Renewables 2010

Rupert Steele

Director of Regulation, ScottishPower

Biography

Rupert Steele is Director of Regulation at ScottishPower. He is responsible for working with Government and regulatory stakeholders to help find solutions which meet both the needs of the company and the public interest.

He reports directly to the Chief Executive and is a member of the Executive Team.

Rupert was appointed to this position on joining ScottishPower in April 2007. Prior to this, he ran a consultancy business (Energy Strategies Limited) that advised utility, City and Government clients on energy policy issues.

His earlier career included 16 years working on energy issues in the Department of Trade and Industry and three years at TXU Europe.

He was appointed OBE in 1992.

João Paulo Costeira

Chief Operating Officer - Europe, EDP Renováveis

Biography

From 2007 till now – EDP Renewables – Chief Operating Officer - Europe
EDP R is the world’s fourth largest wind operator (aprox. 6 GW of operating capacity) present in USA, Brasil and Europe (Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Poland and Romania

– Full responsibility over Europe’s P&L.
– Member of EDP R Management Team
– Participated in the EDP R’s IPO Road show team
– Co-lead successful M&A operations in France an
– Operating Capacity – 2,9 GW
– Capacity under Construction – 0,7 GW
– Nº of Employees -312
– Annual Capex – 1,1 billion €
– Annual EBITDA (2008) -300M€
– Operations in Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Poland and Romania

From 2006 to 2007 – EDP Gás, SGPS, SA – Executive Board Member for Natural Gas Distribution and Marketing (Portugal and Spain):

• 900.000 customers in Ibéria
• >2 bcm of Natural gas sold in regulated and liberalised market

From September 1998 to May 2006 – Galpenergia Group (Portugal’s National Oil & Gas Company).
Offices held in reverse chronological order
– Member of Galpgás Management Team (Natural Gas Business Unit)
– Managing Director of Lusitaniagás (Natural gas LDC)
– Member of GalpEmpresas Management Team (Wholesale Business Unit)
– Managing Director of Transgás Industria (Liberalized wholesale customers
– General manager of Lisboagás (Lisbon’s Natural gás LDC)

Sarah Rhodes

Head of Land-based Renewables, Office for Renewable Energy Deplo, DECC

Biography

Director of Land-based Renewables, Office for Renewable Energy Deployment in DECC. Has worked in low-carbon energy development for the last 3 years, and before that on industry and employment policy within DTI with secondments to regulators and the Cabinet Office.

Sarah Harrison

Senior Partner, Sustainable Development, Ofgem

Biography

Sarah took on leadership of Ofgem’s new Sustainable Development Division in September 09. The Division was created as part of Ofgem’s restructuring the aim of which is to increase Ofgem’s role in helping to meet Britain’s targets to cut carbon emissions. The Division brings together Environmental, Social and Consumer policy. It will lead on smart metering policy as well as enforcement and better regulation.

From 2005 Sarah was Ofgem’s Managing Director of Corporate Affairs and before that she was Ofgem’s Communications Director.

From 1994 – 1999 Sarah was the first Director of ICSTIS, the UK industry regulator for premium rate telephone services. Sarah’s earlier career was in government and public relations consultancy.

Dr Pierre Dechamps

European Commission

Biography

Dr Pierre Dechamps holds an electro-mechanical engineering degree from Liège University, a Master of Science from Cranfield University and a PhD from Liège University.

He worked for 5 years as an assistant in Liège University, in the power generation department.

He then joined the industry, CMI, Cockerill Mechanical Industries, one of the world leading heat recovery boiler manufacturers for power stations, where he quickly became the Head of the R&D Engineering Department.

Since 1998, he worked for 10 years for the European Commission Directorate General for Research as project officer for clean coal technologies and later on for CO2 capture and sequestration.

In January 2008, he joined the Bureau of European Policy Advisers of President Barroso as the adviser for energy and climate change.

Gearóid Lane

Managing Director, British Gas New Energy

Biography

Gearóid Lane directs the teams leading British Gas’ drive to offer microgeneration and energy efficiency products to households and businesses. He also leads British Gas' business activities providing energy services to public sector housing, and the Pay As You Go Energy business that retails energy to our prepayment customer base, with almost 2.5 million customers accounts.

Mr Lane is a Chartered Gas Engineer, holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Science and a First Class Honours primary degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Ireland (University College Galway) and an MBA from Henley Management College.

He is a Director of the Energy Saving Trust and the Energy Retail Association and also served for several years as a member of the Renewables Advisory Board, an independent body sponsored by Department of Trade and Industry, which provides advice to Government on a wide range of renewable energy issues.