Programme | Day Two

REGISTRATION AND COFFEE IN THE EXHIBITION

INVITE ONLY BREAKFAST | BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS: DELIVERING VERSATILE SERVICE OPTIONS AT LIGHTNING SPEED

Jacobs is at the forefront of the feasibility and design of battery energy storage schemes (BESS). Join this breakfast session to enjoy international insights on how to deploy BESS rapidly and discover the multiple services they can deliver, and how this technology can applied in New Zealand.

Sponsored by   

WELCOME FROM THE DAY TWO CHAIR

Madison Reidy – host and executive producer, Markets with Madison | NZME

QUIZ RECAP OF DAY ONE

INTERNATIONAL INSIGHTS

INTERNATIONAL INSIGHTS | NETWORK INNOVATION

Network businesses play an important role in the supply and management of electricity. Optimising existing assets and infrastructure and introducing novel solutions has the potential to save both time and money, ultimately delivering savings to customers. This presentation will cover some exciting innovations in Australia aimed at better managing demand and utilising network assets better.

Felix Keck – commercial director - distributed energy storage, Ausgrid

PANEL | LEVERAGING ASSETS AND BLURRING THE LINES

The coordination and cooperation of generators, distributors and retailers has the potential to reduce the overall cost of the energy transition, through the efficient use of existing assets and those projected to enter the market. So, what have we learned to date through the trials and work already completed, what is underway and what is required to unlock the full potential of flexibility and cooperation? 

Panelists: 
Evie Trolove – head of market and customer innovation, Orion 
Marcos Pelenur – chief executive, EECA
Andy Cooper – chief customer officer, Electric Kiwi

Facilitator: James Tipping – GM market strategy / regulation, Vector

MORNING BREAK AND NETWORKING IN THE EXHIBITION

STREAM 1 - RAKAIA

STREAM 2 - CONWAYS

BIG BATTERIES | THE LOWEST COST, NEAR TERM, CLIMATE & RELIABILITY OPTION 

New Zealand’s grids are experiencing dramatic change in the face of demand growth and integration of intermittent clean resources, just as gas and hydropower resources are becoming more unpredictable sources of power. Battery energy storage is suddenly the nearest-term and flexible solution to manage this transition while maintaining rigorous climate protection goals and controlling costs to ratepayers. Keefe will outline the successful market designs and uses that have incentivised his firm to build extensive fleets of privately invested batteries in the U.S and Canada that are successfully replacing gas and coal plant retirements with grid operator and utility admiration. 

Brandon Keefe – executive chairman & CEO, Plus Power 

DELIVERING THE ENERGY WORKFORCE REQUIRED 

Research to date has identified the opportunities and benefits of a more diverse energy sector workforce. Competition for talent with other sectors has never been higher, and the gap continues to widen between labour supply and demand across multiple disciplines. 

The time has come for a bold intervention to reset the playing field and invest in a new pipeline for the roles that exist today and those we can only imagine in the future. 

Representative from the Diversity, Equity and Belonging’s Working Group 

ROUND TABLES

Break off to multiple tables running individual discussions. Current topics include:

• Industrial demand side management
• BESS deployment
• Workforce skilling
• EV demand response
• Managing resilience
• Social license
• Energy intersections

ENERGY MIX | HYDROGEN

Clean hydrogen demand is projected to increase significantly by 2050 and could account for up to 73% of total hydrogen demand. What’s behind the scenarios delivering these projections and what is the “real” story about clean hydrogen? This session will review the global hydrogen situation and opportunities for Aotearoa.

Dr Linda Wright – chief executive, New Zealand Hydrogen Council

ENERGY MIX | GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE:  FROM LOW TEMPERATURE TO SUPERHOT

At one end of the spectrum new supercritical or “superhot” geothermal energy technology has significant potential to provide baseload energy for Aotearoa. At the other end, relatively lower temperature geothermal direct heat can drive commercial heat pumps and other industrial processes efficiently and economically. This presentation will cover the latest news in both areas.

Kennie Tsui – chief executive, New Zealand Geothermal Association

ENERGY MIX | BLACK WOOD PELLETS

In February 2023 Genesis successfully completed a biomass burn trial at Huntly Power Station. Now with increasing gas supply uncertainty, new political focus, and a growing coalition of the willing, what’s the potential for an indigenous black wood pellet industry to displace thermal coal?

Update in conjunction with Genesis Energy

LUNCH BREAK AND NETWORKING WITHIN THE EXHIBITION

STREAM 1 - RAKAIA

STREAM 2 - CONWAYS

PANEL | INVESTOR INSIGHTS 

It is essential that we encourage more and faster investment in the energy system to allow us to build a productive economy on the back of affordable and secure energy. What is making New Zealand attractive to investment currently, and what are the levers we have to incentivise further investment faster? 

This panel assembles a range of finance and investment leaders to analyse the current challenges and opportunities for energy infrastructure funding in Aotearoa. 

• Encouraging more and faster investment 
• Geopolitical considerations 
• Navigating and managing risk 
• FID hurdles including the use of PPAs 
• Exploring investor priorities 

Panelists:
Waruna Karunaratne – investment director, New Zealand Green Investment Finance
Hayden Mackenzie – investment manager, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise
Yukio Mashimo  – president, Obayashi Clean Energy New Zealand

Facilitator:
Madison Reidy – host and executive producer, Markets with Madison | NZME

PANEL | PROSPECTS FOR LARGE SCALE ENERGY USERS 

If you are an energy intensive industry, then managing that input cost and availability becomes paramount. As we look towards winter 2025 managing input expenses against profitability will be a significant challenge for us to collectively manage.

• Whose role is it to ensure that energy costs are fair and reasonable, and that supply is secure? 
• For those working to decarbonise, what are the options? 
• How can we rework the challenge to take advantage of lower cost intermittent generation when it is available?
• What role can government policies play in supporting industries during energy shortages and promoting sustainable energy practices?
• And how does the use of renewable energy sources by an organisation enhance its global competitiveness? 

Panelists:
Linda Mulvihill – general manager of energy & climate, Fonterra
Darren Gilchrist – energy manager, Oji Fibre Solutions
Pauline Martin – senior energy manager, Datagrid
Stew Hamilton – chief executive, Mercury

MAIN PLENARY - RAKAIA

PRIZE DRAWS

PANEL | IS THE MARKET WORKING? 

The extreme pricing volatility experienced over winter 2024 led to the closure of several large industrials. A swift response from the Government saw the establishment of the energy competition task force, tasked with improving resilience and put downward pressure on prices by encouraging more and faster generation investment. The ability to draw on large scale demand-response and a relatively mild winter kept things in balance, given the shortage of thermal fuel in 2024, but the market reacted and arguably took its toll. What did we learn from this experience and is the market delivering the outcomes we want or just working as expected?

Panelists: 
Huia Burt – chief executive, Electric Kiwi 
Babu Bahirathan – chief executive officer, Nova Energy
Dr John Small  – chair, Commerce Commission
 
Facilitated by: 
Toby Stevenson – consulting director, Sapere Research Group 

CLOSING ACTIVITY

DOWNSTREAM 2025 CONCLUDES