LIMA (August 24, 2023) — New leadership for the International Confederation of Energy Regulators was announced at this week’s World Forum on Energy Regulation held in Lima, Peru.
WFER is the leading international conference on energy regulation and is held every three years. The WFER event brings together key players in the energy industry, high-level decision-makers, academics and regulators from around the world to engage in strategic energy discussions on different regulatory schemes.
The Forum is held within the framework of the International Confederation of Energy Regulators, or ICER, a voluntary framework for cooperation among energy regulators, which aims to help improve the design and implementation of public policies in the energy sector by exchanging information and best practices.
During the WFER, new leaders were elected, with David Morton of the British Columbia Utilities Commission named as the new chair. Three co-vice chairs were elected: Annegret Groebel of the BNetzA (Germany), Maia Melikidze of the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Commission and Dave Danner of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (United States).
Mr. Morton is current chair of the Canadian Association of Utility Commissioners, known as CAMPUT, and was appointed chair and CEO of the BCUC in 2015. Since 2010, he has served as a BCUC commissioner. In her nomination letter, CAMPUT Executive Director Jocelyn Fraser noted that Morton “…is passionate about contributing to advancing utility regulation internationally.”
“I am deeply honored to be elected Chair of ICER and I look forward to continuing the work of ICER to develop and promote best practices for regulators,” said Morton. “This is especially important during this time of unprecedented energy transition.”
Since January 2019, Dr. Groebel has served as president of the Council of European Energy Regulators and has worked for the German regulator BNetzA for more than 25 years, where she currently is the head of international relations. Ms. Melikidze, chair of the Energy Regulators Regional Association, has been a commissioner with the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Commission for a 6-year term since 2017 and worked for former Georgia President Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili as an economic advisor. Mr. Danner, who serves on the board of directors for the U.S.-based National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, has been the chair of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission since February 2013 and served as ICER chair since February 2020 and was previously ICER co-vice chair.
“The members of ICER are grateful for the leadership of outgoing Chair Dave Danner,” said ICER Steering Committee Coordinator Francisco Salazar. “He was instrumental in keeping the organization focused on its mission throughout the pandemic and spearheaded the new ICER Chronicle, taking it from a newsletter format to a professional magazine.”
The new leadership term begins at the conclusion of the current WFER and runs through WFER IX in 2026.
To learn more about ICER and its members, visit http://icer-regulators.net/.
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About ICER
The International Confederation of Energy Regulators is a voluntary framework for cooperation between energy regulators from around the globe. Our aim is to improve public and policy-maker awareness and understanding of energy regulation and its role in addressing a wide spectrum of socio-economic, environmental, and market issues.