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AGENDA AT A GLANCE
Session | Room | 2026/7/8 morning | 2026/7/8 afternoon | 2026/7/8 evening | 2026/7/9 morning | 2026/7/9 afternoon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Industry High-level Breakfast (Invited only) | TBC | 07:30-08:30 | - | - | - | - |
Strategic Summit | Goldfields Theatre | 09:10-12:15 | 14:00-18:05 | - | 09:10-12:25 | 14:00-16:55 |
Unlocking Wind Capital Forum | Eureka 3 | 09:20-12:50 | - | - | - | - |
Regional Development Forum | Eureka 3 | - | 14:30-17:40 | - | - | - |
Happy Hour | Exhibition Bays via Door 9/10 | - | - | 18:00-19:00 | - | - |
Gala Dinner | Melbourne Room 1 | - | - | 19:00-21:00 | - | - |
WindGrid Transmission Forum | Eureka 3 | - | - | - | 09:00-12:05 | 14:00-17:05 |
Offshore WindTECH Summit | Exhibition Bays via Door 9/10 | 10:00-12:25 | 14:05-17:05 | - | - | - |
Onshore WindNEXT Summit | Exhibition Bays via Door 9/10 | - | - | - | 09:30-12:40 | - |
Women in Net-Zero Future | Exhibition Bays via Door 9/10 | - | - | - | 10:00 – 12:00 | - |
Start-up Innovation Challenge | Exhibition Bays via Door 9/10 | 10:30-12:00 | - | - | - | - |
2026 STRATEGIC SUMMIT AGENDA
DAY 1 Morning
09:15 - 09:25
10 mins
An Acknowledgement of Country and Opening Remarks from the Chair
Chair:
Luigi Falivene
Partner
KPMG
09:25 - 09:35
10 mins
[Minister’s Opening Keynote] Victoria’s Vision: Pioneering Australia’s Wind Energy Future
Hon. Lily D'Ambrosio MP
Minister for Climate Action, Energy and Resources, and the SEC
Victorian Government
09:35 - 09:55
20 mins
[Keynote] National Priorities Address: Enabling Australia's Clean Energy Transformation
Matthew Brine
Deputy Secretary, Energy Group
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
09:55 - 10:15
20 mins
[Keynote] Australia's Energy Transition Economics: Pathways to Net Zero at Least Cost
Paul Graham
Chief Economist Energy
CSIRO
Morning Break
10:55 - 11:35
40 mins
[Strategic Dialogue] Global Capital, Regulatory Confidence & System Readiness: Positioning Australia for Long-Term Wind Investment
-
Explore how Australia can attract long-term wind investment by aligning global capital, regulatory certainty, and system readiness. Leading industry and regulatory experts, will discuss strategies to de-risk projects, unlock financing, and accelerate the country's renewable energy transition.
Moderator:
Alex Hooper
Associate Director and Head of Climate & Energy Economics
Oxford Economics Australia
Panelists:
Tien Phan
Acting Branch Head for Capacity Investment Scheme Delivery and Governance
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Walter Schutte
Executive General Manager, Customer & Energy Markets
Squadron Energy
Angela Catt
Board Member of Clean Energy Council, EGM Corporate Affairs
Tilt Renewables
Matthew Power
General Manager, Renewable Energy Target Branch
Clean Energy Regulator
11:35 - 12:25
50mins
[Executive Panel] Unlocking Bankable, Scalable & Future-Proof Renewable Energy Portfolio - Lessons from Decades of Success
-
Scaling with Confidence – Expanding renewable portfolios while managing risks.
-
Bankability First – What investors look for in long-term financing.
-
Storage as the Game-Changer – Turning renewables into reliable, future-proof assets.
-
Proven Success – Lessons from decades of real-world project delivery.
Moderator:
Taraz Saba
Wind Sector Lead, APAC
GHD
Panelists:
Laura Caspari
Chief Renewables Officer
ENGIE AU
Danny Nielsen
Country Manager and SVP Australia & New Zealand
Vestas
David Pollington
Managing Director
ACEN Australia
Lane Crockett
Executive General Manager, Assets
SEC Victoria
Lunch & networking break
DAY 1 Afternoon
14:00 - 14:15
15 mins
[Keynote] Latest Developments in Dutch Offshore Wind and The Importance of International Collaboration in Its Success
Hugo Klijn
The Consul-General in Sydney
The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
14:15 - 14:35
20 mins
[Keynote] From Policy to Delivery: Victoria’s Path to Australia’s First Offshore Wind Projects
Anh Mai
Executive Director, Offshore Wind Energy Victoria (OWEV)
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
14:35 - 15:25
50 mins
[Panel] Preparing for the First Offshore Wind Farm - Is Australia on the Right Track?
-
Global Benchmarks, Local Realities – What Australia can (and can’t) copy from leading offshore wind markets.
-
Policy, Permitting & Planning – Lessons from mature markets on reducing bottlenecks and de-risking projects.
-
Construction & Supply Chain – Adapting international know-how to Australia’s capabilities and infrastructure gaps.
-
Grid Connection & Energy Integration – Ensuring reliability and scalability from day one.
-
Workforce & Skills Transfer – Combining global expertise with local talent to build a sustainable industry.
Moderator:
Joe Corvetti
Executive Director
OCTES
Panelists:
Marcus Dowling
Executive Manager, Growth
Iberdrola Australia
Tamara Al-Hashimi
Technical Director, Offshore Wind Approvals Lead
RPS
Albert Quan
Project Development Director, Gippsland
Ørsted
Pelayo Rodríguez
Head of Business Development for Japan and Asia Pacific
Ocean Winds
David Ghaly
Project Director
JERA Nex bp
Charles Rattray
Chief Executive Officer
Southerly Ten
15:25 - 16:00
35 mins
[Panel] From Port Readiness to Project Delivery: Closing Australia’s Offshore Wind Infrastructure Gap
-
What does "port readiness" actually mean for offshore wind at scale in Australia?
-
Where is the real bottleneck: physical port capacity, or coordination across the supply chain?
-
Can Australia realistically sequence offshore wind deployment with existing port infrastructure upgrades?
-
What lessons can Australia learn from global offshore wind port models, and what cannot be replicated?
-
What would "success" look like for offshore wind logistics readiness by 2030?
Moderator:
Stephen Cahoon
Professor, Maritime and Logistics Management
Australian Maritime College
Panelists:
Bart Willems
Head of Commercial Offshore Wind
Jan De Nul
Vincent Fromont
Senior Vice President, Renewable Energy & Energy Transition
Kuehne+Nagel
Jarred Moore
General Manager Planning and Development
TasPorts
Afternoon Break
16:30 - 17:20
50 mins
[Panel] Grid Reality Check: Where Wind Projects Are Actually Getting Stuck in Australia?
-
Where are wind projects actually getting stuck today?
-
Are current grid connection timelines still realistic?
-
Who is carrying the risk of grid uncertainty today?
-
Are technical requirements becoming a hidden bottleneck?
-
What will actually unlock project progress in the next 2–3 years?
Moderator:
Bruce Miller
Principal Consultant
PSC Consulting
Panelists:
Stephanie McGregor
Chief Executive Officer
Marinus Link
Claus Repenning
Executive Strategy
ElectraNet
Sam Fyfield
General Manager Grid
Goldwind
Khalid Beg
Head of Grid APAC
BayWa r.e.
17:20 - 17:25
05 mins
Summit Closing
18:00 - 19:00
60 mins
Happy Hour
19:00 - 21:00
120mins
Gala Dinner (Sustainability & Diversity Night)
