Conference Day Two
Thursday 17 September 2015
Click here for Pre-Conference Learning Sessions
Click here for Conference Day One
Click here for the Gas Supply & Demand Day
08:30 Welcome coffee
08:50 Opening remarks from the Chair
Mike Swanston, Director, The Customer Advocate
The importance of adequate competition for east coast energy markets
09:00 Keynote Presentation: Update on the regulator’s East Coast gas inquiry
Rod Sims, Chairman, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
09:30 Competitive energy markets and their role in delivering the better outcomes
for the Australian people
- What are the symptoms that the east coast energy market is no longer working as it should?
- Ensuring adequate competition in all parts of the energy supply chain to drive more efficient outcomes and allocation of investment
- Creating a better COAG process to benefit all energy stakeholders
Martin Ferguson, Non-Executive Director, BG Group
The network transition – the next steps for industry, policymakers and regulators
10:00 Responding to the challenges that network businesses face in adapting to
a new operating environment
- Opportunities for networks to innovate in the face of change and to deliver reliable and affordable energy to consumers
- Within existing frameworks, how can networks invest in innovative solutions for consumers?
- Opportunities for incentives to better reflect the changing energy market environment
- What policy reform and regulatory change is needed to best facilitate this transition?
Ian McLeod, Chief Executive Officer, Ergon Energy
10:30 Morning tea
11:00 Restructuring network tariffs in the NEM – the importance of getting it right
- What will the grid look like in 2025, and 2035? Ensuring a smooth transition to a different market landscape
- The key considerations when determining which new tariff structures will best suit the NEM
- Effective tariffs to encourage efficient investment
- The value of the grid for a customer using micro-generation to power their home or business
John Bradley, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Networks Association
11:30 Panel Discussion: What is the future that networks need to start planning
for and how do they make this transition?
- How are demand profiles expected to change over the next 5, 10 and 20 years and what are the implications for networks?
- What are the most significant steps that network businesses need to take to better adapt to this future?
- What role does policy play in facilitating this transition and what policy or regulatory changes are most sorely needed?
Panel Moderator:
Mike Swanston, Director, The Customer Advocate
Panellists:
Lance Balcombe, Chief Executive Officer, TasNetworks
Ian McLeod, Chief Executive Officer, Ergon Energy
John Bradley, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Networks Association
Ben Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Gas Networks
Garry Tuckwell, Vice President, CGI
12:10 Networking lunch
The road to Paris and the transition to a low carbon economy – balancing abatement, affordability and reliability
13:10 The outlook for renewable energy generation in Australia and the
framework needed to encourage efficient investment in renewables
- Recognising the opportunities for cost efficient, large scale renewable energy generation in Australia
- The potential for distributed, renewable generation to deliver an Australian energy revolution
- With Paris just around the corner, what does Australia’s energy sector need to do to deliver on the world stage?
Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Grattan Institute
13:40 Encouraging investment into the Australian renewable energy sector
- Are current incentives adequate to encourage international investors back into Australia’s clean energy sector? If not, what is needed?
- Opportunities for investment in renewables to fuel economic growth
- A strategy for the energy sector to meet its RET obligations by 2020
Michael Fuge, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Hydro
14:10 Panel Discussion: Developing a roadmap for Australia to transition to a low
carbon economy and a plan for Paris
- Where does the balance lie between carbon abatement, affordability and reliability?
- Analysing the federal government’s climate commitment options and their impact for domestic energy stakeholders
- Aligning energy and climate policy – why is the current lack of alignment between these policies causing industry damage and how can it be fixed?
Panel moderator:
Mike Swanston, Director, The Customer Advocate
Panellists:
Brendan Pearson, Chief Executive Officer, Minerals Council of Australia
Meg McDonald, Chief Operating Officer, Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Kane Thornton, Chief Executive Officer, Clean Energy Council
Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Grattan Institute
Tim O'Grady, General Manager Policy and Government Engagement, Origin Energy
15:00 Afternoon tea
Energy productivity, a rapidly changing technology landscape and increasingly engaged consumers
15:30 Opportunities to drive further energy efficiency and how this will impact
consumer demand profiles
- The EWP identifies improved energy productivity as a key focus area – what sort of improvements can be achieved by industrial and residential users?
- How is energy efficiency being promoted and how can this be improved at least cost?
- The future of energy efficiency for residential users and how this will further change demand profiles
Rob Murray-Leach, Executive, Policy and Advocacy, Energy Efficiency Council
16:00 Panel Discussion: Distributed generation and its potential to transform the
electricity utility business model
- What is the outlook for further efficiency improvements and price decreases for various forms of distributed generation?
- When will battery storage be cost efficient for consumers and how quickly might it be taken up?
- How does the current energy policy framework need to be adjusted to accommodate this significant transformation?
- How does the sector need to respond?
Panel moderator:
Mike Swanston, Director, The Customer Advocate
Panellists:
Michael Fuge, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Hydro
Anthony Vassallo, Delta Electricity Chair in Sustainable Energy Development, University of Sydney
Alex Fraser, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Energy Retailers Association of Australia
16:40 Closing remarks from the Chair and drawing of lucky door prize!
16:50 Close of Day Two and close of main conference