Immediately after the networking activity on Monday, stop by and join us in the Bunker Hill Foyer 2nd Floor of the Omni Los Angeles Hotel for drinks and networking!

•The California Public Utilities Commission’s job is to assure that California is served with sufficient resources, at reasonable rates, and that we meet clean energy mandates.
•California’s energy market is in flux – so how do we accomplish our mission in a changing world?  
•In the near term, what market design changes might assure sufficient affordable generation – from natural gas-fired and renewable resources – to meet demand in the next several years?
•By 2030 and beyond, California is moving toward an electric sector that emits nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions. What role does natural gas play in that future?

•Kinder Morgan Overview
•Key Trends in the US Natural Gas Market
•West Region Power Generation Trends
•Implications of Residential Electrification
•Summary

-The natural gas supply “glut”
-Retail vs wholesale natural gas prices
-California natural gas infrastructure failures
-California’s renewable portfolio standard

Understanding this dynamic & complicated market - Rockies & West market fundamentals
This panel examines market fundamentals at work resulting in dynamics impacting the Rockies & West region. Perspectives will be provided from a major midstream infrastructure operator, a major not-for-profit water and energy utility, a leading market analyst, and a natural gas price data and news provider!!

Please join our hosts, the Corporate Sponsors, at a cocktail reception in your honor. Don’t make your dinner plans too early as hors d’oeuvres and an open bar will be the highlight of this extremely well attended session!

This year marks a decade since the start of the US shale gas revolution — when broad-based commercial reserve development of shale resources fundamentally altered the industry, ultimately reframing market views on gas price formation. Once shaped by chronic shortages and growing import dependency, US natural gas prices have more recently been influenced by periods of prolonged surplus with a more recent imperative for exports to rebalance the domestic market. Looking ahead, it is clear that in order to avoid another decade of price-driven supply accommodation (a decade-long buyer’s market, if you will), gas suppliers will need to better align growth with consumer requirements. Given a deeper understanding of the geology, gas producers would appear up to the task. Yet, we expect that balancing act ahead will be complicated by oil producers given record associated gas on top fluctuating demand growth.

•PSEP Program Progression & Operational Improvements

Our gas buyer panelists will give you solid and valuable insight into what is currently working, what they have learned from volatility and what they will do differently next time. Topics of discussion to include:

1) What buying or pricing strategies are you currently employing, for instance, what if any long-term purchases are you making or how are you managing the hedging activities?

2) What are the important issues/challenges for your LDC/company/industry in both the short-term and the long-term? How will your LDC/company/industry meet these challenges?

3) Has FERC Order No. 849 adopted in rulemaking docket RM18-11, Rate Changes Relating to Federal Income Tax Rate, and the requirement for interstate pipelines to file Form No. 501-G had any impact on your business?

4) How has the recent low-cost commodity environment impacted expectations of and communications with end-users and regulators?

5) Were there any developments this winter that caused you to look at storage and firm transportation differently? Discuss how and why. What will you do differently to prepare for the winter of 2018/2019 based on low storage injection projections? 

6) How have exports to Mexico impacted the current natural gas market in the West?

7) Are the planned Permian pipeline projects enough to affect the current basis? What do you foresee as a result of the recent pipeline expansion and/or project delays?

8) How are Canadian Imports impacting natural gas in the Northwest / West. How could the proposed LNG Methanol exports in the NW impact the region? 

9) How has the impact of the Aliso Canyon and SoCal outages affected the region and gas buying in the region?

10) What tools and assets would you like to have access to as an end-user to improve your ability to manage your energy portfolio

11) What factors, other than price, influence your decision to choose one supplier over another?

•Natural gas has been a building block for North America’s growth & prosperity
•Natural gas is not a “bridge” but, indeed, is a foundational fuel to ensure global development & prosperity
•As an industry, we’re far too quiet about how large a role our energy (natural gas energy) plays in the quality of life we have ALL come to expect

•The LDC Gas Forum is 30 years old this year.
•Today and 30 years ago are night and day for the gas industry.
        oOpen access
        oUnbundling
        oDeregulation
        oShale abundance
        oLNG (an innie becomes an outie)
•The revolution over the last decade.
•Today’s opportunities and challenges.
•Where can it all end up?
        oGas supply
        oExports, power generation, industry
        oBuilding out infrastructure
        oGas-electric interaction

Gas markets: Near term certainty and long term uncertainty

• Gas markets have become immune to the growing storage deficit. Certainty of supply from new Northeast pipes for the next few years is keeping markets unfazed despite record heat and record exports.
• Beyond that, markets are assuming demand will show up. Consensus market view relies on strong demand growth from gas exports and power to enable gas supply growth, but  this demand growth is dependent on a multitude of factors. How strong will LNG version 2.0 be? Will power demand growth surprise to the upside?
• Robustness of demand will have long term implications not just on flat price but also on basis pricing around the country as the markets pick winners and losers.

