The Diplomat-Bucharest reveals the energy champions of 2024’s Energy Awards Gala

What a great evening we had at the 2024 Energy Awards Gala organized by The Diplomat and now in its 13th edition! As every year, the flagship event of The Diplomat-Bucharest celebrated excellence in energy and the impressive achievements of the winners at the InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest.

These things would not have been possible without the support of our great partners, to whom we would like to say a big thank you: 

Gold Partners Adrem, Restart Energy, Hidroelectrica, E.ON, Distributie Energie Electrica Romania, Schneider Electric, Nuclearelectrica, Tinmar Energy, Romgaz, Delgaz Grid, EVRYO, Getica 95

Partners INFORM, Eximprod Grup, FPPG, Exim Banca Romaneasca, OMV Petrom, Transelectrica, PNE

Supporting Partners ACUE, AHK Romania, HENRO, Lovering & Partners, CCIFER, World Energy Council

Romania’s energy champions were decided by the esteemed jury committee, comprised of 8 top professionals from various business sectors: 

Bogdan Chiritoiu, President, Competition Council

Dan Dragan, Secretary of State, Ministry of Energy

Daniela Daraban, Executive Director ACUE,

Radu Dudau, Director, Energy Policy Group,

Silvia Vlasceanu, Executive Director HENRO,

Valeriu Binig, Director, Regulatory and Antitrust, Enel,

Cristina Dumitru, Consultant, GreenTech & Tax and Legal, Secretariat of the Arbitration Court, AHK Romania

Daniel Apostol, General Director, FPPG

A special thank you to our jury members for supporting this iconic event organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest!

And now it’s time to reveal the list of winners at the 2024 Energy Awards Gala:

AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN ENERGY 

The award for innovation in energy is given to a unique project in Romania that aims to complement various sources of renewable energy. The awarded project envisages the construction of the first floating photovoltaic system. The initiative is a pioneering one in Romania and represents a significant step towards sustainability, by exploiting the energy of the sun and water in an innovative way. But the real footprint of the project lies in its impact on the environment. By producing solar energy, it is estimated that greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by up to 332,622 kg of CO2 annually.

The prize in this category goes to TMK HYDROENERGY POWER, for the floating photovoltaic park on Lake Grebla, as part of the hydropower system near Reșita, Caraș-Severin county

BEST ENERGY FINANCING AWARD

The 2023 Financing Award in the energy sector is offered for a loan agreement worth 145 million euros to complete the first detritus installation in Europe at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (CNE Cernavodă). The project will increase the radiological safety of the power plant, further reduce the volume of radioactive waste, prioritizing the health of employees and allowing the reuse of the coolant and moderator (heavy water) after the tritium has been removed. Successful completion of the project will allow regular maintenance, retrofitting and eventually decommissioning to be undertaken more easily, safely and efficiently.

The award for this category is given to NUCLEARELECTRICA SA for the loan agreement signed with the European Investment Bank.

GREEN MOBILITY AWARD

The sustainable mobility category award is given for a project that aims to install 8,472 electric vehicle charging stations in Romania, Bulgaria and Lithuania over the next three years, as support for green mobility and the objectives of the EU Green Deal on sustainable transport and decarbonization. The installation of the stations will be done as a result of a loan of 40 million euros financed by the European Investment Bank. The investment is supported by the InvestEU program and is part of an investment strategy of approximately 146 million euros in the installation of 4,376 new charging stations for electric vehicles in Romania, 2,575 in Lithuania and 1,530 in Bulgaria.

We award the company ELDRIVE in this category

CUSTOMER-CENTRIC ENERGY COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The prize in this category goes to a company with a presence in the Romanian market for over 26 years. With a portfolio of clients from various economic sectors, from heavy industry to retail and from construction to IT, the company currently delivers products and services in Romania to four key markets. It is worth noting that these four markets collectively represent 70% of the organization’s global energy consumption and the company offers automation and consumption optimization solutions and systems adapted to each of them. Regarding the strategic approach to customer services, the company implements a stable process with 3 programs: Customer Persona, through which the company identifies the customer profile, Customer Journey Mapping – through which the customer experience is understood, and Customer Voice, a tool for measuring and analyzing customer satisfaction.

