FSR

Nicolò Rossetto (FSR) and Thierry Lepercq (Engie) discuss the way Engie, a major European energy company, is dealing with the series of disruptions that are affecting the energy business, both electricity and gas. Engie is navigating through the changes in Europe and beyond, and has decided to sell or close some of its less profitable assets in power generation. At the same time, Engie is looking towards the future by investing in renewables. According to Mr Lepercq the future is the exploitation of solar energy in prime locations around the world, like Chile or Australia, to produce hydrogen and then deliver it to Europe at a final cost that is in line with that of liquefied natural gas. This could possibly contribute to the decarbonisation of the gas sector, safeguarding the European gas grid form becoming a stranded asset. Hydrogen could then be used for district heating and power generation, solving the issue of the intermittency and seasonality of most renewables. A 100% renewable future would become much easier and cheaper to achieve. In line with this vision, large energy companies will continue to play a key role, even if large power plants will decrease in relevance.

In the framework of the 7th World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER), ICER Women in Energy and FSR teamed up to ‘give a voice’ to women professionals actively contributing to the event.

In this podcast, Swetha Bhagwat (FSR) interviews Ifey Ikeonu, a successful energy policy and regulation consultant with over 25 years of experience. Ms Ikeonu discusses her role in various power sector reform programmes, highlighting the main pioneering efforts put in place to establish the regulatory framework for the electricity market of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Prior to her current position, she helped found the Nigerian Energy Regulatory Commission and was one of the first commissioners for ECOWAS. The ECOWAS region is low on access to energy but it is high on innovation and motivation. In this podcast Ifey discusses her career path and explains the importance of innovation and regulatory framework in the energy sector in order to attract investment to help build the sector.

Later in the podcast she goes on to explain the large gender gaps that she has noticed in the energy sector. In a male-dominated sector, she acknowledges that her presence and leadership is unique. She notes that there are drastic gender imbalances in energy access and energy leadership specifically in Africa. Ifey actively empowers and mentors women and hopes to see more women leaders in the energy sector.

She discusses two very different sides of the coin when it comes to gender and energy. On one side, years of working in the sector have opened her eyes to the massive lack of women’s representation and participation in the sector, especially when it comes to male dominated executive positions. On the other side, she stresses that the lack of energy access disproportionally effects nearly every aspect of women’s lives — from meeting their basic needs, like having electricity for food refrigeration and light for reading, to increasing their participation in the workforce and public life of their communities.

Check out more podcasts like this one and learn more about the Lights on Women Initiative here: https://bit.ly/31bDjPY

In the framework of the 7th World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER), ICER Women in Energy and FSR teamed up to ‘give a voice’ to women professionals actively contributing to the event.

Diane X. Burman serves as a Commissioner of the New York State Public Service Commission, which regulates the state’s electric, gas, steam, telecommunications, and water utilities. The Commission focuses on the provision of safe, reliable and affordable services across all sectors, working with both industry and consumers to ensure that regulations are effective, flexible and fluid to adapt to the changes and challenges faced by those sectors. In this podcast, Diane and Swetha discuss the ways women from different professional, economic and cultural backgrounds find innovative ways to work towards greater access to energy. According to Diane, women working in energy, although still underrepresented, are changing the energy sector with their versatility, wealth of diverse knowledge and solution-driven mindsets. She explains that the collaborative approach which women bring to the table is key to the energy transition, and that they must engage in every level of the workforce to ensure its success. Diane uses her role to make sure that women’s voices and inputs are heard and implemented so that the sector becomes increasingly inclusive and open to new, diverse perspectives.

Check out more podcasts like this one and learn more about the Lights on Women Initiative here: medium.com/lights-on-women/

In the framework of the 7th World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER), ICER Women in Energy and FSR teamed up to ‘give a voice’ to women professionals actively contributing to the event.

Annegret Groebel is Vice-President at CEER and Head of the International Relations Department at BNetzA, Germany’s multisector regulatory authority.

In this podcast, she sheds light on BNetzA’s approach and discusses the main similarities and differences when it comes to a ‘multisector regulation’. Network industries under the supervision of BNetzA share similar cost structures and face the problem of recovering sunk costs. The challenge for regulators is then to assess those costs and ensure an adequate structure and level of the network tariff paid by network users.

However, regulators like BNetzA play a role also in ensuring the integrity and transparency of the wholesale markets, as mandated in the EU by REMIT.

As a concluding remark, Ms Groebel stresses the importance of looking at the regulatory experience of other countries and other sectors. Knowledge sharing, eagerness to learn and cooperation are essential to avoid mistakes and improve the regulation of the industries under the oversight of NRAs.

Check out more podcasts like this one and learn more about the Lights on Women Initiative here: medium.com/lights-on-women/

In the framework of the 7th World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER), ICER Women in Energy and FSR teamed up to ‘give a voice’ to women professionals actively contributing to the event.

Christina Espinosa is founder and CEO of GenteGas, a social enterprise in Guatemala, helping local households reducing the entry costs of modern and clean gas stoves and fuels.

By easing access to clean cooking facilities and LPG, fostering education and raising public awareness, GenteGas aims to eradicate families’ exposure to indoor air pollution and the related health problems.

In this podcast, Christina explains her leading motivations in founding GenteGas; she also provides an interesting analysis of the local context and the main challenges that led to the development of an ecosystem approach within GenteGas.

