EECON NSW 2014
 
Speaker Biographies
Alex Baitch
Engineers Australia


Professor Alex Baitch is National President of Engineers Australia, the peak body representing engineers of which the Electric Energy Society of Australia is a Technical Society.

Prof Alex Baitch is an electrical engineer and principal of his own consulting practice in electrical distribution, utilisation and energy management and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Wollongong.  He has served Engineers Australia in many roles over nearly 35 years, including Chairman of the Electrical College, director of Engineering Education Australia, an inaugural director of RedR Australia and its company secretary/treasurer in its early years of operation, chaired the Excellence Awards committee on Innovation and Invention and being a member of the Board of Management of Engineers Australia during the 1990s.  He was elected to Council in 2009.

Alex has been an active member of a number of Standards Australia’s national and related International Electrotechnical Commission committees and the International Council on Large Electric Power Systems (CIGRE), which included chairing production of international Technical Brochure on Demand Side Integration in 2011.  He currently chairs a Standards Australia Committee on High Voltage Installations.

Alex has been a long standing member of EESA, first becoming a member in 1974 and was the recipient of the Conway Prize in 1974 for his work on Ferroresonance and in 1984 for his paper on uninterruptible power supplies. 

 
Ben Bates
Essential Energy

Ben graduated from the ANU with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in 2004 and has worked with Essential Energy in the Subtransmission Planning department for 8 years.

During his time in planning he has gained extensive experience both assessing constraints on Essential Energy’s network and verifying connection studies for large renewable energy projects. This has provided him with a good understanding of the Network Connection requirements for generators outlined in the National Electricity Rules.

Projects Ben has worked on include the 30 MW Cullerin Range wind farm, the 40 MW Gunning wind farm and the 100 MW Boco Rock wind farm.

 
John Bradley
Energy Networks Association

John Bradley is an experienced chief executive with diverse experience in the electricity, gas, water and resources sectors.

Prior to his appointment as CEO of the Energy Networks Association, he consulted to the International Monetary Fund on State Owned Enterprise reform. As the Director General of Queensland’s Department of Premier and Cabinet until 2012, John was responsible for leading strategic management in the Queensland public sector. Previously, he was Director General of the Department of Environment and Resource Management, from 2009.

John was the CEO of the Queensland Water Commission during the Millennium drought.  He has led reforms to the utilities sector in multiple jurisdictions including the restructure and economic regulation of the Western Australian electricity industry in 2006 and the South East Queensland Water industry in 2010. Earlier in his career, he undertook regulatory reforms in Queensland’s gas industry and led significant power and gas infrastructure projects.

John holds an MBA from QUT and BA from the University of Queensland. He serves as a non-executive Director of Greening Australia Limited.

 
Greg Everett
Delta Electricity

Greg Everett was appointed as Chief Executive of Delta Electricity in July 2010.  At that time it was the largest generator in Australia, with capacity of around 5000MW. 

Since that date he has guided the organisation through the NSW privatisation process, involving:

  • restructuring of the business to facilitate Gentrader operations for Western power stations;
  • sale of the Western power stations to EnergyAustralia; and
  • preparation of the Central Coast assets for sale.

He was previously the General Manager / Strategy at Delta for over 10 years, responsible for:

  • strategic planning and new project delivery;
  • fuel purchasing;
  • corporate environmental compliance and regulation;
  • long term electricity pricing and modelling; and
  • private sector partnering.

Greg is a Director of the Energy Supply Association of Australia (esaa) and is a member of the IEA’S Coal Industry Advisory Board.  He was previously a Director of the National Generators Forum, and facilitated the integration of that association with the esaa in June 2014.  He has been a member of the National Carbon Capture and Sequestration Council, was a Director of the Co-operative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development and was a Director of companies developing a NSW coal resource.

Greg holds Bachelor of Commerce and MBA degrees, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

 
Terry Grimwade
AEMO

Terry has extensive experience, over many years, in the design, implementation and operation of energy markets in Australia. He convened the multi-jurisdictional working group responsible for drafting the initial Market Rules for the National Electricity Market, and led the preparation of the initial Market and System Operation Rules for the Victorian Gas Market.   The content of both of these documents still forming an integral part of the National Electricity and National Gas Rules.

In various senior and executive management roles with the Victorian Energy Networks Corporation (VENCorp) and, since 2009, with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), he has held responsibilities for the ongoing development and operation of aspects of the National Electricity Market, the Victorian gas market, the national gas market Bulletin Board, the gas Short Term Trading Markets operating in NSW, Queensland and South Australia, and more recently, the Wallumbilla gas supply hub that commenced operation in March 2014.

 
Col Hackney
Essential Energy

Col Hackney, presently holds the position of Subtransmission Planning Manager within the Chief Engineers Branch at Essential Energy (a NSW DNSP).  

