Alstoms Pierre Gauthier Addresses the Future of U.S. Energy
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Yesterday, Pierre Gauthier, Alstom’s Country President for the U.S. & Canada, addressed the future of the U.S. energy market during a conference in Montreal hosted by the Quebec Electrical Industry Association (AIEQ). This energy industry symposium featured presentations, panel discussions and networking sessions that covered a variety of topics related to the U.S. energy industry.
Pierre, joined by senior executives from Duke Energy, Tennessee Valley Authority, andHDR Engineering Inc., participated on the panel session entitled “The Transformation of the US Energy in the Coming Years”. During the discussion, Pierre highlighted the shift from coal to gas power generation as a future reality of the U.S. energy industry. He cited low natural gas prices, retiring of older coal plants and strict Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions standards as drivers for this change.
“According to a study by the North American Electric Reliability Council, 71 gigawatts of coal fired power plants will retire over the next 10 years,” said Gauthier. “Gas will continue to gain market share and I have no doubt that the use of renewables will grow in parallel, aided by the ability of gas to take on intermittent tasks.”
He also emphasized that the flexibility and quick ramp-up time of gas fired-plants ensures the availability of electricity when the wind stops blowing or the sun stops shining. Although many factors will reduce our use of coal, Pierre argued that it is important to maintain a diversified energy landscape one that balances the use of coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and renewables. Pierre continued by explaining the role R&D plays in developing technology that can operate with a variety of fuels and resources to meet the evolving energy needs of the future, citing the work of Alstom’s R&D teams and the development of the Alstom ECO 122 wind turbine for class II and III sites. He concluded by remarking the impact of the ‘smart grid’ on utilities’ abilities to better forecast demand and the role that this will play in the diversification of the energy mix.