08.15-08.55 | Registration and Coffee in the Pre-Function Area |
08.55-09.00 | Welcome Address: Daniel Creasey, Managing Director, Cannon Events |
09.00-09.20 | Keynote Address: Insurance – Global Differences, Local Impacts |
Choosing which insurance market to use is not always an easy one and nor is there always much choice in the matter, as certain markets might have the only available capacity. In this keynote we explore why particular markets are able to offer so much more than others, both in terms of product innovation and also in terms of price. How is that London and Bermuda have different options to the US domestic market, for example? |
Presenter: Susan Gonzales, Houston Energy Hub and Office Leader, Marsh |
09.20-10.10 | Panel Discussion: The Appetite for Renewables vs Oil and Gas – Balancing the Books |
We take a look at the direction of travel for insurers. With more global players announcing plans to back out of oil and gas cover, we consider how the transition to renewables will work in practice. What will it do to available capacity, given oil and gas supplies (and insurance cover) are still required? We also ask the question as to how realistic it is to transition in such as short timeframe. What might this mean for consumers? Oil and Gas provides the building blocks for a lot more than fuel… |
Moderator: Bobby Galindo, Director, Technical and Engineered Risk Account Executive, Energy Practice Houston, IMA Corp Panelists: John Krupczak, Head of U.S Energy, Liberty Mutual Reed Wykes, Director, Risk and Insurance Management, Hilcorp Energy Company Brad Nehring, Director of Energy, RB Jones Evan Hobbs, Underwriter, GCube Insurance Services |
10.10-11.00 | Panel Discussion: Working Together to Achieve a Common Goal – Finance, the Insurance Sector and Asset Developers |
Insurance is absolutely central to the energy transition taking place. In many cases, insurance can be seen as just a line of operational expenditure on a spreadsheet, and buyers of insurance may focus on reducing this cost as much as possible. Is this sustainable and what are the risks in using this strategy? How can insurance help the investment world better deploy capital, as well as allowing asset owners access to cheaper money? This session aims to bring together three main pillars of energy transition to understand how they can better work with each other. |
Moderator: Frederick W. Swaim lll, Director, Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith Panelists Sam Walsh, Head of U.S Renewable Energy, AXIS Kristofer Eriksson, Director, Insurance and Risk Management, Engie North America George Schulz, Managing Director, Program Development, New Energy Risk Leopoldo Gomez, Vice President – Global Infrastructure Finance, Citigroup Mark Mirek, Senior Managing Director, Brown & Brown |
11.00-11.30 | Coffee and Networking |
11.30-11.50 | Presentation: A balanced View in Texas? Energy Transition |
With elections complete, what will the energy policy landscape look like in 2025? With such divergent energy and climate policies between the two presidential candidates, the election will have profound implications on the regulatory environment. However, the president has significant limitations on regulatory authority, especially after recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings. And regardless of which party holds a majority in either House of Congress, expectations are that majorities are likely to be very narrow. What is possible in a closely divided Congress regardless of who is in the White House. |
Presenter: Christopher Guith, Senior Vice President, U.S Chamber Global Energy Institute, U.S Chamber of Commerce |
11.50-12.50 | Panel Discussion: Building Up the Risks as Constructions Hit Snags |
There are hundreds of construction projects underway, particularly in the renewable sector, with more in the pipeline. The question for this session is whether insurers are keeping pace with the emerging construction risks, particularly in light of recent supply chain challenges and delays on these projects. We investigate how insurers are pricing these risks, including the perspective of the companies carrying out these projects and particularly, when it comes to business interruption implications. |
Moderator: Li Xu, Principal Consultant, LXI Renewables Panelists: Scott Smidlein, Head of Energy, The Hartford Steam Boiler Carol Stark, Managing Director, North American Renewable Practice Leader, Aon Luis Miguel Echeverri, Director, Head of Risk and Insurance, TotalEnergies Rafael Souza, Risk Manager, Principal Insurance Professional, Equinor US & Canada |
