A one-day conference entitled "Hellenic-Bulgarian Cooperation in the Energy Sector" took place at Hilton, Sofia on April 29. The conference was organized by the Institute of Energy for South East Europe (IENE) in cooperation with the Hellenic Business Council in Bulgaria.
Well-known experts and state officials from the energy sector from Bulgaria and Greece gathered in Sofia to discuss all the aspects of cooperation in the energy sector and the future prospects for development. Among the topics were gas interconnection pipelines, electricity grid connections and wind farm development. The Burgas-Alexandroupolis project was also addressed in the course of discussions as well as the regulatory framework in both countries. In his greeting address the Chairman of IENE, Dr. John Desypris pointed out the importance of the sector for Greece and Bulgaria, and for the Balkans in general. The Deputy Chairman of HBCB Mr. Nikolaos Georgopoulos also welcomed the participants in his speech and stated that open discussion and continuous dialogue bring positive results for governments, private enterprises and the society at large. Among the participants were managers from DEPA, Transbalkan Pipeline S.A, NEK, HTSO and others, as well as officials from the regulatory authorities in Greece (RAE) and Bulgaria (DKEVR) who presented the challenges and the opportunities before the two countries.
Minister Traycho Traykov sent a greeting address to the participants which was presented by Mr. Lyubomir Petkov from "Energy Strategies Directorate" at the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism.
The event was sponsored by DEPA and supported by EKO Bulgaria and the KLC Law Firm.