Roundtable: LNG in Bulgaria - 2020 and Beyond

Event Summary
Event Details

Energy diversification is of great importance for Bulgaria. A well-executed strategy based on transparency, cooperation, and market rules will benefit all stakeholders: businesses, environment, people’s health, and the economy by creating jobs and developing SMEs and startups. It will untap Bulgaria’s potential with reliable energy supplies at competitive prices.

On December 10th 2020, AmCham Bulgaria hosted an expert roundtable titled “LNG in Bulgaria 2020 and Beyond: New Opportunities for Diversification, Security and Trade”, organized jointly with Bulgartransgaz and the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria. Looking forward to a large-scale event on diversification in 2021.

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Event Resources

Roundtable: LNG in Bulgaria - 2020 and Beyond

When

10/12/2020

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Remind me with

iCal

U. S. Embassy in Bulgaria and Bulgartransgaz EAD

jointly with

The American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria

welcome you to a specially designed event:

LNG in Bulgaria 2020 and Beyond:
New Opportunities for Diversification, Security and Trade

The roundtable will be held online on December 10th, from 14:00 to 17:00 (EEST).

Kindly register below until December 8th, 2020.. INVITATION-ONLY EVENT. Registration is subject to further approval. You will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to join the conference and a link for access.

The registration is closed. For further inquiry regarding the participation, please contact: yasen.ivanov@bulgartransgaz.bg

Main Purposes

Demonstrating LNG’s potential for enhancing energy security, through competition and diversification of sources and routes in Bulgaria and the Region

Promoting the role of Bulgaria as a Gas Distribution Center

Confirming the goal of a mutually beneficial long-term partnership between the US and Bulgaria in the field of Energy Security and Trade.

Agenda:

14:00 – 14:20	Welcoming remarks H.E. Herro Mustafa, U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria Temenuzhka Petkova, Minister of Energy of Republic of Bulgaria Vladimir Malinov, Executive Director of Bulgartransgaz EAD
	PANEL ONE – THE NATURAL GAS MARKET IN BULGARIA AND THE REGION – DEVELOPMENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
14:20 – 14:40	Session one – Infrastructure and Market Developments in Bulgaria and the Region Moderator: Vladimir Malinov,* Executive Director, Bulgartransgaz EAD* Speakers: Yasen Ivanov, Head of Analyses and International Activity, Bulgartransgaz – Infrastructure developments and new opportunities Kostis Sifnaios, Project Director, Gastrade: The status of development of the FSRU near Alexandroupolis Teodora Georgieva, Executive Оfficer, ICGB: Тhe status of development of the interconnector Greece-Bulgaria IGB Kiril Ravnachki, CEO, Balkan Gas Hub EAD: The new opportunities and benefits resulting from the Balkan Gas Hub Trading Platform
14:40 – 14:55	Session two – Market Demand Moderator: Svetoslav Ivanov,* Chairman, Bulgarian Association Natural Gas* Speakers: Konstantin Stamenov, Chairman of the Management Board, Bulgarian Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers (BFIEC) Petyo Ivanov, Chairman of Board of Directors, Bulgargaz EAD Nikolay Pavlov, Member of the Board and Executive Director, Bulgargaz EAD

	PANEL TWO – LNG’S ROLE IN THE MARKET
15:00 – 15:30	Session one – Market supply Moderator: Charlie Riedl,* Executive Director, Center for LNG* Speakers: Frederik Smits van Oyen, VP Marketing & Origination, Cheniere Dan Werner, Senior Vice President, LNG Marketing, Europe, South Asia, and the Americas, NextDecade Corporation George Nemeth, Director, LNG Marketing & Commercial Development, Sempra LNG
15:30 – 16:50	Session two – Q&A and Discussion: Stakeholder’s view on the topic
16:50 – 17:00	CLOSING REMARKS Olivier Marquette, President American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria Vladimir Malinov, Executive Director of Bulgartransgaz EAD Charlie Riedl, Executive Director, Center for LNG

Speakers

Opening Session

Temenuzhka Petkova has graduated the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria (MA in Accounting and Control). She has been trained in the field of the Internal Audit in the Public Sector in the Ministry of Finance of Ireland and the UK, and in the field of the State Financial Inspection in the Ministry of Finance of Portugal.

From 1992 to 2000 Temenuzhka Petkova was assigned as an auditor and a financial expert in the Metropolitan Governance State Financial Control. Her professional career continued in the Public Financial Inspection Agency as a state internal auditor and a head of department. Since 2007, she has been assigned for a Director of the Organization and Implementation Inspection Activities Directorate in the Public Financial inspection Agency (PFIA). Within the period 2010 – 2013, she was a Director of the Public Financial inspection Agency.

Ms. Petkova was an Interim Deputy Minister of Finance with the Caretaker Prime Minister Prof. Georgi Bliznashki. Then she was responsible for the Taxation and Internal Control Directorates in the Ministry of Finance, the National Revenue Agency, the National Customs Agency, the Public Financial inspection Agency and the State Commission on Gambling.

