Alberta Power Symposium

Registration Opens – Coffee and Refreshments Available

Opening Remarks from the Conference Co-chairs

Bill (William) Gilliland
Partner
Dentons Canada LLP

Renee Hjorth
Director, Asset Integrations
Capital Power

KEYNOTE

Honourable Nathan Neudorf
Minister of Affordability and Utilities
Government of Alberta

The AESO’s Perspective on Reliability and Affordability in a Net-Zero Future – Implementing a Restructured Energy Market (REM)

Nicole LeBlanc
Vice President, Markets
Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO)

The AESO’s REM is a significant step toward achieving reliability and affordability in Alberta’s energy landscape. This restructuring aims to provide stronger incentives for dispatchable generation, lessen the impacts of market power, and provide long-term signals for investment to promote grid reliability within the province.

• Discovering how this market redesign can enhance grid stability while fostering sustainable energy practices
• Exploring the new Market Pathways engagement to evolve Alberta’s market design to meet changing needs in a transforming sector

PANEL

Navigating the Future – How Policy and Regulatory Shifts are Redefining the Power Sector Amidst Volatility, Efficiency, and Rising Demand

Robert (Rob) Baker
Director, Alternative & Renewable Energy
Alberta Innovates

Matthew Davis
Director, Regulatory
Capital Power Corporation

Mark McGillivray
Director, Public Policy and Government Relations
ENMAX

The regulatory landscape of Alberta’s electricity sector is undergoing significant changes aimed at addressing power price volatility, enhancing market efficiency, and preparing for future energy demands. This session will highlight policy changes and how to integrate the changes and recommendations into energy system planning and action.  Discussion of Bill 22 (Modernizing Alberta’s Electricity Grid) and implications for the power sector.  Topics of discussion will include:

• Implications of Bill 22 with a focus on energy storage and expansions to transmission and distribution planning (T-Reg)
• Discussing the change from Regulated Rate Option (RRO) to the Rate of Last Resort
• Reviewing Market Design Changes and other measures to improve market design and efficiency
• Ensuring affordability and reliability while moving to decarbonization targets
• Drafting a new design to restructure the wholesale market 

Networking Refreshment Break

Round Table Discussion

Advancing Corporate PPAs and Investment Trends in the Post-Pause Era

Jorden Dye
Executive Director
Business Renewables Centre-Canada

Vittoria Bellissimo
President and CEO
Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA)

Paul McLauchlin
President
Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Moderator:

Paula Olexiuk
Partner, Energy & Construction
Osler

• Reviewing power purchase agreements and renewables investment in Alberta pre and post energy pause
• Assessing the response from industry and what to expect in the coming months  
• Monitoring regulatory approvals for project development and impact on municipalities 
• Understanding the expectations for corporate PPA’s in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia and how does this effect Alberta?

Case Study

Building a Micro Grid and Achieving Net Zero in Raymond Alberta

Trina Innes
Executive Director, Sustainability Services, Alberta Municipalities
Municipal Climate Change Action Centre

Greg Robinson
Director of Community and Corporate Development
Town of Raymond

This session will discuss:

• How the Town of Raymond achieved a net-zero electricity goal, challenges encountered, and lessons learned
• The role of the Municipal Climate Change Acton Centre, accomplishments and the accomplishments of program participants, and projects they are funding

Networking Lunch for Delegates and Speakers

PANEL

Forging Strong Partnerships- Strategies for Successful Energy Project Collaboration with Indigenous Communities

Jauvonne Kitto
Chief Executive Officer
Saa Dene Group of Companies

Darren Huculak
Project Advisor
First Nations Power Authority

This session will offer winning strategies for partnering with Indigenous communities aimed at securing ownership within the renewable energy sector.  Session leaders will explore the intricacies of project development, share valuable lessons learned, and highlight successful examples of collaboration that have yielded mutual benefits and sustainable outcomes.  Topics of discussion will include:

