April 16th, 2014

The Atlantic Wind Connection is an offshore, undersea transmission line that will span the mid-Atlantic region, beginning in northern New Jersey and eventually extending to southern Virginia. The transmission line will connect wind farms that are built in the federally-designated “Wind Energy Areas,” at least ten miles off the coast. Bob Mitchell, CEO of the Atlantic Wind Connection and Trans-Elect, and Pierre Bernard, Managing Partner of Bernard EnergyAdvocacy, will provide an overview of the project and its significance for the future of East Coast electricity transmission.

Job Title: 
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Organization: 
Bernard EnergyAdvocacy

Pierre is co-founder and Managing Partner of Bernard EnergyAdvocacy (BEA), a boutique advisory firm (14 consultants) created in 2011 that specializes in advocacy, strategic business development and dedicated legal advice, all relating exclusively to electricity transmission and distribution, renewables, power storage and energy efficiency.  The firm provides advice to international key players in the electricity markets mainly in Europe, the U.S. and the Gulf countries (ME).

Prior to creating BEA, Pierre was in charge of the newly created business development activities of the Elia Group, one of the leading transmission system operators in Europe, where he was also General Counsel and Secretary General. Among other things, Pierre successfully led the Elia team in the acquisition negotiations of the German transmission system operator 50Hertz and in the acquisition of a stake in the US offshore transmission backbone AWC. 

Pierre actively participated in the drafting of many parts of European and Belgian energy legislation/regulation, including grid codes, power exchanges regulation, etc. He also drafted the major grid contracts in Belgium.

He serves on various boards and advisory committees, including the Board of the European Friends of the Supergrid (FOSG). He is a Trustee of Guberna, the Belgian Corporate Governance Centre.  Pierre has law degrees from the Universities of Brussels and Ottawa. He attended executive education programmes at Cambridge (UK) and Harvard (USA). Pierre has authored and is coordinating editor of a major reference book in the electricity sector: “EU Electricity Laws”, an almost 3.000p overview of the key European legislations regarding the electricity sector.  

Profile Type: 
Speaker
Job Title: 
Chief Executive Officer
Organization: 
Atlantic Wind Connection and Trans-Elect Development company

Bob Mitchell serves as CEO of Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC), LLC, the visionary and transformative subsea transmission backbone that will enable large-scale development of the Mid-Atlantic region’s vast offshore wind energy potential. The AWC will enable 7,000 mw of offshore wind to be delivered to New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Mr. Mitchell continues serving as CEO of Trans-Elect, America’s first independent transmission company that he pioneered with its formation in 1999. Trans-Elect became the lead developer of the AWC in 2009.

The Atlantic Wind Connection project was publicly launched in October, 2010, with a front page story in the New York Times and followed by stories in every major news outlet in North America, Europe and Asia. The attention was prompted by the innovation and scale of the $5+ B, ten year project funded by Google, Bregal Energy formerly Good Energy and Marubeni. The Belgian transmission company, Elia, rounded out the equity investors in August of 2011.

The Atlantic Wind Connection project is well underway in designing the project, securing regulatory and permitting approvals and is on track to serve the wind developers in Mid-Atlantic region with a super highway for offshore wind that will benefit the environment and rate payers well beyond just the Mid-Atlantic States.

The progress being made on the AWC follows a track record of Trans-Elect achieving history making successes with the first ever acquisition of transmission systems from two utilities and operating 12,600 miles of transmission assets. Mr. Mitchell also led Trans-Elect’s team in the development and financing of the Path 15 transmission line. The successful completion of Path 15 in two years solved a major transmission congestion chokepoint in California that contributed to rolling blackouts in the Bay area in 2000 and 2001. The development of this line was a first in public/private partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and independent, Trans-Elect. Project Finance International magazine awarded Trans-Elect and Path 15 the “Infrastructure Deal of the Year for the Americas.”

Mr. Mitchell comes to the electric industry with a diverse background in business and high-level positions in the executive and legislative branch of state and federal governments. Most notably, he served as Chief of Staff to a US Senator, was a Presidential appointee to the US Department of Agriculture and served in the Governor’s cabinet in Michigan.

Mr. Mitchell has also formed and run business ventures in real estate, finance and energy. Mr. Mitchell has served on the boards of the California Foundation for the Economy, Environment, Ocean Renewable Power Company, Counsel of Environmental Quality and many others. He initiated and founded the bi-partisan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University in 1992 that has trained nearly a thousand people to serve more effectively in public office.

Trans-Elect, headquartered in Bethesda, MD, was named EnergyBiz magazine’s “Energy Company of the Year” in 2011.

Profile Type: 
Speaker
March 28th, 2014

Energy Technology and Governance Program

             

March 19th, 2014

Energy Technology and Governance Program

             

March 13th, 2014

Energy Technology and Governance Program

             

January 1st, 2013
Annual Reports
Job Title: 
President
Organization: 
Solar Turbines Incorporated

Thomas Pellette is president of Solar Turbines Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., based in San Diego, California. Solar Turbines is a global leader in the design, manufacture and service of gas turbine systems for the oil and gas industry and power generation applications.

Since joining Solar in 1993, he has held a range of sales, engineering and product support positions with increasing responsibility, including significant experience in leadership positions in Europe, Asia and the U.S.  Prior to joining Solar, Pellette worked for Tennessee Gas and Leybold Technologies.  In 2012, the Caterpillar Board of Directors named Pellette a Caterpillar vice president and the president of Solar Turbines.

 Pellette, a native of Los Alamos, NM graduated in 1985 from Rice University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

 About Caterpillar

For more than 85 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. With 2011 sales and revenues of $60.138 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services and Progress Rail Services. More information is available at: http://www.caterpillar.com

Profile Type: 
Former Board Member
Job Title: 
President & CEO, B&V Energy
Organization: 
Black & Veatch Corporation

 

Prior to his current position, Oskvig was Chief Operating Officer – B&V Energy.  He was responsible for deploying project management and production resources for the division.Dean Oskvig is President & CEO of B&V Energy, Black & Veatch’s global energy business.  He is responsible and accountable for determining strategies/business direction, developing the Division’s talent, managing risk, and delivering annual and long-term profit.  Energy performs turnkey and design consulting service projects for public and private clients, globally.  Energy serves clients worldwide in the areas of renewable generation (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and others), fossil fuel generation, nuclear generation, IGCC, transmission and distribution, oil and gas, gasification, air quality and environmental.  Dean joined the Black & Veatch Board of Directors in 2006, serves on the Corporate Strategy Planning and Innovation Committee and the Investment Review Board, is Vice Chairman of the Electric Power Research Institute Advisory Council, Vice Chair North America of the World Energy Council, and member of the United States Energy Association Board of Directors.

Prior assignments include President of the Power Delivery Division of Black & Veatch, Co-Chairman of the company’s Corporate Strategy Planning Committee, Chairman of the company’s Performance Culture Task Force, Chairman of the Energy Sector Strategic Planning Committee, Co-Champion of the Market Leadership initiative, and Chairman of the company’s sustainability initiative.

He has presented numerous papers regarding the Energy industry and sustainability. 

He serves in leadership positions on several local and global charitable and educational organizations.

 Mr. Oskvig joined the company in 1975.

Profile Type: 
Former Board Member
March 6th, 2014

Energy Technology and Governance Program