Dr António Sá da Costa re-elected as EREF President.

Dr António Sá da Costa was unanimously re-elected as EREF President for the next two years by members of the European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF). 

Dr Sá da Costa was for 23 years president of APREN, the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association and has been Vice-President of EREF since 2004, before being elected as its president in 2018. He was already representing APREN as founding member of EREF 20 years ago. He holds a PhD in Water Resources from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has a profound background education and experience in renewable energy, having worked as Associated Professor of Hydraulics and Water Resources Technical University of Lisbon and as Consultant engineer for over 40 years, with special focus on studies and projects for small hydropower plants, wind farms and environmental studies. 

Upon his appointment, Dr Sá da Costa said: “Being re-elected president of EREF is for me an honour but also a recognition that EREF members entrust me to further lead the association in the next two years in very difficult times of the shake-up of the global economies and enormous restrictions to the liberty of the people under the Corona pandemic.” 

Dr. Dörte Fouquet, Director of EREF, added: “As much as we need social solidarity over the next decade in the EU and its Member States, we also need a clear green healing of our societies and economies. We still have a long way to go to reach the objectives defined in the Paris Agreement. The new Green Deal and the draft Climate law needs to have strong measures, clear and ambitious targets and a joint willingness to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero within the next 25 years.” 

And Dirk Hendricks, Secretary General of EREF, underlined: “With the cooperation of all national associations we at EREF expect from the European Commission, the European Parliament and Governments of EU Member States the help and the commitment to make all these objectives become true with a strong cross-partisan Green Deal, best before 2050. Independent renewable energy producers and citizens and community projects need to be supported as the most important backbone of our energy system change.”  

At the same time were elected Vice-Presidents Göran Bryntse (SERO, Sweden), Martin Bursik (Chamber of Renewable Resources, Czech Republic),Stefan Hantsch (IG Windkraft, Austria),  Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes (BEE, Germany), Alienke Ramaker (NVDE, The Netherlands), Savvas Seimanidis (GAREP, Greece)and  Ghislain Weisrock (FHE, France).  

E R E F European Renewable Energies Federation 
EREF asbl – Avenue Marnix 28 – 1000 Brussels Tel.: + 32 2 204 44 00 www.eref-europe.org 
Next to Dr Sá da Costa, EREF’s new Board is composed of the following representatives:

 Paul Ablinger (KWÖ, Austria)

 Göran Bryntse (SERO, Sweden)

 Martin Bursik (Chamber of Renewable Resources, Czech Republic)

 Claudius da Costa Gomez (Fachverband Biogas e.V., Germany)

 Stefan Hantsch (IG Windkraft, Austria)

 Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes (BEE, Germany)

 Stefan Pastötter (BDW, Germany)

 Robert Pays (EAF, France)

 Morten Victor Petersen (Danish Small Wind Turbine Association, Denmark)

 Bogdan Popa (ROSHA, Romania)

 Alienke Ramaker (NVDE, The Netherlands)

 Carlo Reeker (BWE, Germany)

 Savvas Seimanidis (GAREP, Greece)

 Ghislain Weisrock (FHE, France)

 Piotr Wisniewski (PIEGO, Poland)

 
The new Board is determined to continue its efforts to achieve a sound framework for the development of renewable energies and the decarbonisation of the energy sector. Notably, EREF will closely push for a coherent green recovery with a sound Green Deal which enables the whole economic sector to move away from coal, oil , gas and nuclear. The board will strive that the new Taxonomy Regulation is not undermined by nuclear or fossil gas interests through back doors. 

Coming to small and citizen projects in particular, the Board will strive for a continued specific regime for small scale installations in terms of access to the grid and balancing responsibilities while strengthening its outreach. The Board is also committed to modernise the industry in the EU towards sustainable and renewable powered companies.  
Nikos Vassilakos, former EREF President, was elected as honorary board member of EREF. As former head of the Greek Regulator and with longstanding career as energy economist and academic, he represents the association in the Expert Group of the European Commission on Interconnectors.  
For more information on this matter, please contact  
    

Dr. Dörte Fouquet  

EREF Director  

doerte.fouquet@eref-europe.org  

 

 

Dirk Hendricks

EREF Secretary General    

dirk.hendricks@eref-europe.org 

 

 

14 May 2020

EREF