Almost five years after the publication of RED II (Renewable Energy Directive), three years after the announcement of Europe’s ambitions in hydrogen, two years after the entry into force of RED II, more than two years after the inclusion of hydrogen in the French energy code, one year after the Commission authorised public aid of …
In the aftermath of the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, European gas markets experienced a very bumpy road. Fears of empty storages and gas shortages for winter 2022/23 propelled prices to c. 350€/MWh at the end of August 2022. One year on, thanks to a massive recourse to LNG from the US, sharp …
As per Royal Decree-Law 3/2023 of 28 March this year, approval was given for the extension of the Iberian singularity, a mechanism that allows Spain and Portugal to “intervene” in the electricity market to reduce the impact of the energy crisis on end consumers. At the time, this piece of news caused a stir, being …
Iberian Singularity: balance of an exceptional year Read More »
On 13 December, in an enthusiastic press release, the European Commission welcomed the political agreement reached on the same day between the European Parliament and the European Council on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), better known by its Irish acronym CBAM, whose principle is to tax the carbon content of imports. According to the …
Following the public consultation held from 23/01/2023 to 13/02/2023, and during which Member States positioned themselves between two clearly defined sides, with radically opposed views (see our Newsletter from March: Electricity market reform (Part 2) : liberals strike back), on March 14th 2023, the European Commission published its initial proposal for the reform of the …
Commission’s proposal on the electricity market reform (Part 3): liberals score a point Read More »
There are definitely two opposing sides in the European debate on the electricity market reform… Before going into the details of the European political-war context, it is worth reviewing the exceptional energy situation of the last twelve months. The year 2022 is marked by a triple crisis: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which led to …
Electricity market reform (Part 2) : liberals strike back Read More »
In 2021, the return to a post-pandemic normality began to push up electricity bills in Europe. Already during the summer of 2021, Spain began its own battle for the EU to review the current market design, rejected by Brussels on the grounds that it would generate distortions in the markets. Spain argued that the marginalist …
With the recent adoption of the Regulation “concerning emergency measures to tackle high energy prices” (2022/1854 of 6 October 2022), the European Commission is putting in place a series of mechanisms to mitigate the impact of the current energy crisis. This regulation calls for coordinated measures to reduce consumption while, at the same time, allowing …
Just a few days into winter, EDF has only 39GW available out of a total of 61.4GW of its nuclear fleet. These figures are the consequence of a series of events that have taken place since the outbreak of COVID-19, hitting the French nuclear fleet and reducing its production, which in the past had steadily …
8 months after the start of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia, Ukrainians are resisting, and fighting back. Heavy western sanctions have been imposed on Russia and, as a result, Russian oil and gas supplies to Europe have fallen sharply. Energy “sobriety” has become the rule. Out of necessity because of extremely high prices for the unprotected …
Ukrainian crisis: how ready is Europe ahead of next winter? A focus on gas Read More »
Each month, one of our experts publishes an article describing his view on a specific topic of the constant changes taking place in the energy market, with special focus on the French market.
“Decarbonization of the Energy and Transport sectors is arguably today’s main economic driver for the industry.”
His career started in civil engineering as a Project Manager in France, Martinique and Australia. Afterwards, he became the General Manager of a subsidiary in Venezuela. In 1992, he established Dalkia in Germany (district heating, cogeneration, and partnerships) and represented Véolia in Thailand. In 2000, he opened the commercial office of Endesa in France to take advantage of the liberalized retail market. From 2006, as a development Manager at Endesa France, he led Endesa’s plan for Combined Cycle generation in France and developed the wind and PV portfolio of Snet at the same time. Philippe Boulanger worked for 3 years at E.ON’s headquarters coordinating the company´s activities in France. He was strongly involved in the French hydro concession renewal project. As a Senior Vice President – Project Director at Solvay Energy Services from April 2012 to February 2014 he was in charge of the H2/Power to gas and European direct market access deployment projects. Philippe has been an HES expert since 2014.
Philippe Boulanger holds engineering degrees both from the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale des Ponts & Chaussées (France) and has a combined experience of more than 25 years in energy and infrastructure. In addition to English, Mr. Boulanger is fluent in French, German & Spanish.
“The world is changing. New investors pay particular attention to the energy sector while historical actors adapt their position to the market.”
Antonio started his career in the electricity sector in 1991 working as a member of staff for the General Manager of Sevillana de Electricidad (Spain). In 1997, he was in charge of the commercial regulation at Endesa Distribution. In 2000, he joined Endesa’s European M&A department. He was appointed CEO of Endesa Power Trading Ltd in 2003. He became Head of Energy Management for SNET, France, in 2004 and was appointed CEO of this company in 2008. In 2009, he held the position of Head of Corporate Development for E.ON France. In 2011, he founded Haya Energy Solutions (HES), a consulting firm which assists companies in optimizing their value chain: from strategy definition to day-to-day operations, based on a strong experience and understanding of the energy industry. From 2015 to 2018, Antonio was Chairman and CEO of 2 French CCGTs (2x410MW), owned by KKR. At the end of 2018, he joined Asterion Industrial Partners, a dedicated infrastructure investment fund, as an Operating Partner.
Antonio graduated from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros of Seville (Spain) and holds an MBA degree from Deusto University (Spain).
