

• Poland’s energy policy until 2040, including Poland’s nuclear power program, a strategy for heating and for a low-carbon economy
• Energy policy and sustainable development: Dialogue between the public and private sectors
• How should the energy transition support economic development?
• National Reconstruction Plan funds – distribution and financing for efficient energy transition
• Removing barriers to RES development
• Should energy security be based on large-scale energy or built locally?
• Green transformation investments financed by EU ETS certificate scheme
• What’s next after the electricity price freeze?

Speakers:

• Miłosz Motyka, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Climate and Environment
• Rafał Gawin, President of the Energy Regulatory Authority
• Dariusz Marzec, President of the Management Board, PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna
• Grzegorz Lot, President of the Management Board, TAURON Polska Energia
• Grzegorz Onichimowski, President of the management board, PSE
• Bohdana Horáčková, President, Chief Executive Officer, CEZ Poland
• Sławomir Hinc, President of the Management Board, Gaz system
• Adam Góral, President of the Management Board, Asseco Poland
• Krzysztof Noga, President of the board, EWE Polska

Moderator:

• Wojciech Jakóbik, Energy Sector Expert, Editor-in-Chief of BiznesAlert

BLOCK: Sustainable development and renewable energy sources in Poland: strategies and innovations

11:10 – 11:20 Presentation: Reactive power regulation and compensation on a PV farm

• Dominik Mamcarz, Technical and Development Expert, Alseva EPC Ltd.

11:20- 12:15 Sustainable development and renewable energy sources in Poland: strategies and innovations

In the Polish electricity sector, we are betting on the development of RES. Does the planned transformation of the energy sector recognize their diversity, and to what extent are we able to discount this diversity? What is the significance of the development strategies of the different types of RES? How consistent and complementary and how competitive are they? Which types of RES will mobilize and absorb Polish generation potential to the greatest extent (so-called local content)

• Development of large-scale photovoltaic farms in the CEE region
• Supporting wind power as a source of clean energy
• How can hydrogen power affect the future of the sector?
• Hydropower as a source of renewable energy
• Energy from the sun – challenges and infrastructure development
• Sustainable cities and communities: New energy strategies
• Biogas – the road to zero-carbon and a circular economy
• Do we need a reform of the support mechanism? Will PPAs be enough?

Speakers:

• Łukasz Tomaszewski, Director of the Department of Renewable Energy Sources, Ministry of Climate and Environment
• Mirosław Bendzera, President of the Management Board, Famur
• Piotr Maciołek, Member of the Management Board, Chief Commercial Officer, Polenergia S.A.
• Artur Stawiarski, Head of Strategy and Development, E.ON Poland
• Jarosław Zarychta, Enterprise Industry Lead, Google Cloud Poland
• Roch Baranowski, Managing Partner, Bain & Company Poland
• Filip Kowalski, Regional Industry Lead for Energy – Middle Eastern Europe, SAP Poland
• Piotr Zdyb, Head of Renewable Hydrogen Generation Sources Construction Team, ORLEN S.A.

Moderator:

• Wojciech Jakóbik, Energy Sector Expert, Editor-in-Chief of BiznesAlert

12:15- 12:50 Break

BLOCK: Distribution networks in Poland: Infrastructure development for the new energy era

12:50- 13:45 Distribution networks in Poland: Infrastructure development for the new energy era

What strategies are needed to meet the challenges of transforming distribution networks while ensuring their efficiency and sustainability? How can investment in upgrading network infrastructure be significantly increased? And thus how can we guarantee consumers a stable and uninterrupted energy supply. At what rate will distribution grids adapt to operation in both directions and ensure generation sources operate efficiently? We need to quickly develop a plan for appropriate action and urgently implement it in order to smoothly transform distribution networks for distributed energy based on RES.

• Charter for the Efficient Transformation of Poland’s Power Distribution Networks – Implementation and the Future
• Needs to modernize existing energy infrastructure, including the development of smart grids and digital technologies
• Digitization and cyber security in the distribution context – digitization of distribution processes and digital power grid models
• Development of energy storage facilities and their financing
• Dissemination of cable pooling

Speakers:

• Rafał Gawin, President of the Energy Regulatory Office
• Marcin Laskowski, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna
• Prof. dr hab. Waldemar Skomudek, Professor, Stanisław Staszic University of Science and Technology in Kraków
• Leszek Bitner, Director of the Network Asset Management Division, Stoen Operator
• Maciej Wyczesany, President of the Management Board, Apator SA
• Marek Głazowski, CEO, IFS

Moderator:

• Robert Zasina, Executive Director for Asset Management, TAURON Polska Energia

13:45 – 13:55 Presentation: IT system as an intelligent assistant for the manager and operations worker

• Tomasz Gronczewski, Key Account Manager, IFS

BLOCK: Digital Energy Revolution: New technologies for efficiency and a sustainable future

13:55- 14:05 Presentation: Data is the new Oil. Data powers transformation in Energy