Col has over 45 years of experience in the electricity supply industry, having commenced his career with the (then) ACT Electricity Authority in Canberra as a Engineering Cadet in 1965.  Col worked there gaining a broad range of experience before moving to the Cooma based Monaro County Council in 1977, and since then, has continued to work in engineering management roles with its successors in NSW.  He has been, and still is, an active participant in many industry working groups/forums covering a broad range of industry issues.  

His present responsibilities include the provision of technical services and leadership associated with the Subtransmission Network Planning portfolio at Essential Energy, also incorporating technical compliance services for major network customer connections.  Col has BSc and BE Hons) qualifications from the University of NSW, and is based in Queanbeyan, NSW. He has a natural and broad ranging general interest in science, society, and the environment.

 

 
John Hardwick
Networks NSW

John is past National Chair of the Asset Management Council and current Chair of the Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management (GFMAM).

John is the Group Executive Network Strategy for Networks NSW. He leads and coordinates the overall asset management strategy and management framework to guide investment decisions in asset replacement, augmentation and maintenance in the three distribution network companies (Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Essential Energy) consistent with required safety, risk and service standards and monitors the overall performance of network assets. John is also responsible to set Networks NSW policies and directives in these areas.

John completed a Masters of Business Administration at the Australian Graduate School of Management in 2004. He was the Winner of the Maintenance Engineering Society of Australia’s 2002 Steve Maxwell Leadership Award and the lead for the team winning the Silver Award in the 2009 Australian Asset Management Excellence Awards. John is a Certified Fellow of Asset Management (CFAM).
 
Geoff James
Reposit Power

Geoff received his PhD in Physics (1991) for research in radioastronomy at the University of Tasmania.  He then joined the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and until 2002 worked on research and commercial projects in radio antenna engineering. 

Following a period working on distributed systems with embedded intelligence, Geoff began to apply these ideas to distributed energy.  As a Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO, his research and consulting interests evolved to include demand management, integrating renewable generation, distribution network evolution, transmission planning, and energy storage technology and applications.  

In 2013 Geoff left CSIRO to develop renewable energy partnerships in China, Australia, and South-East Asia, and to join Reposit Power to help commercialise residential energy storage in the Australian electricity market and elsewhere.

 
Melanie Koerner
Energeia

Melanie is Director of Consulting at Energeia. Energeia was founded in 2009 and has grown to become the largest specialist energy consultancy in Australia. 

Melanie has over 12 years’ consulting experience. Most recently Melanie project-managed the reporting and analysis phase of the $100 million landmark Ausgrid Smart Grid, Smart City program. In this role she managed and delivered a series of technical reports and underpinning models over a one year period, across four consulting companies. 

Prior to Energeia Melanie was responsible for project delivery and management of a team of 30 people across Australia and Singapore at the global consulting firm Arup. 

 
Peter McIntyre
TransGrid

Peter McIntyre is the Managing Director of NSW transmission network service provider TransGrid.

TransGrid owns and manages one of the largest high voltage transmission networks in Australia, connecting generators, distributors and major end-users in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and has been delivering electricity to the people of NSW for more than 60 years.

Peter has over 25 years experience in the electricity transmission industry, with particular expertise in policy development, asset management and regulatory strategy.

Peter is Chairman of Grid Australia and Deputy Chairman of the Energy Networks Association. Peter is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 
Andrew Mitchell
Essential Energy

Andrew Mitchell graduated from Sydney University in 1987 and worked for the Electricity Commission of NSW carrying out transmission planning before moving to the Department of Defence at Garden Island in Sydney.

 The work at Garden Island was varied and involved work on the design, operation and maintenance of distribution networks, large DC and AC motor drives, building services and material handling equipment.

After leaving Garden Island in the new millennium Andrew worked for a small company developing gas powered combined heat and power units both as standalone remote area power supplies and as grid connect units. The market for such units failed to develop but provided Andrew with a very practical background to the realities of grid connecting generation.

 In 2002 a sea change moved Andrew to Port Macquarie and he began work with Country Energy (now Essential Energy) as a distribution planner. For the last eight years Andrew has been working in the System Control area, ensuring Essential Energy’s high voltage networks are operated in the safest, most efficient and reliable manner possible.

 
Cameron O'Reilly
Energy Retailers Association of Australia


Cameron O’Reilly is the Chief Executive of the Energy Retailers Association of Australia (ERAA). With a longstanding background in energy and public policy, he has worked at the centre of government and business relations for most of his career – advising on policy, as an executive for outsourcing firms, as well as consulting on public affairs.

Cameron holds a Bachelor of Economics from Sydney University and a Master of Management and Public Policy from Monash University, where he completed a major research essay on the genesis of the National Electricity Market (NEM). He is also a Fulbright scholar where he undertook research at the University of Texas on the impact of climate change policy on the US energy sector.

