The weather and geopolitical changes of recent years have strongly highlighted the urgent need for the green transition, as well as the fact that both supply security and affordability are critically important. This puts immense pressure on corporate decision-makers and Hungarian energy policymakers to find ways to meet this triple objective simultaneously. This pressure raises many questions, ranging from the procurement and domestic extraction of fossil fuels to network development tasks, increasing flexibility, and maximising the use of both weather-dependent and independent renewable energy production solutions. At the same time, there is an urgent need for more efficient energy use and a significant expansion of various energy storage solutions to ensure that the green transition and the use of clean energy sources can be a sustainable and progressive process, one that also requires a wide range of smart and digitalised solutions.          All of this brings many substantial topics to the surface; for this reason, Portfolio's traditional autumn energy summit, the Portfolio Energy Investment Forum, offers everyone an exceptional opportunity for networking and staying informed. We invite you to join our all-day, practice-oriented professional conference! This was the Energy Investment Forum 2024:

In Europe, Hungary continues to have some of the highest gas and electricity prices for companies, meaning that both small and large businesses still face the pressure to reduce their energy costs through energy efficiency and renewable energy investments, as well as more conscious energy procurement, while also advancing towards their green goals. Our all-day event will explore these three key questions, continuing from our highly successful Corporate Energy Management conferences of the past two years. The event will cover, among other topics, the opportunities of the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme, experiences with energy audits, best practices in energy procurement, as well as the opportunities and risks associated with solar and wind power plants and energy storage installations. The event will explore various aspects of effective energy management, the opportunities in digitalisation and artificial intelligence, as well as the numerous tasks involved in achieving sustainability goals. One of the main objectives of our event is to showcase concrete experiences, company case studies, and best practices, allowing participants to enrich themselves with tangible results and valuable information. Join us and listen to what leading experts in several key energy sectors recommend for consideration, how they approach their work, and what outlooks they have for the future!

Although energy prices have fallen significantly in the past two years, there is still considerable pressure both on Hungarian energy policy and the private sector to move towards greener, more energy-efficient and sustainable operations. This keeps a multitude of pressing issues at the forefront, from fossil fuels to the challenges of system integration after the solar boom to the use of other renewables, from grid development, power plant construction and energy communities to battery energy storage. The trend towards electrification and greening represents numerous challenges, new rules and opportunities along the way, placing continuous pressure on all actors in the energy sector, from governments and regulatory bodies to fossil and renewable energy producers, traders and consumers, from grid operators and actors working in digitalisation and innovation to those involved in financing, business and legal advice. Therefore, the Portfolio Energy Investment Forum, our traditional autumn energy summit, offers an exceptional opportunity for everyone to meet and get informed. Join us and experience it at our all-day, practice-oriented professional conference with several parallel sessions! This was the Energy Investment Forum 2023:  

Hungary had by far the highest electricity prices in the EU for medium and large business consumers in the first half of 2023, and gas prices were also particularly high in several consumer bands. This has created a significant cost competitiveness disadvantage for many firms, so it remains crucial to discuss the opportunities for companies to procure electricity and gas, the contractual frameworks, their potential risks, and the likely evolution of energy prices and hedging strategies.  The cheapest energy is the energy that is not consumed so there is no need to produce or buy it – which is why energy consciousness should also be about how companies can reduce their energy use through energy efficiency investments and optimise it through digitalisation and smart solutions. However, conscious corporate energy management is about much more than that, as it takes a comprehensive look at the many issues of energy production, use, and procurement, all of which will be discussed at our event.  How will the company's energy use change in the coming years and how will its short-term customer profile evolve in light of energy efficiency investments? How should you plan to meet your company's energy needs from your own solar generation with storage, and how should you purchase the remaining demand and sell the excess energy? How can energy communities and aggregators help in dealing with these possibilities and risks? What are the consequences and benefits of optimising energy use and demand-side response? When purchasing energy, should you conclude a fixed-price, indexed, or maybe mixed-price electricity and gas contract, and what payment and delivery terms should you pay attention to? For whom and under which circumstances is it better to conclude a short-term or a long-term power purchase contract? How can renewable energy investments and guarantees of origin help to achieve greening targets and meet customer needs, and what should be done to avoid greenwashing?  There are many burning questions, the answers to which will bring us closer to optimising energy procurement and use, and achieving conscious energy management. Our professional conference aims to help with this by presenting practical experiences.

The energetics trilemma set incredible challenges for Hungary in 2022, and it will not be different in 2023 either since we need energy that is as cheap and as green as possible, but the security of supply, i.e. continuous availability, is also a key issue. This triple challenge will be the focus of Portfolio’s Energy Investment Forum conference in autumn 2023, where we will thoroughly discuss many questions regarding possibilities for war-induced divestment from Russian fossil fuels and diversification, the parallel advancement of renewable energy, EU climate goal challenges, the expected great transformation of the Hungarian energy mix and the impetus of electrification. The complex range of topics demonstrates well that our one-day summit conference is an absolutely important meeting point and a possibility of learning new information for all players in the energy sector, including the side of the government, regulators and advisors, as well as generators, network operators, energy traders and, naturally, users. Come and find out what the future holds for the market and how domestic energy companies respond to the challenges ahead!

