Agenda - Day 1

Theme: Power & Politics

The first day of Financing Wind North America will look at the biggest issues around the growth of US onshore and offshore wind, and the impact of politicians. Speakers will discuss the end of the PTC, transmission traumas, US offshore wind, and more.

Times given in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Organiser's Welcome

09.00-09.10

Headline Sponsor's Welcome by UL

09.10-09.20

Post-2020 Vision and COVID-19: Where now for US wind?

09.20-10.05

This session will tackle questions about the prospects for wind in the next 3-5 years:

• How will the industry cope with the end of the PTC?
• What influence will the 2020 election have on wind?
• Will the lack of parity with solar hinder the industry?
• Should US onshore wind be receiving tax credits?
• Where are the most exciting areas for developers and investors?

Speakers:

• Ravina Advani, Head of Energy Natural Resources & Renewables, BNP Paribas
• Vikas Anand, CEO, GE Renewable Energy - Onshore Wind Americas
• Mit Buchanan, Managing Director, Energy Investments, J.P. Morgan
• Tristan Grimbert, CEO and President, EDF
• Ed Zaelke, Head of Energy Project Finance Practice, McDermott Will & Emery - Moderator

Networking Coffee Break

10.05-10.35

Sponsored by McDermott Will & Emery

Offshore Gold Rush: How big and how fast?

10.35-11.20

This session will look at the growth and financing of US east coast offshore wind:

• How realistic are the forecasts of fast expansion of offshore wind?
• Will federal government hinder the growth of this new industry?
• What does Vineyard Wind tell us about offshore wind’s prospects?
• What funding solutions will take new schemes to financial close?
• What lessons are there from Europe and are they being learned?

Speakers:

• Martin Neubert, CEO, Ørsted
• Lars Thaaning Pedersen, Founding Partner and Co-CEO, Copenhagen Offshore Partners
• Beth Waters, Managing Director, MUFG
• Karen Wong, Partner, Milbank - Moderator

Lightning Talk 1: Finance Gurus: Debt, equity, tax and more

11.25-11.55

This session will feature finance experts discussing the big issues in funding:

• What are the biggest issues in the tax equity market?
• Which are the most active types of equity investors and why?
• What innovations in project structuring should we look out for?
• What are the biggest obstacles to project finance in the next five years?

Speakers:

• Frank Getman, President & CEO, Great Bay Renewables - Moderator
• Bruce Hogg, MD, CPPIB
• Martin Torres, MD & Head of Americas, BlackRock

Lightning Talk 2: Floating Gurus: How to unlock the Pacific

11.25-11.55

Interactive Q&A session

This session will feature an expert talking about the latest progress in floating wind:

• What is the state of the floating wind market globally?
• What will it take to unlock offshore wind in the Pacific?
• How long until floating tech reaches commercial maturity?
• What are the prospects for building a west coast supply chain?

Speakers:

• Fraser McLachlan, CEO, GCube Insurance Services - Moderator
• João Metelo, CEO, Principle Power
• Adam Thomsen, Sales Director, MHI Vestas

Breakout Session 1: A New Hope: Building an offshore supply chain

12.00-12.45

This session will look at the potential to build a strong offshore wind supply chain:

• How close are we to developing a strong offshore supply chain?
• Can this bring hope and jobs to deprived coastal communities?
• Are companies any closer to solutions regarding the Jones Act?
• How will this benefit Boston and the wider US northeast?

Speakers:

• Tom Adams, Senior Vice President, Wind, TPI Composites
• Joan Bondareff, Of Counsel, Blank Rome - Moderator
• Rachel Pachter, Chief Development Officer, Vineyard Wind
• Stephen Pike, CEO, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

Breakout Session 2: Investor Forum: Where’s the money going?

12.00-12.45

This session will see institutional and PE investor discussing key trends in finance:

• What are the key trends affecting the pricing of wind assets?
• How much merchant risk are they prepared to take?
• Are they primarily focused on buying projects or platforms?
• How important is wind to these investors compared to solar?
• How can companies cope with the increase in merchant risk?

Speakers:

• David Burton, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright - Moderator
• Yvette Dennis, VP of Infrastructure, AIG
• Frank Nicklaus, Partner, Nomura Greentech
• Himanshu Saxena, CEO, Starwood Energy

Closing remarks from A Word About Wind & Networking

12.45-13.30

Networking break sponsored by Principle Power

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Agenda - Day 2

Theme: The Green Revolution

The second day of Financing Wind North America will look at how companies in the wind sector can negotiate various aspects of the climate crisis and growing demand for green energy. Speakers will discuss PPAs, the climate crisis, net zero, and more.