12.50-13.10 | Presentation: Aging Renewables |
While the market tends to concentrate on new renewable projects, there is a growing number of aging sites too, where end-of-life decisions need to be taken. Even newer sites are facing these questions as technology races ahead and leaves relatively new plants without options in the wake of plant failure. In this session, we consider the end of life for renewable projects and analyze how plant is being recycled. We also look at the insurers’ response to what could be a new opportunity for innovative cover. |
Presenters: Marc Giovannetti, VP Specialty Loss Group Senior Executive General Adjuster, Engle Martin Bryce Aquino,Head of Renewable Energy , AXIS |
13.10-14.00 | Lunch in the Pre-Function Area sponsored by |
14.00-14.20 | Presentation: Engineering Approaches to Mitigating Energy Sector Risks – Ensuring Safety Across Industries |
In this presentation, we will explore engineering methodologies for identifying and mitigating risks in complex operational environments, focusing on ensuring safety across various sectors. Drawing from our expertise in forensic investigations and failure analysis, we will address common risk factors such as equipment malfunctions, fires and structural failures, and demonstrate how engineering insights can be applied to mitigate these challenges. Our goal is to provide practical strategies that enhance safety, reduce liabilities and promote compliance with industry standards, while emphasizing the importance of cross-sector collaboration. |
Presenter: Gabriel Polo, Senior Associate, Thornton Tomasetti |
14.20-14.40 | Presentation: Sea of Opportunity – The Rise of America’s Offshore Wind Farms |
The United States, a relatively new player in the global offshore wind market, has set ambitious targets for industry growth, backed by strong support at both the federal and state levels. While significant progress has been made, with several major projects either under construction or nearing that stage, the industry is facing major challenges. These include sharply rising costs, supply chain limitations and issues with existing offtake contracts that lock in revenue streams, among other obstacles. |
Presenter: Lionel Kpoze, Senior Underwriter, Onshore Construction and Offshore Wind, Scor |
14.40-15.40 | Roundtable Sessions: Each roundtable will run for 25 minutes. There will be a 5-minute break to allow delegates to change tables and the tables will then be repeated in a second 25-minute seating. |
Topics raised in research include: Jones Act, Storm Damage, Fires and Batteries, Hydrogen, Grid Resiliency, Cyber Security, Adaptation, Battery Storage, Serial Defects, Energy Volatility, AI, Nuclear Verdicts, Limits, Parametric Insurance, Low Energy Carbon, Carbon Capture, Inflation Reduction ACT, Politics & War, Solar Farm Damage |
15.40-16.10 | Fireside Chat: Personal Injury for Offshore Workers |
Following a recent poll, this session will explore personal injury trends amongst offshore workers, revealing exactly where most of these claims are coming from: in traditional roles, in energy, in oil and gas or on renewable sites. With a rare opportunity not only to dive-deep into the numbers, but to look into the trends, this session will question some assumptions and include questions for the audience. |
Participants: Frank Gonynor, Senior Claims Advisor, Gard George Chalos, Founder, Chalos & Co, P.C – International Law Firm |
16.10-17.00 | Panel Discussion: Extreme Weather – The Impact on Renewables |
Millions of dollars have been flooding into the renewables space, thanks partly to attractive tax incentives. However, as the sector is hit by increasing numbers of extreme weather events, we ask how this is impacting the availability of insurance. This session will explore the availability of insurance for these projects, the limits being imposed and whether non-traditional instruments might be the way forward. |
Moderator: Kelly Hartmann, Director, Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith Panelists: Rod Rennison, Senior Vice President, Global Energy Services, Rimkus Michael Perron, Renewable Energy Market Lead, FM Renewable Energy Laurie Burnham, Principal Member of the Technical Staff Photovoltaics Research, Sandia National Laboratories Alec Davidson, Assistant Vice President – Business Development, Parametric Insurance & Alternative Risk, Descartes Underwriting North America |
17.00 | Closing Remarks and End of Conference |