Large uncertainty prevails in the EU gas and electricity market; as a result, many Hungarian companies can only access energy on radically different price levels and contract terms. For how long can this last and what prices and contractual frameworks can be expected in the following period? How and through what solutions can decision-makers responsible for energy procurement in small, medium, and large companies prepare for this in time and consciously? How and through which energy efficiency solutions can companies’ gas and electricity consumption and thus, costs, be reduced; and what – expected national and EU – regulatory frameworks should be considered when planning energy procurement? Portfolio’s new professional event, Corporate Energy Procurement 2023 will focus on these topics affecting companies’ everyday operations. Our objective with the half-day conference is to gather those practice-oriented information and concrete examples, and best practices, that can aid companies’ efficient, conscious energy procurement and cost efficiency in a challenging business operation.

In many ways, we have had an unprecedented few months, and the next period will be no different -  the energy sector is a crucial focal point for world events and their consequences. The past year was all about the rising energy prices in the global economy; huge redistribution processes have started not only among domestic economic players but between home and abroad. There will be a lot to talk about at the Portfolio Energy Investment Forum 2022 conference. The main professional arch of the programme will be the security of supply, divestment from Russian oil and gas due to the war, and at the same time, the feasibility of sticking to the 2030 and 2050 climate targets since it is a big question how and on what timetable these two main EU strategic goals can be achieved simultaneously. Divesting from Russian energy sources seems to be a time-consuming and costly process for Hungary, while it is also likely to lead to permanently high energy prices. The latter incentivises the spread of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, but it may temporarily increase, for example, the utilisation of coal-fired power plants and the demand for regulators, such as gas-powered stations. All of this influences the creation of a sustainable (green) EU funding regulatory framework. All players in the energy sector, including the government, regulators and advisors, as well as generators, network operators, energy traders and, of course, users, need to be prepared to deal with the crisis. Find out what the future holds for the market and how domestic energy companies respond to the challenges ahead.

In many respects, we had an unprecedented couple of months. This goes for energy as well, as the pandemic led to major fluctuations in oil, gas, electricity or CO2 quota prices, while energy companies had to adapt not just to the new operating environment but also to the pandemic situation. But what are the main lesson we have learned? How will the operations of energy companies change? What future awaits us once the coronavirus pandemic ends? The central topics of this year's Energy Investment Forum, Hungary's definitive energy conference, will be the energy transition, decarbonisation and security of supply. Representatives of domestic and foreign energy companies will talk about the 'new normal' after the pandemic, how digitalisation permeates the operation of businesses, and how sustainability and profitability can be realised. Based on presentations and panel discussions, the audience will also be able to get a precise picture on the future role of natural gas and nuclear plants in energy transition, how infrastructure for alternative energy sources could be built in Hungary and in the region, how climate neutrality goals may be met, and what creating a cyclical economy will require from corporations and politicians.

The global economy has taken a huge blow early this year as the coronavirus outbreak escalated into a worldwide pandemic, and the energy industry could not avoid the manifold effects of the pandemic, either. One of Hungary's most prominent energy industry conferences will focus on the consequences of the coronavirus crisis and the major drop in fossil fuel prices this year. At the event, renowned experts in various fields will share their views on the future of the industry and the most timely issues, challenges and opportunities it now faces. Among other things, participants at our conference will receive detailed information on expected future oil prices; on the effect of dropping fossil fuel prices on the continued emergence of alternative energy sources; on innovation opportunities in the energy industry; on 2050 carbon neutrality targets and the related Hungarian plans; on Hungary's increasingly diversified gas supply; and on news in the domestic electricity industry. 

This year, one of Hungary's leading investment-focused energy conferences will focus on the upcoming fundamental changes to domestic gas and electricity supply, partly due to changes in global relations, and on the key challenges the energy industry faces as a result. As it has become a tradition at Portfolio's trade conferences, the most important events and trends in the industry, as well as the impact of these, will be presented and explained to participants by prominent professionals from the fields in question. Among other things, our audience will receive detailed information on Hungary's changes in gas supply import routes and the effect of these on prices and the gas sector as a whole; on changes arising from the updated National Energy Strategy and other regulatory news; on the new, more mature phase of the domestic subsidy system for solar energy; on what factors could influence, and how, energy prices in Hungary in 2020; on the anticipated cost of fossil energy generation and use as carbon-dioxide emission is becoming more expensive; on the increasingly pressing challenges of Hungary's electricity supply with regard to power plant and grid development; and on the latest developments in the EU's energy policy and the creation of a unified European energy market.