Webinar "Future Roles of System Operators in Facilitating the Energy Transition and Optimizing Renewable Energy Utilisation"

Frank Wouters, Director, EU-GCC Clean Energy Technology Network
Mr. Frank Wouters has been leading renewable energy projects, transactions, and technology development for over 25 years. He has played a lead role in development of renewable generation projects valued at over $4.5 billion. These range from small scale PV solar electrification in Uganda to the 100MW Shams I Concentrated Solar Plant (CSP) in the UAE, and strategic equity investment in the London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind project. His transactions have received multiple project finance “Deal of the Year” awards. As Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the first global intergovernmental organisation dedicated to all renewables, he managed a US$350 million IRENA/Abu Dhabi Fund for Development project facility for RE. He appraised over 80 projects a year and recommended projects for funding, including solar PV projects in Africa. Furthermore, he coordinated with government ministers and other stakeholders to promote private sector investment for RE projects as part of the Africa Clean Energy Corridor Initiative. ​Mr. Wouters has served on the board of several energy companies, including Torresol Energy (Spain and USA), WinWind (Finland and India), Masdar cvua (Netherlands), NICE (Netherlands and The Gambia) and Gorestreet Capital (UK). Qualified with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University, he is fluent in English, German and Dutch.

Adam Sieminski, President of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC)
Adam Sieminski is President of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center. KAPSARC is an independent, non-profit, research think tank located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Its mission is to advance the understanding of energy, economics, and the environment, while acting as a catalyst for dialogue on issues of importance to policy makers and the public. Prior to joining KAPSARC in 2018, Mr. Sieminski held the James Schlesinger Chair for Energy and Geopolitics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. CSIS is one of the world’s preeminent international policy institutions focused on security, regional studies, and transnational challenges including energy, trade, and global development. Mr. Sieminski served as Administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical division of the U.S. Department of Energy, during 2012-16. While awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation for the EIA appointment, he was the Senior Director for Energy and Environment of the U.S. National Security Council at the White House. He was previously Deutsche Bank’s chief energy economist and integrated oil company analyst, working in London, New York, and Washington. Mr. Sieminski is an active member of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), a Senior Fellow and former President of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics (USAEE), and was President of the National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts. Mr. Sieminski holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He earned both an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in public administration from Cornell University. 

Dr. Fahad M. Alturki, Vice President, Head of Research and Chair, T20 Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies & Research Center (KAPSARC)
Dr. Fahad Alturki is Vice President of Research at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). In this role he oversees KAPSARC’s research programs and priorities, ensuring that these are strategically focused on impacts within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both regionally and globally. Dr. Fahad interacts with key stakeholder groups within the Kingdom and internationally, in the private, academic, and government sectors. Moreover, he is responsible for setting the overall directions and parameters for collaboration with KAPSARC’s partners and affiliates. 

Shahid Hasan, Fellow, Energy Transitions and Electric Power, KAPSARC
Shahid is a research fellow at KAPSARC, where his current research focuses on electricity sector transitions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, and development of a regional electricity market in the GCC, Middle East and North Africa
(MENA) region. He previously consulted extensively on policy, regulatory, and market design issues for governments, electricity regulators, public utilities and the electricity industries in India and Southeast Asia.
 

Dr. Hafez El-Salmawy, Professor at Zagazig University, Egypt; Former Executive Chairman of EgyptERA and President of the Association of Mediterranean Regulators for Electricity and Gas
Dr. Hafez El-Salmawy is the Professor of energy engineering at Zagazig University, Egypt. He is a consultant at the World Bank, European Commission, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. He has previously served as the Executive Chairman of EgyptERA (2006-2015) and President of the Association of Mediterranean Regulators for Electricity and Gas (2014-2016). He has provided technical support in the areas of regulations, restructuring, renewable energy and energy efficiency to many countries including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Zanzibar, Djibouti and Mongolia.

Nick Carter, Electricity Interconnections and Market Integration​ Convener, EU GCC Clean Energy Technology Network
He is currently undertaking a range of utility projects in a number of GCC countries and lives and works in the UAE. Prior to this he was a Director with Baringa Partners a highly skilled niche energy management consultancy with offices in London, Germany and the UAE. He came to the UAE in 1998 as part of a market reform team for Abu Dhabi acting in an advisory role reporting directly to a member of the Royal Family. In 1999 he was appointed Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Distribution Company – for water and electricity. From 2001 to 2015 he served as Director General of the Regulation and Supervision Bureau (RSB) creating a world-class regulatory body for water, wastewater and power. Prior to his UAE roles Nick held a number of senior executive positions with Southern Electric PLC (now SSE) and London Electricity PLC. In London Electricity he played a pivotal role as Strategy Manager during privatisation in the early 90s and was subsequently appointed General Manager for Networks. Nick is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a member of the UK Engineering Council. Educated at University College London with a BSc in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and at INSEAD and London Business School. ​Currently he is also a Registered Expert and lecturer for the Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA) based in Budapest.

Dr. Haris Doukas, Associate Professor NTUA & Research Collaboration Specialist at EU GCC Clean Energy Technology Network
He has a degree in mechanical engineering (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – AUTH) and a PhD degree in the area of decision support systems for the sustainable energy sector’s operation (ECE, NTUA). His scientific and research expertise includes the development of decision support systems for energy and climate policy, where he has more than 15 years working experience, participating in related initiatives and projects, in Europe, in the Mediterranean basin and the countries of the Gulf. Dr. Haris Doukas has more than 100 scientific publications in international scientific journals, one Book in Greek “Decision Support Policy Models for Energy and Environmental Systems”, one open access Book in Springer “Understanding Risks and Uncertainties in Energy and Climate Policy”, presentations in international conferences, chapters, articles, etc. For his work, Dr. Doukas has received awards by the State Scholarship Foundation (IKY), the NTUA, the AUTH, the Technical Chamber of Greece (TCG) and the Hellenic Operational Research Society (HELORS) and the World Renewable Energy Network (WREN), among others. ​Dr. Doukas is the research collaboration specialist of the EU GCC Clean Energy Technology Network, since its creation in 2010.