Muir Miller

Project Director, Ayrshire Power, Peel Energy

Biography

Muir Miller is Managing Director of Peel Energy having joined the company as Business DevelopmentDirector in 2008. Initially taking responsibility for delivery of Peel’s portfolio of thermal developmentprojects and operations within the wind energy portfolio, he became Managing Director in 2010 andnow has over-all responsibility for the Energy division, working closely with the Non-ExecutiveChairman and Peel Group Board.

Muir is a Chartered Engineer, specialising in mechanical engineering, with wide experience in anumber of sectors including marine engineering, petrochemicals, infrastructure and utilities. Hiscareer in renewable energy began at United Utilities Green Energy in 2003, having already spent tenyears with United Utilities leading large scale infrastructure projects in the Far East. On returning tothe UK he became Operations Director for United Utilities’ portfolio of land fill gas, wind and hydropower assets.

When United Utilities Green Energy and Novera Energy Limited were acquired by Macquarie Bank,Muir took a leading role in the corporate transaction, and subsequently in his role as Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the newly formed Novera Macquarie Renewable Energy. He took executive responsibilityfor the successful delivery of profit and loss performance and cash distribution targets as well asmasterminding the integration and working practice merger programme for the new organisation.

In 2007 Muir was appointed by Macquarie to the role of Business Development Director at EnergyPower Resources Limited where Muir led the development of the company’s asset base by creating arobust project pipeline including several thermal generation projects which now form part of EPRL’soperating portfolio.

Outside the corporate environment Muir takes an active role in the local community, sitting on theboard of Trafford College of Further Education. He graduated from the University of Strathclyde inGlasgow and subsequently undertook an MBA at the prestigious Warwick Business School.

Steve Waygood

Head of Environment & Chemistry, npower

Biography

Dr Steve Waygood is RWE npower’s Head of Environment & Chemistry. Principally accountable for the leadership of the Environment & Chemistry team, Dr Waygood’s wide remit also sees him take responsibility for the delivery of RWE power’s R&D programme in the UK. With the launch and operation of the carbon capture pilot plant at Aberthaw the most significant element of the R&D programme at present, Dr Waygood is closely involved in R&D at a Group level and plays a key role in the development and implementation of the company’s carbon capture strategy across Europe.

Arne de Kock

UK CCS Project Director, Shell U.K. Limited

Biography

Arne de Kock was born in the famous cheese city of Alkmaar, The Netherlands, some 46 years ago. He graduated in 1988 from the University of Technology, Delft, with a MSc in Petroleum Engineering, and joined Shell International E&P that same year. After assignments in Muscat, Aberdeen, Warri, The Hague, New Orleans, London, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City, currently based in Aberdeen, Scotland again. Moved from an initial career in Petrophysical & Reservoir Engineering to Gas Commercial in 1998, and from there to New Business Development & Joint Venture Governance in Gas & Power in Brazil from 2000-2004, followed by a role as VP Commercial LNG in Mexico from 2004-2007. Since returning back to the UK in 2007, acted as Senior Commercial Discipline Lead until 2009, prior to the current role as CCS Project Director for the Longannet-to-Goldeneye CCS Project, which is presently undergoing an 11-month FEED study after having won Funding from the UK Government in the 1st UK CCS Competition.

In his spare time, Arne and his Mexican wife, Evelyn, thoroughly enjoy everything that Scotland has to offer; the people, the culture, the food (hmm?), the spectacular outdoors (hiking & biking), the golf, and so on. They are now in great anticipation for the arrival of their first baby in early January 2011.

Dr Keith MacLean

Policy & Research Director, SSE

Biography

Since completing graduate and postgraduate studies in Chemistry at Heriot-Watt and Hamburg Universities, Keith joined SSE in 1994 following a career in Germany and Scotland working in Research & Development and Business Management.

At SSE he has worked in a number of areas of the energy business and was also responsible for starting-up and running its telecoms business from 1997 to 2004.  Since 2004 he has been responsible for policy and public affairs. 

Outside SSE, he is a Director on the Board of the Scottish Renewables Forum (SRF) and is also Chairman of the Board at the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy (UKBCSE).

In addition to this trade association activity he is a government advisor on renewable energy policy and was appointed to the Renewables Advisory Board in December 2007 and is also a member of the Scottish Government’s Forum for Renewable Energy.

Chris Train

Network Operations Director, National Grid

Biography

Chris Train is currently responsible for the real time operation of National Grid’s electricity and gas transmission networks in the UK, forward energy trading and balancing services, operational forecasting, planning and policy.

Chris Train has over 20 years experience within the energy and utility sector. Chris led the National Grid acquisitions of Keyspan and New England Gas in the north east US. These transactions followed the successful sale of half of National Grid’s UK gas distribution Networks.

In his early career Chris held a number of engineering regulation and commercial positions. Chris is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Energy Institute, the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He has extensive experience operating in the commercial and regulatory environment in the UK, US and Europe.

Adam Dawson

Chief Executive, Office of Carbon Capture & Storage

Biography

Adam is Chief Executive and Director of the Office of Carbon Capture & Storage. The OCCS was created in March 2010 and Adam joined in April. The OCCS's role is to facilitate the delivery of CCS as a key carbon abatement technology in the UK for both power generation and industrial applications, and to help promote UK opportunities in the rapid deployment of CCS internationally. Adam joined the OCCS after three and a half years as Head of New Nuclear in DECC's Office for Nuclear Development. One of his team's key achievements was to publish a White Paper on the future of nuclear power, after a major public consultation taking the best part of a year. This opened up the prospect of new nuclear power stations being built in the UK for the first time in 20 years. Prior to joining the Civil Service in 2005, Adam spent 19 years working for Shell, primarily in the area of bulk petrochemicals.