As a concluding remark, Ms Espinosa highlights the importance of educating and informing households and communities: a full understanding of the energy sources and technologies available is essential for the adoption of the most efficient and environmentally friendly solutions.

Check out more podcasts like this one and learn more about the Lights on Women Initiative here: medium.com/lights-on-women/

In the framework of the 7th World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER), ICER Women in Energy and FSR teamed up to ‘give a voice’ to women professionals actively contributing to the event.

Patricia de Suzzoni is currently the Advisor to the President at CRE, the French regulatory authority. As Patricia has filled so many different roles in the energy and telecom sectors, we asked her about the main challenges, as well as opportunities, she faced while transitioning from industry to the public sector. After giving some insight on her experiences, Patricia discusses the similarities between the regulation of energy and the regulation of telecoms and highlights the lessons that can be learned, given that the two sectors are increasingly facing the same challenges. (e.g. data privacy and cybersecurity)

Check out more podcasts like this one and learn more about the Lights on Women Initiative here: medium.com/lights-on-women/

In the framework of the 7th World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER), ICER Women in Energy and FSR teamed up to ‘give a voice’ to women professionals actively contributing to the event.

Marie-Pierre Fauconnier is President of the Board of Directors at CREG and Vice President of CEER. During the interview with Swetha Bhagwat (FSR), her first remark highlighted how the role of women has changed in the energy sector: 25 years ago, they were very few, while today, although still a clear minority, they are gaining more and more space and responsibilities.

According to Ms. Fauconnier, the two biggest challenges the energy sector will be facing in the upcoming future are the integration of RES in the energy mix and the impact of digitalisation and new technologies. These “novelties” generate both opportunities and threats. It is crucial for energy regulators to ensure that ‘every customer is onboard’ so that no one is left behind.

Digitalisation and the speedy adoption of fast-changing technologies are challenging the very same way regulators work and operated. New skills and approaches are needed to cope the energy transition. Women can provide an important contribution in this regard.

Check out more podcasts like this one and learn more about the Lights on Women Initiative here: medium.com/lights-on-women/

In the framework of the 7th World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER), ICER Women in Energy and FSR teamed up to ‘give a voice’ to women professionals actively contributing to the event

Bevan Flansburg is the Deputy Director in the International Department at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). In this podcast, Bevan and Swetha start off by discussing sustainable energy regulation on a global level and economic and clean energy factors regulators must take into consideration to create sound regulation. Bevan sheds light on the capacity building programs she and her team work on in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East as well as the regional partnerships which she has designed throughout her career, including the West Africa Regional Regulatory Partnership and the East Africa Regional Regulatory Partnership. Tapping into the knowledge of public utility regulators across the United States, those programmes and partnerships use peer to peer engagements to provide strategic support, ensuring that regulators in developing countries acquire the knowledge they need in order to make tangible improvements in energy regulation. A main challenge Bevan mentions regarding the regional efforts is to find a common thread between the countries who have similar regulatory goals but need a tailored approach to achieve them. Her team uses a consensus-driven approach to provide tailored support to regulators, giving them the tools they need to build effective clean energy policies within their national action plans.

Check out more podcasts like this one and learn more about the Lights on Women Initiative here: medium.com/lights-on-women/

In the framework of the 7th World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER), ICER Women in Energy and FSR teamed up to ‘give a voice’ to women professionals actively contributing to the event.

Aida Sitdikova is EBRD Director for Energy and Natural Resources for Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia. In this podcast, Aida explains the ‘energy transition’ in the Eurasian and Caucasus context. EBRD is committed to supporting a regional shift towards affordable, secure, reliable and sustainable energy despite the specific geopolitical context and constraints. However, fossil fuels are still largely used, have a strong political impact and represent large employment sectors for local populations. Therefore, transition in these countries will probably first move from coal to gas and only at a later stage to renewables. An example of this slow but steady transition is Kazakhstan.

Financing the transition is also challenging: fossil fuels’ strong legacy, lack of infrastructure, affordability and poor education are only a few of the main obstacles. There is a clear absence of local capital markets for long-term investments making it crucial for governments to adopt policies that attract investments and incentivize further developments in the energy sector. In this regard, EBRD is fully active, trying to attract actors from outside the region, provide expertise and advice, and monitor the implementation of the national policies.

Since 2013, EBRD has not financed any new coal-fired power plant but rather promoted the installation or upgrade of renewable power plants and the development of transmission and distribution grids. Attention is devoted to natural gas too, given its role as a transition fuel necessary for coal replacement.

As concluding remark, Ms Sitdikova stresses the importance for institutions like EBRD to adopt and promote inclusive and gender balance policies, both within and outside the institutions. Opening job opportunities to women in the energy sector and granting them equal conditions is fundamental for the development of countries like those in Central Asia.

Check out more podcasts like this one and learn more about the Lights on Women Initiative here: medium.com/lights-on-women/

Nicolò Rossetto (FSR) and Apostolos Gkizas (Greek Regulatory Authority for Energy, RAE) discuss the most recent developments in the Greek renewable energy sector. Greece is not yet on track to achieve its 2020 target for renewables, but decarbonization of electricity generation is moving forward. RAE plays a decisive role in the field of electric renewables: from the licencing of RES plants to the auctioning of support schemes for new projects, and from the monitoring of projects’ implementation to the definition of electricity tariffs for cost recovery. The successful implementation of the auctions planned up to 2020 and the issue of saturated networks in some parts of the country are important challenges for RAE, which also has to cope with a significant understaffing due to recently imposed budget cuts.