Romanian Energy Awards 2019: Celebrating eight years of excellence

The Diplomat – Bucharest celebrated performance and exceptional accomplishments in the Romanian energy field, awarding 17 performers in both conventional and renewable energy, with the eighth annual event bringing together the Who’s Who in the ever-demanding industry, at the InterContinental hotel in Bucharest.

The Awards Gala is an elite event and platform to recognize, reward and celebrate the success of the most prominent firms acting in the energy and natural resources field in Romania. Based on rigorously-researched information and a judging panel comprising renowned leaders in the business itself, as well as the government and the academic scenes, the event established itself as a must-attend in the Romanian energy events calendar.

The event was supported by platinum partner CEZ Group, gold partners Electrica and Hidroelectrica, partners Romgaz, EY, Adrem Invest, Bepco, Wave and Sea One, but also by Competition Council and associations such as ACUE, AFEER, ARPEE, CNR-CME and ROPEPCA.

The best managers, practices, and projects were awarded within 17 categories by the judging panel, formed of:

Iulian Tudorache, State Secretary, Ministry of Energy

Zoltan Nagy, Vice-President ANRE

Valeriu Binig, Regulatory and Antitrust Affairs Director Enel Romania

Bogdan Chiritoiu, President, Romanian Competition Council

Radu Dudau, Director, Energy Policy Group

Prof. Dr. George Darie, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Department of Production and Exploitation, member of the ICME ECAB Council

Opening the Awards Gala, Iulian Tudorache, State Secretary with the Ministry of Energy, thanked the jury and the organizers for keeping up the tradition of highlighting the year’s accomplishments in a most demanding and challenging vital industry: “I am very happy to be with you. It is my third edition but I am still a bit nervous to be on stage. 2018 was full of achievements, we would have wanted more and we know there’s always room for improvement. I hope that we will all be able to pay much more attention to energy policies and that we have openness to the projects to be completed in 2019. I wish to congratulate all those who have won prizes at this edition and wish them success in their future work.”

ENERGY PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MARK BEACOM

The award for ‘Energy Personality of the Year’ went to Mark Beacom, CEO Black Sea Oil & Gas, for his impressive career and outstanding results with the company and was presented by Iulian Tudorache.

“It is my honour, but it is also my pleasure to award this prize to the person I have known for three years and whom I respect very much,” said Tudorache. “This person is a distinguished professional in the energy sector and he has shown us that he loves Romania.”

Beacom stated: “Thank you very much! ‘Energy Personality of the Year’… it’s a mouthful. Actually my personality isn’t that great so this is a great deal for me. I think the award is really because of the project that we have, the Midia gas project in the Black Sea and because we have moved forward in such difficult circumstances. I really need to thank and recognize our staff and our contractors, our local authority, Transgaz and a number of different elements in the government including the ministry of Energy and minister Tudorache himself who played a big part in making our project big and getting me this award. We’ve been vocal about some of the unfortunate legislation that was put forward, EGO 114 and the supplemental tax. So I guess I should also thank mister Dragnea, mister Valcov and mister Teodorovici because without them I wouldn’t have got this award.”

ENERGY MANAGER OF THE YEAR – BOGDAN BADEA

The award for ‘Energy Manager of the Year’ went to Bogdan Badea, for his impressive performance as the president of Board of Directors, Hidroelectrica, and was presented by Iulian Tudorache.

Badea said: “Thank you for this award, it is an honour. This prize is dedicated to the entire management of Hidroelectrica, without which we would not have achieved these results. It is an extremely dynamic team, we worked very well together in 2018, and I believe that we will face all the challenges that the year 2019 will bring us. Thank you once again on behalf of the entire Hidroelectrica team.”

OIL AND GAS COMPANY OF THE YEAR – BLACK SEA OIL & GAS

Competing for the top prize at this category were Black Sea Oil & Gas and Transgaz. The award was received by Mark Beacom, CEO of Black Sea Oil & Gas, for the Midia Gas Development Project.

He said: “Thank you very much! One project, two awards. It’s a real honour. I am very pleased that we can finally get this project going and in two years we will be producing gas and providing ten percent of Romania’s needs. Thank you very much!” The MGD Project, which is the first new offshore gas development project in the Romanian Black Sea to be built after 1989, consists of five offshore production wells (one subsea well at Doina field and four platform wells at Ana field) a subsea gas production system over the Doina well which will be connected through an 18 km pipeline with a new unmanned production platform located over Ana field. A 126 km gas pipeline will link the Ana platform to the shore and to a new onshore gas treatment plant (“GTP”) in Corbu commune, Constanta County, with a capacity of 1 BCM per year representing ten percent of Romania’s consumption. The processed gas will be delivered into the National Transmission System operated by Transgaz at the gas metering station to be found within the GTP.