• Overcoming the challenges for Indigenous communities to acquire ownership in the renewable energy sector, navigating complex project development stages including technical, financial and legal
• Insight into the market realities, requirements for investment and infrastructure for indigenous communities
• Assessing the rapidly growing indigenous presence in renewable power projects in solar, wind, hydro, storage
• Securing funding for community-owned, commercial, or community-scale renewable energy generation projects
• Understanding how socially responsible investing from the private sector can support Indigenous-led clean energy projects

Ensuring Transparency in Reporting and Disclosure: Sustainability Requirements for Energy

Bill (William) Gilliland
Partner
Dentons Canada LLP

Noreen Farrell
Director, ESG & Sustainability
Capital Power Corporation

As Canada navigates its way towards a more sustainable and low-carbon energy future, energy companies must understand recent changes to the Canadian sustainability disclosure environment and how these could impact your organization.

This session will discuss requirements for reporting success and will answer these questions:

• What are the new disclosure requirements?
• Who is setting these requirements?
• Which organizations will be impacted?
• What will your organization need to do to successfully respond?
• When do you need to adopt disclosure adjustments?

Networking Refreshment Break

Global Insights, Local Impact: Learning from the U.S. Market Design and Strategies for Decarbonization, Reliability, and Affordability

Stuart Mueller
Director
Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (E3)

Cristy Sanada
Director of California Regulatory Affairs
California ISO

As the landscape of emissions policy and reliability shifts in the U.S., what can we expect to see in the future and what lessons can we learn for Canada and Alberta?

• Examining decarbonization goals and how utilities are adapting their modeling, forecasting, and planning to achieve the state and local legislative requirements to decarbonize
• Exploring policy frameworks and regulatory measures to support the integration of renewables in long-term planning
• Assessing the availability and opportunities for clean, firm supply sources like LDES, geothermal, hydrogen

Advancing Demand Side Management and Virtual Power Plants in Alberta

Shane Fraser
Manager, Grid Transformation
EPCOR

Leanne Kubiseski
Senior Advisor, Emerging Customer Solutions
FortisAlberta

Moderator:

Jesse Row
Executive Director
Alberta Energy Efficiency Alliance

Join us to hear the about progress being made on Demand Side Management (DSM) and Virtual Power Plants (VPP) in Alberta and beyond. This session will explore:

• New pilot project in Edmonton for an innovative VPP
• Managed EV charging
• Approaches to enabling DSM and VPPs in other jurisdictions

Co-Chair’s Closing Remarks and Day 1 Adjourns to Cocktail Reception Sponsored by:

Registration Opens – Coffee and Refreshments Available

Opening Remarks from the Conference Co-chairs

Renee Hjorth
Director, Asset Integrations
Capital Power

Bill (William) Gilliland
Partner
Dentons Canada LLP

Navigating Policy Challenges and Uncertainty: The Crucial Role Communities Play in Our Transition to Carbon Neutrality

Andrei (Andy) Nikiforuk
Senior Lead, Policy
QUEST Canada

A key element of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is increasing our reliance on electricity. At the same time, this brings uncertainty to the role of Alberta’s fossil fuels. Given different policies from all levels of government, and the absence of clarity, what is the best path for our communities to take to achieve net zero?

This session will discuss:

• Policy challenges in the energy transition to carbon neutrality
• In times of policy uncertainty, how can we progress on emissions reductions?
• The critical roles of energy end users and communities in this transition
• QUEST’s Energy Transition Policy Program – what we’re hearing, and next steps

Financing and Investment Strategies for the Energy Transition and a Low Carbon Future

Jason Switzer
CEO
Equitable Origin

Noreen Farrell
Director, ESG & Sustainability
Capital Power Corporation

Melissa Menzies
Director Sustainable Finance
Scotiabank

Moderator:

Dana Saric
Senior Counsel
Capital Power Corporation

• Investigating the role of sustainable finance to attract capital
• Examining how ESG is changing the dynamics of power finance
• Evaluating the placement of natural gas and nuclear-powered generation within transition and green taxonomies
• Assessing the variables that need to be considered for an affordable transition, including price, policy and risk

Networking Refreshment Break

Exploring the Viability of Small Modular Reactors (SMR’s) as a Non-Emitting Energy Alternative

Daniel Jurijew
Vice-President, Regulatory, Siting and Stakeholder Engagement (SMR)
Capital Power Corporation

