Director of the Energy Community Secretariat visits the Pančevo Oil Refinery

Janez Kopač, the Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, visited the Pančevo Oil Refinery together with Kirill Kravchenko, the Chief Executive Officer of NIS. Kopač was informed about the operation of the new unit for the production of the Euro-quality fuel, as well as about the Company's investment plans in the upcoming period. NIS is one of the largest energy companies in South East Europe and the most profitable company in Serbia, which was the first to establish its representative office in Brussels and which realises a significant portion of its exports in the European Union. “A successful international company such as NIS which wants to become a regional actor certainly has a positive effect on Serbia's integration in the European Union. Young, educated, energetic people running this company and working in it deserve the credit for everything that has been achieved and all the investments the effect of which I could see in Pančevo,” Kopač said. He positively assessed the cooperation between the two shareholders of NIS, Gazprom Neft and the Government of the Republic of Serbia. In regard to the Plandište wind farm NIS is building together with private investors, Kopač said he was pleased that a new actor was to appear in the electricity market, but also assessed it was for the competent authorities to define the terms of guaranteed purchase of electricity from renewable energy sources as soon as possible since that has so far been the greatest obstacle to investment in this area. Janez Kopač, who as the head of the Energy Community Secretariat is responsible for the organisation, development and implementation of strategic activities, is to take part at a large regional energy conference Energy Arena to be organised in Belgrade on 23 October by NIS. The Energy Community is an international institution founded in 2005 pursuant to the Treaty between the European Union, on the one hand, and nine countries of South East Europe and the Black Sea region on the other. Its aim is economic and social development of these countries, stability in energy supply and attraction of investment to this region.