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CPES Meeting September 9 2015: Competitive Transmission

21273765312_5374aff8d9_mThe Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES) and New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE) held their first meeting of the 2015-16 season September 9, in Hartford with a joint networking event and a conversation about an emerging approach to electric transmission development in New England.

In New England, transmission development needed for power system reliability is taking an historic shift to a competitive framework, pursuant to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order on Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation (Order 1000). This will create opportunities for new players in the world of transmission development. Competitive procurement for transmission have already happened in other parts of the country and competitive processes and opportunities will be coming to New England.

Presenters:

  • Elizabeth Barton, moderator
  • Sharon Segner, Vice President, LS Power Development
  • Tracy Babbidge, Chief, Bureau of Energy & Technology, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
  • Phyllis Lemell, Assistant General Counsel, Eversource Energy

 

CPES on the Move: President’s Update

Dear CPES Members and Friends,

If your summer is anything like mine, you are busy juggling work, volunteer and family activities, and hopefully taking some vacation time to replenish your personal energy supply.

While we’re juggling all of that, I’m excited to report that CPES has been putting together a great lineup of programs for the summer and to kick off our 2015‒16 season. We’ve made several enhancements based on recent feedback from our members. We will continue to hold our monthly meetings and plan several energy conferences with our partners, but we will be trying out some new meeting formats and locations to better accommodate where people work and their busy schedules. I think you’re going to like where we’re headed.

On September 9, we will kick off our first monthly meeting and I am delighted to partner with a great organization for this event—the New England Women in Energy and the Environment. (I proudly serve on the NEWIEE board of directors.) This will be our second collaboration with NEWIEE, and a new location for CPES—the meeting will be held in downtown Hartford. The event will start at 5:30 p.m., as usual, but we will combine the food and the networking and then move more quickly into the program. Our goal is to pack more energy into a shorter evening. Several industry leaders will share their insights on the emerging world of competitive transmission in New England. We are putting the finishing touches on the program and will send out the announcement and registration very soon. You won’t want to miss this timely discussion.

We are kicking off a new Policy Committee that will provide opportunities for our members to learn about timely energy policy issues in Connecticut and New England, in a more condensed and interactive program. The first meeting is scheduled for August 13 and will feature timely reports on energy legislation passed by the General Assembly and a new presence in New England for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Don’t worry, we’ll share the content afterward if this overlaps with your vacation.

One of our best events of the year is the What’s the Deal – 21st Century Energy conference that we put on in collaboration with our good friends at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. The conference will be October 7 in Cromwell. We have an innovative and “refreshing” new program that you won’t want to miss. Everyone will be talking about it afterward—so be sure you are there to be part of it.

We are coming up on a 30 year anniversary for the organization in December and we will be taking some time to “look back” and celebrate with some old and new friends. You’re all invited.

As we think about our mission, we are continually thinking about ways to generate information, share ideas and educate Connecticut on energy issues. I am pleased to announce that we are rolling out a new look for the organization. This includes a new CPES logo that is previewed for the first time in this update.

The CPES board has assembled an outstanding group of professionals to serve on a new Advisory Committee and their input is already proving invaluable as we continually seek to enhance the value of the services we provide to our members. And, as your president, I always welcome your feedback.

So, as you enjoy the rest of your summer, please know that we have some great activities planned for the future. Please check out the CPES website for the latest information: www.ctpower.org. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you.

Joey Lee Miranda

President

Connecticut Power and Energy Society

CPES Policy Committee Meeting, August 13 in Hartford

The Connecticut Power and Energy Society hosted a kick-off meeting Thursday, August 13 for a new Policy Committee. For the first meeting, the committee heard reports on energy policy developments from the General Assembly’s 2015 legislative session from staff attorneys in the legislature and at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. We also heard from staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s new office in New England. Finally, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the objectives for the committee and future topics.

About the Policy Committee: CPES established a policy committee this year to provide additional opportunities for our members to learn about timely energy policy issues in Connecticut and New England. The concept for the committee emerged from a recent survey in which members asked for additional forums to discuss energy issues, in a format that is shorter and more interactive than the longer and more structured monthly dinner meetings. The committee is co-chaired by Jonathan Gordon, a member of the CPES board of directors, and Lee Hoffman, a partner at the law firm of Pullman & Comley and long-time friend of CPES.

Speakers

  • Nicolas Cicale, Staff Attorney for the Energy & Technology Committee in the Legislative Commissioner’s Office for the 2015 Legislative Session (center)
  • Lauren Savidge, Staff Attorney for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Bureau of Energy and Technology (left)
  • Eric Jacobi, Energy Industry Analyst, FERC Office of Energy Market Regulation – East (right)

Copies of their presentations can be found on our past presentations page here.

June 10, 2015 CPES Meeting: Energy Project Development and Delivery

Energy project developers must balance the needs of many stakeholders in a potential project: investors, regulators, end users, and the local population. Our three panelists discussed recent projects and the process it takes to bring important energy projects to completion here in Connecticut and worldwide.

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Our panelists were:

  • Melanie Bachman, Acting Executive Director, Connecticut Siting Council
  • Frank Wolak, Vice President, FuelCell Energy
  • Curtis Cole, Director of Business Development, Kinder Morgan
  • Moderator: Fred Klein, CPES Past President, Pullman & Comley

Copies of their presentations can be found here.

New England Energy Conference & Expo May 12-13

May 12-13, 2015: New England Energy Conference and Expo, Capacity, Carbon and Cost:  Getting the Balance Right  Mystic Marriott, Mystic, CT. The Conference is designed to appeal to a broad-ranging audience including generation companies, transmission companies, project developers and operators, utility representatives, load aggregators and end-users, equipment suppliers, finance and legal experts, risk managers, environmental and engineering professionals, commodity traders and wholesalers, as well as government officials and industry regulators.  In addition to the informational content of the seminar sessions and exhibitor displays, the Conference has proven to be a great opportunity to meet other attendees and entertain clients. Click here for brochure.  Click here for sponsor, exhibitor and registration information. Note: the Mystic Marriott is sold out. Click here for list of hotels in the area.