Minister of Energy from 07.11.2014 to 27.01.2017.

Elected to be a Member of Parliament from GERB PP in the 44th National Assembly.

Elected Minister of Energy on 4 May 2017 by the 44th National Assembly.

Herro Mustafa, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria on September 26, 2019. Previously, she was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal, where she also served as Chargé d’Affaires for the first seven months of the Trump Administration.

A career member of the Foreign Service, Amb. Mustafa worked in the Office of the Vice President from 2009-2011, providing counsel on issues related to the Middle East and South and Central Asia. Earlier Washington assignments included Deputy Director of the Afghanistan Office; Advisor on the Middle East in the Office of the Under Secretary for Political Affairs; Director for Iran, Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, and Jordan at the National Security Council (NSC); and NSC Director for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Her overseas diplomatic postings were as the Political Minister Counselor at Embassy New Delhi, India; the lead U.S. Civilian Coordinator in Mosul, Iraq; a Consular Officer in Beirut, Lebanon; and a Political Officer in Athens, Greece. Prior to joining the State Department, Ambassador Mustafa was an International Elections Supervisor with the OSCE in Bosnia. She is the recipient of notable awards from the State Department, including the Matilda W. Sinclaire Award for superior achievement in a foreign language. She speaks Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Russian, Greek, among other languages, and is studying Bulgarian.

Ambassador Mustafa grew up in Minot, North Dakota and her family story is the subject of the documentary film American Herro. She has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and a MA from Princeton University. Married and has two children.

Panel 1 – The Natural Gas Market in Bulgaria and the Region. Developments and Opportunities

Session 1– Infrastructure and Market Developments in Bulgaria and the Region

Yasen Ivanov graduated from Rotterdam School of Management (MSc in Finance and Investments) and a BA in Int’l Business Administration.

During almost all of his professional career he has been working in the oil and gas industry. In Bulgartransgaz Yasen Ivanov has been working on financial analyses, modeling and acquiring financing for the company’s projects involving expanding, modernizing and rehabilitating the gas transmission system.

Some of the key projects he has been involved in are Bulgartransgaz’ participation in the LNG FSRU near Alexandroupolis, the expansion of the Chiren underground storage facility and the new interconnection between Bulgaria and Serbia.

Mr. Sifnaios graduated from the School of Mathematics and Applied Sciences of the University of Athens. He went on to work as a research and faculty assistant at Columbia University, New York, where he received a MSc in Operational Research and Applied Business Administration.

Mr. Sifnaios started his career at Mobil Oil Hellas in 1987. He continued in a number of positions within Sales and Marketing reaching the post of Sales Manager for South & Western Greece. He was the transferred to Mobil Oil International in London and Madrid where he assumed posts in supply and trading.

In 1997 he moved to BP International, based in Brussels to work on the European restructuring of the company. He returned in Greece as General Commercial Sales Manager for BP Greece (2000 – 2002) to then once more resume his international career within BP’s European supply chain till 2007.

As of June 2007, he works in Copelouzos Group initially as New Projects Manager and currently as Group Energy Director in the sector of Gas. He also manages the Alexandroupolis LNG Terminal Project, under development by Gastrade.

Teodora Georgieva has 20+ years of experience as a strategic manager in various economic sectors. As of 2015, she is the Executive Officer of ICGB AD and a BoD member, and is responsible for the overall management and development of the gas interconnector Greece-Bulgaria.

From 2012 to 2014, Georgieva was Managing Director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline Bulgaria. Previously heading the finances of OMV Bulgaria for 13 years, out of which 8 years as Managing Director and cluster manager for 3 countries, Georgieva also took the responsibility of Coordinator for Bulgaria for European Round Table of Industrialists.

She graduated from the University of National and World Economy, MA in Finance.

Fluent in English, German and Russian.

Kiril Ravnachki has a double-major degree in Business Administration and Economics from the AUBG. In 2012 he started his career as a finance specialist in the Financial and Economic Department at Bulgartransgaz EAD, going through various positions in it.

In 2017, he participated as an external consultant to the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSOG) in Brussels, assessing the modeling and cost-benefit analysis of Projects of Common Interest. Until December 2018, he was Head of Analysis and International Affairs Department.

Since January 2019 he has been the Executive Director and Member of the Board of Directors of Gas Hub Balkan EAD.

Session 2– Market Demand

Konstantin Stamenov is a MB Chairman of Bulgarian Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers (BFIEC) since 2009. He has been working in the metallurgical plant “Stomana Industry” SA for more than 17 years, occupying various senior management positions – Logistics, Administration, Production Planning, Utilities, etc.

