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Sector perspective: Energy providers
Speaker abstracts and biographies
Chair: Professor Ray Wills, Chief Executive, WA Sustainable Energy Association
Professor Ray Wills has had a wide-ranging career at different times as researcher, planner, adviser, manager and academic. Ray has substantial expertise in ecology, sustainability, climate change science and the effects of expected future climates on Australia, and is recognised by business, government and community leaders in WA as an authoritative commentator on policy and functional responses to mitigate and adapt to global warming.
As well as his role as Chief Executive, Ray is an Adjunct Professor with the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Western Australia, and contributing to the academic program and lecturing on the science, economics and politics of environmental change. Ray also is Principal of the consultancy Future Smart Strategies - a WA SEA member business!
Ray is a member of a number of senior policy groups including the Federal Government's Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism Energy Efficiency Skills Committee, the Board of the Stirling Alliance, a Board Member of Earth Science Western Australia. Further, he is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy and member of the WA Branch Committee.
Previously he has had roles including Deputy Chair of the WA Land Information System's (WALIS) Advisory Committee, and a member of the WA Government's High Level Stakeholder Group on Greenhouse. Prof Wills also made substantial contributions to the work of the Ecological Society of Australia (ESA), a professional, member based peak body for Australian ecologists where he was a member of the ESA Council for 13 years, including a considerable period as a senior member of the ESA Executive with his final role as Vice President of the ESA for four years, retiring from this position and from council at the end of 2003 - he remains a member of the Society. In 2000, he was elected to a lead role in the International Society for the Study of Mediterranean Ecosystems (ISOMED) as a Board Member, a post held until June 2004.
Industry regulation and policy - which way from here?
The electricity sector accounts for about 35 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, and action on climate change will transform the way energy is used. In a carbon constrained economy electricity will be the growth industry – providing a flexible energy source for transport, water supply, heating and cooling – and it will be a low emission source of energy, involving an enormous and challenging transition.
esaa General Manager Andrew McNamara describes the possible future for Australia’s electricity industry, and discusses the national policies required to achieve a low emissions energy supply.
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Andrew McNamara, General Manager, Strategic and International Policy, Energy Supply Association of Australia 
Andrew McNamara commenced at the Energy Supply Association of Australia in December 2009 and is responsible for developing strategic views informed by international policy settings and energy market, climate change and fuel security policy. He also oversees the production of esaa’s flagship annual publication Electricity Gas Australia, as well as other weekly and monthly statistical member publications.
Prior to joining esaa, Andrew served three terms as a Queensland MP between 2001 and 2009, including two years as Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation. Previously, Andrew was also partner of a law firm and served as a non-executive director of Ergon Energy.
Andrew holds a BA majoring in economics and an LLB, and is completing a Masters of Business.
Strategic approach to energy management
What resources, approach and strategies are required to meet the energy and carbon management challenge? This presentation outlines the need case for energy management, presents a general carbon risk management framework - and provides an example of a range of energy and carbon management measures implemented within a holistic framework to meet an organisations strategic objectives.
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Travis Hughes, Strategic Advisor, Carbon Management services, AGL Energy Services
Travis joined AGL in 2009 in the role of Strategic Advisor in the Carbon Management Services (CMS) business. Travis works alongside CMS project and technical streams to assist AGL’s major customers understand and manage carbon risk, and identify innovative ways to head towards sustainability.
Travis is a carbon management specialist, with over 10 years’ experience in greenhouse gas management, assessment, emissions estimation and verification. Between 2002 and 2006, Travis was based in the UK and consulted to the electricity supply and oil and gas sectors with respect to managing obligation and identifying opportunities under the UK and EU Emission Trading Schemes (ETS).
In 2007, he relocated to Australia and has since been extensively involved in advising organisations with respect to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Most recently, Travis led a NGER methodology review for a large Australian utility and developed the greenhouse gas assessment for the proposed BG Group Queensland Curtis LNG facility in Gladstone. Recent focus has been in the review and implementation of greenhouse reporting systems for various organisations in line with the Australian National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting system. Travis also has experience in Carbon Capture and Storage, through his involvement in developing the carbon and energy balances for the proposed 500MW hydrogen power station planned for Peterhead, Scotland.
Travis’ project experience has been gained throughout Asia Pacific, UK, Middle East, mainland Europe and the former USSR. He has an in depth knowledge of emission sources, project assessment, various carbon scheme rules and regulations; as well as currently involved in designing carbon management strategies for various Australian organisations. From 2007, he has provided advice, assurance and verification relating to Australian regulation such as EEO, NGER, CPRS and NSW GGAS.
Diamond Energy - 'Generation to market'
- Connecting to the grid
Tony will highlight some of the experience that Diamond Energy has had in addressing these challenges and also introduce a new, innovative approach to financing renewable energy projects.
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Tony Sennitt, Managing Director, Diamond Energy
Tony Sennitt is an experienced energy and utilities director. He has specialist skills in electricity and commodity risk management with over 22 years of professional experience in the global oil, gas, chemicals and electricity markets. Tony’s experience has been built through a variety of major roles at global energy corporations, based in Australia and Singapore. His academic qualifications include a science and engineering degrees coupled with a postgraduate master of management degree from Melbourne University.
Before Diamond Energy, he was the regional trading director for Duke Energy based in Singapore. Here he headed up the Duke Energy Merchants entity. The role required building and managing Duke’s Asian trading portfolio and developing Duke’s investment strategy in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Prior to this he was the pan-Asian business leader for Koch International running the LPG and chemical trading business. He had direct reports in offices spanning from India, Taiwan to Korea. Before leaving for Singapore in 1998 he worked for Esso Australia as the LPG and Crude Oil marketing manager.