Immediately after the networking activities on Monday, stop by and join us in the Lobby Lounge of the Marriott Magnificent Mile Hotel for drinks and networking to kick off the 30th Anniversary of the Mid-Continent Forum!

In this session, we will explore the past 30 years of North American trade — with the US transitioning, from a major importing nation to the country’s recent emergence as a global supplier. Looking ahead, we will analyze trends in global demand, paying particular attention to potential sources of competing supply.

•New project updates
•Debottlenecking and re-plumbing plans
•Attaching growing sources of supply (Marcellus, Permian, etc.)
•Connecting new markets (LNG, exports, gas-fired generation, petrochem, etc.)
•Utility expansion plans

•How the future molds the ongoing market profile, and where the next big opportunities lie.
•Reliable, available, affordable and sustainable global energy - what will it take to provide it, who will and what will drive it?
•Mass Balance: The supply picture meets the coming winter post two below-average solar maxima in a row.
•The impact of unconventional supply and the ongoing potential for increased global demand.
•Surfing the LNG wave. The "Renewable Effect" – potential impacts on LNG from the push towards renewables. Will LNG eventually become a global commodity? What are the hurdles to overcome? Hub pricing, liquidity and associated risks.
•Where is new natural gas demand emerging? Exploring the expanding feedstock applications and a broader look at natural gas utilization; the importance of natural gas in commercial, industrial and residential demand scenarios of the future.

•Supply / Demand and market fundamentals
•Price implications
•Forwards, basis, indices, optionality, liquidity, etc.
•Contracting, risk management, financial and portfolio strategies
•Capital markets
•Linkage of global markets - Mexico, Canada, etc.
•LNG exports

To Celebrate 30 years in Chicago, please join our hosts, the Corporate Sponsors, at a cocktail reception in your honor. Don’t make your dinner plans too early as hors d’oeuvres and an open bar will be the highlight of this extremely well attended session!

1)Trump Administration Initiatives
        a) One Federal Decision MOU and permit streamlining
        b) Steel Tariffs
        c) Natural Gas Resilience Concerns
2) FERC -- Natural gas pipeline certificate policy
3) PHMSA – Finalizing the natural gas transmission safety rule
4) Congress – midterms on the horizon
 

Our gas buyer panelists will give you solid and valuable insight into what is currently working, what they have learned from volatility and what they will do differently next time. Topics of discussion to include:
1.What buying or pricing strategies are you currently employing, for instance, what if any long-term purchases are you making or how are you managing the hedging activities?
2.What are the important issues/challenges for your LDC/company/industry in both the short-term and the long-term? How will your LDC/company/industry meet these challenges?
3.How has the Trade War/Steel Tariffs impacted your business?
4.How has the recent low-cost commodity environment impacted expectations of and communications with end-users and regulators?
5.Were there any developments this winter that caused you to look at storage and firm transportation differently? Discuss how and why. What will you do differently to prepare for the winter of 2018/2019 based on low storage injection projections?
6.How have LNG exports impacted the current natural gas market?
7.Are the planned Marcellus/Utica pipeline projects enough to affect the current basis? What do you foresee as a result of the recent pipeline expansion and/or project delays?
8.What tools and assets would you like to have access to as an end-user to improve your ability to manage your energy portfolio?
9.What factors, other than price, influence your decision to choose one supplier over another?

•Natural gas exports outlook – LNG and Mexico
•US Natural gas exports will support US production growth
•LNG export utilizations will be driven by seasonal demand & price
•Mexican market growth driven by substitution and displacement
•Mexican natural gas infrastructure developments – or lack thereof

Natural gas prepayments have re-emerged as a viable gas purchasing strategy for municipal LDCs. After a hiatus of several years where market conditions made economic gas prepayment transactions difficult to complete, we have seen several successful closings in the last 9 months, including most recently the Black Belt Energy prepayment with J. Aron/Goldman Sachs that closed on March 9. An expert panel of experienced gas industry professionals who were involved in that transaction will discuss gas prepayments, what they are, how they work, who the joint action agencies are who do them, who the prepaid gas suppliers are in the market, how they work to help customers lower their gas costs while achieving long-term, reliable supplies, how customers have approached these opportunities, and what a customer needs to know if it is considering participating in one.

