AGENDA - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2
7:00 AM - Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:15 AM - GCPA President’s Welcome, Recognition of Co-Chairs & Conference Introduction
8:30 AM -
Keynote Address - DeAnn Walker, Chairman, PUCT
9:00 AM - Session I - ERCOT’s Summer of 2018
With high interest in ERCOT market outcomes, and the implications of those outcomes for market participants and regulators in Texas and in other electric markets, this panel will break down what happened during the summer of 2018. What worked well, and what didn’t? Are market changes or other regulatory actions desired or required? What are expectations for the future?
Session Moderator: Beth Garza, Vice President & Director of ERCOT IMM, Potomac Economics
Panelists:
Julia Harvey, Director Regulatory Affairs, Texas Electric Cooperatives
Cheryl Mele, Sr. Vice President & COO, ERCOT
Claudia Morrow, Vice President Origination & Pricing, Luminant Energy
Resmi Surendran, Sr. Director Regulatory Policy, Shell Oil Products U.S.
10:15 AM - Networking Break
10:45 AM - Session II - Investor Decisions: Evolution of Texas Wholesale Market
ERCOT energy-only market has attracted investors for many years. For the first time in 2018, we are seeing a real decline in reserve margins while load growth and retirements of thermal units continue. What is driving investment for those that continue to add capacity in ERCOT? How can we incent investments beyond renewables? What do banks think of the ERCOT market and will they issue debt for new capacity? After Summer 2018, is there enough credit to support the energy-only price caps?
Session Moderator: Barbara Clemenhagen, Vice President Market Intelligence, Customized Energy Solutions
Panelists:
Nazar Massouh, CEO & Managing Partner, Orion Energy Partners
Robert Packer, Principal, Robert Packer & Associates LLC
Deborah Reyes, Vice President - Development, 174 Power Global Corporation
Mark Egan, Managing Directory, Merrill Lynch Commodities
11:45 AM - Session III - “GCPA Talk”: Blockchain – What It Is & Why You Care
You have heard about it. You might even know something about it. Either way, this session will describe what it is and how it might change the electric power business, including retail electric supply agreements, peer to peer transactions, and billing and payment systems.
Speaker: Jason Linkswiler, Management Consultant, Links Advisory Services
12:05 PM - Luncheon
1:15 PM -
Keynote Address - “Peering into the Crystal Ball: What Does the Future Hold for the Electric Power Business?” Francis O’Sullivan, Director of Research & Analysis, MIT Energy Initiative
1:45 PM - Session IV - Non-Wire Alternatives: Technology Focus Discussion
This panel with explore new technologies in storage, and non-wires alternatives including demand response, distributed generation and community solar. This panel assumes the current regulatory framework remains in place and will discuss what the market and grid reliability opportunities for storage and other new technologies are in ERCOT. The panel additionally will address what technologies might solve ERCOT’s market and grid reliability concerns over the next 10 years, as well as current issues for new technologies including those that arise in interconnecting to the grid.
Session Moderator: Raj Chudgar, President, Viridity Energy
Panelists:
Rob Harris, CTO, PowerSecure
Scott Hinson, CTO, Pecan Street, Inc.
Lisa Martin, Program Manager, DER Integration, Austin Energy
Joshua Rhodes, Research Associate, The University of Texas at Austin
2:45 PM - Session V - “GCPA Talk”: Future of Distributed Industry Around the World
Highlighting new strategies to serve commercial and industrial customers today and tomorrow.
Speaker: Jerry Hedinger, Sr. Business Development Manager, Centrica Business Solutions
3:00 PM - Networking Break
3:20 PM - GCPA emPOWERing Young Professionals Award
3:30 PM - Session VI - Non-Wire Alternatives to T&D Services
This panel will explore new technologies and associated policies regarding their use in the planning, building and operation of the electric power delivery system. It will address how regulatory policy can allow non-wires alternatives such as load management, storage and distributed generation, as well as new traditional generation, to reduce the overall cost of maintaining reliable and safe electric service. Panelists will address the regulatory policy issues that such alternatives raise regarding ownership, risk allocation and cost allocation, impact on the ERCOT wholesale market, and the role and regulation of transmission and distribution utilities in ERCOT.
