Agenda

Retired senior U.S. diplomat and former Ambassador Mary Burce Warlick brings an unparalleled geopolitical lens to the global race for net-zero. Having shaped international energy security at the highest levels of the White House National Security Council, she brings insights into how to navigate fractured supply chains, win the global battle for green transition capital, and translate raw resource endowments into sovereign economic dominance.

• Competing for transition capital as energy, mining and critical minerals projects vie for investment
• Building downstream processing to capture more value from Australia’s critical minerals endowment
• Applying a geopolitical lens to decarbonisation to strengthen resilience, partnerships and long term advantage

• Strengthening local manufacturing capability in a constrained energy market
• Decarbonising industrial operations while remaining globally competitive
• Unlocking long-term advantage through the energy transition

WA has a history of stepping up and delivering globally-leading industries. From establishing itself as an energy powerhouse to creating the world's largest iron ore industry in one of the world's most remote locations, WA has shown the determination and ability to do great things. The foundation is being laid to transform WA's industrial regions, and Beyond Zero Emissions will be presenting on what industry, government and communities can do to:

• Building on recent momentum to unlock a prosperous, resilient industrial future for generations to come

• Coordinating and sequencing the infrastructure investment required to deliver the critical projects at the right time

• Strengthening regional economies through industrial diversification and new value-added export opportunities underpinned by clean energy

• How did NSW structure the REZ model, and what parts of that approach could work in WA?
• What does the ACEREZ model reveal about ownership, delivery and long-term operational accountability?
• Which contracting and cost recovery mechanisms have been most effective in supporting investment certainty and access?
• What practical lessons should WA take from NSW on sequencing, governance, risk allocation and delivery execution?

Using real-world construction data from major 330kV and 132kV Western Australian grid connection projects, this presentation provides developers, asset owners, and planners with a clear framework to manage utility risk, satisfy commonwealth tender conditions, and transition assets from paper to physical delivery.

• Mapping the specific technical, governance, and plant-of-origin approvals required to clear Western Power operator gateways without delaying project schedules.
• Formulating a practical social license strategy that integrates buy-local initiatives and First Nations engagement to successfully meet PoweringWA and CIS tender requirements.
• Evaluating procurement and hedging structures to de-risk 2-to-4-year lead times on high-voltage critical infrastructure while strictly adhering to AIP plan constraints.
• Analysing workforce training models required to scale civil, electrical, and linework capacity locally to support long-term regional delivery.

• What progress has the Clean Energy Link program made so far, and what does that reveal about the realities of delivering transmission in WA?   
• How does the D&C contracting model work in practice across approvals, interfaces, outages and energisation windows?
• What delivery pressures have the greatest impact, from supply chain and workforce capability to regional logistics and live network integration?
• What lessons should be carried forward into future transmission builds and renewable energy zone developments?

• Reducing duplication by planning common-use corridors and staged network builds
• Accelerating renewable connection by bridging the timing gaps between transmission and generation/storage deployment
• Lowering whole-of-system cost by avoiding duplication and improving community outcomes

• What elements of WA's current framework are working well?
• What lessons from NSW and other jurisdictions should WA adopt or adapt?
• How can funding, regulation and delivery models continue to evolve?
• Where are the biggest opportunities to accelerate investment and project delivery?
• What should industry focus on over the next five years?

• Decarbonising and connecting industry with common-use transmission infrastructure aligned with Western Australia’s Pilbara Energy Transition Plan
• Prioritising stakeholder, community and Traditional Owner engagement
• The role of deep energy storage in delivering reliability and enabling the closure of coal fire power generation
• Getting the settings right for domestic gas reservation to support local industry and the Australian economy as well as capture ongoing economic benefits from a strong LNG export market

• Expanding commercial and industrial flexibility to unlock new demand side capacity across Western Australia
• Integrating EVs into load flexibility plans to turn transport electrification into a system balancing asset
• Advancing WA distribution transformation by using customer centric network planning to bring more flexible demand onto the system

• Improving price and reliability signals so BESS long duration storage and firming capacity are rewarded more effectively
• Managing curtailment oversupply and volatility by aligning market settings with a more variable and decentralised system
• Coordinating storage flexible demand and renewable gas to support a more balanced and investable SWIS

• How can WA unlock more value from inverter-based resources while maintaining system security as synchronous generation retires?
• What technical standards and performance requirements should WA prioritise to reflect its unique system characteristics?
• Which advanced inverter capabilities could make the biggest difference to system strength, stability and operability in the SWIS?
• How can WA accelerate renewable generation and storage integration without importing approaches that are not fit for local conditions?

07:00     Registration
07:30     Panel discussion: The Net Zero Countdown to 2030

Moderator:
Annabel Keogh, Head of Policy and Social Value, Synergy

Panellists:
Rob Wilson, Executive Director, Western Australia and Resources, Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) 
Peta Ashworth, Director, Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (CIET), Curtin University 
Alyce Stewart, Senior Manager Project Development, Horizon Power 

Presented by Women in Energy – Perth and Young Energy Professionals (YEP) Perth

Tickets exclusively through Eventbrite

Bill Farren-Price brings over 30 years of frontline energy macroeconomics and geopolitical expertise to the Energy in WA. A premier global authority on supply risk and market volatility, he delivers data-driven insights to help WA energy leaders navigate fractured international trade routes, stress-test export timing, and insulate local markets from sudden global shocks.

• Reading global gas balances to sharpen WA project timing and market strategy (ie What does the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies scenario planning tell us about risks and opportunities in global gas markets?)
• Managing geopolitical shocks to protect LNG revenues and domestic gas security
• Tracking Asia’s transition pathways to capture WA’s next gas and decarbonisation opportunities

• Tracking progress across the regions to share practical updates on projects already reshaping regional energy systems
• Examining how remote and regional networks are evolving through local generation storage microgrids and fit for purpose reliability solutions
• Understanding how load drivers regional areas are diversifying through mining decarbonisation new industrial demand and emerging data centre activity

• Accelerating renewable connections by applying AI to clear grid-planning bottlenecks
• Turning transmission data into faster, lower-risk investment and connection decisions
• Developing, trialling and scaling a solution where AI does heavy lifting without replacing human expertise

As the trailblazing founder of Magellan Power with over three decades of hands-on power electronics engineering expertise, Masoud Abshar is the definitive authority on onshore manufacturing. He offers a battle-tested blueprint for scaling advanced local supply chains, turning Australia’s critical mineral wealth into sovereign capability, skilled local jobs, and long-term economic resilience.

• Building more value onshore through batteries, storage systems and clean energy technology
• Turning the energy transition to strategic advantage into industry by converting WA capability into investment and jobs
• Strengthening green industry leadership by growing domestic supply chains, system capability and clean energy manufacturing capacity

As a leading quantitative economist and former AEMC market designer, Oliver Nunn brings rigorous mathematical models and stress-testing expertise to WA's grid transition. He cuts through average-case forecasts to help leaders challenge conventional assumptions, manage real-world investment uncertainty, and architect a truly resilient power system.

• Challenging planning assumptions that understate uncertainty, so WA can avoid costly blind spots and design for real-world volatility
• Building a more flexible, reliable, and investable power system that supports industrial growth, electrification, and long-term price competitiveness
• Aligning generation, transmission, storage, and firming decisions with the needs of a globally competitive WA economy, not just average-case scenarios
• Redesigning regulatory and market frameworks to reward resilience, unlock capital, and keep Western Australia attractive for major energy users and investors

• Examining Fortescue’s Pilbara project through Nyamal concerns about consent and Traditional Owner-led decision-making
• Working with the First Nations Clean Energy Network to strengthen governance, negotiation capability and project literacy
• Building long-term economic independence through First Nations ownership, procurement, decision-making and renewable power rollouts

As a global political strategist and author of Angertainment and Facts and Other Lies, Ed Coper brings unparalleled, frontline expertise on how to protect the transition from weaponised digital campaigns. He bridges the gap between infrastructure development and public trust, offering energy industry a vital, battle-tested blueprint to disarm misinformation and secure genuine local support. 

