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Speaker abstracts and biographies
Chair: Graham White, Managing Director, GL Garrad Hassan
Graham White is a mechanical engineer and is the Managing Director of Garrad Hassan for Australasia, the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. Graham has Engineering Degrees from Carleton University in Canada and the University of Western Australia.
Graham has 35 years of experience in various energy technologies and has 15 years experience in the wind energy industry. He has worked on projects throughout Australasia, Asia, Africa and Canada. He has coordinated due diligence work on many wind farms and has experience advising owners and investors on a number of large projects.
Graham has been involved with R&D for a variety of other power plant. Graham has been involved with renewable energy industry associations in Australia and New Zealand for over twenty years and has written extensively on renewable energy topics.
Successful delivery of wind power plants
The many diverse activities to be safely managed include local approval permitting requirements, multi-disciplinary engineering requirements, remote construction in often hostile conditions, difficult installation activities, alignment of local and international manufacturing and logistics, long-lead time procurement, grid connectivity analysis, compliance of the turbines and wind farm to local standards and planning consents, to name but a few. This contracting model has proven to reduce the interfaces and is increasingly favoured by local clients and financial institutions who invest the capital to deliver these projects.
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Kingsley Slipper, Bid Manager, Suzlon Energy Australia Pty Ltd
Kingsley Slipper has been the Bid Manager for Suzlon Energy Australia since mid 2008. Suzlon is a leading turnkey constructor, operator and maintenance service provider of grid-connected wind farms in Australia, with current commitments to deliver over 750 MW of wind energy projects across South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.
Working as part of the business development team and in close consultation with executive management, Kingsley has been involved in developing strategies and coordinating input from multiple internal and external stakeholders, leading to the submission of proposals for new wind farm projects. This experience has enabled Kingsley to understand the complexities of wind farming from development through to operations.
Prior to joining Suzlon, Kingsley held senior project management roles with Lend Lease and Goodman that focused on the delivery of large-scale commercial building projects. He also founded a consultancy group that provided project management services focusing on sustainability, heritage, town planning and social and environmental impact assessments.
Against All Odds – Wind Turbine Manufacturing in Australasia
Vestas, the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, pulled out of nacelle production in Tasmania after a couple of years. No other manufacturer has tried since.
Except for a small New Zealand based designer and manufacturer of an innovative two-blade 500 kW wind turbine that sources components from predominantly NZ companies and assembles nacelles in Christchurch and makes its wood-epoxy blades in Auckland. The company started in 2001, installed its prototype in 2003 and 70 turbines later is the only commercial scale wind turbine company manufacturing in the Australasian region. It has been able to compete with large international manufacturers despite small scale production and unsubsidized environment.
This presentation will uncover how this was possible by giving an overview of the company’s journey, challenges and lessons learned as well as a view on the local wind industry and political environments that it operates in.
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Sheralee MacDonald, Marketing Manager, Windflow Technology, New Zealand
Sheralee MacDonald has a marketing degree from Massey University and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Resource Studies from Lincoln University. Sheralee is responsible for managing sales and marketing activities with Windflow and has worked for the company since 2004. She previously worked in the energy and environmental technology sectors (EECA and Canadian Environmental Technology Advancement Corporation (CETAC-WEST).
Global policy, community and investment settings for a green future
Brett Wickham, Director - Generation, Asia Pacific
ACCIONA Energy
Following 20 years in engineering and management with the Royal Australian Navy including an active role in the commissioning of HMAS Arunta, Brett developed an acute understanding of applying his skills to renewable energy. He spent five years in a management role for the Victorian Energy Networks Corporation (VENCorp), in gas and electricity planning.
In his four years as Director – Generation at ACCIONA Energy, Brett has been responsible for the construction and delivery phases of the company’s renewable energy projects. This extends from the reviewing initial tenders through to the day-to-day operation of infrastructure. The construction and commissioning of the Waubra Wind Farm is a highlight of Brett’s career to date.
ACCIONA Energy’s strategy of building, owning and operating assets, and being there for the long haul is something that Brett values. Working with communities to deliver the best sustainable outcome for the long term is the outcome of this strategy.
Brett is working to continue delivering viable projects that provide Australians with sustainable utility services. He sees ACCIONA Energy’s role in delivering quality renewable energy solutions and sustainable projects as rapidly expanding across Australia.
