INTERVIEW

Moravian-Silesian Region from

Daniel Beneš’s point of view

Daniel Beneš, MBA, General Manager and Chairman of the Board of Directors ČEZ, a.s. was

born in Havířov where he finished grammar school. He then graduated from the Department of

Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Ostrava. He set off on his management path as

a decision-maker in leading companies in the Moravian-Silesian Region. In 2004 Mr Beneš joined

ČEZ, a.s., and in 2011 he became the CEO. Being a representative of one of the greatest Czech

companies, and based on his achievements as a manager, he was elected Vice-President of the

Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, and awarded Manager of the Year 2014.

The continuing development of the Czech economy

affects the needs of the market, including power, heat

and gas supplies as well as production and consumption

profiles.The nature of industrial production in the

Moravian-Silesian Region is also changing: energy

savings and ecology are emphasized, the importance

of fossil fuels in the energy mix is decreasing while the

use of renewable resources and decentralized power

production is increasing. What are your visions and

projects in these spheres?

The production of energy nowadays is going through

the most significant changes in the past 50 years. Europe

has decided to gradually turn its policies toward clean

resources. We all want better quality air to breathe; that

is good news for the Moravian-Silesian Region because

its air pollution often comes from the Czech Republic

and Poland as well. It is a global trend aiming at the

struggle against climate change which is more and more

frequently seen in the Czech Republic. ČEZ does not shy

away: we have supported the Paris Agreement, and we

have promised to reduce emissions per megawatt hour

by 46 % by 2020. In 2050 we want all the energy in the

Czech Republic to be produced from zero emission

sources. Technological progress is rapid, and I sincerely

believe that by then we will have solved all the troubles

we are nowadays facing when integrating renewable

sources in our networks.

The Czech Republic has, of course, had some bad

experience with the so-called “solar boom”, however,

none of that should happen again. I am convinced that

Czechs have learnt their lesson, moreover, the costs

of technologies is decreasing rapidly along with as

the price of energies coming from renewable sources

which have already entered competitive markets

abroad. Experience from other countries also proves

that, compared to the quite recent past, costs have

plummeted by 90 %.

My message to our industry representatives is: the

transition towards renewable sources will be gradual.

There is nothing to worry about, we just need to get

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