• Building trust by engaging communities early, clearly, and repeatedly so energy projects earn permission as well as approval
• Strengthening energy literacy by translating complex system changes into plain language that helps communities understand costs, reliability, and benefits
• Countering misinformation by using trusted local voices and evidence-led storytelling to reduce fear and protect support for the transition

• Assessing the Perth Basin outlook and what speed to market really requires across approvals, investment decisions, offtake, processing and connection
• Testing whether enabling infrastructure is on track, and where gaps in processing, compression, storage and pipeline access could slow new supply
• Mapping pipeline augmentation timelines against emerging demand, peak reliability needs and domestic gas security risks
• Examining the practical realities of increasing pipeline capacity, including commercial triggers, outage planning, construction lead times and customer underwriting

• Using scenario-based planning to identify when and where the SWIS will need new system support
• Maintaining system strength and essential system services as synchronous generation retires
• Deploying flexible, dispatchable capacity to support reliability while enabling higher renewable penetration

• How much gas does the system actually need as coal exits and renewable penetration rises without defaulting to oversized long lived infrastructure?
• How should gas be used as a transitional reliability backstop while storage electrification and other firming options take on a greater role?
• How should pipeline and generation investment be sized against realistic long term demand to avoid stranded assets and misplaced capital?
• Who should bear utilisation and stranded asset risk before new gas infrastructure is underwritten by customers or taxpayers?

Specifically for professionals new to Western Australia’s energy sector, this workshop provides an accessible overview of the key organisations shaping the state’s unique energy landscape. Designed for engineers, consultants and policy professionals at the early to mid-career stage, it will help bridge gaps in awareness of how WA’s energy systems operate outside the National Electricity Market.

Upon completion of the workshop, attendees will

• Understand the context of the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) and the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) in WA
• Identify the major players, agencies and their interactions across interconnected and remote networks
• Develop insight into current issues and challenges for the WA energy sector
• Gain perspective on future directions and opportunities in WA’s evolving energy transition
  
  

Outline:

08:30 Registration and coffee

09:00 Welcome and setting the scene: skills for the energy transition

• Introduction to the Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence, the purpose of the workshop, and an overview of the energy transition, workforce challenges and opportunities facing Western Australia
  
  

Ty Theodore, General Manager, Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence

9:30 Understanding the key players in WA’s energy sector

• Explore the role of the WA government in coordination with WA’s key energy agencies
• Develop insight into current issues and challenges for the WA energy sector
  
  

Stephen Eliot, Executive Director Energy Policy WA, Commercial, WA Department of Energy and Economic Diversification (DEED)

10:00 Understanding the WEM and context of the SWIS

• Gain an understanding of Western Australia's unique electricity market, including the history of the WEM, the SWIS, key market mechanisms and how WA differs from the National Electricity Market
  
  

Jean-Phillipe Montandan, Principal – WA Operations, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)

10:30 Morning tea

11:00 Enabling a once-in-a-generation energy transition

• Western Power's role in WA's energy system and our relationship with key sector participants
• How the SWIS is evolving through the energy transition
• Growth of distributed energy resources across the network
• VPPs, community batteries and the future of customer energy resources
  
  

Megan Allan, Head of Distribution Energy Transition, Western Power

11:30 Energy transition on Country: opportunities, challenges and ‘two way learning’ in Western Australia

• Framing the energy transition through Traditional ownership, stewardship and two-way learning on Country
• Examining how renewable energy, land access and infrastructure development affect regional communities and social licence
• Exploring industrial decarbonisation, green iron opportunities and the practical implications for energy, water and transmission
• Identifying how regional communities can participate in renewable energy development while minimising long-term land and infrastructure burdens
  
  

Oral McGuire, Principal Consultant, Gundi Consulting

12:00 Energy industry insights Q&A panel

• Facilitated discussion with key energy industry players. Participants can ask questions about the electricity system, industry trends, workforce needs and career opportunities in the sector
  
  

Megan Allan, Head of Distribution Energy Transition, Western Power

Jean-Phillipe Montandan, Principal – WA Operations, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)

Stephen Eliot, Executive Director Energy Policy WA, Commercial, WA Department of Energy and Economic Diversification (DEED)

Oral McGuire, Principal Consultant, Gundi Consulting

Ty Theodore, General Manager, Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Clean energy careers in virtual reality

• Experience CESNCE's VR Career Exploration Program and explore a range of clean energy occupations and work environments through immersive virtual reality experiences
  
  

Senior representative, Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence

14:30 Battery fundamentals - where BESS fits in the energy system

• How BESS supports reliability, flexibility and peak demand management by storing surplus renewable generation
• Understanding core BESS components, including battery chemistry, inverters, control systems, sizing, duration and performance parameters
• Identifying the practical decisions that shape BESS project success, including location, use case, safety and system value
• Exploring the battery value chain, technology options, and key opportunities and challenges for BESS in Western Australia
  
  

Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Lecturer, School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University

15:00 Afternoon tea

15:30 Battery fundamentals continued

16:30 (approximate) Close of day