While utilities’ approaches to rate cases have remained relatively consistent, the regulatory climate has grown more adverse. Regulators are seeking more competitive returns for their stakeholders given market returns and looking for more accountability in regards to reliability.
For the 7th Annual Utility Regulation Conference, we’ve brought leading subject matter experts together to present and examine the best emerging strategies for more favorable orders and decisions.
What You Will Learn
- The latest information oninitiatives from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and what they mean to your utility
- The viewpoints of critical intervenors and strategies to address the challenges
- An understanding of the relationship between value principles and ROE
- The perspectives and concerns of credit agencies and Wall Street financial analysts toward your rate case process and outcomes
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Seminar Agenda
Day One
7:30 am -
Registration and Continental Breakfast Open8:45 am -
Welcome and Introductions9:00 am -
Opening Keynote: Themes in Regulation and Public Policy
10:00 am -
Break10:15 am -
Financial Trends in Rate Cases and Cost Recovery- Authorized vs. actual ROE, a nationwide analysis
- Impact of increased cost of capital
- Traditional recovery mechanisms and interesting new applications.
- Is the downward trend in allowed ROE’s likely to change anytime soon?
11:15 am -
Capital Structure of Regulated Utilities- Trends in utility credit ratings and their impacts on the state commission rate decisions?
- With the expected rise in interest rates, is the traditional capital mix of utilities, high debt-to-equity, going to be harder to maintain? How will the increase in interest rates affect valuations?
- Will utilities be able to continue without MLPs or Yieldcos?
- How do the regulators view the rise of the MLPs and Yieldcos?
12:30 pm -
Lunch1:45 pm -
Pipeline and Transmission Issues- Are escalating costs of construction going to decrease the likelihood of getting recovery?
- What’s the status of the efforts to better align the gas and electric systems?
- With Smart Grid Integration, are companies able to use all the data they are collecting?
- What about keeping all that data safe?
2:45 pm -
Break3:00 pm -
Rate Design and Cost Allocation- Survey of alternatives to traditional rate design
- Where is the net metering fight likely to end up?
- What’s the right strategy to effectively work with regulators on rate design?
5:00 pm -
Day One Concludes; Cocktail ReceptionDay Two
8:00 am -
Continental Breakfast Opens8:45 am -
Opening Remarks9:00 am -
Reliability: Infrastructure, Renewables and Efficiency, what are the customer expectations?- How are utilities are dealing with aging infrastructures and pressure to update them?
- What weather trends can we expect to persist? Are storms getting stronger in a way that will materially affect utilities’ costs?
- How are utilities taking advantage of technology to improve the efficiency of existing infrastructure versus replacing it?
- Are companies with more sophisticated data collection i.e. smarter grids seeing that play out in improved reliability?
10:00 am -
Break10:15 am -
Effect on M&A- Shareholder value, economies of scale, customer satisfaction; is it working?
- Impact of large scale mergers (PEPCO and Exelon; Duke and Progress; NV Energy and MidAmerican) on rate base?
- How do these big merging companies get all the regulators to work together?
10:45 am -
Break11:00 am -
What do you do now? Planning for the New Utility Business Model- How are companies handling the Resource Planning Process (Hawaii Electric?)
- How are companies and states addressing regulatory lag?
- How are other allowable costs being viewed?
- Are pension costs getting a bad rap?
- Attitudes on storm cost recovery, incentive compensation, and demand side management
- Outreach programs to educate and advance utility issues with state and local officials
12:30 pm -
Program Concludes
Venue
The venue is not yet available for this event.
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Who Should Attend this Seminar
Utility professionals in regulatory affairs, strategic development, corporate finance, and investor relations. State and federal regulatory commissioners and staff. Financial analysts at investment firms. Regulatory attorneys and consultants
Prerequisites and Advance PreparationThis fundamental level group live seminar has no prerequisites. No advance preparation is required before the seminar.
Program LevelBasic level. This fundamental course begins with basic material and then proceeds to the intermediate level.
Delivery MethodGroup-live.
Hotel and Seminar Information
This two-day seminar will be held at the hotel listed below. The seminar will start promptly at 8:00 AM and will finish at 5:00 PM on the first day. On the second day, the seminar will resume at 8:30 AM and will finish at 12:30 PM. Dress is business casual. Your registration includes all conference materials, continental breakfast and lunch both days, and the evening cocktail reception at the end of Day One.
Washington Marriott at Metro Center775 12th St NW
Washington, D.C.
Telephone: (202) 737-2200
View Seminar Location WebsiteBecause of the diversity of hotels found in the area, we will not be holding a block of sleeping rooms with one particular hotel.
