09:00-10:00
Registration and welcome coffee
Antonella BATTAGLINI, Executive Director, RGI
Jean KOWAL, Director General, Medgrid
Paul VAN SON, CEO, Dii GmbH
Sir Graham WATSON MEP, President, European Liberal Democrats (ELDR) and Chairman, Climate Parliament, European Parliament
Ana AGUADO CORNAGO, CEO, Friends of the Supergrid
10:20-10:30
Keynote address
Keynote Speaker
Flemming NIELSEN, Director Energy Supply section, Danish Energy Agency, Denmark
10:30-11:50
Why Europe needs a Supergrid
Chaired by the BBC’s Stephen Sackur, this high level debate will bring senior business and political leaders together to discuss the merits of building a European Supergrid.
The Supergrid is needed to help:
- Meet EU and national plans to decarbonise Europe’s power sector
- Reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by 80% by 2050
- Integrate significant amounts of renewable energy into the continent’s energy mix
- Bring these renewable resources to market
- Balance the electricity network
Find out what the implications will be for Europe’s consumers, power markets and energy policy in this interconnected future.
Panel with 5 minute interventions, followed by Questions and Debate
Moderator
Stephen SACKUR, BBC, United Kingdom
Johan VANDE LANOTTE , Minister for Economic Affairs, Consumers and of the North Sea, Belgium
Pierre BORNARD , Vice Chairman of the Executive Board and Senior Executive Vice-President, RTE, France
Matteo CODAZZI, CEO, CESI, Italy
Martin GROSS , Group Senior Vice President, Head of Business Unit Grid Systems, Power Systems Division, ABB, Sweden
Eddie O’CONNOR, President, Friends of the Supergrid and CEO, Mainstream Renewable Power, Ireland
Prof. Lord STERN, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics (video statement)
Jorge VASCONCELOS , Chairman, NEWES, Portugal
Michael WEINHOLD, Chief Technology Officer, Siemens, Germany
11:50-13:00
Building Supergrid – The “What”
In this session, the panel will review and discuss large scale interconnection projects including plans for a Supergrid in the US. The Friends of the Supergrid will deliver their assessment of the technical route map to the delivery of a meshed electrical network in Europe.
10 minute presentations followed by Questions and Debate
Chairperson
Jorge VASCONCELOS , Chairman, NEWES, Portugal
Lessons from other markets - How Brazil delivered its infrastructure investments
Available technology as of today
Joe CORBETT, Member of WG Logistical, Friends of the Supergrid and Head of Technical Services, Mainstream Renewable Power, Ireland
The first plans in the USA for a Supergrid
Pierre BERNARD, Head of Business Development, Elia System Operator, Belgium and Managing Partner Bernard Energy Advocacy
Irish Scottish links in energy project (ISLES) : outcomes and next steps
Mike McELHINNEY, Head of Energy Markets, Scottish Government, United Kingdom
14:00-15:15
Delivering Supergrid – The “How”
Chaired by Andrea Bonanni of La Repubblica, this panel of senior policy makers and market leaders will discuss how to engage politicians and regulators to work together to enable the delivery of a meshed electrical network across Europe.
Panel with 5 minute interventions, followed by Questions and Debate
Moderator
Andrea BONANNI, correspondent in Brussels, La Repubblica, Italy
Daniel DOBBENI, CEO, ELIA System Operator, Belgium and ENTSO-E President
Fernando TORIJA , Head of Division for Banks, Industry, Energy and Telecoms, European Investment Bank, Spain
Mark JOHNSTON, Senior Policy Adviser, WWF
Geert PALMERS, CEO, 3E, Belgium
Alberto POTOTSCHNIG, Director, Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER)
Jean-Arnold VINOIS, Acting Director, Energy Policy, Security of Supply and Networks, Directorate General for Energy, European Commission
Sir Graham WATSON MEP, President, European Liberal Democrats (ELDR) and Chairman, Climate Parliament, European Parliament
15:35-16:50
Delivering Supergrid – The “How”
The final session of the day will see a series of presentations that will review the benefits and consequences of the delivery of Supergrid, including how the Supergrid will be financed, supply chain capabilities and readiness and employment opportunities for Europe.
10 minute presentations followed by Questions and Debate
Chairperson
Jean-Michel GLACHANT, Director of Florence School of Regulation, Holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair, European University Institute
The roadmap to the Supergrid technologies
Frank SCHETTLER, Chair of WG Technological, Friends of the Supergrid and Portfolio Manager HVDC Systems and Grid Access, Siemens, Germany
Education, employment and supply chain readiness
Ton GEUL, Chair of WG Logistical, Friends of the Supergrid and Business Development Manager, Visser & Smit Marine Contracting, The Netherlands
Financing the European Supergrid
Christopher MARCHANT, Chair of WG Regulatory, Friends of the Supergrid and Regional Manager, Power Networks, Parsons Brinckerhoff, United Kingdom
ITC architecture for European Supergrid
16:50-17:00
Closing remarks