Alstom sets the pace at CERAweek 2014

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Update from the final industry focused day of CERAWeek Power Day!

A series of senior executives from utilities, Independent Power Producers (IPP) and technology suppliers discussed the complex issues facing the electric power industry. The day started early with Strategic Dialogue breakfasts on regional power markets, ranging from Africa to Latin America to Texas. The North American Power Plenary included Andrés R. Gluski, CEO of AES, Nick Atkins, CEO of AEP and Lynn Good, CEO of Duke Energy. The Global Power Plenary included Leonhard Birbaum, Member of the Board of ManagementE.ON; Dawn Farrell, CEO of TransAlta and Jim Hughes, CEO First Solar. Both plenaries raised the challenges of maintaining reliable power supply and delivery in a period of changing generating sources, regulatory and social drivers, and economic pressure.

The themes introduced in the morning plenaries were expanded throughout the day in focused sessions which explored technologies and markets in-depth. Alstoms VP Portfolio and Strategic Positioning, Philippe Paelinck, joined the panel on Renewable Energy- Going Global where he described Alstoms diverse renewable energy portfolio and recent activities in technology innovation and new market successes.

Mid-day brought two keynote speakers from the US Administration, Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency and Cheryl LaFleur, Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Their discussion highlighted the challenges associated with new environmental requirements such as CO2 reduction standards, while maintaining grid reliability, stability and security. Acting Chairman, LaFleur, called for the industry to work together to meet energy security and environmental goals, ending with the comment a voluntary solution is always a little faster than a regulatory one.

CERAWeek concludes on Friday with a look ahead in energy trends, discussion of the impact of Geopolitics, and a talk with Ben Bernanke, former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve.

LIVE UPDATE: Wednesday, March 5th

CERAWeek turned its attention from oil to gas and Alstom joined the discussion in depth.

Loic Douillet, VP Marketing, spoke on the current and future markets for power generation in SE Asia. One attendee commented 'Alstom has the pulse of that market'.

Alfonso Faubel, recently appointed Sr VP Sales and Marketing, was interviewed by IHSCERA's Alex Klein on the critical trends in global power. Alfonso described the three common drivers for the power industry and the focus of Alstom's technology innovations on meeting these needs:

The need for affordable cost of electricity
Lowering the environmental footprint of power production and transmission
Ensuring reliable and secure supply of electricity

LIVE UPDATE: Tuesday, March 4th

Despite an East Coast snow storm complicating travel, the Alstom CERAWeek team arrived in Houston for the opening sessions. Yesterday Amy Ericson, President of Alstom U.S., joined the by-invitation Leadership Circle on Global Gas where she brought the voice of the power industry to the discussion of supply, cost and delivery of natural gas and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

In parallel, other Alstom delegates attended opening sessions on the main agenda. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) opened the keynote where she encouraged opening federal lands to oil & gas production and easing of restrictions on USA exports. She spoke on the benefits of open global markets supported by USA exports and how that can create greater diversity of supply which will help increase geopolitical stability.

Day one sessions on Global Energy Markets were dominated by questions and concerns on the impact of the Ukraine crisis on energy markets. This topic is expected to continue to frame many of CERAWeek's major discussions.

The broader topic of global economic trends brought insights from IHS chief economist, Nariman Behravesh, who said "The BRICS party is over, while there are a lot of good fundamentals in developed economies, I expect deceleration and disappointment will come from emerging countries. He also raised a cautionary note on China with the data point, "1/3 to 1/2 of recently constructed apartment buildings in China are empty. The credit bubble will result in a costly and major adjustment in the next 3 to 5 years."

Check back for more updates!!!

Houston, Texas - March 3-7: Alstom power generation executives will join industry colleagues in Houston, Texas at the 33^rd IHS Energy CERAWeek…. Often referred to as "the Davos of the Energy Industry." CERAWeek 2014 is expected to draw over 2000 attendees from the global oil, gas and power industry. The themes for this year are Energy and the New Global Competition, with a focus on the following challenges:

What is the future of the “Age of Unconventionals,” in North America and around the world?
Will natural gas win the battle for market share in transportation, power, and other markets?
What innovation models are emerging and how may they become game changers?
How will changing patterns of global supply and demand affect geopolitics—and vice versa?
What role will renewables play in an age of fiscal austerity?
And finally, in a hyper-connected world, how can the energy industry manage growing environmental expectations, engage stakeholders, and build the trust needed to secure a long-term social license to operate?

Alstom is an industry partner/sponsor which gives us the opportunity to participate actively in public and private networking discussions, meetings with customers, industry stakeholders and media.

Alstom Speakers:

Loic Douillet, VP Marketing, GPS Strategic Dialogue Breakfast- Southeast Asia Gas & Power

Philippe Paelinck, VP Portfolio & Strat. Positioning, GPS Strategic Dialogue, Global Renewable Energy

Leadership Circle:

Amy Ericson, President, Alstom USA Global Gas

Philippe Paelinck, VP Portfolio & Strat. Positioning, GPS Strategic Dialogue, Global Renewable Energy

Stay tuned throughout the week for updates!!!

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