What is energy security and how does it affect policy? An expert panel discussion on the nature and the future of Canadian energy security.
About this Event
The webinar focused on what energy security means to different people and how this plays into policy. Participants discussed the physical security and cyber-security of installations as well as the security of energy supply and the security of trade routes. Questions discussed included but were not limited to the following. How will the need for electricity infrastructure to be resilient, and for electricity itself to be affordable, affect the fate of unconventional energy, including the “oil sands”? Do Canada’s high latitude and long transmission distances exclude a good match between supply of renewable energy and demand for it? In light of the last question, what decisions will be made about nuclear power? While the webinar focused on Canada, these issues were addressed for other countries as well. The use of information and communication technologies, including artificial intelligence, in the energy sector was also addressed.
Dr. Robert M. Cutler, the panel moderator, is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Energy Security Program at NATO Association of Canada. Educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (ScB) and The University of Michigan (PhD), he started out as an academic specialist in Soviet foreign policy. After 1991 he branched out into policy analysis and consulting as an expert in International Energy Diplomacy, Security and Geo-economics, focusing on Europe and Eurasia. He has advised energy firms, governments, international institutions and NGOs while maintaining an active profile publishing widely in leading policy reviews, academic journals and the press. He is also Fellow, Canadian Energy Research Institute; Fellow, Canadian Global Affairs Institute; and Past Chairman, Board of Directors, Montreal Press Club.
Allan Fogwill joined CERI in November 2014 as President and CEO. An energy sector executive with over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sector, Mr. Fogwill’s background has focused on economic and market analysis of energy sector issues along with policy development related to energy regulation and efficiency issues. Mr. Fogwill has previously worked for natural gas distribution companies in BC and Ontario and for the Ontario Energy Board dealing with market analysis and the analysis of distribution costs. Prior to assuming his role at CERI, Mr. Fogwill provided regulatory consulting services to local distribution companies in Ontario. Allan has a Master’s degree from Simon Fraser University in Natural Resources Management and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Geography. He has also served as the Chair and CEO of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance and the Canadian Gas Research Institute.
Dr. Monica Gattinger is Director of the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, Full Professor at the School of Political Studies and Founding Chair of Positive Energy at the University of Ottawa. She is a highly sought-after speaker, adviser and media commentator in the energy sector. Her innovative research programme convenes business, government, Indigenous, civil society, and academic leaders to address complex policy, regulatory and governance challenges. Gattinger is Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, Chair of the University of Ottawa Press Editorial Board, and serves on advisory boards for the Institute on Governance, the National Research Council, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, Pollution Probe and the University of Calgary. She received the 2020 Clean50 Award for her thought leadership in the energy sector.
Dr Richard Norris is a Managing Partner at Pandreco Energy Advisors and is a leading author and speaker on the role of energy in society and economics. He advises public and private bodies on macro strategy as well as specific energy investments and is a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Dr Norris’s career has spanned research (BP), operational experience (Elf Aquitaine/Total), management (Geopetrol/Candax), debt financing (BNP Paribas) and equity investments (Helios Investment Partners, BTG Pactual and UHNWI Family Offices). He holds a BSc in Geology, and MSc in Petroleum Geology and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering (Imperial College, London). Dr Norris is fluent in French.
