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HOTEL, ROOM RESERVATION & PARKING INFORMATION

GCPA has a room block with a limited number of rooms for the nights of Mon 4/15 - Tue 4/16 at Hilton Americas - Houston, located at 1600 Lamar, Houston, TX 77010. Single or double occupancy rooms are available at the special rate of $256 per night. Rate includes complimentary in-room high speed wireless internet service. Reservations must be received on or before the room block cutoff date of Monday, March 25th.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR ROOM ONLINE

Call 1-800-236-2905 if you need assistance; mention the room block

TO VIEW THE HILTON AMERICAS - HOUSTON WEBSITE: Click Here

Parking is available at Hilton Americas standard rates which are currently $38/day for self parking in the attached garage and $62/day for valet parking.

AGENDA - TUESDAY, APRIL 16

7:30 AM     REGISTRATION & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

8:20 AM     GCPA President’s Welcome: Beth Garza, Sr. Fellow, R Street Institute; Recognition of Chairs: Kim Casey, Executive Director, GCPA; Conference Introduction: Mark Egan, Founder, Energy Evolution Advisors

8:30 AM     KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Thad Hill, CEO, Calpine

9:00 AM     Session I - You Can Start Me Up! The Desire for Dispatchable Power
As renewable energy investments accelerate, RTOs are struggling to maintain reliability. In ERCOT, dispatchable generation appears poised for additional investment. Will $10 billion in subsidies approved by Texas voters drive meaningful capacity expansion? Our panelists will discuss their expectations for the near-term and long-term as well as what needs to change to make future dispatchable generation investment viable.
Moderator: Glen Lyons, Consultant
Panelists:
Michael Enger, Vice President, Energy Market Operations & Resource Planning, Austin Energy
Benjamin Etheridge, Chief Energy Supply Officer, CPS Energy
Scott Harlan, Co-Founder & Co-Managing Partner, Rockland Capital
Kathleen Smith, Managing Partner, Aegle

9:45 AM     NETWORKING BREAK

10:15 AM     Vignette ~ Thermal Storage - Jordan Kearns, Vice President, Development, Antora Energy

10:30 AM     Session II - Renewable Expansion and Storage Surge
This panel will discuss the prospects for meaningful incremental development of wind, solar and battery storage in ERCOT. Key areas to be discussed include: (1) technology, cost and development considerations for lithium ion and competing long duration storage technologies, (2) off-take arrangements and who pays for zero-carbon “firm” capacity, (3) a view from capital providers regarding financing of new technologies, and (4) additional policy and regulatory actions affecting development.
Moderator: Mary Beth Mandanas, CEO, Onyx Renewable Partners
Panelists:
Martin Pasqualini, Managing Director, Partner & Founding Member, CCA Group
Pranay Reminisetty, Lead Sr. Power System Engineer - Interconnection, DNV
Ingmar Sterzing, Managing Partner, OnPeak Power
Dean Tuel, Vice President, North America Origination and Development, Hydrostor

11:15 AM     Session III - I Need a Hero! How Trading Organizations Provide Liquidity in ERCOT
Join this panel for an overview of the ERCOT wholesale market, focused on liquidity, product availability, volatility, and price formation.  Are dealers developing new products to help absorb risk and promote resource development? Do market characteristics promote or inhibit liquidity in short- and long-term markets?
Moderator: Jason Pillai, Head of Power Origination, Citi Commodities
Panelists:
Terry Embury, Vice President, Head of Trading & Marketing Operations, AES Clean Energy
Luis Lugo, Head of ERCOT Trading, Mercuria
Roxana Popovici, Head of Corporate & Industrial Sales, Brookfield Renewable

12:00 PM     BRAD JONES MEMORIAL

12:10 PM     LUNCHEON

1:40 PM     KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Edward Stones, Vice President of Climate & Energy, Dow

2:00 PM     Session IV - The Insatiable Demand for Power
Load growth in Texas and the Gulf Coast is not news.  As we look ahead, how are utilities preparing for this growth? From clean hydrogen to artificial intelligence impacts on data centers, what strategies will buyers employ to secure energy?  Are transmission and distribution companies setting conditions to enable electrification and economic growth to occur?  Join our panel for insights to hear perspectives from utilities and these growing sectors of power consumers.
Moderator: Alexandra Williams, Vice President of Origination, Industrial Sun
Panelists:
Jack Farley, Executive Vice President, HIF USA
Jeff Hanson, Sr. Director, Energy Supply Chain, Digital Realty
Jason Ryan, Executive Vice President, Regulatory Services & Government Affairs, CenterPoint Energy
Eliecer Viamontes, CEO, Entergy Texas

2:50 PM     POWER STAR AWARD PRESENTATION

3:00 PM     NETWORKING BREAK

3:30 PM     Vignette ~ eFuels - Andrew Miller, Vice President, Projects, Infinium

