Official Event Advisory Panel - Australian Domestic Gas Outlook 2014 Conference, Sydney
Paul Balfe is a Director of ACIL Allen Consulting, formed in April 2013 through the merger of ACIL Tasman and the Allen Consulting Group and now Australia’s largest independent economic consultancy company. Paul has worked for 35 years in the Australian energy and resources sectors, and has overall responsibility for ACIL Allen’s gas business. He has lead the development and commercialization of ACIL Allen’s detailed gas market models and their application to strategic and policy analysis throughout Australia and internationally. Prior to joining ACIL in 1995, Mr Balfe held a number of senior executive positions in the Queensland Department of Mines and Energy. He has advised government and corporate sector clients on commercial and regulatory matters relating to the coal, oil and gas industries including CSG, shale gas and other unconventional hydrocarbon sources, as well as alternative and renewable energies. With qualifications in geology and business administration, his experience ranges across both technical and commercial aspects of project evaluation and development.
"In recent times much of the discussion regarding the Australian gas industry has clearly identified the problems facing industry, but has come up short in terms of identifying solutions. ADGO 2014 is important because it will focus on solutions and in particular on the question of how best to stimulate timely supply-side responses."
Dr Ralph Craven BE PhD FIEAust FIPENZ FAICD CPEng. Ralph Craven has broad experience in energy, resources and agri-business having worked in these sectors for over 35 years. His professional background encompasses electricity and gas businesses, mining, commodities trading, and the management of large scale system operations at the national level and the delivery of major infrastructure projects. Dr Craven has an in depth understanding of the complex regulatory frameworks surrounding the physical and financial markets associated with commodities such as electricity, gas and agricultural products and the management of the risks involved when trading these commodities through wholesale spot markets. He played a key role in the development of the National Electricity Market in Australia. He has an intimate knowledge of the government sector in Australia and New Zealand having been a Chief Executive of major government owned businesses in both countries for over 10 years. Dr Craven has also worked at senior executive level in the private sector with companies such as Royal Dutch/Shell and NRG Energy Inc. His international experience includes roles in Switzerland, Canada and as CEO of Transpower New Zealand Ltd.
Currently he provides strategic advice to major companies in the resources, infrastructure and energy sectors focussing on governance, the management of risk and the development of appropriate responses to climate change both practically and as required by unfolding legislation. Dr Craven has been appointed as a non executive director (NED) to the boards of many companies, listed and unlisted, public and private and not for profit. Current NED roles include: Drill Torque Limited (ASX: DTQ), Senex Energy Limited (ASX: SXY), Chair CBio Limited (ASX:CBZ), Windlab Systems Pty Ltd
Previous NED roles include: Chair Ergon Energy Corporation Limited, Deputy Chair Arrow Energy Limited (ASX: AOE) and Chair of Audit Committee, Chair Tully Sugar Limited, Chair d-cyphaTrade Limited (private company managing futures and options in the financial sector)
Dr Craven has a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of Queensland and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of New South Wales along with postgraduate qualifications in Business Administration and Information Processing.
Sarah Kok is Commercial Manager Gas at ERM Power Limited, an ASX listed company that retails energy across Australia, owns and operates gas fired generation and has a successful gas exploration and production business. Sarah has fourteen years’ experience in gas and electricity markets in Australia and overseas. At ERM Power, Sarah is responsible for securing successful commercial, market development and regulatory outcomes for the gas business. Prior to ERM Power, Sarah worked for energy retailers EnergyAustralia (pre-privatisation), Synergy and Energex, in a range of commercial, regulatory and strategy roles. Sarah was also an economic consultant for international economics, litigation and business advisory firm LECG Ltd and while in this role worked on private and public sector projects for energy industry clients in Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. Sarah played a key role in the disaggregation of the WA electricity industry, advising Western Power Corporation and assisting Synergy to equip itself with capabilities required for operating as a stand-alone retailer in a new industry structure. Sarah was also a member of the advisory team for the Singapore government on the restructure of the Singapore electricity industry and worked for the Energy Market Company, helping it prepare for the introduction of the Singapore wholesale electricity market and new market operator function.
"As the Australian east coast gas market moves through this period of fundamental change, the decisions we make as an industry and the timing of these decisions, will determine the future of our gas industry and have potentially long term economic, social and environmental implications. This conference provides a unique opportunity for all parts of the gas industry to come together and share, consider and debate different perspectives on the issues at hand and explore potential policy and regulatory measures that will help position and propel Australia on an optimal trajectory for the future."
Keith has been involved in Australian resources and industry policy issues management and communications for 34 years. He has been a communicator for 55 years, starting as a journalist in South Africa in 1959 and emigrating to Australia in 1970. He served for four years in the 1970s as public affairs manager of Associated Pulp & Paper Mills Limited and for three years as head of public relations at La Trobe University, Melbourne. He was chief executive of what is now APPEA for 11 years and of the Electricity Supply Association of Australia for 12 years. From 2003 to 2007 he chaired the energy committee of the Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council for the Howard government. He has also been chairman of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network and of the CSIRO Energy Technology Advisory Committee. Today he runs his own energy advisory business as Coolibah Pty Ltd and is publisher of the blog “This is Power” and of the Coolibah monthly newsletter. He is also the editor of the “OnPower” website and yearbook and he contributes a commentary on energy issues regularly to “Business Spectator.” He was editor of the “Powering Australia” yearbook from 2007 to 2012. Keith is also engaged in the organisation and chairing of a series of energy outlook conferences. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2004 and in 2012 was recipient of AusIMM’s Sir Willis Connolly Memorial Medal for outstanding communication about the mining and resources sectors.
