CNR-CME appoints Prof. Dr. Eng. Ion LUNGU as the new president

Following the General Assembly of the Romanian National Committee of the World Energy Council (CNR – CME), held on February 20, 2025, Prof. Dr. Eng. Ion Lungu was elected as President of CNR-CME. Mr. Ion Lungu replaces Mr. Ioan Dan Gheorghiu, whose mandate as President of CNR-CME ended in November 2024.

The executive management team of CNR-CME for the period 2025-2028 is formed by: Prof. Dr. Eng. Niculae Napoleon Antonescu, Vice President of CNR-CME  and Prof. Dr. Eng. Ștefan Gheorghe, Executive Director General.

Mr. Ion Lungu graduated from the Faculty of Energy in Bucharest in 1975 and received his PhD in engineering in 1988. He has almost 50 years of experience in the energy field and has held various management positions: general manager at Electrica SA Bucharest, president of ANRE, general manager of SC CEZ Trade Romania, president of the Association of Energy Suppliers in Romania (AFEER). Mr. Ion Lungu also had an academic activity of over 30 years as a supervisor and lecturer at the “Politehnica” University of Bucharest, professor at the “Valahia” University of Târgoviște and associate professor at ASE Bucharest.

Between 1979-2023 he held various positions in prestigious national and international organizations: president of AFEER, member of CIGRE – as Romania’s representative in the C5 Study Committee, “Electricity Markets and Regulations”, and coordinator of the C5-9 Working Group, member of the Steering Committee of the Romanian Association of Energy Policies (ARPE), member of the presidium of ERRA (Regional Association of Energy Regulators), member of the Consultative Council of ANRE, advisor, member of the Scientific Council and member of the Steering Committee of CNR-CME.

He has published, as co-author, six books, and as author and co-author, 39 articles in specialized journals and 95 articles in conference volumes in the country and abroad in the field of high voltage technology, the use of electrical energy and regulations in the energy sector. He has also been a speaker at over 25 international conferences. For his work, he was decorated with the National Order of Merit, in the rank of Knight (2003) and is an Honorary Citizen of the commune of Pârscov, Buzău county (2001).

Upon taking over the position of President of CNR-CME, Mr. Ion Lungu stated: “I have been collaborating within CNR – CME since the early 2000s, initially as a member of the Board of Directors, and currently as a member of the Scientific Council. My election as President of CNR-CME is a great honor for me and I thank you very much. I would like to assure you that, together with Mr. Vice President Niculae Napoleon Antonescu, Mr. Executive Director General Ștefan Gheorghe and all the other members of the Board of Directors, we will work to fulfill with professionalism, responsibility and dignity the main objective of CNR-CME, namely the training and capacity-building of entities with energy responsibilities and specialists in the field in sustainable economic development, the efficient use and valorization of energy resources, in order to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the Romanian economy, and, ultimately, the well-being and improvement of the quality of our lives.”

Mr. Prof. Emeritus Dr. Eng. Niculae Napoleon Antonescu, a graduate of the Bucharest Institute of Oil and Gas (IPGB) – Faculty of Petroleum Machinery and Equipment, is Honorary Rector of UPG Ploiești, Honorary President of AGIR Prahova and President of the Scientific Council of CNR-CME. With an impressive experience and activity of over 60 years in the energy field with specialization in the oil field, from the very beginning of his career, Mr. Napoleon Antonescu was a teacher at the Department of Petroleum Equipment Construction Technology at UPG Ploiești, where he went through all the hierarchical steps, up to that of professor emeritus and rector of the University. He is one of the founders of the Institute of Oil and Gas/University Center of Ploiești and the one who, after 1989, initiated, promoted and coordinated the process of transformation, modernization and development of the Institute of Oil and Gas, today the University of Oil and Gas of Ploiești. He distinguished himself through his scientific and academic scope, as well as through the remarkable way of approaching the mission of teaching staff in higher education, including in the sphere of high-performance management.

Upon his re-election as Vice President of CNR-CME, Professor Niculae Napoleon Antonescu stated: “I am honored by my re-election as Vice President of CNR-CME, an Association that represents the pillar of non-governmental organizations in the field of energy and that attracts notable personalities in the field and important companies in the field to its membership. Through its entire activity, and especially through the events it organizes, our Association represents a strong voice in the energy sector in Romania and is recognized at the level of the World Energy Council as one of its most active organizations. I wish to continue to participate and get involved in all the projects of the Association and I thank you for this honor”.

Prof. Dr. Eng. Ștefan Gheorghe is a graduate of the Politehnica University of Bucharest – Faculty of Energy and a teaching staff member within the same faculty. Mr. Ștefan Gheorghe has over 30 years of experience in the Romanian energy sector and has held various positions in the execution and management of electricity transmission, distribution, supply and generation activities. He has been the Executive Director General of CNR-CME since November 2017 and has made important and constant contributions to the development and consolidation of this Association, recognized in the country and at the level of the World Energy Council.

“Thank you for my re-election as Executive Director General of CNR-CME. I am honored to be able to continue the activities of our Association and to be equally actively involved in all the projects we develop in the country and at the level of the Committees and Study Groups of the World Energy Council. We wish Mr. Ion Lungu every success in his new capacity as President of CNR-CME and Mr. Nicolae Napoleon Antonescu, as Vice President of the Association. We are convinced of a beautiful and solid collaboration. We also thank Mr. Ioan Dan Gheorghiu, one of the founding members of CNR-CME, for the work he carried out as president of CNR-CME until 2024,” stated Prof. Dr. Ștefan Gheorghe, Executive Director General of CNR-CME  in his message.