Mr. Stamenov was Project Manager for SAP implementation at “Stomana Industry” SA, as well as for a couple of projects financed by EU. He has a master’s degree in “Economics & Informatics” (1993) and is certified in Project Management at Stevens Institute of Technologies, USA. He became MB member of WEC Bulgaria (World Energy Council) in 2012. In 2013 he participated in US Leadership Program. He post graduated Master Degree in Electricity Management at Sofia Technology University in 2015. Stamenov worked actively for the completion a BGN 500m project in Bulgaria concerning 150 plants for Green Fee Levy in compliance with Energy and Environmental State aid guidelines (‘EEAG’) in 2016.

Nikolay Pavlov was born in 1975.

He is a graduate of the University of National and World Economy – Sofia.

Mr. Pavlov was Minister of Energy.

He was Financial Director and member of Board of Directors of the National Electricity Company – NEK EAD.

Mr. Pavlov was member of Board of Directors of Contour Global Maritsa East 3 AD and member of Supervisory Board of HEC Gorna Arda.

He worked as Financial Director of Bulgargaz EAD.

Mr. Pavlov has many years of experience in the banking sector in the field of financial reporting.

Mr. Petyo Ivanov is a graduate of University of Economics – Varna.

Mr. Ivanov was Head of Financial Control Dept., and Chief Accountant of the National Electricity Company (NEK) EAD.

He worked as Executive Director of Bulgargaz EAD and was at the helm of Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD as CEO.

Panel 2 – LNG’S Role in the Market

Mr. Smits has worked for Shell, BG Group, Gazprom and Excelerate Energy in a variety of technical, commercial, finance and business development positions, including Head of Business Development and Strategy for Gazprom’s global LNG division.

His track record spans the entire energy value chain, from exploration down to the end customer with responsibility for the delivery of all aspects of the business.

Mr Smits was trained as a Production Technologist in Shell.

He holds an MSc in Theoretical Physics, an MSc in Computational Physics and an MBA from London Business School.

Dan Werner joined NextDecade Corporation in January 2019 with 25+ years of experience in the energy industry, and a strong background in commercial, financial, technical, and regulatory areas.

At NextDecade, Werner identifies and develops opportunities to sell LNG into markets in Europe, South Asia, and the Americas, managing and negotiating SPAs for NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG project in South Texas.

Prior to joining NextDecade, Werner was a SVP with GNL Quebec, leading pre-FEED, FEED, and EPC functions for a planned 10.5 mtpa liquefaction and export facility. Before that, Werner served in senior management roles – mostly in commercial roles – with Delfin LNG, Golar LNG, BG Group, and Sempra.

Following completion of undergraduate engineering studies, Werner earned an MBA in finance and marketing from Loyola University of Chicago.

George Nemeth is director of LNG marketing and commercial development for Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy that develops, builds and invests in natural gas liquefaction facilities and is pursuing the development of LNG export projects in Texas, Louisiana and Mexico with the goal of delivering clean-burning natural gas to world markets.

Mr. Nemeth joined Sempra LNG from the AES Corporation with 15+ years of experience commercializing gas and marketing and trading LNG.

Mr. Nemeth began his energy career with ExxonMobil working on projects around the world including Russia and Qatar. After his last posting with ExxonMobil in Doha, Mr. Nemeth moved to the trading side of the business to launch LNG trading desks at Merrill Lynch Commodities, Société Général and Koch Supply & Trading.

Mr. Nemeth holds a MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, and a BA in economics and Russian from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

He is a fluent Russian speaker.

As Executive Director, Riedl works with Center for LNG member companies, regulators, legislators and other key stakeholders to provide credible and educational information about the economic and environmental benefits of LNG. Charlie has testified in both chambers of the United States Congress on the importance and benefits of LNG exports.

Prior to joining CLNG, Charlie worked at America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) and at a major exploration and production company in various roles focused on natural gas market development and government relations.

Charlie’s experience in the natural gas industry includes regulatory, upstream production, downstream and pipeline development projects, as well as natural gas as a transportation fuel.

Closing Session

Olivier is the president of Amcham Bulgaria Board of Directors since January 2019, and a Co-chairman of the National Energy Chamber since March 2016.

He is the President for AES Bulgaria and the head of Business Development for Eurasia.

Olivier joined the AES group in 2006 in the North America Business Development team. In 2008, he transferred to AES Singapore as Director, Business Development, and led development in Indonesia. In 2011, he joined AES Tiete S.A. as VP of Business Development, in charge of the execution of AES Tiete’s growth strategy based on natural gas and renewable generation. In 2013, he joined AES Dominicana to lead the development of growth projects.

Prior to joining AES, Olivier held various positions at EDF, first in R&D, then in Operations. Olivier was Operations Manager at a 500 MW TPP in Paris suburb, and was later promoted to the position of Plant Manager at the Saltillo 250 MW CCGT in Mexico.

Olivier holds an Engineer Degree from Ecole des Mines de Paris, France, a MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School.

As Executive Director, Riedl works with CLNG member companies, regulators, legislators and other key stakeholders to provide credible and educational information about the economic and environmental benefits of LNG. Charlie has testified in both chambers of the United States Congress on the importance and benefits of LNG exports.