ENERGY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AWARD – CE Oltenia

Competing for the top prize at this category were Ariston Thermo Romania, CE Oltenia, E.ON, KMG International, MOL Romania, NIS Petrol, OMV Petrom. The award was presented by Iulian Tudorache: “I would like to congratulate all those who were nominated here because such projects deserve to be encouraged and appreciated. The prize went to CE Oltenia. Congratulations!”

The award was received by Sorin Olaru, on behalf of Sorinel Boza, president of the board, CE Oltenia: “Thank you very much for this award on behalf of Mr. Sorinel Boza, who could not be here because he ensures that 20 percent of the country’s energy production is delivered to the system. I am honoured to receive this award. It is recognition of the company’s involvement in the training of over 300 young people in the Oltenia region to become the specialists Romania needs.”

OIL AND GAS PROJECT OF THE YEAR – RAFFLES ENERGY

This category comprised three nominees: Raffles Energy, KMGI & SAPE, and Transgaz.

The award was presented by Valeriu Binig: “We are all looking towards the Black Sea. However, we need to see what the onshore gas situation is, the deep sea gas. But so far there are other such explorations with innovative solutions that bring us gas from where we did not expect. The well was drilled in November 2017, and began commercial production in September 2018. The winner is Raffles Energy with the Bainet project.”

Accepting the award, Doru Morariu, CEO Raffles Energy, said: “I want to thank the jury and the whole audience. Thanks to the entire Raffles team I worked with. Thanks to the authorities, the National Agency for Mineral Resources, ANRE and our partners who supported us and believed in our project. Thank you!”

Bainet field represents the second greenfield commercial gas discovery made by Raffles in Suceava Concession over the last three years. This is a significant achievement considering that there are very few other new discoveries made recently in Romania. Targeting an exploration prospect defined on the basis of most recent 3D seismic technology, the Bainet-1 discovery well was successfully drilled in November 2017, completed as a producer in January 2018 and started commercial production in mid-September 2018.

DEAL OF THE YEAR – MET ROMANIA

Vying for the top honour at this category were: Mazarine Energy/ OMV Petrom, MET Group/ RWE, Monsson Operation/ PLC S.P.A Italia, Transgaz/ Vestmoldtransgaz. The award was presented by Valeriu Binig: “The result of this transaction was a player in the top three in the field of market share for electricity suppliers in Romania. This is the takeover of RWE Energie by MET Group.”

Accepting the award, Petre Stroe, CEO MET Romania, said: “I always aim for first place, but the surprise is great and very pleasant. We are already on the second acquisition in the last three years and I want to tell you that it was not hard to buy. It was very hard to integrate the company but we did it. Thank you for this award.”

CUSTOMER-CENTRIC ENERGY COMPANY OF THE YEAR – ENGIE ROMANIA

This category comprised three nominees: CEZ Romania, Enel Romania, and Engie Romania. The award was presented by Radu Dudau: “Very strong brands and very strong companies in this category. They are energy suppliers who have invested heavily in this liberalized market. We hope that the regulatory environment will continue to allow the development of this market. It was a difficult decision, but the prize goes to Engie Romania.”

Accepting the award, Nicolas Richard, Director Marketing  and Sales, Engie Romania, said: “It is a pleasure for us to receive this award. We must not forget that the client guides us. We have managed to offer a successful new product into the market. I am very pleased with this award and I want to thank The Diplomat team and those who voted for us.”

ENERGY COMPANY OF THE YEAR – HIDROELECTRICA

This category welcomed nominated companies such as Distributie Oltenia, Hidroelectrica, Signify, and Transgaz. The award was presented by Valeriu Binig and the winner was Hidroelectrica for its great financial performance in 2018, with CEO Bogdan Badea receiving the prize: “Thank you for the second time on behalf of my colleagues at Hidroelectrica. 2018 was really a good year for us; it was the first year in a 100 percent unregulated market, which allowed us to perform better than the reference year 2017. Now we are a little bit in a situation to rethink the company’s development strategy, but it is a challenge and I hope we will not disappoint you.”

AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN ENERGY – OMV PETROM

Vying for the top honour at this category were E.ON, EDPR Romania, Green Spots, Haptic R&D Consulting, OMV Petrom and Signify. The award was presented by Cristian Secosan, CEO Siemens and partner of the event: “I’m glad to be here. It is a pleasure and an honour for me to give this award. I will tell you that this is a probe that started production in August and is the first multilevel probe to be drilled in Romania. It is a new technology that allows you to access more old deposits. The prize goes with pleasure to OMV Petrom.”

