Wednesday | June 5, 2024
8:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast with Sponsors
8:30 a.m.
Welcome and Overview
Timothy J. Hagerty, Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLP
8:30 a.m.
Energy Issues Facing the Commonwealth
John Cox, Director, Public Affairs, Kentucky Chamber
The Kentucky Chamber’s Director of Public Affairs will provide an overview of pressing energy and environment issues currently facing Kentucky. Cox will share insights for business on legislative and regulatory issues likely to be taken up in Frankfort and Washington in the coming year.
8:45 a.m.
Opening Keynote: 2024 and Beyond: Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet Under the Beshear Administration
Rebecca Goodman, Secretary, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet
10:00 a.m.
Energy and Environment in a Presidential Election Year: The Only Certainty is Uncertainty
Once again, Kentuckians find ourselves with a federal Administration in Washington, D.C., trying to finalize a host of energy and environmental regulatory initiatives while the nation stares down the barrel of another Presidential election. This session will describe several key energy and environmental proposals likely to be finalized in the coming months, discuss what they may mean for Kentucky, and consider their likely legal prospects, including the potential effects of another change in Administration.
11:00 a.m.
The Future Grid – Transitioning to a Distributed Power Base
Rodney Andrews, PhD, PE, Senior Associate Vice President for Research, University of Kentucky and Director, UK Center for Applied Energy Research
As power generation transitions from large fossil fuel generation units to more distributed, intermittent, renewable sources, the power grid of the future will necessarily undergo significant changes. This session will look at what those changes may be, including evolving aspects of distributed generation, transmission, energy storage, and the impact electric vehicles may have.
12:00 p.m.
Luncheon with Sponsors
1:00 p.m.
Clean Energy Developments in Kentucky
Gregory Dutton, Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLP
Panel discussion with leaders in clean energy development in Kentucky, including participants from regulated utilities, merchant generation developers, and consultants. We will discuss recently proposed regulations from EEC pertaining to solar facilities, changes and communications from PJM and MISO, the impact of the IRA, the newly established Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority, and the forecast for utilization of utility-scale battery storage.
2:30 p.m.
Maintaining Grid Reliability in a Changing World
Michelle Bloodworth, President and CEO, America’s Power
The continued and unsustainable pace of dispatchable resource retirements threaten grid reliability and the risk of energy shortfalls in the future. The various regulations proposed by EPA, including the power plant carbon rule, will force more premature retirements of coal and natural gas generation, resulting in less reliable and more expensive electricity. This issue is especially acute in Kentucky, which depends on baseload power generation, and stands to lose greatly from a premature transition away from dependable energy sources. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation's (NERC) recently released “2023 Long-Term Reliability Assessment,” which evaluates and describes the risks facing America’s electricity supply, paints a dire picture of the future of grid reliability in Kentucky and across the nation. Grid operators and many utilities have sounded the alarm about the impacts of the EPA power plant carbon rule fearing that it will exacerbate the growing risk that the pace of retirements of generation with attributes needed to ensure grid reliability will rapidly exceed the building of new resources that provide these reliability attributes. This presentation will explore what can be done to ensure an orderly grid transition that protects reliability and affordability and, in turn, Kentucky's economic strength and resilience.
3:30 p.m.
Closing Comments
Timothy J. Hagerty, Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLP
Day one adjourns
Thursday | June 6, 2024
8:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m.
Welcome and Overview
Timothy J. Hagerty, Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLP
8:45 a.m.
Keynote: The Current Energy Landscape of the U.S.
Chris Guith, Senior Vice President, Global Energy Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
10:00 a.m.
The Future of Energy in Kentucky
John Crockett, President, LG&E and KU
Kevin Dobbs, President, Kentucky/Mid-State Division, Atmos Energy Corporation
Justin Maierhofer, Regional Vice President, North Region, TVA
Chris Perry, President & CEO, Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives (KAEC)
Amy Spiller, President – Ohio, and Kentucky, Duke Energy Corporation
Moderator: Timothy J. Hagerty, Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLP
Utility executives will discuss their strategies for ensuring ongoing reliable and affordable service for energy customers across the Commonwealth – particularly in a time of significant change in the energy markets and regulation. Panelists from the state’s major electric and gas utilities will also discuss essential programs to help customers take advantage of energy efficiency and alternative resources.
11:30 a.m.
Luncheon with Sponsors
12:30 p.m.
Corporate Renewable Energy Solutions
Ken Gish, Member, Stites & Harbison, PLLC
We’ll cover opportunities for commercial and industrial energy users to increase their use of renewable energy. We’ll discuss the use of utility green tariffs, on-site generation, and virtual power purchase agreements. We will highlight key commercial and legal issues for decisions makers in evaluating how to proceed with renewable energy development.
1:30 p.m.
Inside the Public Service Commission (PSC)
Angie C. Hatton, Vice Chairman, Kentucky Public Service Commission
Mary Pat Regan, Commissioner, Kentucky Public Service Commission
Moderator: J.E.B Pinney, Executive Advisor, Kentucky Public Service Commission
3:00 p.m.
13th Annual Kentucky Energy Management Conference Adjourns