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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