Christopher Gully
Vice President, Communications & Member Engagement
Canadian Nuclear Association

William (Bill) Smith
Senior Vice President, Operations and Engineering
Terrestrial Energy

• Highlighting the partnership between Capital Power and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to assess the viability of building small modular power reactors by 2035
• Appreciating how SMR’s (less than 300MW) competitive with other low-carbon forms of energy
• Evaluating the potential for SMR’s in on-grid, off-grid communities, and in oilsands and mining
• Understanding the collaboration between Alberta and Saskatchewan on nuclear power generation, workforce development, nuclear supply chain, the security of supply of nuclear fuels, and the development and regulation of nuclear reactor technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs)

Assessing the Commercial Applications of CCUS and Carbon Conversion in the Drive to Net Zero

Erik Petursson
Vice President, Policy and Carbon Markets
Entropy Inc.

Matthew Grant
Director, CCS Commercial Development Canada
Enbridge

Breanne O’Reilly
Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
International CCS Knowledge Centre

• Evaluating how industry is collaborating with technology developers to advance and deploy new technology solutions to decarbonize
• Assessing CCfDs (Carbon Contracts for Difference) and whether these can drive investment in clean growth projects

The Role of Hydrogen, Renewables and Energy Storage in the Transition to Net Zero Emissions

Paula McGarrigle
President & CEO
Canada, Solas Energy Inc.

Robert Tremblay
Policy Manager
Energy Storage Canada

Moderator:

Christophe Owttrim
Executive Director Technology and Innovation
Emissions Reduction Alberta

• Highlighting plans to integrate hydrogen into the power system
• Exploring CCUS as an integral piece of the development of clean hydrogen
• Examining the role of green hydrogen, produced from renewables and the role of blue hydrogen produced from methane and carbon capture
• Highlighting the integration of energy storage into the Alberta market and overall implications of growing energy storage resources connecting to the grid
• Exploring future-fuel enabled power plants, hybrid solutions, energy storage and other key innovations to deliver increased efficiency, reliability and guaranteed performance on the road to zero
• Probing insights on the level of investment needed to increase solar and wind energy and strategies required for solar and wind to achieve critical mass.
• Updates on the implementation of grid scale energy storage in Alberta

Networking Lunch for Delegates and Speakers

Addressing the Workforce Challenge of Navigating to Net Zero: Developing the Skilled Labour Requirements in the Electricity Sector

Monica Curtis
Senior Director, Communities and Decarbonization
Pembina Institute

Anita Gara
Project Manager
Electricity Human Resources Canada

Moderator:

Johanne Picard-Thompson
Executive Vice President, Customer and Corporate Services
AltaLink
Chair
Women+Power

A skilled and trained workforce is an essential component to decarbonization and the energy sector in Canada will require significant hiring. How can organizations upskill existing workforces, attract graduate employees, and retain top talent? Explore how the energy transition has impacted the energy labour market and, learn how companies can create a culture of transition to drive success.
This session will explore solutions to finding the talent and skilled workers required for the net zero economy.  Topics of discussion will include:

• Investigating where industry will find young talent to fill all the necessary roles in the coming years
• Examining methods to encourage continued skills training upskilling and reskilling
• Probing which strategies are effective for training and mentorship?
• Analyzing approaches to engage, motivate and manage a multi-generational workforce
• Exploring ways to expand the scope of your talent pool

Modernizing Transmission and Grid Infrastructure and Exploring Intertie Development to Achieve Decarbonization Goals

Cayla Saby
Vice President, Government Relations and Commercial
AltaLink

Jason Wang
Senior Analyst, Electricity
Pembina Institute

Robert (Rob) Baker
Director, Alternative & Renewable Energy
Alberta Innovates

• Reviewing updates on Alberta’s Electricity Statutes (Modernizing Alberta’s Electricity Grid Amendment Act) and regulatory amendments
• Adapting new technologies and managing the way that consumers interact with the grid
• Assessing investment opportunities for businesses to develop more onsite power and the sale of excess power
• Exploring opportunities for cross-jurisdictional development

Closing Remarks and Conference Concludes