Northeast Energy
and Commerce Association
Contact NECA
By Phone:
(781) 449-5959
Or Online:
www.necanews.org
NECA Welcomes its Newest Members:
| ACDEnergy |
| Anbaric Transmission |
| Applied Science Associates, Inc. |
| Boreas Renewables LLC |
| City Lights Electrical Co. |
| Golder Associates Inc. |
| Hamilton Consulting |
| J L Marshall & Sons, Inc. |
| John Malloy |
| Oak Point Energy Associates LLC |
| RENEW |
| SGC Engineering, LLC |
| Terracon |
In this installment:
| Calendar of Events |
| Fall Conferences |
| NECANews Website |
| 16th Annual Energy Conference and Exposition |
| Renewable Energy Conference |
NECA News Editor:
Marla F. Simon
Letter from the President
Dear Members,
With summer finally here and NECA taking a brief break from programming, I wanted to take a minute to review our year to date. In one word, it has been extraordinary! As 2008 came to a close and we witnessed all the turmoil in our capital markets and the economy, NECA braced itself for a challenging 2009. However, instead of seeing decreased membership and low attendance numbers at our events, the opposite occurred. Our membership has actually grown this year and we have set attendance records at many of our events, including our Renewable Energy Conference in March and our 16th Annual Conference with Connecticut Power and Energy Society in May.
NECA has been fortunate in its ability to weather the current economic conditions. But our industry has not been immune from these challenges and much uncertainty remains. NECA remains a leading regional voice for education, discussion and debate on critical industry issues during these challenging times. Our 2009 dinner speakers have shaped many of these perspectives. In January, John Anderson from John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. spoke of the challenges of financing power projects, while Vince Morrissette from Repsol discussed how to diversify the regional natural gas supply at our February meeting. David Tamasi from the Rasky Baerlin Group provided a federal perspective on industry issues in April, and John Shelk from the Electric Power Supply Association described the current state of the competitive electric markets at our June meeting. And as already mentioned, the Renewable Energy Conference and joint NECA/CPES Annual Conference set attendance records and provided more critical industry insights.
NECA's seven committees also continued to provide a remarkable depth of information and analysis for our Board and members. In addition to providing comprehensive reports and updates at each Board meeting, most committees met on a monthly basis and many hosted monthly speakers. Our newest committee - the Energy Efficiency/Demand Response Committee - will host its first day-long conference on the implication of energy efficiency and demand resources on supply-side markets on October 7th at the Newton Marriott.
Looking toward the second half of 2009, I see an equally impressive and exciting agenda. NECA will kick off its fall programming schedule on September 3rd with José Rotger, a regional transmission expert, addressing renewable transmission planning in New England. The 15th Annual Fuels Conference will be held on September 22nd, followed by an October dinner meeting and the annual Power Markets Conference on November 4th. We will wrap up another successful year on December 2nd with a holiday networking reception in Boston. As 2009 ends, NECA will be hard at work with CPES preparing for the 17th Annual Conference and Exposition scheduled for June 7-8, 2010 in Providence, Rhode Island.
Thank you - especially during these challenging economic times - for your support of NECA and its activities. I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing summer and I look forward to seeing you at one of our many events during the fall.
Warm Wishes,
Sandi M. Hennequin
President
Tom King, President of National Grid U.S., opened the conference with a call to action by providing an overview of his company's
efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Among them, he said, are substantial increases National Grid is making in efficiency investments,
new utility-scale photovoltaic installations and an ambitious Smart Grid PILOT program.
To demonstrate its corporate commitment to efficiency, King said that National Grid U.S. has opened a new headquarters building in Waltham
which he described as showcasing state of the art efficiency and environmental building practices. He also endorsed the concept of a national carbon reduction program and other efficiency initiatives at the federal level.
Tuesday morning's session opened with a keynote address from Quebec's Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife, Claude Béchard.
Speaking of Quebec's keen interest in exporting significant quantities of zero emission electricity to the Northeast,
the Minister suggested to the audience that the strategy is a win-win for both Quebec and the Northeast.
Citing Quebec's ability to develop large energy infrastructure projects and the Northeast's desire for more carbon-free electricity resources,
the Minister urged support for more imports from Quebec. To ease concerns on the part of developers of indigenous renewable resources in the Northeast,
Minister Béchard also said that the Government of Quebec would not seek to qualify its exported power for Renewable Energy Credits in the U.S.
During Tuesday's lunch, Ed Krapels from Anbaric Holding gave the final keynote presentation. Dr. Krapels gave an overview of Anbaric's
vision for meeting the renewable energy challenges of New England. Anbaric's three-phase program to meet the region's renewable requirements includes
a mix of utility and merchant transmission, and off-shore wind, in addition to renewable resources presently available.
The second session focused on how the industry is reacting to the policy drivers outlined during the first session.
Jim Robb, Northeast Utilities' Senior Vice President, described the issues facing New England including the
advancement of technology, grid reliability, continuing environmental pressures, and regulatory rate pressures.
Stonyfield Farms' Natural Resources Director, Lisa Drake, discussed the energy related challenges Stonyfield faces
and how it is realizing energy saving impacts from its operational best practices, good maintenance, and
green building design. John Norden, Manager of Renewable Resource Integration at ISO New England, addressed
how demand resources, intermittent renewable resources, and electric storage devices are being integrated into
the New England power grid to in a manner that maintains reliability for the region.
The final session focused on finance and credit issues in the power industry. Richard Cortright, Managing Director,
Standard & Poor's, gave an overview and outlook for the electric power industry, from the rating agency's viewpoint.
Jerry Peters, Managing Director: Project Finance for TD Bank, N.A. provided a presentation on financing renewable
resources in which he outlined the risks to a project's cash flow that lenders fear the most. Drew Murphy,
Vice President & Regional President Northeast for NRG Energy, Inc., described his company's development projects as
"Competitive Hybrids," a joint venture between a regulated electric distribution company and NRG, a merchant developer.
NRG found that its projects, despite their minimal risks, had to modify financial terms that would have been easily
achieved in the past due to the current financial and credit situation.
On March 5, NECA drew 275 registered attendees to its annual Renewable Energy Conference, the largest crowd ever for that conference. This year's conference was titled "Reconciling Renewable Energy Momentum with New Challenges." The conference began with Mr. Grace, co-chair of NECA's Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation (REDG) Committee, setting the stage by summarizing the current opportunities and obstacles for renewable energy. Bob particularly noted how busy those involved in the renewable energy industry are, even in a down economy.