FERC Chairman to Keynote Day 2 at the Smart Grid RoadShow – Portland

MONTREAL, QC and WASHINGTON, DC, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ – U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff will deliver the keynote address on Wednesday, Nov. 3rd at the Smart Grid RoadShow Conference being held in Portland, Ore. on November 2-3, 2010.

Chairman Wellinghoff, a vocal supporter of Smart Grid initiatives and Grid Transformation, will comment on how a smarter bulk power system — and the generation and demand resources associated with it — will operate more securely, reliably and efficiently.

“The Smart Grid will give consumers better information, more choices and the tools to control their electricity costs,” said Wellinghoff. “This conference is one of many important opportunities to learn about how Smart Grid initiatives currently being rolled out all across the nation will provide the electric power network needed to balance electricity demand growth with energy security and economic prosperity, both now and in the future.”

A substantial portion of Smart Grid projects are being accelerated by the $3.4 billion in ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) funding allocated to Smart Grid projects. Moreover, these funds are in many cases being augmented by utility matching funds, resulting in an unprecedented level of investment targeted specifically for improvements to the nation’s power generation, transmission and distribution framework.

“We are thrilled and honored to have Chairman Wellinghoff as a keynote speaker and look forward to having him personally address our audience, which includes energy and utility professionals from virtually all types, levels and geographies of the Smart Grid and Grid Transformation community,” said Michael Marullo, Smart Grid RoadShow Conference Chairman.

The Smart Grid RoadShow, launched in October 2008, brings together experts from the business, technological, social, economic and regulatory dimensions of Smart Grid and Grid Transformation throughout the US and Canada.

The Fall 2010 Smart Grid RoadShow Conference will be held on November 2-3, 2010 at the Nines Hotel in Portland, Oregon and is co-hosted by the Bonneville Power Administration (Portland, Ore. and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Richland, Wash.). Program details, agenda and registration information are available at www.smartgridroadshow.com.

SOURCE Smart Grid RoadShow