OCTOBER 14-15, 2025
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 non-members— 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. If you missed the online registration deadline, don’t worry—onsite registration will be available!
Agenda
DAY 1 - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Member Registration and Breakfast
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Annual CESA Member Meeting (CESA Members Only)
In this member-only session, CESA will introduce new 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
• 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.
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Non-member Registration
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM Opening Remarks
• Scott Murtishaw, Executive Director, CESA
• Karin Burns, CEO of San Diego Community Power
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Keynote Speaker: Andrew Campbell, Vice ChairGoverning Body, Western Energy Markets (WEM)
Building Energy Markets in the Western US
The real-time Western Energy Imbalance Market has demonstrated how a geographically diverse energy market can lower consumer costs, increase reliability and support state policy goals. Hear how cooperation and compromise has designed a day-ahead market that will provide even greater benefits for the region once it starts operating in 2026.
10:15 AM - 10:35 AM Coffee Break
10:35 AM - 11:20 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 forwardlooking 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)
11:20 AM - 12:20 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
12:20 PM - 1:15 PM Lunch
1:15 PM - 1:35 PM
Keynote Speaker: Siva Gunda, Vice Chair - California Energy Commission
A State Planning Perspective on Energy Storage: Decarbonization, Reliability, and Flexibility
1:35 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
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, 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.
Agenda
• Moderator: Renae Steichen, Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs, REV Renewables
• Jorge Chacon, Technical Director - Interconnection Services, Electric Power Engineers
• 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, Manager - Distribution Planning, California Public Utilities Commission
• Dean Kinports, Senior Strategic Policy Manager, San Diego Community Power
• Josh Gerber, CEO and Principal Consultant, 33 North Energy
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.
• Rahul Verma, Engineer, Fractal Energy Storage Consultants
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Closing Remarks
• Scott Murtishaw, Executive Director, CESA
• Julie Holmes, Vice President of Business Management, NextEra Energy
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Reception
DAY 2 - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Registration
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Keynote Speakers: Chief Daniel Berlant, State Fire Marshal, CAL FIRE & Fire Chief Tony Mecham, San Diego County
State and Local Fire Fighter Perspectives on BESS Safety
The rapid growth of energy storage in California has forced safety officials to understand these technologies and update their standards and permitting processes. Learn how state and regional fire officials are adapting to the rise of energy storage and creating the necessary frameworks to ensure the safe deployment and operations of storage facilities.
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
GO-Biz Model BESS Ordinance and Toolkit
GO-Biz will present their Model BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) Ordinance and Toolkit, part of their Clean Energy Permitting Initiative. The session will discuss recommended ordinance language, best practices, and guidance to help local jurisdictions streamline and align permitting of BESS projects.
• Rohimah Moly, Deputy Director, California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Coffee Break
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
BESS Safety Panel: Enhancing Collaboration Between BESS Developers and Fire Responders
Effective coordination between developers and local fire responders is essential for the safe siting, permitting, and ongoing operation of BESS facilities. This panel will explore best practices in education, training, and technology understanding to strengthen this critical partnership, ensuring safer communities and more reliable energy storage projects.
• Moderator: Cara Martinson, CESA’s Safety & Permitting Working Group - Public House Consulting
• Rob Rezende, Battalion Chief, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department
• Jason Anderson, President and CEO, Cleantech San Diego
• Michael Nicholas, Energy Storage Specialist & Fire Consultant, The Hiller Companies
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Lessons from the CPUC’s New Energy Storage Auditing and Inspection Program
Get an inside look at lessons emerging from recent GO 167-C audits and what they reveal about compliance, performance, and opportunities for improvement.
• Eric Wu, Ph.D., P.E., Program Manager | Electric Safety and Reliability Branch, California Public Utilities Commission
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Keynote Speaker: Commissioner John Reynolds, California Public Utilities Commission
1:30 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 long-term 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 long-duration 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, Senior 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
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Coffee Break
3:15 PM - 4:15 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 Tardif, 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
• Áine Folan, Manager - Power & Capacity Brokerage & Marketing, Karbone
4:15 PM -4:30 PM Wrap-Up and Next Steps
• Scott Murtishaw, Executive Director, CESA
SPEAKER BIOS
Jason Anderson, President and CEO, Cleantech San Diego
Jason is President and CEO of Cleantech San Diego, a business organization that positions the region as a global leader in the cleantech economy. Representing more than 130 members across business, academia, government, and nonprofits, Cleantech San Diego advances sustainable solutions for the economy, environment, and community. In 2016, the organization launched the Southern California Energy Innovation Network with support from the California Energy Commission to help energy entrepreneurs bring innovations to market. Before joining Cleantech San Diego in 2010, Jason served as Vice President of Business Development at the San Diego Regional EDC and previously worked in the Texas State Capitol. He holds a degree in Corporate Communications from the University of Texas at Austin and serves on multiple regional boards.
