ENA Future Networks Forum: Innovation Forum: 2-3 July

09:30 – 10:00 

Registration and morning tea

10:00 – 10:20 

Opening karakia and welcome from the FNF Co-Chairs plus update on FNF progress one year into operating

[20m]

FNF Co-Chairs

James Tipping 

GM Market Strategy & Regulation, Vector 

Sam Elder 

GM Energy Futures, Orion 

10:20 – 10:50 

New Climate Change Projections for Aotearoa New Zealand [30m]

NIWA have been running their supercomputer hot over the last couple of years to produce updated dynamically downscaled climate change projections for Aotearoa, based on the latest global climate models. The downscaled data include multiple climate variables (temperature, rainfall, wind, etc), three future time periods, three emission scenarios, and projections consistent with mean global warming levels (e.g. 1.5°C, 2.0°C, etc). The data will be freely available to view and download via a new web-based tool developed by the Ministry for the Environment. 

Andrew Tait  

Chief Scientist - Climate, Atmosphere and Hazards, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) 

Hannah Chorley

Senior Scientist Climate Impacts, Ministry for the Environment | Manatū Mō Te Taiao 

10:50 – 11:50 

Customer panel – Fonterra, CentrePort Wellington, Christchurch International Airport, Kinetic [60m] 

A panel of major industrial customers will share how their businesses are electrifying, where they are on their journey to decarbonise and the challenges they are facing in this process. Sian Hughes (MC) will facilitate discussion around how the electricity distribution sector can support similar customers on their journey to electrify. 

Glenn Sullivan  

Group Manager Electrical Engineering, Fonterra 

Jeff Silverwood 

Asset Manager, CentrePort Wellington 

Jevon Carding 

Kōwhai Park Development Manager, Christchurch International Airport 

Kayne Baas  

Executive General Manager of Electrification, Kinetic  

Sian Hughes (MC) 

Connections Futures Advisor, Orion  

11:50 – 12:50 

Lunch [60m]

12:50 – 13:30 

Powerco Capacity Maps [40m] 

To encourage electrification and customers’ participation in flexibility markets, effective visibility of capacity or constraints on distribution networks - demand and generation – is essential. Powerco’s first generation DG capacity maps were published during 2023. We will discuss the development, data requirements and roadblocks we faced, as well as plans to expand the scope and functionality of what we will make available in future. 

Bernie Coster 

Network Development Manager, Powerco 

Renate ter Beek 

Energy Partners Development Manager, Powerco 

13:30 – 14:10 

Ausgrid, Project Edith [40m] 

This session will give an overview of Ausgrid’s Distribution System Operator pilot (Project Edith) aimed at providing virtual power plant operators with a dynamic network pricing along-side dynamic operating envelopes. In this session, Alida will go through what inspired the project, what the Ausgrid has learned to date and where they are hoping to take it from here.

Alida Jansen van Vuuren 

Head of DSO, Market Development & Strategy, Ausgrid 

EECA’s Electric Homes Technical Report [35m] 

EECA will present a recent technical assessment of the energy, economic, and emissions opportunity when electrifying New Zealand households. This will include heat pumps, hot water and induction and the load needed across all, then how rooftop solar and home batteries can help with this. Plus, how the costs and benefits add-up across the whole set and reach a financial tipping point for kiwi homeowners.

Gareth Gretton 

Lead Advisor, Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (EECA) 

New Zealand Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi [25m] 

Over the last couple of years there has been a steady increase in the adoption of electric vehicles in the marketplace. This has created some interesting issues for both the New Zealand Transport Agency in terms of data requests from the Motor Vehicle Register (MVR) and for the electricity network providers in terms of better understand where the increases are occurring. 

This discussion will look to share what’s been done to date, what MVR limitations there are, and explore some sustainable ways forward for all parties. 

Jeremy Gulson 

Analytical Based Services Manager, New Zealand Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi  

Daniel Lawrence

New Zealand Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi  

Octopus Energy [35m] 

Networks: Prickles or platforms for progress? 

Roles in enabling consumer participation in energy markets.   

Margaret Cooney 

Chief Operating Officer, Octopus Energy 

15:45 – 16:00 

Wrap-up and closing karakia from the FNF Co-Chairs [15m]

James Tipping 

GM Market Strategy & Regulation, Vector 

Sam Elder 

GM Energy Futures, Orion 

16:00 

Event close and social catch-up at Shed 22 in Central Wellington

08:30 – 08:50

Registration

8:50 – 9:00 

Opening karakia and welcome from the FNF Co-Chairs [10m]

James Tipping 

GM Market Strategy & Regulation, Vector 

Sam Elder 

GM Energy Futures, Orion 

9:00 – 9:45 

Reflections from yesterday [45m]

FNF Co-Chairs 

9:45 – 10:00 

Commerce Commission Default Price Path (DPP) draft decision [15m] 

The Commerce Commission’s Draft Determination on the Default Price Path for EBDs establishes the revenue and expenditure allowances for non-exempt EDBs for the 5 years from 1 April 2025 through 31 March 2030. In addition to setting allowances for traditional capex and opex allowances, the draft determination sets established the framework for the innovation and traditional solutions allowance.   

ENA’s regulatory manager, Keith Hutchinson, will discuss the Commission’s key decisions and their implications for exempt and non-exempt EDBs. 

Keith Hutchinson 

Regulatory Manager, Electricity Networks Aotearoa 

10:00 – 10:30

Roles and Functions to Enable Distributed Flexibility project [30m] 

The project team will provide a summary of findings from EDB engagement on the discussion paper, noting where there was alignment or divergent feedback. They will also seek direction from attendees to inform the plan for Stage 2 of the project on industry architecture, including options to consider and factors to evaluate.

Astad Kapadia

DSO Strategy, Counties Energy

10:30 – 10:45

Morning tea [15m]

10:45 – 11:05 

CONTINUED: Roles and Functions to Enable Distributed Flexibility project [20m] 

The project team will provide a summary of findings from EDB engagement on the discussion paper, noting where there was alignment or divergent feedback. They will also seek direction from attendees to inform the plan for Stage 2 of the project on industry architecture, including options to consider and factors to evaluate.

Astad Kapadia

DSO Strategy, Counties Energy

11:05 – 12:05 

Connections Journey Mapping [60m] 

This session will give an update on how the team have progressed liaising with the EA and EEA, and share created customer personas for Charge Point Operators and Large Generation customers to better educate and understand our customers wants, needs and business models.  

There will then be a workshop exercise splitting out the larger and smaller EDBs to discuss the challenges they may have in implementing the solutions that have been prioritised by EDBs and customers combined. The aim is to gather this in-depth feedback to amend some developed solutions, to provide direction on the longer-term deliverables and to identify which EDBs can trial the new solutions.

Dan Gnoth  

Energy Futures Manager, Powerco  

Sian Hughes 

Connections Futures Advisor, Orion  

12:05 – 12:25 

Global Scan project [20m] 

Lingsong and Craig will present learnings from interviews with UK and Australian EDBs focussing on how they are integrating and managing DER on their distribution networks. 

Lingsong Zheng   

DSO Engineering Manager, WEL Networks   

Craig Conlan  

Network Development Manager, Network Waitaki 

12:25 – 12:55 

FNF - Evolution for Year 2 [30m]

James Tipping 

GM Market Strategy & Regulation, Vector 

Sam Elder 

GM Energy Futures, Orion 

12:55 – 13:10 

Wrap-up and closing karakia from the FNF Co-Chairs [15m]

FNF Co-Chairs 

13:10 – 13:50 

Event close and lunch