Cameron also holds positions in the following Boards and Advisory Groups:

  • Member of the  Telecommunications Universal Service Management Agency (TUSMA)
  • Member of the Advisory Committee of the VaasaETT Global Energy Think Tank
  • Member of the Advisory Board of Infradebt Pty Ltd
  • Former Chairman of Energy Assured Limited

 

 
Drew Rodwell
Endeavour Energy

In July 2013 Drew began in the position of Manager Asset Strategy for Networks New South Wales.  It is within this capacity that one of his focus areas has been to develop strategies to limit the risks posed by vegetation contact with the electrical network to ALARP.  These strategies include the use of LiDAR and Aerial Patrol to capture and understand the condition of both network assets and the space surrounding the network.

Drew has worked in the NSW electricity supply industry since 1991 and has predominantly worked in asset management, project management and workforce management across Western Sydney and the Illawarra.  This experience includes the whole of life management of distribution and transmission equipment.

 
Tom Ruzeu
Jemena

Tom Ruzeu is an electrical engineer with over 20 years of experience in the electricity distribution industry and currently holds the position Senior Asset Performance and Bushfire Mitigation Engineer with Jemena. Fourteen years ago his asset maintenance journey began with an RCM study which introduced a structured system for managing and maintaining assets. 

Tom has contributed to the development of some of Jemena’s major asset maintenance programs. He now manages the Bushfire Mitigation Plan, Electric Line Clearance Management Plan, Asset Inspection Program, development of several discreet asset replacement business cases including steel HV conductor and Lifecycle Management Plans. Tom is passionate about ensuring people working on these programs are suitably trained and skilled. He has a penchant for quality data capture; a strong sense of community and, in this area of network maintenance, Tom is well respected amongst his peers.

 
Bob Simpson
President, Electricity Engineers' Association NZ

Bob is a professional electrical engineer (ME(Electrical), FIPENZ, CPEng, FIET, and CEng). He recently retired from Transpower as Chief Engineer.  He is Director of Orion Network in Christchurch and NZ Engineering Diploma Board.  He has been an active member of EEA for a number of years.  He has been a Trustee of the University of Canterbury Power Engineering Excellence Trust and Electric Power Engineering Centre and Electricity Supply Industry Training Organisation.  He now operators as both Director and Consultant in the Electricity Industry.

 
Professor Tony Vassallo
University of Sydney

Professor Tony Vassallo holds the Delta Electricity Chair in Sustainable Energy Development at the University of Sydney in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. Tony has a PhD in chemistry from Macquarie University, and has over 90 fully refereed papers in international journals and 8 patents in energy storage devices. He leads the Clean Energy Research Cluster and Energy Storage Research Network at the University of Sydney. His area of research is energy storage and its use in future electricity networks. He has two major externally funded research projects on energy storage; the use of energy storage in future grids (part of the CSIRO funded Future Grid Research Cluster with 4 universities, $13M total), and novel materials for zinc bromine batteries (ARC Linkage).
 
Dr John Ward
CSIRO

Dr John Ward is the Principal Scientist for the CSIRO Grids and Efficient Energy Systems program. His research is focused on adding intelligence to the interaction of distributed energy systems within the electricity distribution network. Dr Ward is the architect of the Australian demand response standards for distributed generation in the upcoming updates to AS/NZ4755 and AS/NZ4777. He carried out the core load and renewable generation modeling for the recent Future Grid Forum, including testing of several demand response scenarios. His research on optimised building control systems has now been commercialised by BuildingIQ and has achieved international success.

Dr Ward received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Newcastle (2002), specialising in control systems. 

 
Rachele Williams
Ausgrid

Rachele has over 12 years’ experience in supply utilities, both in Australia and the UK. For the past 3 years Rachele has been acting Team Leader in the Demand Management section of Ausgrid, and as such has been responsible for the investigation of deferral opportunities, and regulatory reporting of demand management activities.

Rachele held a variety of roles over the life of the Smart Grid, Smart City project, including project engineer and subject matter expert, and she was heavily involved in both the initial project design and the Technical compendium, the final project report. During her time on the project, she gained extensive experience with devices such as solid state fuel cells, small wind turbines, photo voltaic systems and both residential and network battery storage.

 
0John Wright-Smith
AMSC

John is a highly experienced management professional with a global track record of delivering tangible results across numerous industry sectors.  He is an innovative business strategist and a hands-on leader who fosters teamwork, trust and continuous improvement.

John holds a Grad. Dip. Psychology, Monash University (2010), an MBA, RMIT (1995) and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Monash University (1987).  He is a member of CIGRE AP B4 - HVDC and Power Electronics.