Accepting the award, Peter Zeilinger, member of OMV Petrom Executive Board, responsible for upstream, said: “Thank you very much for this consideration of another Black Sea project. We are really proud to take this award not only on behalf of OMV Petrom but also on behalf of the team who has managed to bring this 30 million Euro project safely within time and budget to completion. As you said, this is the first multilateral well in Romania. It is a great addition to our portfolio. Thank you once again.”

TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER OF THE YEAR – CLARIANT

This category welcomed nominated companies such as Clariant, Ringhel, Romelectro, Schlumberger and Signify and the award was presented by Radu Badita, general secretary of ANRE: “I am glad to see so many of you. It is an award I am happy to present. ANRE supports investments in this sector. We know you do not like us every time. We live complicated times, but I can guarantee that we are trying to keep a balance and I can assure you that we will keep an open dialogue with you. Let’s congratulate Clariant for an investment of over 100 million Euro.”

The award was accepted by Markus Rarbach, head of business line biofuels, Clariant: “It is a pleasure to be here after ten years of technology development and bringing this technology to Romania. We have developed a technology that converts agricultural residues into liquid oil fuels, advanced bio fuels and we really believe this technology makes a difference to the world and makes a difference to Romania. We are developing a first of its kind plant in Craiova which will seize the highest attention globally. I am very happy being with you and receiving this prize. Thank you!”

ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM OF THE YEAR – CLUJ-NAPOCA CITY HALL AND RAMNICU VALCEA CITY HALL

This category comprised three nominees: Cluj-Napoca City Hall, Ramnicu Valcea City Hall, and Romgaz. The award was presented by Cosmin Belacurencu, State Secretary at the Romanian Competition Council: “Thanks to our hosts, The Diplomat-Bucharest, for the honour to invite us to this event. There is a strong collaboration between The Diplomat and the Competition Council. In this category we have two winners, two cities in Romania that opted for clean technologies in terms of public transportation. The Competition Council supports any project of increasing energy efficiency. The winners are the Ramnicu Valcea Town Hall and the Cluj-Napoca City Hall.

Accepting the award, Andi Davidescu from the Ramnicu Valcea City Hall, said: Thank you, The Diplomat for organizing this event. I also want to thank the jury for the decision to give us this award. I believe we are responsible for the environment we live in and for the environment in which future generations will live. I think that if the future belongs to electric cars, the transition period we are in belongs to propulsion with compressed natural gas. Thank you!”

Speaking to the capacity-filled room via video message, Emil Boc, mayor of Cluj-Napoca, said:

First of all, I would like to congratulate The Diplomat-Bucharest for this initiative and for giving us the opportunity to present the most important projects of our community. I wish to thank you for this award on behalf of you community, which reflects our concern for increasing the quality of life in Cluj-Napoca, to reduce pollution and to have a European city. Besides this electric fleet, we will have another 30 electric buses that will run on the streets of Cluj until the end of June. One third of the city’s transport fleet is electric, and our goal is that by 2026 all public transport in Cluj-Napoca will be electric. We are pursuing the prioritization of public transport as an alternative to mobility today. Thank you for this award that honours us and I wish you all the best.”

BEST DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM OF THE YEAR – DISTRIBUTIE OLTENIA

This category welcomed three nominees: Access SNN, CEZ Vanzare, and Distributie Oltenia. The award was presented by Corneliu Bodea, CEO Adrem and partner of the event: “The winning project has started in 2016 and it will end in 2020. It has a value of 95 million Euro and is a project aimed at digitalizing the whole company. I am very pleased to give this award and to announce the winner is Distributie Oltenia.”

Accepting the award, Ondrej Safar, CEO, CEZ Romania, said: “Thank you for this award. It is an honour. It gives us wings to continue this wonderful program that we started some years ago. We place the client at the centre of our actions. We will continue with this bold program and we will probably want another prize in a few years. Thank you!”

In order to meet the continuously changing needs of the energy consumers from Oltenia region (Arges, Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinti, Olt, Teleorman and Valcea counties), the distribution operator Distributie Oltenia has been undergoing a digitization process started in 2016. Through the implementation of the SMART Transformation project – due to end in 2020, the operator aims to efficiently manage the extra demands of energy consumers, and to continue reducing the time of intervention in dealing with an energy outage, from the moment it receives the information to the actual solving of the problem, thus enhancing the degree of comfort of its consumers.