Session Moderator: Bob King, President, Good Company Associates
Panelists:
Bill Barnes, Director Regulatory Affairs, NRG Energy
Doug Lewin, Principal, Stoic Energy
Judith Talavera, President, AEP Texas
Betty Watson, Sr. Manager, Energy Policy, Tesla
4:30 PM - Session VII - Thumbs Up? Thumbs Down? Interactive Look at the Future Electric Industry
This panel will explore the future of the electric power business. As part of the discussion, the moderator will present a series of statements to the panelists, which the panelists will rate as “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” for their likelihood, on a number of current issues facing the industry, running the gamut from federal and state regulatory changes to physical and information technology changes. The audience will also participate in the rating via the conference mobile app with live results being shared in real time.
Session Moderator: Susan Pope, Managing Director, FTI Consulting
Panelists:
Kerinia Cusick, Co-Founder & Board President, Center for Renewables Integration
Jason Linkswiler, Management Consultant, Links Advisory Services
Francis O’Sullivan, Director of Research & Analysis, MIT Energy Initiative
5:15 PM - Conference Adjourns for Day One
5:15 - 7:00 PM - Cocktail Reception
AGENDA - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3
7:30 AM - Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:20 AM - Keynote Address - “Texas Legislative Session: What Can We Expect?” Ross Ramsey, Executive Editor & Co-Founder, Texas Tribune
9:00 AM - Session VIII - Evolution of the Texas Retail Market 2002 to Present: What Have We Learned?
A fresh look at what has been done by the Texas Legislature, the PUC, ERCOT, and market participants to create the competitive electric retail market in ERCOT. What distinguishes the ERCOT market design from others? Why do some consider the ERCOT market the best in US, while others still see weakness in its implementation?Session Moderator: Rebecca Zerwas, Regulatory Manager, CenterPoint Energy
Panelists:
Chris Brewster, Principal, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend
Connie Corona, Division Director - Competitive Markets, Public Utility Commission of Texas
Ken Medlock, Sr. Director, Center for Energy Studies, Baker Institute
Jim Moore, Regional Vice President for ERCOT Sales, ENGIE
10:00 AM - Networking Break
10:15 AM - Session IX - “GCPA Talk: Cyber & Physical Security Risks and the Energy Industry”
Few things are as important to our modern society than a reliable supply of energy. For this reason, the energy industry is recognized as "Critical Infrastructure" and the weight of protecting these assets that support our nation can be heavy. This talk discusses some of the unique threats that face our industry and what can be done from a cyber and physical security perspective to protect some of our nation's most critical assets.
Speaker: Brian Harrell, Managing Director – Enterprise Protective Services, Duke Energy Corp.
10:30 AM - Session X - Resiliency
Resiliency is one of the most talked about areas in the industry, and the subject of ongoing regulatory inquiries, including at the FERC. But is increasing resiliency necessary and, if so, at what cost and who makes the decisions regarding the level of investment for resiliency? How do investors, utilities, consumers, and regulators justify investments and measure their effectiveness for the low probability/high impact events that resiliency investments are meant to protect against? This panel will explore potential methods of increasing resiliency in the Gulf Coast region, whether action is needed at all, and the impact of those choices on markets, investors, consumers, and regulators.
Session Moderator: Tammy Cooper, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Texas Reliability Entity, Inc.
Panelists:
Philip Bezanson, Managing Partner - Seattle Office, Bracewell
Brian Gemmel, President, WIRES; Vice President Transmission, National Grid
John Gunn, Vice President - Power & Regulatory Affairs, ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Company
Patrick Peters, Associate General Counsel & Director Regulatory Affairs, CenterPoint Energy
Katherine Prewitt, Vice President, Transmission, Southern Company
11:15 AM - Session XI - Operational Issues: Managing the ERCOT Fuel Mix
The generation fleet is undergoing fundamental change in its makeup. There has been unprecedented growth in renewable energy, while at the same time, coal (and other thermal) plants seem to continue closing due to age and economic issues. How is the makeup of the generation fleet likely to continue to change? How is the addition of wind, and solar impacting the market today? How is the changing landscape being studied in the transmission planning process and how is that coordinated? This panel will explore the future shape of the generation fleet, and how the ERCOT markets and infrastructure will need to respond to the new mix of resources.
Session Moderator: Greg Thurnher, Manager Real Time Trading, Shell Energy North America
Panelists:
McCall Johnson, Sr. Manager, Government Affairs, Recurrent Energy
Clif Lange, Manager of Wholesale Marketing/QSE, South Texas Electric Cooperative (STEC)
Maura Yates, Managing Member, Mothership Energy Group
Dan Woodfin, Sr. Director, System Operations, ERCOT
12:15 PM - Fall Conference 2018 Adjourns