• Francis Bradley, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Electricity Association | Canada
• Liu Zhenya, Chairman, Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization | China
• Mohamed Rashwan, Chairman, CIGRE Canada | Canada
• Tom Kuhn, President, Edison Electric Institute | United States
• (moderator) Steve Mitnick, Editor in Chief, Public Utilities Fortnightly | United States

Some Distributed Energy Resource (DER) advocates believe that the growth of DERs will reduce the importance of transmission infrastructure, and that current investments in new projects will burden customers with large stranded costs because these assets, with decades-long lifespans, could become obsolete before they need to be retired.  Others argue that a high-DER future necessitates more transmission infrastructure investment in order to improve grid visibility, coordination, and management to cost-effectively meet customer needs and fully leverage the temporal and geographic diversity of DERs.  This panel will discuss the evolving role of transmission in a future filled with increased penetration of distributed resources and how a changing supply mix will alter how the grid should be planned and operated.

• Ahmed Maria, Director – Transmission Planning, Independent Electricity System Operator | Canada
• Gary Jackson, Executive Director, Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency | Barbados
• Haibin Sun, Director of Transmission Analysis & Transmission Strategy, Exelon Corporation | United States
• Keith Casey, Vice President – Market & Infrastructure Development, California ISO | United States
• Kory Hayko, Vice President – Transmission & Industrial Services, SaskPower | Canada
• Liu Guoyue, Vice President, State Grid Corporation of China | China
• (moderator) Michael Yackira, former President  & CEO, NV Energy | United States

By expanding or interconnecting regional balancing areas, cross-border transmission capacity provides power systems with operational and economic benefits by allowing for surplus generation capacity to more easily flow to load centers during times of high demand. It is also widely recognized as a valuable design characteristic for decarbonizing the power sector and integrating large shares of renewable energy in a cost-effective manner. However, there are numerous technical, regulatory and legal issues associated with the transmission of electricity across subnational and international borders, including: permitting and siting, capacity allocation, and cost allocation. This panel will share insights on opportunities and challenges in developing cross-border transmission interconnections.

• Bi Yaxiong, Vice President, China Southern Grid | China
• Frank Kreikebaum, Senior Vice President of Products and Solutions, Smart Wires | United States
• Gao Yi, Director of Energy Planning Research, GEIDCO | China
• Ladio Sogoba, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Energie du. Mali S.A. | Mali
• Marc Boucher, President, Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie | Canada
• (moderator)  Saifur Rahman, President, IEEE Power and Energy Society | United States

Constructing or upgrading transmission systems requires a complex and challenging process that involves multiple stakeholder groups. The length and difficulty of siting and permitting is a major reason why the development of new transmission facilities is, in many jurisdictions, not keeping pace with the need. As many countries move to consider even larger trans-regional or inter-national transmission lines, new processes for managing siting and permitting may be required. This panel will discuss Canadian and international experiences in siting and permitting new grid infrastructure to identify good practices and effective approaches in stakeholder engagement to address common challenges in social license, indigenous relations, ownership models, and jurisdictional misalignment.

• Graeme Steele, Managing Director, GES Energy Consulting Ltd. and Senior Advisor to Interconnector | United Kingdom
• Lanny Nickell, Senior Vice President – Engineering, Southwest Power Pool | United States
• Mark McCullough, Executive Vice President – Transmission, American Electric Power | United States
• Mohamed Al-Shaikh, Chief Network Officer, Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority | Bahrain
• Shane Mailey, Vice President – Transmission, Manitoba Hydro | Canada
• (moderator) Lawrence Jones, Vice President – International Programs, Edison Electric Institute | United States

The ongoing transformation to a more efficient and more complex transmission grid brought about by advanced technologies means the transmission business model is also changing. Business models of some transmission infrastructure owners are being challenged in Canada and around the world as they face less demand for electricity sales, increasing demands for new services and uses of their system, and perceived “non-wires alternatives.” In addition, the transmission grid is delivering value to customers in different ways than in the past by providing a platform for new technologies and delivering new services. As the value delivered to customer changes, does the business model, and more specifically, the rate structure to recover transmission investment, need to change? Currently, what are some successful transmission rate models from around the world, and where does rate-making need to go to ensure continued transmission investment to deliver safe, affordable, and reliable electricity to customers?

• David Morton, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, British Columbia Utilities Board | Canada
• Rudy Wynter, Chief Operating Officer, National Grid | United States
• Rohan Seale, Director – Asset Management, Barbados Light & Power | Barbados
• Scott Hawkes, President & Chief Executive Officer, FortisOntario | Canada
• (moderator) Francis Bradley, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Electricity Association | Canada

Jurisdictions around the world are setting ambitious goals for electrifying the transport sector. Many jurisdictions are aiming for 100 percent zero emission bus fleets and zero emission personal vehicle sales by 2040, 2030 or sooner. Some countries are also moving to electrify ferries and medium and heavy-duty trucks. Electrifying transportation will significantly reduce airborne particulate and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while providing growth opportunities for electric companies. Effectively integrating electric transportation, however, will require thoughtful planning and new investments in grid infrastructure. This session will highlight personal transportation electrification in leading jurisdictions and the technical and operational lessons learned from these pioneering efforts.

• Baerte de Brey, Chief International Officer, ElaadNL | Netherlands
• Paul Grigaux, Vice President – Asset Management, Strategy & Engineering, Southern California Edison | United States
• Niu Jincang, Vice President, State Grid EV Service | China
• (moderator) Alex Boston, Executive Director, Renewable Cities | Canada

Grid infrastructure faces new vulnerabilities in the 21st century. In North America, for example, the number of annual extreme weather events exceeding USD 1 billion in damage has doubled over the past decade. Similarly, the proliferation of digital technologies in the electric power industry has been accompanied by an increase in cyber threats from increasingly sophisticated actors. These evolving threats raise many questions about managing risk and planning for resiliency in the decades to come.

• Devon Cox, Senior Vice President of Operations, FortisTCI | Turks & Caicos
• Devon O. Niel Gardner, Program Manager – Energy, Caribbean Community Secretariat | Guyana
• Rod Eagles, Director – Corporate Project Management Office, New Brunswick Power | Canada
• Paul Lee, Director – System Operations, Altalink | Canada
• (moderator) Craig Sabine, Director, Navigant | Canada