GO15 Annual Forum 2015 opens in Dubai

• Hosted by GCC Interconnection Authority

The GO15 Annual Forum 2015 opened today (Wednesday, November 11th 2015) at Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai in collaboration with the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA). Inaugurated by HE Dr Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Energy,  the event will continue until 8pm today.

The day started with welcome remarks by HE Dr Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Energy, followed by speeches from keynote speakers from Wilts Electrical Contracting Limited (WEC), Energy Charter, and an introduction by Alain Steven, GO15's Secretary General.

“We are proudly co-organising GO15 Annual Meeting and Forum 2015 for the first time in an Arab country,” says Dr Al Neyadi during his welcome remarks. “The GO15 today will address climate changes and integration of renewables in electricity grids. This event is a platform to exchange expertise and further enhance electricity operations in the GCC and the world.”

“During this Forum, the GCC Interconnection Authority will give insights into its operations, to help peers recognise world-class practices applied in this part of the world,” added Al Neyadi.

The theme of the 2nd GO15 Forum is “Power Grids and the challenges of climate change”. GO15 CEOs will issue a Declaration on their commitment to enable the transition to the changing power mix while maintaining a reliable and resilient power grid at an affordable cost to consumers.

The event included two main Panels: effective reliable integration of distributed resources in the Power Grids, and the Flexibility of Power Grids. The first Panel discussed the future of the power grids, with focus on the technical, operational and economic aspects of massive integration of distributed energy sources in the power grids. It also includes topics such as renewable generation, distributed storage, electrical vehicles, and demand Side Management and Demand Response.

Speakers in the first Panel are Jochen Kreusel, Group Senior Vice President and Head of the Smart Grids Segment Initiative - ABB Group, TBEA Transformer Group, Susan Kennedy, CEO & Board Member - Advanced Microgrid Solutions, and Heiko von Tschischwitz, Co-founder and CEO - LichtBlick SE. It was followed by ​GO15 CEO Remarks, and remarks for Thava Govender (ESKOM), Steve Berberich (The California ISO - CAISO), and Carlo Crea (Terna).

The second Panel which will continue until today evening is entitled “Flexibility of Power Grids” chaired by Daniel Dobbeni, President, GO15. The panel will address the technologies and solutions that will enable the future power grids to support the transition to the new energy mix, and to operate in a more flexible manner, in order to accommodate the intermittency and distributed nature of embedded generation, and changing consumption patterns. Topics of discussion include distributed resources coordination and control, microgrids, grid resources for flexibility: HVDC, FACTS, Micro FACTS, Phase Shifters and SVCCs, as well as Dynamic Line Rating (DLR).

The forum features speakers like Mr. Patrick Plas, Senior Vice President / Grid Power electronics and Automation - Alstom Grid, Jérôme de Parscau, CEO - Atos Worldgrid, Dr. Jan Michael Mrosik, CEO of Energy, Management Division - Siemens AG, Mr. Alireza Aram, Senior Vice President / Energy Solutions Systems Company - Hitachi, Ltd. Another GO15 CEO remark session, and other remarks by Terry Boston (PJM), and Hermes Chipp (ONS), followed by Q&A with the audience, and closing remarks by GCCIA, and GO15.

“We hope this event will be fruitful with major announcements. Our efforts in GCCIA are inspired by the principles and goals of the GCC with the goal of boosting cooperation and fostering the links between GCC states and GO15 network,” concluded Al Neyadi.

GO15 is a unique joint initiative of 18 of the largest power grid operators around the world that provides a forum for their top executives and experts to address current challenges and the future of power grids. This event will regroup over 150 world leaders from the electricity industry, including grid operators, government representatives, regulators, leaders of major international industry associations, industry experts and major suppliers from the electricity and electric vehicles industry.