Nathan Barcic, Program Manager, California Public Utilities Commission
Nathan Barcic is acting Program Manager for CPUC Energy Division’s Electricity Planning and Market Design branch. He has worked on resource planning and procurement for nearly a decade, mostly a manager and analyst on Integrated Resource Planning. Prior to that, he worked on the RPS program and demand response policy. In his free time he volunteers with the local youth soccer club.
Chief Daniel Berlant, State Fire Marshal, CAL FIRE
Chief Daniel Berlant was appointed California’s State Fire Marshal by the Governor in 2023. In this role, he leads the state’s fire prevention efforts, overseeing programs that include building and fire code development, state building inspections, fire protection licensing, wildfire prevention, pipeline safety, and firefighter training and certification. Chief Berlant has served with CAL FIRE since 2001, holding a variety of leadership positions throughout his career.
Karin Burns, CEO of San Diego Community Power
Karin Burns is the CEO of San Diego Community Power, California’s secondlargest Community Choice Aggregator. She brings deep leadership experience in renewable energy, having previously served as CEO of Build It Green and as Regional Vice President at Franklin Energy Services, where she managed operations across five Pacific states. Earlier in her career, she built Code REDD into a globally recognized brand in the carbon credit industry and held senior roles in finance across Asia and the U.S. Karin is a published author, multilingual, and a passionate advocate for advancing a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Andrew Campbell, Vice ChairGoverning Body, Western Energy Markets (WEM)
Andrew Campbell is the Executive Director of the Energy Institute at Haas at UC Berkeley, where he connects the research community with business and policy leaders on energy economics and policy. He also serves on the Governing Body for the Western Energy Markets, advancing grid reliability, cost reduction, and renewable energy integration across the Western U.S. Previously, Campbell worked for energy technology startups Tendril and Sentient Energy, and spent five years at the California Public Utilities Commission advising commissioners on grid modernization, data access, EV charging, and rate design. Earlier in his career, he was an investment banker in Citigroup’s Global Energy Group and a reservoir engineer at ExxonMobil. He holds degrees in Chemical Engineering and Economics from Rice University and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.
Jorge Chacon, Technical DirectorInterconnection Services, Electric Power Engineers
Jorge Chacon is a seasoned professional with over 27 years of experience in Transmission and Distribution Planning, including 25 years at Southern California Edison (SCE). At SCE, he advanced from performing technical studies to leading engineering teams specializing in transmission planning, generation and large load interconnections, and grid modernization. He has deep expertise in planning, permitting, construction, and operation of
power systems and has sponsored major projects including the Tehachapi Renewable, Eldorado-Ivanpah, and West-of-Devers transmission projects. An expert in subtransmission and transmission planning, Jorge has shaped interconnection processes at CAISO and developed strategies to meet California’s electrification goals. He is also skilled in addressing interconnection challenges for energy storage and communicating with utilities, developers, and agencies such as CAISO, CPUC, and FERC.
Cathleen Colbert, Senior Director of Western Markets Policy, Vistra Corp
Cathleen Colbert is Senior Director of Western Markets Policy for Vistra Corp., where she advocates for capacity, energy, and ancillary service market policies before the CPUC, CAISO, WEIM, and broader western market initiatives. She brings over fifteen years of experience in wholesale energy market oversight, design, and operations. Before joining Vistra, she was Regulatory Affairs Manager at NRG Energy, supporting its PJM distributed energy resources and western generation fleet. She began her western markets work at FERC, analyzing market manipulation, and later joined CAISO’s market design team, developing more than 30 day-ahead and real-time market enhancements.