Having worked with Jamie Turmanis from Quest Events for many years, I have confidence in his ability to stage worthwhile conferences on energy issues -- and I am committed to helping to build the communication of understanding of Australia's energy policy, potential and problems at a critical time in the national investment cycle. There is a huge amount of talk in the media about energy issues, but not enough understanding of the underlying pressures and needs.
Cameron O’Reilly is the CEO of the ERAA. With a longstanding background in energy and public policy, he has worked at the centre of government and business relations for most of his career – advising on policy, as an executive for outsourcing firms, as well as consulting on public affairs.
Cameron holds a Bachelor of Economics from Sydney University and a Master of Management and Public Policy from Monash University, where he undertook a major research essay on the genesis of the National Electricity Market (NEM). He is also a Fulbright scholar where he undertook research at the University of Texas on the impact of climate change policy on the US energy sector.
Cameron also holds positions in the following Boards and Advisory Groups:
• Director of the Australian Gas Industry Trust (AGIT)
• Chairman of Energy Assured Limited
• Member of the Advisory Committee of the VaasaETT Global Energy Think Tank
• Member of the Federal Government’s Smart Grid, Smart City Strategic Policy and Regulatory Steering Committee
• Member of the Telecommunications Universal Service Management Agency (TUSMA)
Hugh Outhred is a Professorial Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales, an Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University, Guru Besar Luar Biasa (Visiting Professor) at STTNAS Jogjakarta, Indonesia and Managing Director of Ipen Pty Ltd, which provides advisory and educational services on energy, society and the environment. Hugh holds the degrees of BSc, BE (Hons 1) and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Sydney and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy. Hugh retired in 2007 after a 35-year career at UNSW, most recently as Presiding Director, Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets and Head, Electrical Energy Research Group, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications.
During his career, Hugh has been a Fulbright Senior Fellow at the University of California Berkeley, a Board Member of the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy, an Associate Director of UNSW’s Centre for Photovoltaic Devices and Systems, a Member of CSIRO’s Energy Flagship Advisory Committee, a Member of the National Electricity Tribunal and a Member of the New South Wales Licence Compliance Advisory Board. He has held visiting positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the USA, the University of Liverpool in the UK, the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Spain, Roskilde University Centre in Denmark and Murdoch University, Perth. In 2001 and 2002 he was seconded to the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy as Product Executive, Grid-connected Renewable Energy Services, to lead a research program on grid-connected renewable energy resources. In 2002-2003, Hugh provided advice to the Australian Greenhouse Office and the
Electricity Supply Industry Planning Council of South Australia on wind energy integration. From 2005 to 2009, Hugh led a UNSW research project for the Australian Greenhouse Office on facilitating the uptake of wind energy in the Australian electricity industry and in 2010 he lead a project for the Australian Electricity Market Operator to develop a prototype tool to predict large, rapid changes in the aggregated power output of wind farms in the National Electricity Market. From 2008 to 2011, Hugh was Principal Investigator for an AusAID ADRA research project at UNSW on sustainable energy services for off-grid rural communities in Indonesia. In 2010 and 2011, he was a Lead Author for the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy and Climate Change Mitigation, published in 2011.
Hugh has contributed to the theory of electricity industry competition since 1979 and to its practical
implementation in Australia since the 1980’s. In 1985 and 1986, he was seconded to the Energy Authority of New South Wales as an advisor on electricity industry development and sustainability and to lead a newly established energy-forecasting branch. In 1995 and 1996 he led a project for the National Grid Management Council to undertake electricity-trading experiments to trial the proposed National Electricity Market trading rules prior to their formal implementation. In 1997, he was appointed as an inaugural member of the NSW Licence Compliance Advisory Board, a position he held until the Board was replaced as part of revised industry governance arrangements in 2001, and in 1998 he was appointed as an inaugural member of the Australian National Electricity Tribunal, a position he held until the Tribunal was replaced as part of revised industry governance arrangements in 2006. Hugh has taught nearly 100 short courses on electricity industry technology,
competition, regulation and sustainability since 1988.
"This symposium will provide an important opportunity to discuss the increasing complexity of the east-coast energy industry and the multiple challenges that it faces. More than ever, we need a coherent set of policy, institutional and market responses."
Tony Wood has more than 30years’ experience in the fertiliser, chemical, transport and energy industries. He was an executive at Origin Energy, and it precursor Boral Energy, from 1994 until 2008. Tony is the Program Director, Energy at the Grattan Institute, an independent think-tank focused on Australian public policy. He is also with the Clinton Foundation in the role of Director of the Clean Energy Program, where he leads their activities on accelerating the deployment of low emission energy technologies in the Asia-Pacific Region and coordinates their international partnership with the Global CCS Institute. Tony is on the Executive Board of the Committee for Melbourne and he was seconded to the Garnaut Climate Change Review in 2008.