3:45 PM     Session V - The What and How of Sustainability
Many corporations have announced significant sustainability goals - including net zero ambitions within the next one to two decades. Are these goals achievable? What are corporations doing to achieve these goals in the near term? Have the products used by corporates evolved as their focus on sustainability has increased? What are third parties doing to facilitate achieving these goals?
Moderator: Kellie Metcalf, Managing Partner, EnCap Investments
Panelists:
Alex Beck, Co-Founder, GoodLynx
Chris Dorow, Regional Category Manager, Power and Utilities, BASF
Tina Moss, Sr. Director Net Zero Strategy & Execution, Americas, LyondellBasell
Lee Taylor, Co-Founder & CEO, REsurety

4:30 PM     Energy Gang Podcast
Join us for a special treat as we listen in on a live recording of an episode of The Energy Gang Podcast, one of the world’s most popular energy focused podcasts. Vice Chair of the Americas for Wood Mackenzie, host Ed Crooks will be joined by two special guests who will discuss the latest news on climate policy, economics and the energy transition.
Podcast Host: Ed Crooks, Vice Chair, Americas, Wood Mackenzie
Guests:
Kenneth Medlock, Sr. Director, Center for Energy Studies, Rice University
Frank O’Sullivan, Managing Director, Clean Energy, S2G Ventures

5:15 - 7:00 PM     COCKTAIL RECEPTION AT THE GROVE: Join us at this beautiful rooftop location across the street from the Hilton Americas.

AGENDA - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17

8:00 AM     REGISTRATION & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

8:30 AM     ANNOUNCEMENTS

8:35 AM     KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Charles Blanchard, Head of Gas & Power Research, Mercuria Energy Americas; Author of The Extraction State: A History of Natural Gas in America

9:00 AM     Session VI - Transmission: The Key to a Reliable, Cleaner Energy Future
It is well documented the importance of a robust transmission network for this country to achieve its goal for a more sustainable, yet reliable future. While there has been progress, many obstacles still exist in getting transmission approved, cost allocated and facilities constructed. This is evident in the significant increases in congestion cost across the country over the past five years. Across the six ISO’s the totals have jumped from over $5B/year to over $12B. In ERCOT, the number has grown from $1.2B to $2.8B. This panel will share their experiences and challenges associated with the development of transmission and how the recent developments and programs have impacted their efforts.
Moderator: Hala Ballouz, President, Electric Power Engineers
Panelists:
Ali Amirali, Sr. Vice President, Lotus Infrastructure Partners
Kip Fox, President, ETT
Brian Hudson, Director of Development, Priority Power
Kris Zadlo, Chief Commercial & Technology Officer, Grid United

9:45 AM     NETWORKING BREAK

10:10 AM     KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Pat Wood III, CEO, Hunt Energy Network & Former Chairman, FERC

10:40 AM     Vignette ~ Load Growth Outlook - Bryan Fisher, Managing Director, Climate Aligned Industries, RMI

11:00 AM     Session VII - Retail and the VPP Potential
With increasing demand placing pressure on the grid, Texas needs affordable and dispatchable resources to meet the supply gap and grid reliability challenges. Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) have the potential to meet both needs. With interest in VPP’s increasing, this panel of retail experts will explore the tremendous supply potential of VPPs and the potential impact of a reduced risk profile for retail providers. The panel will discuss barriers to entry and key innovations/technologies facing VPPs today and over the next few years. Consumer sentiment and how to engage residential and C&I customers will also be discussed.
Moderator: Scott Burns, Vice President, Innovation, NRG Energy
Panelists:
Aaron Berndt, Head of Energy Industry Partnership, Google
Caleb Bicknell, Sales Director, Generac
PJ Popovic, CEO & Founder, Rhythm
Greg Thurnher, Staff Technical Program Manager, Tesla

11:45 AM     CONFERENCE ADJOURNS

PRICING INFORMATION

CONFERENCE PRICING: Price includes one and a half day conference on 4/16 - 4/17 and cocktail reception on 4/16.*Non-Member rate includes 2024 Individual Membership good through 1/31/25.

WELCOME RECEPTION PRICING: Price includes welcome reception on Mon. 4/15, one drink ticket and hors d’oeuvres. Additional cocktails can be purchased at the bar. Reception is only available with conference registration and is not available as a stand-alone purchase for non-conference attendees.

REFUND POLICY: Cancellations must be received by 5 PM on Friday, March 29 in order to receive a refund. A 10% service fee (minimum fee of $10) will be charged against all refunds. Please direct all cancellation requests to Mary Armstrong at marmstrong@gulfcoastpower.org.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT INFORMATION

PEs: As part of the Continuing Education Program requirements for Professional Engineers in Texas, each licensed engineer is required to earn 15 hours per year of Professional Development Hours (PDH). Attendees will receive 8.75 hours of credit if all conference sessions are attended.

CPAs: GCPA is a Board Registered CPE Sponsor with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. This registration does not constitute an endorsement by the Board as to the quality of our CPE program. The learning objectives for CPAs attending the conference are: to obtain an in-depth understanding of dispatchable long-duration power, thermal and renewable storage, liquidity in ERCOT, load growth in Texas, eFuels, sustainability, challenges associated with transmission development, load growth outlook, and the potential of virtual power plants. There are no prerequisites. Attendees will receive 11.5 hours of credit if all sessions are attended.

Attorneys: GCPA will be applying with the Texas State Bar for approval of selected sessions for MCLE credit hours. Please check back for status update on approval.