Detailed program — Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Managing and reducing environmental impact over the full life cycle of any energy system has become an integral part of the energy business. It is especially important with fossil fuels, where it is imperative to deploy cleaner, more efficient combustion technologies and introduce adequate mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions or to remove from the environment. The same challenge faces nuclear power, where spent fuel disposal is still a crucial issue. Even apparently clean technologies, such as solar photovoltaic cells, need proper recycling processes.

• Allotey, Jonathan, Director, Environmental Protection Agency Ghana

• Ferioli, Jorge, Chairman Argentina Member Committee, World Energy Council, Argentina
• Brikho, Samir, Chief Executive, AMEC plc United Kingdom
• ElDaief, Magued, Executive Director, Infrastructure Accounts, GE Energy, United States
• Oosterveer, Peter, President, Energy & Chemicals Group, Fluor Corporation United States

The general public is increasingly involved in the process of defining any project with an impact on the environment or society. But to derive the greatest benefit from this process, it is essential to adequately inform the public about the project and then ensure its concerns are reflected in the final planning. It is also necessary that all concerned have a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of available energy choices. Openness and honesty constitute essential conditions for the success of any project.

• Guimond, Pierre, President & CEO, Canadian Electricity Association Canada

• Bell, John Kim, President and CEO, Bell Bernard Canada
• Brochu, Sophie, President and CEO, Gaz Metro Canada
• Muto, Sakae, Executive Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer, Tokyo Electric Power Company Japan

Developing energy policies and practices capable of achieving energy and climate sustainability on a global scale is a complex process requiring cooperation among all stakeholders: governments, businesses, technology promoters, economists and non-governmental organisations. To further this process it is helpful to assess different energy policies and practices already in place and use them to benchmark achievements in this regard. The benchmarking exercise can also help identify vulnerabilities in the energy system and suggest ways to overcome them.

• Bartels, Guido, Chairman, GridWise Alliance™, General Manager, Energy & Utilities Industry, IBM United States
• Collyer, David, President, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Canada
• Júlíusdóttír, Katrín, Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism Iceland
• MacNaughton, Joan, Senior Vice-President, Power and Environmental Policies, Alstom Power United Kingdom
• Swiger, Andrew, Senior Vice-President, Exxon Mobil Corporation United States

With the growing global trend toward urbanisation, the city will be the main environment therefore requiring more efficient uses of energy. Because of their high population density, and the presence of industries and infrastructures, cities also offer natural conditions for efficiency gains. District heating and cooling, high density dwellings, mass transit systems and many other efficient infrastructures have been part of the urban landscape for years. We have begun to see new global approaches in urban planning, where energy efficiency and environmental sustainability are key defining objectives.

• Miles, John, Board Member, Arup Group United Kingdom

• Dionisio, John M., Chief Executive Officer and President, AECOM United States
• Fukue, Ichiro, Senior Executive Vice-President, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Japan
• Kvaran, Hjorleifur B., Chief Executive Officer, Orkuveita Reykjavikur (Reykjavik Energy–RE), Iceland

The transport sector is emblematic of our modern society and our energy opulence. In fact, the transportation sector consumes almost half of the world oil production, the essential part of that energy being burned on roads. With increased availability of the individual car in the developing countries, it is also expected that three-quarters of the projected increase in worldwide oil demand will come from the transport sector. The positive side of that situation is that individual cars can be made far more efficient since they can rely on alternate fuels or energy sources. They can also be replaced with mass transit systems consuming far less energy to move people over the same distance. Energy efficiency is also a keyword in the air travel sector, where it is directly linked to economic competitiveness.

• Chan, C.C., Honorary Professor and former Head, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
• Forer, Gil, Global Director, Cleantech, Ernst & Young United States
• Kawaguchi, Yuji, Managing Director, Honda R&D Co., Ltd Japan
• Trainham, James A., Vice President - Strategic Energy Initiatives, RTI International United States

The energy sector accounts for more than 40 percent of global CO2 emissions; an increase in demand will mean a continued reliance on fossil fuels in the short term. It also means that even if renewable forms of energy generation make significant inroads, the quantities of fossil fuels used will still increase in absolute terms for the near future. It is imperative, then, to take a hard look at what options may be readily implemented in order to mitigate the impact of an increased quantity of fossil fuels while still allowing their use.  Cleaner technologies to extract energy from coal as well as CO2 capture and storage must be assessed and their economic impact on the efficiency and yields of the sector must be balanced against the overall objective of mitigating climate change.

• Pratte, André, Editor, La Presse Canada

• Wicks, Malcom, House of Parliament, House of Parliament United Kingdom
• Hauge, Frederic, President, Bellona Foundation Norway
• Irving, Jacob, President, Canadian Hydropower Association Canada
• Suess, Michael, Chief Executive Officer, Fossil Power Generation Division, Siemens, Germany
• Cheikhrouhou, Hela, Director, Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department, African Development Bank
• Chander, Seethapathy, Principal Director, Office of Information Systems and Technology, Asian Development Bank

Rapid growth in energy demand and access to large reserves of natural resources have inspired vast projects in the past. With time and experience, developers have focused attention on environmental and social considerations, which has had an immense impact on the way we plan, design, and build large energy projects. Technological innovations have also changed the kinds of feasible projects so that we can now consider works that would have been impossible in scope as well as in technologies used only a generation ago. The objective of this session is to give an overview of what large energy projects are currently underway or are under consideration around the world.

• Strobele, Kurt A., Président directeur-général et Chef de la direction, Hatch, Canada

• Diallo, Amadou, , West African Power Pool
• Massampu, Yengo, Director General, Société nationale d'électricité, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Bigot, Bernard, Chairman, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission France