16.09.2025
On 11–12 September, the eighth edition of the Summer School “Management in Energy” took place — a joint project of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Utilities magazine. The training brought together more than 30 students, PhD candidates, and young professionals from energy companies, as well as 16 lecturers from business and academia.
The event was supported by leading energy and technology companies and sectoral associations. Sponsors included CWP Europe, the National Electric Company (NEK), OMV Petrom, MGaz, SUNOTEC, and Westinghouse. Partners of the initiative were the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (BNRA), Veolia, and the Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity (APSTE).
The Summer School was opened by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev — Dean of FEBA, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Utilities magazine — and Neda Stoeva, Senior Engineer at Westinghouse. In their welcoming remarks, they emphasized the importance of continuous knowledge development in the energy sector, the business community’s engagement in supporting educational initiatives, and the positive role of FEBA in fostering young industry specialists.
During the opening session, Assoc. Prof. Georgiev also presented several of the Faculty’s Master’s programs, which are attracting growing interest from both students and the business community, with the support of international organizations.
The goal of the Summer School is to provide participants from the energy sector with high-quality postgraduate training, delivering up-to-date insights into the fundamentals, practices, and current developments in the field of energy management. In addition, through its highly interactive format, the training serves as an opportunity for knowledge exchange and networking — both among participants and between lecturers, sponsors, and organizers. Participants who completed the Summer School received certificates from the Center for Educational Services at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
Lecturers at this year’s edition included:
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev, Dean, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
- Aleksandar Zahariev, Director of Strategic Development, Sunotec
- Velizar Cholakov, Manager of International Business Development, HEC Solar
- Viktor Garbev, Executive Vice President, CWP Global
- Gancho Radev, Director of Operations and Maintenance, Sunotec
- Zdravko Popov, Senior Originator, Axpo Bulgaria
- Dr. Eng. Ivaylo Naydenov, Board Member, Scientific and Technical Union of Power Engineers in Bulgaria
- Kalina Todorova, Head of Strategic Planning and Project Management Department, Hydroelectroinvest at NEK
- Kaloyan Staykov, Chairman of the Board, Energy Management Institute
- Kamelia Slaveykova, Chair of the Board of Directors, Shell Bulgaria
- Chief Assist. Prof. Dr. Mariya Trifonova, Deputy Director, Net-Zero Lab, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University
- Mariana Yaneva, COO, International Power Supply (IPS)
- Neda Stoeva, Senior Engineer, Westinghouse
- Nikola Gazdov, Chairman of the Board, Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity in Bulgaria (APSTE)
- Eng. Nikolay Minkov, Expert, Industry and Energy
- Svetoslav Benchev, Chairman of the Board, Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association
Participants in the Eighth Summer School “Management in Energy” explored topics related to regulation, markets, electricity trading, innovative solutions for nuclear power, wind energy solutions, energy storage technologies, modern photovoltaic applications, challenges for grid companies and the transport sector, hydropower development plans, as well as solutions and challenges in the era of artificial intelligence
All students and PhD candidates specializing in energy studies were able to attend the school free of charge thanks to the companies supporting the initiative. At the end of the training, they received course completion certificates issued by the Center for Educational Services at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.