The award winner in this category is the company SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC ROMANIA

ENERGY TRANSITION AWARD

The energy transition award is given to an entrepreneurial company with Romanian capital that has set out since its establishment in 2015 to change the way energy is traded and supplied on the Romanian market. In 2016, the company launched the first energy franchise in Romania, accumulating over 10,000 customers on the free market in just one year. At the same time, it became the first electricity supplier in Romania to introduce digital tools for changing suppliers, a process carried out 100% online and in 2023, it will reach a turnover of 60 million euros. The company’s renewable energy division grew significantly in 2022 and 2023, aiming to double the 20.54 GW of energy produced and in 2023, their own brand of solar panels was also launched.

We offer this award to RESTART ENERGY ONE

SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR

The prize for energy sustainability goes to a company that, through its e-City division, carried out 40 lighting projects for town halls and public institutions in 19 counties in Romania in 2023. Through these, institutional customers ensure, on average, reductions in energy consumption energy between 60 percent and 70 percent. In total, more than 19,000 energy-efficient LED lamps were supplied and installed in these projects, mostly for street lighting, followed by those for footpath lighting projects. In total, town halls and public institutions that have chosen smart lighting solutions save 3,200 MWh per year for street, pedestrian or indoor lighting. The amount saved could be used to power a city with 15,000 LED street lights for a year.

The prize in this category is awarded to the company PPC ADVANCED ENERGY SERVICES ROMANIA (part of the PPC Group, formerly known as Enel X Romania)

RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY AWARD

The prize of this category is offered for the development of the largest photovoltaic park in Southeast Europe. The photovoltaic park was developed in Rătești in Argeș county and was inaugurated in 2023, with an investment of 102 million euros, with a capacity of 155 MWp and which did not benefit from any support scheme. As a result of this investment, the park is to produce approximately 220 GWh of electricity annually. According to the project data, the park can supply more than 100,000 households with clean energy, which means the elimination of 168,000 tons of CO2, thus contributing to Romania’s decarbonization objective, to ensure more than 30% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030 .

The prize in this category goes to the companies Nofar and Econergy, the developers of the project

DIGITAL INNOVATION AWARD

The digital initiative award is given to a company that launched a mobile application in 2023 that helps drivers manage their car ownership needs more easily and quickly. The application offers functionalities such as payment of bridge tolls, of the vignette and RCA insurance, among others. It can also facilitate the creation of ITP expiry notices or service appointments and offers the ability to organize and attach all the documents required to own a vehicle. The app which is free and can be downloaded from the application stores for users of the IOS and Android operating systems, it is focused on the needs of drivers and was developed based on the feedback provided by customers, as a digital tool with the role of “driver’s personal assistant”.

The digital innovation award goes to OMV Petrom for the CarHome app

ENERGY EDUCATION INITIATIVE AWARD

The prize for the initiative in education is offered for a project launched in 2023 dedicated exclusively to children and carried out in the 18 branches of the company that implemented it. Basically, the project is part of the energy education campaign and involves communicating to primary school students engaging information about electricity, green energy, environmental protection, energy saving and safety measures. In 2023, the campaign was carried out in more than 1000 primary schools.

The award for energy education is given to the company DISTRIBUTIE ENERGIE ELECTRICA ROMANIA for the Micul Energetician educational campaign

OIL AND GAS COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The Oil&Gas Company of the Year award is given to the largest producer and main supplier of natural gas in Romania. The company has extensive experience in the field of natural gas exploration and production, its history dating back more than 100 years. It also carries out geological exploration, produces methane gas, stores natural gas underground, performs interventions, capital repairs and special operations at wells and provides professional technological transportation services. In 2013, the company expanded its field of activity by assimilating the thermal power plant from Iernut, thus becoming a producer and supplier of electricity. The company’s financial data show a net profit of 2.8 billion of lei in 2023, with an increase of 10.4 percent compared to the previous year.

