Once again, this year IENE awarded the "Prometheus" Prize to distinguished personalities in the energy sector from Greece and SE Europe. For 2026, the recipients of the “Prometheus” Prize included three senior IENE partners and namely Professor Pantelis Capros, Mr. Spyros Palaiogiannis, and Mr. Slavtcho Neykov. They are all long-standing partners of the Institute with a remarkable career in various facets of the energy sector.
The “Prometheus” Prize Ceremony for 2026 took place at the B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation, downtown Athens, on Friday, January 30, during the event for the cutting of IENE’s traditional New Year’s cake.
Mr. Spyros Palaiogiannis (left) and the Chairman of IENE, Mr. Costis Stambolis (right)
The “Prometheus” Prize, instituted by IENE in 2018, is awarded to distinguished individuals who have made a significant and enduring contribution to the development and progress of the energy sector, at both national and international levels. Through this prize, IENE honors excellence, innovation, and strategic thinking in the field of energy.
Following the welcome and opening remarks by the Chairman of IENE, Mr. Costis Stambolis, the event was addressed by the Deputy-Chairman of IENE, Mr. Konstantinos Theofylaktos, as well as by the Chairman of the IENE Scientific Council, Professor Pandelis Biskas, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (online).
The Deputy-Chairman of IENE, Mr. Konstantinos Theofylaktos (left), Professor Pantelis Capros (centre), and IENE’s Chairman, Mr. Costis Stambolis (right)
Mr. Slavtcho Neykov (left) and the Chairman of IENE, Mr. Costis Stambolis (right)
Prior to the ceremony, the General Secretary of IENE, Mr. Nikos Sofianos, presented this year “Prometheus” Prize recipients. Closing remarks were delivered by the Board Member and Chairman of IENE’s Geopolitics Committee, Mr. Christodoulos (Christos) Dimas, and then the New Year Reception and the cutting of the New Year’s cake took place at the elegant “Cafe Merlin” of the B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation.
The event took place, as every year, in the presence of the Institute’s partners, associates and members.
The Event Sponsors included the energy services company EnSCo, the Kyriakidis-Georgopoulos (KG) Law Firm, HELLENiQ ENERGY, Eugenia Gianini and Associates Law Firm, ITE Group, Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operation (IPTO - ADMIE), Metlen Energy & Metals and TERNA Energy.
IENE: “Prometheus” Prize 2026 - CVs of the recipients
Spyros Palaiogiannis
One of the most experienced executives of Greece’s natural gas market, Mr. Spyros Palaiogiannis has worked for 27 years at Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA) S.A., reaching its top managerial levels, as he became the company’s Vice Chairman and Deputy CEO (2009-2013) and, subsequently, its CEO (2014-2015). He is also one of IENE’s founding Partners and, in the period 2003-2009, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Institute.
He has also been a non-executive member of the Board of Directors in DEPA’s subsidiaries IGI Poseidon and ICGB EAD from 2010 till end 2015. He has also been a member of the Executive Committee of the International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers (GIIGNL).
He was previously a top executive in energy companies in the public and private sectors.
Mr. Palaiogiannis is a Member of the Advisory Board at the Faculty of Business and Law at Kingston University (UK).
He holds a degree in chemistry and a Master in Business Administration with a specialization in strategic and energy management.
Currently Mr. Spyros Palaiogiannis is the Managing Partner at the Cyprus-based MEDGAS & MORE SERVICES LTD, which he founded in 2016.
Professor Pantelis Capros
Pantelis Capros, Professor Emeritus in Energy Economics and Operations Research at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), is one of the most distinguished scientists in the energy sector at a pan-European level. He has more than 30 years of professional experience in the fields of energy, transport, environment and economic policy, with specialization in energy and transport modeling, as well as in economic modeling.
He is the founder of the E3MLab, a research group modelling the interactions between energy, economy, and environment. His world- renowned models PRIMES, PRIMES-TREMOVE, Prometheus, and GEM-E3 have been widely applied in impact assessment studies conducted by the European Commission and employed by various governments and utility organisations.
Professor Capros has an engineering degree from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), three MSc degrees in Economics, Computer Science, and Operations Research, and a PhD in Mathematical Economics from the University Pierre & Marie Curie. He has authored several scholarly books and published over 200 scientific papers.
Professor Kapros is a long-standing Partner of IENE while, for many years, chaired IENE’s Scientific Council and remains as Senior Mentor and Advisor to the Institute, providing his valuable and acknowledged experience in the energy sector as he has served in numerous institutional posts of central importance. In more detail, Prof. Capros was the first Chairman of the Regulatory Authority for Energy in Greece, a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Power Corporation for several years, and a Professor at the University of Paris I Sorbonne until 2000. Additionally, he assumed the role of interim Minister of Energy and Environment in Greece from May to June 2023.
He is currently the President of E3Modelling SA, part of the RICARDO PLC group.
Slavtcho Neykov
Slavcho Neykov was, from 2006 to 2012, the first Director of the Vienna-based Energy Community Secretariat, which duty is the adaptation of the Western Balkans and the wider South-East Europe region to the acquis communautaire in the field of energy. Today, Mr. Neykov is an Independent Energy Consultant and a long-standing Partner of IENE, having been a speaker at numerous events of the Institute for many years.
With more than 30 years of continuous experience in the energy sector, he also served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy, member of the CEWRC, expert at the Energy Charter Secretariat in Brussels, etc. He was the head of the negotiating team on Chapter 14 “Energy” during the negotiations for Bulgaria’s accession to the EU, as well as a member of the Interministerial Council for Bulgaria’s integration into NATO.
In addition to his work as an official in state and international institutions, he has been in the management of several energy companies. Outside the energy sector, he has worked as a prosecutor and legal advisor.
Mr. Neykov is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of Sofia University; he also completed a two-year specialization in international economic relations in Bulgaria. He also holds a Master’s degree in European Integration from the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Slavcho Neykov from the end of 2014 to 2024, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sofia-based Energy Management Institute (EMI), which is the organization representing Bulgaria in Eurelectric, the association of companies in the electricity sector in Europe. During the period 2015-2024, he served as a Member of the Board of Directors of Eurelectric.
The main photo is from IENE's “Prometheus” Prize Ceremony for 2026
