North American Electric Reliability Council

Princeton Forrestal Village, 116-390 Village Boulevard, Princeton, New Jersey 08540-5731

Is your Electricity at risk?

Abstract

Mike will review the new meaning of “power system reliability”. Some of the topics that will be addressed are traditional perspective vs.going forward, market view of reliability - transmission is the highway, business decisions and risk management He will also discussed the following issues:

- Reliability and commerce Become one?

- Markets provide reliability services?

- Transmission becomes one more player in the market?

- Who should set standards: FERC? DOE? States/provinces? NERC? RTOs? EISB?

In respond to current events, Mike will discuss critical issues such as: Terrorist attacks on power systems; End of the economic boom; The “new” FERC; RTO consolidation; California market issues; National Energy Policy Report;Price spikes and market volatility; Mergers and consolidation; Retail access.

He will also touch on several expansion issues such as planning, balancing , reliability and market needs, large region planning, uncertainty of markets, investment, cost recovery, and rights allocation, siting and environment, unclear regulatory framework, federal versus state?

Biographical Sketch of Michehl R. Gent

Michehl R. Gent is the President of the North American Electric Reliability Council and is the lead policy person for assuring a reliable bulk electricity supply system in North America. Mr. Gent joined the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) in 1980 as Executive Vice President and was elected President in 1982. Prior to joining NERC in 1980, he served for seven years as the General Manager of the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group — a voluntary power pool for all of Florida’s electric utilities. Before Florida, he worked for ten years with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. There, he held several responsible positions in both operations and planning.

His formal education has been in engineering and business, having earned his BSEE at Texas A&M and MSEE at the University of Southern California. He has taught in the graduate schools of USC and Loyola, and is a registered Professional Engineer.

Mr. Gent currently serves on several policy committees and boards including the United States Energy Association and the IEEE-USA Energy Policy Committee.