The prize of this category is given to ROMGAZ

OIL AND GAS PROJECT OF THE YEAR

The award in this category is given for the initiative to develop the largest natural gas project in the Romanian area of the Black Sea. The data show that this project will provide a total volume of approximately 100 billion cubic meters of gas, Romania becoming the largest producer of natural gas in the EU. Investments are planned to reach 4 billion euros for the development of the project and natural gas production is expected to start in 2027. To illustrate the size of the project: the production is equivalent to the current annual natural gas demand of approximately 4.3 million households multiplied by 30 times. The project is a major step for Romania’s energy transition strategy until 2030.

The Oil and Gas Industry Project of the Year award goes to OMV PETROM & ROMGAZ for the Neptun Deep project

DECARBONIZATION EXCELLENCE AWARD

The prize in this category is awarded for the implementation in Doicesti, in Dâmbovița county, of the first NuScale plant with 6 small modular reactors and a capacity of 462 Mwe, in Romania this decade. The 6-module NuScale power plant is estimated to generate 193 permanent power plant jobs, 1,500 construction jobs, 2,300 manufacturing jobs and help Romania avoid 4 million tons of CO2 emissions per year. The development company’s priority is to implement a zero-carbon, safe and affordable base load power technology. It will support the Romanian Government’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan to phase out 4.59 GWe of coal-fired power generation by 2032.

The award goes to NUCLEARELECTRICA

ENERGY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AWARD

The prize in this category is given to the company that was financially involved in the renovation and expansion project of the oncology department of the Elias University Emergency Hospital. In September 2023, the completion of the renovation and expansion of the 1st floor of the adult oncology ward within the hospital was announced. The objective of the project is to create treatment conditions at European standards for patients with oncological pathology as well as the necessary infrastructure for medical staff, auxiliary staff and medical students. The company awarded in this category has invested, from 2013 until now, over 2.35 million euros in health projects, contributing to the improvement of medical treatment conditions for around 150,000 patients annually in multiple hospitals in Bucharest, Brașov and Constanța.

The award goes to ENGIE ROMANIA

INDUSTRY – UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR

The award in this category is given to a program run by two organizations for the implementation of an innovative tool that offers energy users a way to reduce their energy bills. Developed as the first mobile sustainability application in Romania, using probabilistic, statistical and AI techniques combined with energy expertise, this tool generates a personalized energy balance sheet for homes. Through this collaboration, the two devotees join forces to encourage responsible energy use and provide household consumers with all the information they need to make the best decisions regarding energy reduction.

This award goes to EFFICIENT ROMANIA, a program run by the Energy Policy Group (EPG) with the support of OMV Petrom and their partnership with RENERGIA, the technological start-up affiliated to the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca

ENERGY COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The prize in this category goes to the largest energy producer in Romania, which has stood out in recent years with one of the most notable performances on the Romanian capital market. The company’s data shows electricity production increasing by 30% in 2023 compared to 2022, for revenues increasing by 30%. In fact, in 2023, the company sets a record, with a historical net profit of 6.3 billion lei in 2023, up 42% compared to 2022. The company operates a number of 187 power plants, with a hydropower capacity of 6.3 GW. Added to them is the Crucea wind farm, with an installed power of 108 MW.

The Company of the Year award in the Romanian energy sector is given to HIDROELECTRICA

ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

The prize in this category is given to the company that completed in 2023 the construction of a gas cogeneration plant within the industrial platform in Râmnicu Vâlcea, in a project of 49 million lei, of which 19 million lei is non-refundable financing. The general objective of the project was to increase the energy efficiency of the company by installing a high-efficiency trigeneration plant of 6 MWe and recording savings on primary energy consumption by using the energy produced in a high-efficiency cogeneration system. The project, implemented between May 2022 and December 2023, benefited from non-refundable financing based on the financing contract concluded with the Ministry of European Funds.