•Case study discussion of the structure of the deal with Greenville Utilities Commission. (GUC). Discussing the structure of the deal including pros/cons, risks, upsides, etc. and why GUC thought it made sense for them and whether other utilities should consider it.
•Pre-payment allows municipal utilities to use tax-exempt bond proceeds to prepay for natural gas.
•Savings are generated by the spread between the gas suppliers taxable discount rate and tax-exempt cost of capital, he said.
•The program creates a long-term gas supply with monthly price discounts and annual rebates and no bond or financial swap obligations.

The U.S. natural gas market has recently experienced a period of relatively low volatility, given its historically cyclical nature. As export capacity via LNG and pipelines to Mexico continues to increase, will we see the market enter a new paradigm of volatility, or will robust supply growth ensure the status quo?  A few key questions to consider: How has the relationship between rigs and production changed? As U.S. linkage to the global market increases, what other markets will impact global balances? As coal retirements continue and renewables generation increases, will power market responsiveness to price be impacted? 
 
Through all of this, the one thing that remains critical is the need for a robust risk management program, to weather these changing market dynamics.

This panel will examine the current and forecast supply/demand balance for the Southeast region, including price determination. Panelists will discuss influences contributing to market volatility and challenges to forecasting such as aging infrastructure, delays in new pipeline construction, pipeline capacity constraints, regulatory impacts, as well as economic and environmental constraints. The Panel will also discuss impacts from other regions and the role the Marketers play in creating market efficiencies.

We spend a lot of time contemplating the future, especially when that future seems to deviate demonstrably from our present. As new sources of natural gas supply have developed, the “center of gravitational productivity” has also geographically shifted to favor low-cost supply for that region. As we continue to watch the evolution of higher demand through exports, new industries, and shifts in the power stack, there is a strong likelihood that the tomorrow we envision might look quite different from what we’ve imagined. More importantly, through diligence and long hours, the long-term planning we’ve put in place might take an inconvenient shift. Regardless, let’s take another opportunity to “unsnap” our brains and look objectively at where we are and what might our future look like. The emergence of natural gas as a truly global fuel. The abundant supply that continues to provide surety of supply. The strategic advantage of having a Southeast US address, when that address is at the crossroads of rivers of supply streams. Finally, will we all have flying cars that fold up into a briefcase?

•Dominion Energy (Atlantic Coast Pipeline; Dominion Carolina; Cove Point; etc.)
•CenterPoint will discuss LNG and CNG as a temporary natural gas supply during gas interruptions, gas curtailments, new developments and critical winter peak demand coverage
•Kinder Morgan (Elba Island LNG & supporting pipeline infrastructure; etc.) 
•NextEra (Sabal Trail; Mountain Valley; Florida Southeast Connection; etc.) 
•Liberty Energy Trust & Northstar Industries has three major LNG Projects structured to provide LNG pretreatment, liquefaction, storage, vaporization, and liquid delivery services. LNG is available NOW

Please join our hosts, the Corporate Sponsors, at a cocktail reception in your honor. Don’t make your dinner plans too early as hors d’oeuvres and an open bar will be the highlight of this extremely well attended session!

-Mexico energy reform: What does it mean for the US?
-The evolving pricing fundamentals of the Mexican market.
-Political considerations, Mexico elections and Nafta.
-Updates on key export infrastructure projects.
-Near to mid-term demand outlooks for US exports to Mexico

Our gas buyer panelists will give you solid and valuable insight into what is currently working, what they have learned from volatility and what they will do differently next time.
1.Were there any developments this winter that caused you to look at commodity purchases, storage or firm transportation differently? Discuss how and why.
2.What kind of impact on the US natural gas market do you anticipate associated with residential, commercial, industrial, and/or power generation demand in the next 12-18 months?
3.How have exports impacted the current natural gas market?
4.Are the planned pipeline projects sufficient for the projected SE demand?
5.What do you expect the current FERC membership to mean for the development of interstate pipeline capacity and storage?
6.What buying or pricing strategies are you currently employing, for instance what if any long-term purchases are you making or how are you managing hedging activities? 
7.What are the important issues/challenges for your LDC/company/industry in both the short-term and the long-term? How will your LDC/company/industry meet these challenges?
8.How has the recent low-cost commodity environment impacted expectations of and communications with end-users and regulators?
9.What factors, other than price, influence your decision to choose one supplier over another? 

