Ukrainian Energy Forum

The 2nd Adam Smith Ukrainian Energy Forum took place on 1st – 3rd March 2011 at the Hotel Intercontinental in Kyiv and proved to be a timely and productive gathering of the most senior figures in the Ukrainian energy sector and their international counterparts. Particular thanks go to Energy Minister Boyko  for his personal support and that of the Ministry, which acted as co-organiser.

300 attendees from over 20 countries took part over the 3 days of the forum and they heard from a high profile 60-strong speaker faculty, which featured amongst others:

- Yuri Boyko, Minister of Energy & Coal Industry of Ukraine
- Dr Volodymyr Ignashchenko, First Deputy Minister of Ecology & Natural Resources of Ukraine
- Mykyta Konstantinov, Deputy Minister of Energy & Coal Industry of Ukraine
- Konstantin Borodin, Director, Oil & Gas Department, Ministry of Energy & Coal Industry of Ukraine
- Yevhen Bakulin, Chairman of the Board, Naftogaz of Ukraine
- Mykola Martynenko, Chairman, Fuel & Energy Committee, Verkhovna Rada

- Senior executives from top international and domestic energy companies, including Shell, TNK-BP, Vanco, DTEK, BasGas, 3P International, Chornomornaftogaz, Ukrnaftogazinvest, Ukrgazvidobuvannya, Transeuro Energy, Shelton Petroleum and Cadogan Petroleum;

- Renowned energy experts and commentators, including: Slavtcho Neykov of the Energy Community Secretariat, Riccardo Puliti of the EBRD, Azfar Shaukat of Mott MacDonald, Dr Mikhail Korchemkin, Tatiana Mitrova, Dr Simon Pirani and Professor Alan Riley;

- An impressive panel focused specifically on the Electricity Sector on 3rd March, including senior representatives of the Ministry of Energy & Coal, NERC, Energorinok, DTEK, Enel-OGK-5, Energy Standart Group, AES, Ukrainian Energy Exchange and ContourGlobal.

Another highlight of the event was undoubtedly the Wine-tasting, hosted by former Fuel & Energy Minister Ivan Plachkov, who presented his award-winning Kolonist wines.

The UEF-11 served as an ideal platform for dialogue between the government and present and potential investors. Amongst the key themes of discussion at the forum were:

- Shale gas and Coal Bed Methane and what is required for them to become a Game-changer for Ukraine;
- The great progress that has been made in the development of Renewable energy and what is needed to ensure that the many projects are realised;
- The pending privatisation of electricity generation and distribution assets, which is scheduled to take place this year;
- The political will to ensure that the tender and licensing processes are transparent and fair and that there is a level playing-field for all investors.

It is clear that there will be a great deal to discuss and, one hopes, a great deal will have been achieved when the 3rd Ukrainian Energy Forum convenes in Kyiv in March 2012. Do watch this space for further information.