President, IFIEC-Europe and Managing Director, VEMW

Track C, Session 14

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Since June 2007, Hans Grünfeld has been president of IFIEC-Europe, the European association of industrial energy consumers. He is also managing director of VEMW, a Dutch association of non-domestic energy and water consumers, representing companies and organisations from industry, the financial, health care, educational and other sectors in the Netherlands.
Having served VEMW since 1999, Hans Grünfeld has extensive experience with the liberalisation and integration of the European gas and electricity markets.
Before joining VEMW, Hans Grünfeld worked for McKinsey & Company (researcher) and Rand Europe (policy analyst).
Hans Grünfeld received a Ph.D. from Delft University of Technology and holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Masters in Political Science from the University of Amsterdam.
 

ABSTRACT SUMMARY

"Regulatory issues affecting energy intensive customers"

Energy intensive customers are companies and other organisations for which costs related to energy use are critical for their operational performance. Sharing a focus on optimising costs, industrial facilities, railroad operators, and many other companies require a cost effective and secure energy supply. In this session, experts from North America, Europe and Africa discuss how regulators can help to further competitiveness and a high level of supply security and quality. Dealing with the regulatory tasks of promoting competition, regulating (grid) monopolies, and, above all, guaranteeing a secure supply situation, consumer representatives and regulators will respond to questions such as: how to assure system adequacy; how to regulate monopoly revenues without compromising quality; and how to remove obstacles for competition and prevent anti-competitive behaviour. Drawing from extensive experience across three continents, this session will explore the potential as well as the limits of markets and the subsequent role for regulators.