• Michał Skowron, Business Consultant, Google Cloud Poland
• Adam Larysz, Managing Director of Utilities&GB Sector, Sygnity

14:05- 14:15 Presentation: Effective management of resources in the energy industry

• Michał Jankowski, Digital Business Partner CEE, Hitachi

14:15- 15:05 Digital Energy Revolution: New technologies for efficiency and a sustainable future

Digitalization is influencing a revolution in the approach to efficiency and operational performance of the energy sector. So how do advanced information technologies, data analytics or the use of artificial intelligence contribute to the optimization of energy production and distribution processes? Cyber security, the concept of the energy prosumer, or cooperation between technology and energy companies – how might these factors affect the future of the energy sector in our country?

• The role of IoT technology in monitoring, managing and optimizing energy infrastructure
• Development of smart grids and their importance in increasing energy efficiency and integration of RES
• NIS2 directive – cyber security of critical infrastructure
• The role of digital technologies in promoting distributed energy production, including microgrids
• The concept of the energy prosumer and the role of digital technologies
• Relationship between technology companies and energy companies. What should we do to make the scale of the ecosystem related to the energy transition of technology companies much larger than it is today?

Speakers:

• Ryszard Luczyn, Deputy Director of the Department of Projects and Strategy, Ministry of Digitization
• Henryk Mucha, President of the Management Board, PGNiG Obrót Detalaliczny
• Mariusz Jurczyk, President of the Management Board, TAURON Dystrybucja Pomiary
• Łukasz Zaworski, Member of the Board, Product Development Director, Apator SA
• Tomasz Bendlewski, Director of the Energy and Gas Division, Asseco Poland
• Artur Drobiecki, VP of Sales, Limitless Technologies

Moderator:

• Robert Tomaszewski, Senior energy analyst, head of PI Energy, Polityka Insight

BLOCK: What steps are we taking to ensure a safe and sustainable future for nuclear power?

15:05 – 15:55 What steps are we taking to ensure a safe and sustainable nuclear future?

Nuclear power, although it has been absent from the Polish economy for years, like few other means of energy production arouses a lot of public emotion and generates endless discussions and disputes. These emotions aside – we offer a realistic view. Is nuclear power a key element on the road to sustainable and secure energy? To what extent do differing technological capabilities, different models of large-scale and local nuclear power, different financing models favor or disfavor the emergence of the atom in the Polish economy? As of today, has due diligence been done to talk about nuclear responsibly, especially with local communities?

• The main challenges facing SMR projects in the coming years – strategy definition
• How to maximize the potential of the supply chain when implementing nuclear power in Poland?
• How to prepare the workforce so that the nuclear power industry can grow?
• Safety in use of nuclear reactors, needs to create an insurance nuclear pool
• How to manage technology supplier risk and construction time and cost risk?

Speakers:

• Jan Chadam, Company’s commercial proxy, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe
• Andrzej Głowacki, President, Polish Atomic Energy Agency
• Leszek Hołda, President of the Management Board, Bechtel
• Miroslaw Kowalik, President of the Management Board, Westinghouse Electric Poland
• Rafał Kasprów, President of the Management Board, Orlen Synthos Green Energy
• Lukasz Gola, Head of business development, Hitachi

Moderator:

• Zuzanna Nowak, Director of Analysis at The Opportunity Institute for Foreign Affairs, expert at the Energy Policy Institute

BLOCK: Energy in the lens of the young generation

15:55 – 16:35 Energy in the lens of the younger generation

Changing the face of the Polish energy industry is a multi-year, even secular process. The change will not happen from year to year, but on a generational basis. That is why the question addressed to Generation Z – the beneficiaries of these changes – is so important. What kind of energy do they want, what kind of energy products do they expect from the energy market? How do they see the energy sector operating, what risks do they face and what costs are they willing to bear? What innovative ideas can inspire us and how they see intergenerational dialogue: today, tomorrow or in the near future.

• Identification of the main challenges faced by youth in the process of promoting sustainable energy; barriers and ways to overcome them
• Intergenerational cooperation; principles of intergenerational dialogue the basis for developing consensus on key agreements
• The activity and involvement of young leaders in the energy field: Innovative ideas and visions for sustainable energy

Speakers:

• PhD Michał Łęski, Deputy Director, Department of Renewable Energy Sources, Ministry of Climate and Environment
• Michal Smolen, Manager of the Energy & Climate program, Instrat
• Szymon Pajzert, Board Member, The City is Ours
• Zuzanna Piwowar, Vice President for Program, Federation of Young Social Democrats
• Michal Gryz, Student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Automation, Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering, AGH University of Science and Technology
• Igor Kurklinski, Student at the Warsaw School of Economics

Moderator:

• Prof. dr hab. Waldemar Skomudek, Professor, Stanislaw Staszic Academy of Mining and Metallurgy in Krakow

16:35 Lunch