This panel will examine the current and forecast supply/demand balance for theNortheast region, including price determination. Panelists will discuss influences contributing to market volatility and challenges to forecasting such as:
•Influence on demand of coal retirements and gas/coal competition 
•Supply access to markets and pipeline capacity constraints 
•LNG imports and exports impacting Northeast markets 
•Delays and opposition to new pipeline construction
•Policy and regulatory changes

This panel continues to examine market dynamics in the Northeast region, focusing particular attention on:
•Perspectives from an integrated energy company, utility, capital management entity and marketer serving gas buyers  
•Current trends in the marketplace, and how the market responds 
•LNG developments 
•Gas/electric dynamics
•Creative, non-pipeline solutions to peak day demand shortfalls
•Weather index-related transactions as a risk management tool 
•The role the Marketers play in creating market efficiencies
•Impacts on the Northeast from other regions 

oRevelations From Midstream Asset-level Research
oThe U.S. Midstream Recovery: Is It Sustainable?
oZero-dollar Gas: The Northeast’s Producers Worst Nightmare
oPower Play In the Northeast: The Big Four
oFERC tax reforms: Should the Midstream Sector Be Worried

This panel identifies and explores new and evolving technology solutions, across all segments of the natural gas value chain, that address various challenges in market, including:
•Cyber security solutions including information protection best practices with cloud-based technologies
•Innovative solutions as an alternative to traditional gas supply RFPs for utilities and end users
•Protecting your business from commercial debt non-payment, using a unique credit insurance solution

Updates on the most recent midstream infrastructure projects, including connecting Marcellus/Utica supply to various markets, bringing supply to the Northeast from other producing areas from other supply, LNG and storage projects. Also, innovative alternatives to traditional pipeline infrastructure expansion, leveraging domestic LNG and CNG. Updates include:     
•Enbridge’s Northeast pipeline operations over the cold snap. Update on Enbridge’s  in-progress Northeast projects  in support of resilient energy infrastructure
•Millennium Pipeline’s Valley Lateral and Eastern System Upgrade projects, as well as future expansion opportunities
•Dominion Energy Transmission project updates including Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Supply Header project, Eastern Market Access project, Sweden Valley project and Cove Point LNG
•Northstar Industries' domestic LNG facility projects - a viable alternative to expensive pipeline capacity expansion and alternative energy sources
•Xpress Natural Gas provides solutions to help businesses and institutions join the energy revolution by transitioning to compressed natural gas (CNG)  

There has never been a more important time for a deep conversation about natural gas and its role in meeting future energy demand.

Continuation of updates on recent midstream infrastructure projects, including pipeline, LNG and storage projects, as well as innovative alternatives to traditional pipeline infrastructure expansion, leveraging domestic LNG and CNG. Part II updates include:
•Portland Natural Gas Transmission discusses the Portland Xpress project 
•NEXUS Gas Transmission discusses the role that the project will serve in growing pipeline infrastructure to meet increased demand from power generation, industrial and commercial use and home heating in Ohio, Michigan and Ontario
•Engie Energy's LNG Import Terminal update and evolving dynamics
•REV LNG supplies energy solutions for industries ranging from shipping to drilling to power generation, tailoring custom LNG delivery systems
•NG Advantage's CNG pipeline offers unique approaches to help LDCs, MUNIs, and Power Generators address today’s challenges (e.g., Peaking and Baseload CNG Services)

1.What buying or pricing strategies are you currently employing, for instance, what if any long-term purchases are you making or how are you managing the hedging activities?
2.What are the important issues/challenges for your LDC/company/industry in both the short-term and the long-term? How will your LDC/company/industry meet these challenges?
3.How has the recent low-cost commodity environment impacted expectations of and communications with end-users and regulators?
4.Were there any developments this winter that caused you to look at storage and firm transportation differently? Discuss how and why.
5.What kind of impact will commercial/industrial demand have on the US natural gas market in the next 12-18 months?
6.How have exports impacted the current natural gas market?
7.Are the planned Marcellus/Utica pipeline projects enough to affect the current basis? What do you foresee as a result of the recent pipeline expansion and/or project delays?
8.How has the current FERC environment impacted the certification of the pipeline capacity and storage?
9.What factors, other than price, influence your decision to choose one supplier over another?