Aurora Energy Transition Forum New York 2026

Registration, Breakfast and Networking

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Oliver Kerr

Managing Director, North America, Aurora

Keynote Opening Address and Fireside Chat

Peter Lake

Senior Director of Power, National Energy Dominance Council - The White House

Plenary Session: State of the Market: Power and Politics in the AI Era

The U.S. power system is under sustained pressure from unprecedented load growth and rising costs, set against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty. As insatiable demand for compute forces a fundamental rethinking of system priorities, is “speed” becoming the new “clean” in the energy trilemma? This panel assesses the macro landscape in 2026, exploring how policymakers and industry leaders can navigate power bottlenecks and (geo)politics in the post-IRA era, whilst also protecting consumers from escalating costs.

Andrew Novotny

President and CEO, Calpine | Senior EVP, Constellation Power Operations

Heather Reams

President and CEO, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES)

Pablo Vegas

President & CEO, ERCOT

Scott Clavenna

Co-Founder & CEO, Latitude Media

John Bear

CEO, MISO

Coffee and Networking Break

Aurora Keynote

Panel Discussion: Speed to Power: Can Infrastructure Keep Pace with the AI Boom?

Getting electrons online quickly has become a defining metric for the industry. Powering the AI boom requires an acceleration of infrastructure deployment, including streamlined generation and load interconnection, innovative new business models, and targeted policy, planning, and permitting reform. This session explores what it will take to overcome structural bottlenecks needed for infrastructure to keep pace with the AI boom.

Andrew Flanagan

CEO, RWE Americas

Holly Adams

SVP of Energy, Beale Infrastructure

Susan Nickey

EVP & Chief Client Officer, HASI

Felix Chow-Kambitsch

Head of Advisory – US West

Lunch Break

Panel Discussion: Future of the ISO: Can Markets Survive Gigawatt Scale Load Growth?

The convergence of rising costs, long lead times for new supply, and the race for compute has placed wholesale power markets under intense political pressure. Are capacity markets fit for purpose in an era of rapid load growth? Do political interventions to shield consumers from price volatility risk undermining market competition? Could hyperscalers bypassing the grid or the resurgent argument for vertical integration pose an existential threat to the ISO model? Join our panelists as they explore how markets are rising to meet the challenge.

Amanda Bradshaw

Director - Energy Markets, US Department of Energy

Arushi Sharma Frank

Executive Advisor, Emerald AI

Sarah Orban Salati

Chief Commercial Officer, National Grid Ventures US

Stu Bresler

COO, PJM

Farhad Billimoria

Head of USA West, Aurora

Aurora Keynote: The Missing Megawatts: Can the Industry deliver the Generation it's promising?

The promise of load growth –for the first time in years, in many markets – also brings with it unprecedented expectations for new generator additions. Developers are announcing record pipelines, new offtake structures are emerging, and policymakers are pursuing reforms to accelerate investment and interconnection. But can the industry realistically deliver the capacity it expects and needs? With interconnection queues still congested, equipment shortages persisting, and project timelines extending, the gap between planned capacity and operational capacity may become one of the defining challenges of the decade.

One key question still remains: Are we overestimating demand growth, or overestimating our ability to build the generation to meet it?

Julia Hoos

Head of USA East, Aurora

Coffee and Networking Break

Panel Discussion: Optimizing the Grid: Can Flexibility Solve the Infrastructure Bottleneck?

Can flexibility solve the infrastructure bottleneck? This session investigates the regulatory, commercial, and technical innovations needed to get more from the existing grid. From conditional-firm interconnection and “netting” rules to VPPs, load-shifting, and mandates for on-site generation, a range of solutions promise to unlock faster integration of large loads while also lowering costs for consumers. Crucially, however, can flexibility meaningfully mitigate the need for massive investment in new transmission and generation, or is it a temporary bridge in a supply-constrained era?

Dana Guernsey

CEO, Voltus

Gary Durden

Managing Director, CRC-IB

Travis Kavulla

CEO, Bonneville Power Administration

Pat Wood III

Executive Chairman, Hunt Energy Network

Closing Remarks

Oliver Kerr

Managing Director, North America, Aurora

Networking Drinks Reception