Belgium
Leading Agora ThinkTanks' works on decarbonisation of EU industry, buildings and energy systems: strategy and research program, fundraising and external representation. - Deepened and disseminated Agora works on electrification, leading a.o. to a dedicated European Commission support scheme for electrification of industrial heat. - Rebuilt the team and work program.
Regulation of power production and gas and electricity retail markets, including: consumer protection, regulated end-user prices, allocation of access rights to historical nuclear energy (ARENH); design of renewable support schemes, operation of the tenders for renewable capacity, forecast and control of renewable support charges for the state budget; on (non-liberalised) French islands, regulation of all individual power production and storage facilities. - Energy crisis 21-23: first-line management of consequences on consumers and retail markets: supervision of market exit by suppliers and emergency adaptations to market processes; close support to the French government in the design, budgeting and control of consumer protection measures, supplier compensation and producer taxation; in charge of implementing the "bouclier tarifaire" (30bn€). - Orderly exit from regulated end-user prices for gas on July 1st 2023 - Preparation works for the new post-2025 regulatory arrangements for the French market, incl. full audit of EDF to establish the complete cost of power production from existing nuclear plants
Responsible for developing Elia Group’s contributions to relevant EU policy, leading the development of advocacy positions and underlying strategy (e.g. hydrogen, offshore grids). Led successful advocacy efforts for a better consideration of electricity grids in the sustainable investment taxonomy.
In charge of leading the cultural transformation of Elia into a more agile company ready to face accelerating challenges. Contributed to the design of Elia Group’s reorganisation following full takeover of 50hertz.
Planning long-term investment in the transmission grid, including international interconnections and offshore grids (~400M€ p.a.) as well as resource adequacy (Y+1 to Y+10). Leading the technical and economic studies underlying investment decisions. Preparing the federal and regional developments plans to be approved by the Minister or relevant regional authorities. Belgium rep. in the ENTSOe System Development Committee.
In parallel to my position at Elia, I led the works of European TSOs on balancing during establishment of Framework Guidelines on Electricity Balancing by ACER and preparation of the related Network Code.
Member of the management board. in charge of strategy and business development for physical power markets, in the context of further European integration. • Contributed to the merger of the French and German physical power markets into a new company (EPEX Spot, inc. 2008), as strategist and project leader for the post-merger integration. The merger laid the foundations for the further consolidation of European power exchanges since then. • Agreed with Germany and Benelux the design, governance and funding of the future Central-Western-Europe electricity market. • Started the French intraday power market.
An original initiative by two power exchanges and three TSOs, the successful coupling of the French, Belgian and Dutch electricity markets as of November 2006 laid the concrete foundations for the single European electricity market. Market coupling now covers 19 countries standing for 85% of European power consumption and the principles thereof have been enshrined into the European regulations governing electricity markets. Initially leader of the international team of mathematicians developing the algorithm, and adviser to the CEO, I quickly evolved to manager of the entire project. I was specifically in the lead for negotiating contracts and obtaining relevant regulatory clearances, for communication and stakeholder management. I supervised the set-up of actual operations and elicited the strategic implications of market coupling for electricity market players, in particular for the business model of power exchanges. This truly pioneering project was a founding experience for my professional development and career.
• Led the development of an innovative combinatorial auction algorithm for coupling power markets, that then cleared the French, Belgian and Dutch daily markets from 2006 to 2010. • Led the acquisition and deployment of a continuous trading system for gas, power and CO2 contracts.