Unlocking Energy System Efficiency: The Strategic Role of Hydrogen Infrastructure in Sector Coupling

Joachim Balke

Head of Unit C.4 DG Energy, European Commission

Ralph Bahke

Managing Director, ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH, Hydrogen Area Sponsor and Board member, GIE

Ralph Bahke began his career at Verbundnetz Gas AG (now VNG AG), Leipzig, in 1994. In 2001, he moved to the gas transport division and in 2006 took on various management tasks in the area of network marketing at the then newly founded transmission system operator ONTRAS. Since November 2008, he has been one of the two managing directors at ONTRAS, responsible for commercial affairs and corporate development.

Ralph Bahke holds various supervisory board mandates in national and European companies and organizations. Following his position as Chairman of the Board of FNB Gas e.V., he has been active on the Board as Deputy Chairman since 2020. Ralph Bahke has been a member of the Board of GIE - Gas Infrastructure Europe since January 2021.

Andrej Guminski

Managing Director, FfE

Stephan Kigle

Head of Energy System and Markets, FfE

Piotr Kuś

General Director, ENTSOG

Before joining ENTSOG in January 2022 as ENTSOG General Director, Piotr Kuś held the position of Deputy Director in the Development Division at GAZ-SYSTEM S.A., since January 2017. His main areas of responsibilities included international cooperation, institutional relations, cooperation with EU institutions and international trade organisations.

He was involved in a number of business development projects aimed at regional gas market development - both infrastructure projects in CEE region as well as LNG, booking platforms and cooperation with Energy Community. Within GAZ-SYSTEM H2 task force, he was engaged in evaluating new gases preparedness: working on readiness of the Polish gas networks, European Hydrogen Backbone, IPCEI initiatives and Hydrogen Storage Project in Poland. He represented the transmission sector in number of Partnerships for Hydrogen Economy Development and Biogas Development on National and European level.

Between 2019-2021, Piotr was GIE Board Member acting as a sponsor of the CH4 Area. Since 2016, he was a member of the GTE Executive Committee to supervise activities of future sustainable solutions in the natural gas infrastructure. Prior to that, between 2008 and 2016, Piotr was Director of the Brussels Office of GAZ-SYSTEM, in charge of managing the company’s EU affairs.

Before joining GAZ-SYSTEM in 2008, he was employed by the Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG S.A.) and was seconded to its Representative Office in Brussels.

Piotr Kuś graduated from Warsaw School of Economics.

Piotr Kuś

Abel Enríquez

Director, ENNOH

Based in Brussels for more than 15 years, Abel Enríquez was appointed as Director for Pre-ENNOH on 11 December 2024. Previously, he was Head of EU Affairs and Organisations at Enagás, an international leader in the development, operation and maintenance of energy infrastructure, deeply committed to the energy transition and the development of renewable gases such as hydrogen. Abel is specialised in lobbying, public affairs, EU associations, energy policy and, gas/hydrogen sector regulation. He also co-chairs the Roundtable for Transmission and Distribution of Clean Hydrogen within the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance.

Abel has more than 20 years of experience in different EU affairs, being active in multiple European organisations and having had Board membership responsibilities in two of them. Previous positions for Abel include being Secretary General for a three-year period at Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), where he also held the position of Deputy Secretary General, and working on EU/International regulatory affairs at Enagás HQ in Madrid. Before joining Enagás, he had professional experiences in other sectors within international companies. Abel holds an MSc in Chemical Engineering and post-graduate studies in different fields, including the IESE Business School.

Daniel Fraile

Chief Policy & Market Officer, Hydrogen Europe

Lucie Boost

Secretary General, GIE

As Head of Public Affairs for Europe at Air Products, Lucie Boost led a team responsible for European and national energy affairs, focusing on key markets such as the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. Her expertise encompasses hydrogen, the integrated energy market, and CCUS, aligning perfectly with GIE’s strategic priorities.

Prior to joining Air Products in January 2023, Lucie spent 13 years at Equinor, where she held various leadership positions in natural gas sales, regulatory affairs, and public affairs. During her tenure at Equinor, she gained extensive experience in gas regulation, hydrogen, and CCS, representing the company in esteemed organisations such as Eurogas, the European Federation of Energy Traders, the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers, the Zero Emissions Platform, and Hydrogen Europe.

Lucie holds a Licence degree in Political Science and International Relations from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and is proficient in Dutch, English, and French.

Rodrigo Freitas Barbosa

Deputy Head of Section, System Development, ENTSO-E

Philipp Tschinke Parsché

Head of EU Brussels Office, Salzgitter AG

Luis Ignacio Parada

President, GLE, Energy Policy & Regulation Director, Enagás

Luis Ignacio Parada is EU Energy Policy & Regulation Director at Enagás, the main gas transmission, LNG and gas storage operator in Spain. He has 25 years of experience in the energy sector, where he has specialised in energy economics, gas and hydrogen sector regulation and energy policy. Before joining Enagás, Luis started his career in 1998 at Gas Natural, and worked in NERA Economic Consulting from 2001 to 2004. Since May 2023 he has served as Board member in ENTSOG and in GIE (Gas Infrastructure Europe), and since January 2024 he has been serving as President in GLE (Gas LNG Europe). He is also engaged as Board member in EASEE-gas since March 2019, and was a member of the Executive Committee of GTE (Gas Transmission Europe) from December 2020 to May 2023. Luis Ignacio holds an Executive MBA from IESE Business School and a MSc. in Applied Economics. He graduated in Economics at Universidad de Salamanca (Spain).

Nicolai Romanowski

Senior Energy Manager, Cefic

Nicolai Romanowski is Senior Energy Manager of the EU chemical industry association, focusing on energy policy and its interface with competitiveness issues in the transition towards climate neutrality.

Philip Christiani

Partner at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), Renewable Hydrogen Coalition