Times given in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Organiser's Welcome

09.00-09.10

Day Sponsor's Welcome by Lockton

09.10-09.20

Climate Crisis: How will it affect portfolios?

09.20-10.05

This session will look at the impact of the climate crisis on investment activities:

• What impact will the changing climate have on investor portfolios?
• How can investors mitigate risks that the climate crisis raises?
• Will fossil fuel divestments help the renewable energy sector?
• How can companies get a strong and diversified portfolio?
• Does this put pure-play wind companies at a disadvantage?

Speakers:

• Holly Burnett, SVP, Natural Power
• Tom Festle, CFO - US, RWE Renewables
• Raya Treiser, Energy and Environmental Attorney, WilmerHale - Moderator
• Florian Zerhusen, CEO, BayWa r.e. Wind, LLC

Networking Coffee Break

10.05-10.35

Sponsored by Alliant

Breakout Session 1: US Onshore Hotspots: Where to invest next

10.35-11.20

This session will look at how developers can thrive in key US onshore wind markets:

• Where will we see the most demand in the next 3-5 years?
• What are the biggest issues for developers in these states?
• What changes are we seeing in state support for wind?
• How can developers foster great community relations?
• How can the industry respond to false claims about wind?

Speakers:

• Gabriel Alonso, CEO & President, 547 Energy
• Durham McCormick Jr., Partner, McGuireWoods - Moderator
• Georgios Papadimitriou, Head of Enel Green Power USA and Canada
• Michael Rucker, CEO, Scout Clean Energy

Breakout Session 2: Corporate Off-Takers: Opening PPAs for all

10.35-11.20

This session will look at questions related to corporates signing wind PPAs:

• How big will the corporate PPAs market grow over 3-5 years?
• Is standardisation needed to enable smaller firms to sign PPAs?
• What are the latest innovations we’re seeing in PPA structures?
• Do firms use PPAs as a fig leaf to avoid bigger environmental actions?
• Do companies need to look at using distributed renewables?

Speakers:

• Caroline Brun Ellefsen, Global Head Instatrust, New Energy Ventures, DNV GL
• Sam Castor, EVP of Policy, Switch
• Rochelle Rabeler, Partner, Holland & Hart - Moderator
• Kevin Rackstraw, SVP, Client Solutions, CustomerFirst Renewables
• Adam Reeve, Senior Vice President, REsurety

Lightning Talk 1: Transmission Impossible: Can we fix it?

11.25-11.55

This session will tackle questions related to problems with the transmission network:

• How are transmission problems hampering investment?
• How can companies tackle problems with transmission?
• How can the US integrate offshore wind into the grid?
• What impact is this having on the siting of new projects?
• Will energy storage help with the management of these grid issues?

Speakers:

• James Avery, Partner, Pierce Atwood - Moderator
• Tom Carbone, President, TriGlobal Energy
• Soam Goel, Senior Partner, Anbaric

Lightning Talk 2: Race To Net Zero: How best to cut emissions?

11.25-11.55

This session will look at the role of wind as firms and countries plan for net zero:

• Is it likely that the US will commit to net zero carbon emissions?
• Who’s going to take the lead and what role are PPAs set to play?
• How can wind cut its emissions – and it is at risk if it doesn’t?
• What technology innovations will help firms to reach these goals?
• Will carbon pricing help drive change among corporates?

Speakers:

• Marcus Krembs, Head of Sustainability, Enel North America
• Stuart Murray, Principal Head of Energy Management, AFRY Management Consulting - Moderator
• Chandu Visweswariah, Founding President and CEO, Utopus Insights

Wind In 2040: Where will we be in 20 years’ time?

12.00-12.45

This session will look at the big questions for wind in the next two decades:

• How big could turbines get and how will that affect returns?
• How much wind, solar and storage can we expect on the grid?
• How should we deal with the increasing number of ageing projects?
• Will offshore wind become a key part of the US electricity network?
• Can the growth of EV charging infrastructure help the wind sector?

Speakers:

• Shawn Lifrage, Vice President Sales, Americas, Utopus Insights
• Steve Ryder, CFO, Clearway Energy
• Steve Schauer, MD - Utilities, Power & Renewable Energy, KeyBanc Capital Markets
• Elise Zoli, Partner, Jones Day - Moderator

Closing remarks from A Word About Wind & Networking

12.45-13.30

Networking break sponsored by Energy Acuity‍

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