PRELIMINARY AGENDA
OCTOBER 14-15, 2025 CESA’S 16TH ANNUAL
ANNUAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT FORUM
OCTOBER 14–15, 2025
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina San Diego, CA
The 16th Annual CESA Market Development Forum (MDF) will be held at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina in San Diego, CA, on October 14–15, 2025.
Traditionally an invite-only gathering, new this year, the event will be open to nonmembers—welcoming broader participation from across the energy sector. The MDF convenes regulators, utilities, and energy storage leaders to discuss the evolving role of storage in advancing California’s decarbonization and grid reliability goals. Attendees can look forward to premier networking opportunities and a robust program featuring key industry topics such as permitting, safety, long-term planning and procurement, resource adequacy, financing, and interconnection.
Visit https://storagealliance.org/mdf2025 to learn more and register!
Agenda
DAY 1 - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Member Registration Opens
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Annual CESA Member Meeting (CESA Members Only)
In this member-only session, CESA will introduce anew Board members and discuss strategic priorities for 2026.
• Scott Murtishaw, Executive Director, CESA
• Renae Steichen, CESA Board Chair, REV Renewables
• Karolina Maslanka, Policy Director, CESA
• Elizabeth Cardwell, Events & Operations Director, CESA
• Cara Martinson, CESA’s Safety & Permitting Working Group - Public House Consulting
• Don Tretheway, CESA’s CAISO Working GroupManaging Director, GDS Associates, Inc.
• Perry Servedio, CESA’s IRP & RA Working GroupsSenior Project Manager, GDS Associates, Inc.
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Coffee Break and Non-member Registration
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Keynote Speaker - TBD
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
State of the Market and the Future of Storage in CA
Gain a clear picture of California’s energy storage landscape with insights on current market conditions, emerging trends, and lessons learned from other jurisdictions. This forward-looking discussion will explore where the industry is headed and what it means for the state’s clean energy future.
• Arne Olson, Senior Partner, Energy+Environmental Economics (E3)
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Panel: Driving CAISO Market Design Forward for the West’s Leading Resource
With storage now the primary resource under development in the West, urgency is key. This session brings together industry leaders to explore how developers, IOUs, and stakeholders can work with CAISO to advance storage design and modeling initiatives, build consensus on market design priorities, and accelerate progress toward a more storage-ready grid.
• Moderator: Don Tretheway, CESA’s CAISO Working Group - Managing Director, GDS Associates, Inc.
• Cathleen Colbert, Senior Director, Western Markets Policy, Vistra
• Alva Svoboda, Principal, Market Design Integration, PG&E
• Drew Gray, Head of Trading, West, REV Renewables
• Becky Robinson, Director, Market Policy Development, California ISO
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM Lunch
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
The Road to RO: How Will Governance Changes Impact the Stakeholder Process?
As legislation advances to create a new Regional Organization (RO), questions loom over structure, governance, and timing. This session unpacks the status and timeline for the RO, compares its framework to CAISO, and examines how the stakeholder process could evolve under this new model.
• Kathleen Staks, Executive Director, Western Freedom
Agenda
2:15 PM - 3:00 PM
Panel: Reforming the Queue – Experiences in Navigating the New Transmission Interconnection Rules
From Cluster 15 to the latest Interconnection Process Enhancements (Interconnection Process Enhancements 5.0), the transmission queue is evolving fast. Hear developer, IOU, and CCA perspectives on the 2023 changes, lessons learned from navigating the new rules, and what to expect as CAISO moves forward with its next round of IPE reforms.
• Moderator: TBD
• Danielle Mills, Principal, Infrastructure Policy Development, California ISO
• John McNamara, Director, Structured Contracts, Clean Power Alliance
• Margaret Miller, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Engie
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM Coffee Break
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM
Panel: Distributed Energy Resources – Finding a Path Forward
With demand rising and utility-scale projects facing development and transmission challenges, DERs have never been more important. This session examines how LSEs are integrating distributed resources, including storage, into planning and procurement, what’s working, where barriers remain, and how interconnection reforms and proactive grid investments can unlock DER potential. Speakers will also explore ways to enhance reliability so DERs can play a larger role in meeting Resource Adequacy needs.
• Moderator: Karolina Maslanka, Policy Director, CESA
• Matt Coldwell, Energy Policy Analyst, California Public Utilities Commission
• Dean Kinports, Senior Strategic Policy Manager, San Diego Community Power
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Adapting to Market Shifts (IRA and Tariffs)
Explore how shifting federal policies and trade measures are shaping the clean energy landscape, and what industry leaders are doing to navigate an uncertain path forward.
• Speakers TBD
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Closing Remarks
• Scott Murtishaw, Executive Director, CESA
5:00 PM - 6:15 PM Reception
DAY 2 - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM Breakfast and Registration
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Keynote Speaker - CAL FIRE Representative
• Chief Daniel Berlant, State Fire Marshal - Invited
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Session TBD
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Coffee Break
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Safety Panel: BESS Ordinances, Planning, and Coordination
From permitting to emergency response, battery energy storage systems present unique challenges for local jurisdictions. This panel shares lessons from communities that have adopted BESS-specific ordinances, explores the role of fire departments and state agencies, and highlights best practices for safely integrating this emerging land use.
• Moderator: Cara Martinson, CESA’s Safety & Permitting Working Group - Public House Consulting
• Rob Rezende, SD Fire Chief
• Jason Alexander, SD Clean Tech
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM GO 167-C Implementation
Get an inside look at lessons emerging from recent GO 167-C audits and what they reveal about compliance, performance, and opportunities for improvement.
• Speaker TBD
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Keynote Speaker - TBD
1:15 PM - 2:30 PM
IRP and Portfolio Planning Panel: Long-term Resource Planning and Procurement – Is it Working?
This panel examines the health of California’s longterm procurement markets from both the LSE and developer perspectives. Hear what signals each side is receiving, the barriers slowing efficient development, and whether current structures adequately value longduration storage. Panelists will also explore whether the system is broken—and what it would take to fix it.
• Moderator: Perry Servedio, CESA’s IRP & RA Working Groups - Senior Project Manager, GDS Associates, Inc.
• CC Song, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs, Clean Power Alliance
• Rahul Kalaskar, Sr. Director, Regulatory Affairs, The AES Corporation
• Nathan Barcic, Manager, Electricity Planning, California Public Utilities Commission
• Maria Litos, Principal Manager, Energy Procurement & Management, Southern California Edison
2:30 PM - 2:45 PM Coffee Break
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Resource Adequacy Panel: California Capacity Implications in a West-Wide Market
As California advances its 24-hour RA framework, how will capacity be bought, sold, and valued both in-state and across the West? This panel explores the prospects and barriers for RA and firm capacity sales, assesses whether current market structures align with reliability needs, and considers how long-duration storage fits into a west-wide capacity market.
• Moderator: Perry Servedio, CESA’s IRP & RA Working Groups - Senior Project Manager, GDS Associates, Inc.
• Ted Tardiff, Director, Power Origination, Clean Power Alliance
• Nuo Tang, Director of Asset Management, Middle River Power
• Luke Nickerman, Manager, Market and Procurement Policy, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
• Mark Thompson, Senior Director, State Affairs, Form Energy
3:45 PM -4:00 PM Wrap-Up and Next Steps
• Scott Murtishaw, Executive Director, CESA 6:00 PM Board Dinner (Invite Only)
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!
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