Distribuție Energie Electrică Romania (DEER) is organizing the fourth edition of the Energy Cybersecurity Forum on 29–30 October 2026 in Cluj-Napoca. The event brings together high-level representatives of public authorities, leaders of major energy companies, IT and cybersecurity specialists, technology companies, and representatives of academia.
The list of confirmed speakers for this year’s edition reflects the Forum’s scope and multidisciplinary nature. Participants include representatives of the European Parliament, the Romanian Parliament, the Ministry of Energy, ANRE, STS and DNSC, alongside chief executives and members of the management teams of major companies in the energy sector, IT and cybersecurity experts, and rectors and deans of prestigious universities.
Romania’s Minister of Energy, Dumitru Chisăliță, has been invited to attend this year’s Forum, reflecting the strategic importance of cybersecurity for the national energy sector. His participation represents an important opportunity to strengthen dialogue between public authorities, energy operators and cybersecurity specialists, with a view to enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure.
In an increasingly digitalized, automated and interconnected energy system, cybersecurity is no longer exclusively a technical challenge. Protecting critical infrastructure requires tailored public policies and regulations, investment, advanced technologies, response and recovery capabilities, as well as the training of specialists capable of managing emerging risks. The fourth edition of the Forum aims to bring all these perspectives to the same table.
“Cybersecurity in the energy sector cannot be built in isolation. We need cooperation between public authorities, energy operators, technology companies, specialists and academia. The Forum provides precisely this framework for dialogue, where we can discuss real risks, explore solutions and consider how to build a better-prepared and more resilient energy sector,” said Mihaela Rodica Suciu, Chief Executive Officer of Distribuție Energie Electrică Romania.
Day One: Public Policy, Executive Leadership and Emerging Technologies
The first day of the Forum opens with the panel “Cybersecurity in Energy: Public Policy, Regulation and National Resilience,” dedicated to institutional cooperation in protecting critical energy infrastructure.
The announced speakers include Istvan Lorant Antal, Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Infrastructure and Mineral Resources; Sandor Bende, Chair of the Chamber of Deputies Committee on Industries and Services; Daniel Buda, Member of the European Parliament; Mădălin Borș, Vice-Chair of the Chamber of Deputies Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications; Ovidiu Cîmpean, Vice-Chair of the Chamber of Deputies Committee on European Affairs; George-Sergiu Niculescu, President of ANRE; Sorin Elisei, Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy; Gabriel David, First Deputy Director of STS; and Gabriel Dinu, Deputy Director of DNSC.
The second panel, “Cybersecurity on the CEO Agenda: Leadership, Investment and Operational Continuity,” brings together leaders from major energy companies: Alexandru Chiriță, CEO of Electrica; Mihaela Rodica Suciu, CEO of Distribuție Energie Electrică Romania; Iulius Dan Plaveti, Chairman of the Management Board of Hidroelectrica; Ion Sterian, CEO of Transgaz; Ondrej Safar, Country Manager at Evryo Group; and Virgiliu Ivan, Director of the National Energy Dispatch Centre within Transelectrica, alongside other representatives of the energy industry.
The discussions will highlight the role of executive leadership in managing cyber risks, investing in security and ensuring operational continuity.
The day continues with the panel “The Future of Cybersecurity in Energy: Innovation, Emerging Technologies and Solutions for Critical Infrastructure,” which will showcase the expertise of national and international technology companies.
The speakers include Roxana Clement, Managing Director of HPE Romania; Cătălina Niculiță, Systems Engineering Manager at Cisco; Silviu Pufan, SecOps Solutions Systems Engineer at Fortinet; and Alex Luigi Ricobon, BISO Europe at NTT DATA.
The discussion will address IT–OT convergence, artificial intelligence and solutions tailored to increasingly digitalized energy infrastructure.
Following the panel discussions, the Forum’s partners will deliver a series of presentations showcasing cybersecurity solutions, products, services and case studies, with a particular focus on solutions relevant to energy infrastructure.
Day Two: Developing Cybersecurity Talent and Strengthening Resilience
The second day features a panel with a distinctive focus: “Universities and Employers in the Age of AI: Who Is Training Tomorrow’s Cybersecurity Specialists?”
The discussion brings together representatives of academia and industry, including Vasile Țopa, Rector of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca; Alin Diniță, Rector of the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești; Lăcrămioara Diana Robescu, Dean of the Faculty of Energy Engineering at the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest; Ion Bica, Dean of the Faculty of Information Systems and Cybersecurity at the “Ferdinand I” Military Technical Academy; and representatives of energy companies.
The discussion will focus on specialist training, practical experience and internships, the skills required by industry, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the labour market.
The Forum’s final panel, “Cyber Resilience of the Energy System: How Quickly Can We Recover from an Attack?”, will bring to the forefront the perspectives of specialists responsible for managing IT, OT and automation infrastructure.
The panel will feature Eusebiu Rotaru, Director of the IT Systems and Automation Directorate at DEER; Cătălin Vlad, Director of the IT&C Department at Electrica; Sergiu Lascu, Chief Information Officer at Transgaz; and Marius Iulian Roșu, Chief Information Security Officer at PPC.
The discussion will examine the ability to contain the impact of a cyber incident, maintain service continuity and safely restore the operation of critical infrastructure.
Across two days of discussions, the fourth edition of the Energy Cybersecurity Forum will address the full spectrum of cyber resilience: from public policy and regulation to leadership and investment, technologies and solutions, specialist training, and the practical capacity to respond to and recover from cyber incidents.