Participate in the power price debate

With debate raging over electricity price rises and who or what is responsible, with the Prime Minister wading in at a recent Energy Policy Institute of Australia luncheon and now a Senate enquiry into electricity prices, an event has emerged that gives all stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the debate.

Taking place from 17-19 October at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, Eastern Australia’s Energy Markets 2012-25 will bring together policy makers with industry and end users to work towards satisfactory and sustainable outcomes for all concerned.

To go straight to the event website, click here.

Supported by the Energy Supply Association of Australia, the Energy Retailers’ Association of Australia, the Clean Energy Council and Manufacturing Australia, the event will directly address specific areas of rising uncertainty in the stationary energy sector.

To download the event brochure, click here.

In addition to the standard ‘stand and deliver’ presentations, the event will consist of seven hard hitting ‘Power Panels’ plus a Q&A style roundtable addressing the eight key issues for industry stakeholders:

(1) “Peak power in the ‘NEM’ – where to from here,” a subject considered to be of paramount importance to policy planning this decade, which will feature Tim Nelson (head of economics, policy and sustainability at AGL Energy), Quentin Grafton (executive director of the Bureau of Resources & Energy Economics), Hugh Outhred (University of New South Wales), Clare Petre (the NSW energy and water ombudsman) and Michael Dureau (deputy chairman of The Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering).

(2) The outlook for energy retailers, with Ramy Soussou (deputy CEO, Energy Retailers Association), Jim Galvin (GM, retail markets, Origin Energy), Kate Farrar (managing director, QEnergy) and James Myatt (CEO, Australian Power & Gas).

(3) The future of carbon pricing, with or without the carbon tax: this has to be the biggest political issue of the day as we struggle towards a policy denouement via a federal election. This panel will bring together Paul Balfe (executive director, ACIL Tasman), Outhred, Tony Wood (Grattan Institute) and lawyer Martin Wilder (head of global environmental markets at Baker & Mckenzie).

(4) The implications of the energy white paper, featuring Robert Pritchard (executive director, Energy Policy Institute), Mark Collette (group executive manager, energy markets, TRUenergy), Tim Nelson, Matthew Warren (CEO, Energy Supply Association), Malcolm Roberts (CEO, Energy Networks Association) and Soussou.

(5) Challenges and opportunities for the networks, involving Roberts, Peter McIntyre (managing director, TransGrid, and chairman of Grid Australia), Gustavo Bodini (Transend general manager), David Mitchell (CEO, X-Energy) and Mike Swanston (Energex GM).

In addition to an inevitable discussion about ‘gold plated’ networks, this panel includes discussion of “why smart metering has proved to be a political minefield” and how the east coast roll-out can be achieved, which has to be in the top five issues for electricity policymaking today.

(6) The rising cost of gas in the domestic market, also of high concern to policymakers, manufacturers and generators. This panel will feature Balfe, Miles Prosser (executive director, Australian Aluminium Council), Edwin O’Young (Port Jackson Partners) and James Rintel (chief strategy officer at Incitec Pivot).

(7) The longer-term outlook for renewable energy, a session aimed at the era beyond 2020, to be discussed by David Green (the new CEO of the Clean Energy Council), Miles George (CEO, Infigen Energy) and X-Energy’s Mitchell.

(8) Equity, debt and other financing for the energy sector. Where wannabe developers can get the money they need is a critical aspect of today’s power supply picture and the conference will bring together Jason Steed (executive director, JP Morgan), Sajal Kishore (director, energy and utilities, Fitch Ratings) and Tim Jordan (Deutsche Bank) to share their thoughts.

In terms of keynote ‘stand and deliver’ presentations, delegates hear from a swathe of industry heavyweights including: Ian Macfarlane, the Coalition’s resources and energy spokesman; John Pierce, Chairman of the AEMC; AGL’s Nelson;  TRUenergy’s Collette; Quentin Grafton, BREE’s executive director and chief economist; Tony Wood; Paul Balfe; Andrew Livingston, executive general manager – renewables and carbon farming from the Clean Energy Regulator; Infigen’s Miles George; TransGrid’s Peter McIntyre;  Rob Wheals, group executive transmission at APA Group; Miles Prosser and the executive chairman of Manufacturing Australia, Dick Warburton.

To view the full agenda now, click here.

Delegates will have access to the very latest information on government policy and industry developments, which will assist them in minimising risk and eliminating uncertainty, allowing them to better navigate the rapidly and ever changing energy sector landscape in Australia’s eastern states.

For more details and to register to attend, please visit www.questevents.com.au