The first result of the SMART Transformation project came in the first year of its implementation, when Distributie Oltenia managed to reduce the duration of outages to less than half of the duration of outages in 2012.

INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR – HONEYWELL

The category comprised four nominees: CE Oltenia & Technical University of Craiova, E-Distributie Muntenia & Energy Technical College Bucharest, Honeywell Romania & Politehnica University of Bucharest, Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest and Timisoara Polytechnic University, and Servelect & Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. The award was presented by prof. dr. ing. Horia Necula: “Thank you for the invitation and for the honour to give this award that is directly aimed at us. I want to congratulate all the companies involved in the university environment. The winning partnership is one that already has a history and a future. I would like to mention that, besides supporting the university environment, this partnership also aims to support engineering in general terms. The winner in this category is Honeywell.”

The award was accepted by Mihai Brana, general manager of Honeywell Romania: “Thank you for this award. It is very important to us and we are honoured to receive it. It is a partnership award and we should share it with our partners. I would like to thank extraordinary people with whom I had a special collaboration and I refer here to the teachers from the Romanian higher education, the Politehnica Bucharest, the Technical University of Civil Engineering, Politehnica Timisoara, and the Junior Achievement Foundation. We are a company with over 2,500 employees in Romania, two production units, an engineering centre in Bucharest and we need highly trained engineers. For us, investing and collaborating with the university environment is a priority and we hope to continue the ongoing projects. Thank you!”

BRAND OF THE YEAR IN ENERGY – ELECTRICA

This award recognizes the popularity aspect of an energy company brand. The nomination process for this award was conducted online exclusively, with online voters proposing and assessing the nominees.

This category welcomed companies such as Adrem, Electrica, Hidroelectrica, Mol, Transgaz, and Tinmar.

The award was presented by Radu Dudau: “There were six very strong candidates at this category but it was the public who voted for Electrica. It is a good sign for a company with a new strong management.”

Accepting the award, Corina Popescu, CEO Electrica, said: “Thank you very much. It is a prize for all those working in Electrica, a prize that recognizes the Electrica brand. We have been with our clients for 120 years and want to be with them for at least another 120 years. Thank you very much!”

ENERGY FINANCING AWARD – EXIMBANK

This award recognizes the achievements of a financial institution that demonstrated a successful track record of financing the energy sector. The award was presented by Valeriu Binig and was received by EximBank, for its 150 million RON financing to Romelectro.

Accepting the award, Oana Cringasu, Director, EximBank, said: I would like to congratulate the organizers for this special gala and for the fact that for eight years in a row they have managed to reunite very important names in the energy sector. I would like to thank you for this important award on behalf of EximBank.”

EximBank has granted Romelectro, one of biggest EPC contractors for energy projects, a credit facility worth 150 million RON (32 million Euro), destined for funding ongoing projects in Romania and abroad.

The credit facility includes a financing component covering temporary cash needs, as well as letters of bank guarantee, and will provide the company with the necessary funding for the execution of ongoing contracts in Romania as well as international markets.

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT – ION LUNGU, AFEER

This award recognizes the lifetime achievements of an individual that demonstrates commitment to the energy sector creating a positive impact with the business in which they work.

The award was presented by Cosmin Belacurencu: “The award for the entire activity will be given to an energy personality, who has been active on this market for more than 40 years. He has a vast academic experience, has published numerous articles and studies in the field of energy. He is currently the president of AFEER. The winner is Ion Lungu!”

Accepting the award, Ion Lungu, president of AFEER, said: “I feel extremely honoured to receive this award, a prize that reflects an activity for over 40 years. I had the opportunity to work in many areas. It is a great surprise and a pleasure. Thanks to the jury for this award, and I hope my experience will be useful in developing a competitive electricity market.”

ASSOCIATION / NGO OF THE YEAR – CIVICTECH

Competing for the top prize at this category were AFEER, Civictech Romania, ESCOROM and RWEA. The award was presented by Marius Necula: “The jury has decided to give the award to an association with a project in the field of energy consumption monitoring, a very important area today when we talk about smart energy and smart city. I want to congratulate all the associations that were nominated. The winner is Civictech Romania.”

The award was accepted by Ludmila Stuparu, project manager Open Energy: “Thank you for this award. It is a pleasant surprise, especially because the Open Energy project is our first energy project. We are more a technology-focused organization, but we understand that data is the basis of any innovative project. We have implemented and developed the Open Energy platform where 24 public institutions in Bucharest and Alba Iulia publish their electricity consumption monthly. It is an innovative project that helps other organizations to develop innovative projects. Thank you for this prize, which shows us that we are going in the right direction.”