BURLINGTON, MA--(Marketwire - June 9, 2010) - FutureGen Alliance CEO Michael Mudd will be a featured speaker at KEMA's third annual Utility of the Future Leadership Forum, "Strategic Choices - Striking Equilibrium." Mudd will join energy and utility industry CEOs in sharing their insights on strategy and challenges to engage customers and achieve a sustainable energy supply at the KEMA forum, being held June 23 - 25, 2010 at The Four Seasons, Washington, DC.
With over 30 years of experience in the utility industry with a primary focus on coal-fueled generation, Mudd will be part of the Utility of the Future panel session focused on achieving a balance across prime fuels, conversion technologies and environmental pressures. Prior to joining FutureGen, Mudd was the Manager of Generation Technologies and Technology Development for American Electric Power (AEP) responsible for corporate R&D associated with energy supply technologies including coal, gas, nuclear, and renewable energy technologies.
The FutureGen Alliance is a non-profit consortium of some of the largest coal producers and users in the world and was formed to partner with the U.S. Department of Energy on the FutureGen project. The Alliance helps support an active role of industry in the FutureGen project to ensure that the public and private sector share the cost and risk of developing the advanced technologies necessary to commercialize the FutureGen concept. Alliance members intend to contribute nearly $400 million toward the project's costs and will facilitate the introduction of advanced technologies into the plant that are based upon billions of dollars of past industrial investment.
"Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental concerns -- and the energy and utility response to this challenge requires a delicate and complex balance," said Mudd. "Regardless of which specific climate policy is ultimately adopted by the U.S., the success of that policy will hinge on the availability of affordable low-carbon technology. Nuclear, renewables, biomass, and efficiency will all be part of the low-carbon technology solution. And given that coal is projected to remain the backbone of the U.S. electricity system for most of this century, and the growing economies of China and India will be fueled with coal plants, the availability of affordable, near-zero emission coal technology, incorporating carbon capture and sequestration, is essential to our sustainable energy future."
KEMA's annual Utility of the Future leadership series is gathering industry executives, senior financial analysts, government officials and other utility stakeholders to discuss strategic directions in balancing changing customer expectations, technologies and environmental policies and regulations. Leaders and innovators across the energy industry will take part in discussions focused on customer engagement, investment strategy, regulatory policy and the state of carbon and environmental issues, and they will explore strategic views of what a sustainable, intelligent infrastructure will look like.
Senior executives are invited to join their peers in the Utility of the Future discussion to share ideas and discover opportunities to shape a more sustainable, reliable and profitable utility of the future. Throughout the event, forum participants will have high-level networking opportunities to share perspectives, collaborate and engage in dialogue. To register, and for more information, visit: www.kema.com/UtilityFuture2010.
About KEMA
Founded in 1927, KEMA is a global provider of business and technical consulting, operational support, measurement and inspection, testing and certification for the energy and utility industry. With world headquarters in Arnhem, the Netherlands, KEMA employs more than 1,600 professionals globally with offices and representatives in more than 20 countries. KEMA's US subsidiary, KEMA Inc. is headquartered in Burlington, Mass. and serves energy clients throughout the Americas and Caribbean.
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