Conference Energy Sector

Zagreb, 22 November 2024 - The conference Energy Sector – Opportunities and Challenges was held today, jointly organized by Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ), part of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, and the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP). On behalf of the organizers, Irena Weber, Director General of HUP, and Dario Massimo Grassani, Deputy CEO of PBZ, addressed the participants, emphasizing the importance of this conference, given that the development of the energy sector has an extremely large impact on economic activity and growth of the country. The country's energy and climate policy, as well as ensuring energy security, requires continuous cooperation of all stakeholders and significant investments in new sources of energy production, energy infrastructure, as well as the preservation of existing sources and their efficient consumption.
In addition to the participation of key stakeholders from the energy sector, the conference was attended by  Marija Vučković, Minister of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, who presented an action plan for strengthening the efficiency of environmental impact assessment procedures, and a representative of the Ministry of Economy, Kristina Čelić, Director of the Energy Directorate, who spoke about key national strategic initiatives in the energy sector.
The conference was  attended by H.E. Paolo Trichilo, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the Republic of Croatia.

The conference presented the ENEMED Energy Report for Croatia, prepared by the Economic Research Center SRM - Studi Ricerche per il Mezzogiorno (Intesa Sanpaolo Group) in cooperation with the Polytechnic University of Turin, with a particular focus on the situation in the country and the future development of renewable energy sources, presented by Massimo Deandreis, General Manager SRM, and Professor Ettore Bompard from the Polytechnic University of Turin.
The report provides an overview of the Croatian energy landscape, highlighting the main trends, statistics, policy initiatives, investments in the energy sector and their perspectives.

Massimo Deandreis, General Manager SRM Economic Research Centre related to Intesa Sanpaolo, said: “The Report - carried out thanks to the cooperation with the Polytechnical University of Turin and PBZ - shows how the energy sector is strategic for Croatia, which clearly outlined its future path in pursuing decarbonization, energy efficiency and security together with innovation and competitiveness of its market. Croatian energy and climate policies are supporting this important transformation.  The Country shows a rising importance of renewable sources in its energy supply. Our Report remarks that Croatia is positively and significantly shifting its strategies to reach decarbonization and energy sustainability.”

The conference also included an industry panel entitled Investments in the Energy Sector as a Driver of Economic Growth, attended by: Gordan Kolak, CEO of Končar d.d. Group, Hrvoje Šimović, Member of the Management Board of INA d.d; Petar Sprčić, Member of the Management Board of HEP d.d.; Mario Klarić, Member of the Management Board of Professio Energia d.d.; Ph.D. Ante Ćurković, ENCRO d.o.o. and Vedrana Jelušić Kašić, member of the Management Board of PBZ. The panel was moderated by Nataša Novaković, Director for ESG at HUP. The discussion focused on Croatia's energy transition towards sustainable energy sources, key projects, energy security and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, energy efficiency and energy-related regulations and cooperation to achieve greater competitiveness of the Croatian economy.