SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

TECHNICAL TRAINING SESSION: An Introduction to Alberta Oil Sands 8:30 am - 11:45 am • Walker/Bannerman Room Sponsored By: Government of Alberta This session will provide an overview of Alberta oil sands, including geology, engineering, economics, environmental and social issues. Presenters from industry, government and NGOs will discuss and debate many of the current technical, environmental, social and political challenges. View video

CONCURRENT SESSIONS: 1 TO 7 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

PLENARY SESSION: North American Energy Interdependence 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm • Imperial 5/7/9 & Corridor Representatives from the three countries will discuss the interdependence of North American energy, touching on such issues as the production and use of conventional and alternative resources, transportation and trade, the electric grid, energy efficiency programs, investment policies, and emerging carbon and other environmental policies -- including the development of US low-carbon fuel standards and their possible effect on Canadian oil exports to the US, as well as intra-Canadian versus international trade in Canadian energy and electricity resources.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15

ENERGY INDUSTRY OUTLOOK BREAKFAST - Looking Ahead 7:30 am - 8:30 am • Imperial Room 4/6/8 Sponsored By: ConocoPhillips What do major energy companies view as the key market trends in the medium to long term, and how are they planning for the future? Speakers from Devon Canada and Talisman will share their thoughts on the outlook for energy supply and demand, and for the changing structure of the industry. The speaker presentations and critical questions from the audience should provide a rich menu to accompany Friday's breakfast.

DUAL PLENARY SESSION: North American Unconventional Gas: Implications for Global Gas Markets 8:30 am - 10:00 am • Imperial 5/7/9 & Corridor Is the euphoria over North American shale gas warranted? This session will seek to separate fact from fantasy in volume and cost estimates for unconventional gas, which includes tight sands gas, coal seam gas, and potentially gas from methane hydrates in addition to shale gas. The panel will review and discuss global gas market implications of North American gas developments including competition with long-term contract gas in European and Asian markets, and competition with the significant liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies coming on the market in the next 18 months. Finally, water and other possible constraints on shale gas development will be reviewed.

DUAL PLENARY SESSION: Climate Change Policy - Consequences and Implementation Issues 8:30 am - 10:00 am • Imperial 1/2/3 This session will take stock of the rapidly evolving climate policy process and highlight the potential economic outcomes of recent policy proposals. Speakers will discuss what they see as the key domestic and international climate policy design challenges and the outlook for new legislation. They will also address the prospects for abatement policy in the absence of Congressional action. The presenters, representing both the US and Canada, are economists from government, academia, and policy research organizations.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS: 8 TO 13 10:30 am - 12:00 noon

DUAL PLENARY SESSION: Electricity Markets and Reform: Structure and Organization 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm • Imperial 5/7/9 & Corridor Green electricity is coming. How do we integrate green electricity into the operation of the electric grid? Most green electricity is being developed by independent third parties, not by electric utilities. How do we financially handle this non-utility owned electricity, especially when the green energy is intermittent and doesn't confirm to historical dispatch concepts? We don't have green, brown, or blue electrons, so why is integrating green electricity an issue for the electric grid? Intermittency? Lack of dispatchability? What problems do these issues present? How do we handle them? Hear an expert from the operator of an electric grid identify the physical problems and solutions. Most green electricity is being developed by independent third parties, not by electric utilities. How do we financially handle this non-utility owned electricity, especially when the green energy is intermittent and doesn't confirm to historical dispatch concepts? How does intermittency affect the economics of green energy? How does the lack of dispatchability affect the economics of green energy? Hear experts discuss the costs and the design of pricing mechanisms.

DUAL PLENARY SESSION: Water and the Energy Industry 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm • Imperial 1/2/3 This dual plenary session covers three water issues related to the energy sector: (1) water management in the oil industry; (2) water impacts in natural gas production; and (3) water rights in hydropower production. The approach is deliberately multidimensional, reflecting the various connections and challenges between water and energy production. A common thread, however, is the property right of water and how its ownership structure can lead to some water use issues.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS: 14 TO 20 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16

CONCURRENT SESSIONS: 21 TO 26 8:30 am - 10:00 am

DUAL PLENARY SESSION: Energy Efficiency and Standards 10:30 am - 12:00 noon • Imperial 5/7/9 & Corridor This panel will explore the potential for energy efficiency gains in today’s society, discuss the barriers to implementing energy efficient solutions, and analyze how the barriers to implementation can be removed through policy.

DUAL PLENARY SESSION: Renewable Energy Supplies and Pricing: Promise and Realities 10:30 am - 12:00 noon • Imperial 1/2/3 This panel will explore a range of emerging financial, policy and regulatory issues surrounding the inclusion of renewable energy resources in the electricity supply mix.

PLENARY SESSION: Understanding Oil and Gas Market Volatility 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm • Imperial 1/2/3 A "Davos Style" discussion and debate on energy prices with participative audience interaction. The recent volatility of oil and gas prices has generated a heated debate about what caused the movements and what to do about it. Meanwhile, the moribund state of natural gas prices has resulted in an unprecedented disconnect between these markets. Some argue that a mixture of supply-demand-inventory factors can explain the movements, while others claim that financial factors, especially currency and equity market investors treating oil and gas as new asset classes, are now destroying the old price-fundamentals relationships. And what, if anything, do all these oil market machinations mean for North American and global oil and gas markets?

CONCURRENT SESSIONS: 27 TO 31 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

CLOSING PLENARY SESSION: Energy Directions from a Local Perspective 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm • Imperial Room 5/7/9 & Corridor Canadian journalists will discuss energy development in Canada and how that development affects the environment, the economy, and the people who live and work there. The panelists will cover conventional and unconventional sources of energy with a special focus on oil sands development in Alberta. In this discussion, the journalists will cover regulators, environmental impacts, and many other often controversial topics associated with the development of the country’s resources.