The award for energy efficiency in 2023 is given to the manufacturer and supplier of chemical substances CHIMCOMPLEX, which operates the two industrial platforms in Oneşti and Râmnicu Vâlcea

ENERGY MANAGER OF THE YEAR

The prize of this category is given to the founders of a group of companies that reached 30 years of activity this year.

Recognized for its innovative spirit, this group constantly invests in new products, solutions and the development of edge computing applications. Through its services, it offers a complex portfolio of automation solutions, energy design and consultancy, development and production of equipment for electrical installations, including railways.

It is now a group of companies supported by an enthusiastic and dedicated team of over 400 employees.

The award is given to DOMENTE VASILE and GHEORGHE MANOLE, founders of EXIMPROD Grup.

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Tonight’s award is given to one of the outstanding personalities in Romanian energy. In 2000, the manager with a specialization in electrical engineering became the first female technical director in IRE Botoşani, her hometown. Being an increasingly visible presence in the energy sector, in 2002 she was proposed to come to Bucharest, at Electrica, to organize the control department. In 2005, she took on another challenge that represented international projects and international collaboration at Transelectrica and a few years later, in 2006, she joined the CEZ Group team in Romania, starting the activity in the private sector.

The award for excellence is given to Mrs. DOINA VORNICU

ENERGY PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

The award in this category is given to a leader in the energy sector who leads a company with notable performance in recent years. The award-winning manager has been the general manager of a strategic energy company in Romania since 2017. Starting in 2019, he is the first and only Romanian member of the WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators) Board of Directors worldwide. The company he leads has a constant evolution on the capital market and in the period 2018-2023, the company increased its profit from 410,611 thousand lei in 2018 to 2.4 billion lei in 2023. It is also one of the largest local recruiters, employing approximately 800 people in the last 3 years.

The prize is given to Mr. COSMIN GHIțA, CEO of Nuclearelectrica

DEAL OF THE YEAR

The award in this category is awarded for the completion of the transaction through which the award-winning company acquired the shares held by the Enel Group in Romania, successfully completing its first major expansion on the foreign market. The completion of the transaction represents a landmark event for the company’s growth strategy, through the acquisition of a significant portfolio of renewable projects (both completed and under development), but also of electricity distribution and supply operations in Romania. As a result of these transactions, the group reaches almost 9 million customers and its total installed renewable energy production capacity increases to approximately 4.4 GW. The regulated asset base in the distribution sector increases by 40%.

The award is given to PPC Group

GREEN GAS PROJECT AWARD

The prize in this category is awarded to the 2023 completion of the “20HyGrid” pilot project,

which tested the technical feasibility of supplying homes with a mixture of natural gas (80%) and hydrogen (20%) through the current natural system. gas infrastructure, in order to identify a solution for partial decarbonisation of the thermal sector. The main conclusion of the project, carried out for the first time in Romania, is that the use of the mixture in existing distribution networks, installations and devices for use at customers, without the need for any modification to them, is technically possible and without additional risks compared to the use of natural gas.

We are thus awarding DELGAZ GRID for the successful implementation of the 20HyGrid project

BRAND OF THE YEAR IN ENERGY

This year, the online votes were directed to one of the most performing companies in the Romanian state portfolio, standing out for the exceptional economic results of recent years, the diversification of the portfolio and the opening of new business lines based on the corporate governance principles of the company. But above all, one of the most notable performances of the energy sector in Romania was the launch of the company in July 2023 on the Regulated Market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange following an offer of 1.9 billion euros carried out by Fondul Proprietatea, being the third largest worldwide listing in 2023.

BRAND OF THE YEAR IN ENERGY is, for the 2nd consecutive year, HIDROELECTRICA.

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