Matt Coldwell, Distribution Planning Branch Manager, California Public Utilities Commission
Matt Coldwell is the Distribution Planning Branch manager within the CPUC’s Energy Division. He oversees a broad portfolio of work that includes grid planning, interconnection, energization, microgrids, and transportation electrification. Prior to his work at the CPUC, Matt spent 13 years at the California Energy Commission serving in several different roles, including as a distributed generation analyst, a policy advisor to former CEC Vice Chair Janea Scott, and as the CEC’s demand forecasting manager. Matt was born and raised in northern California and is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento.
Áine Folan, Manager - Power & Capacity Brokerage & Marketing, Karbone
Áine Folan is the Manager of Power & Capacity Brokerage at Karbone, where she helps clients navigate evolving power and
capacity markets with a focus on trading, marketing, and risk management. She brings a background in banking and consulting and holds a degree from Babson College. Based in New York, Áine is recognized for her expertise in the energy transition and for guiding organizations in meeting their capacity needs.
Josh Gerber, CEO and Principal Consultant, 33 North Energy
Josh Gerber is CEO and Principal Consultant at 33 North Energy, a San Diego-based firm focused on California’s energy storage sector. Since 2017, he has supported battery manufacturers, BESS developers, and storage operators with regulatory strategy, commercial planning, and technology implementation. His work spans utility-scale and distributed storage projects across a range of use cases.
Before founding 33 North Energy, Josh spent 15 years at San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) in senior technical and management roles. There, he led efforts in smart grid development and early utility-scale energy storage projects, helping to shape SDG&E’s approach to grid modernization and clean energy integration.
Drew Gray, Head of Trading, West, REV Renewables
Drew Gray brings 20 years of experience in the wholesale electricity sector. His career includes roles at an RTO in market operations and design, a software vendor developing optimization systems for MMS and EMS, and an LSE operating across all deregulated markets where he served as an originator procuring clean energy at both grid and distributed C&I scale. He currently serves as Head of Trading, West at Rev Renewables, an independent power producer.
Siva Gunda, Vice Chair - California Energy Commission
Commissioner Siva Gunda is serving his first term on the California Energy Commission, appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2021 and named Vice Chair that September. He is the lead commissioner on energy assessments. Previously, Gunda managed the Demand Analysis Office and served as deputy director of the Energy Assessments Division, which forecasts and evaluates California’s energy demand and supply. Before joining the Commission, he held multiple roles
Agenda
at the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Institute, including director of research. Gunda holds a master’s degree in mechanical and aeronautical engineering from Utah State University and is pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at UC Davis. A devoted cricket fan and former college team captain, he lives in Davis with his family.
Julie Holmes, Vice President of Business Management, NextEra Energy
Julie is currently the Vice President, Business Management for NextEra Energy Resources with overall commercial responsibility for more than 20 GW of wind, solar and battery storage assets across nine states in the Western U.S. and 3 provinces in Canada. Julie and her team develop and execute commercial and regulatory strategies to optimize the value of assets in her region.
Rahul Kalaskar, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs, The AES Corporation
Rahul Kalaskar is a seasoned energy industry professional with over 20 years of experience, currently serving as Sr. Director of Regulatory Policy at AES Corporation’s Clean Energy Business. He has a strong background in decarbonization strategy, clean energy technologies, and power system operations, having previously held key positions at the California Independent System Operator and ISO-New England. Rahul’s expertise spans market design, policy development, and integrating renewable energy and storage technologies into grid operations. He has advocated for clean energy interests at FERC, ISO/RTO, and public utilities across multiple states, focusing on solar, storage, and wind technologies. Rahul holds a Master’s in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering. His work involves advocating for clean energy platforms at regulatory agencies in California and the rest of the WECC and representing AES in Western regionalization efforts and Pathways initiatives.
Dean Kinports, Senior Strategic Policy Manager, San Diego Community Power
Dean Kinports is a Senior Strategic Policy Manager at San Diego Community Power, a Community Choice Aggregator serving nearly 1,000,000 customers in the San Diego region.
He leads regulatory engagement at the CPUC and CEC, focusing on distributed energy resources, demand response, and flexible load issues. He works to advance policies and programs that deliver clean energy, affordability, resilience, and local community benefits. He brings over fifteen years of experience working in the energy policy space.
Maria Litos, Principal Manager, Energy Procurement & Management, Southern California Edison
Maria Litos is a Principal Manager of Origination in the Energy Procurement & Management organization at Southern California Edison Company (SCE). Maria joined SCE in 2016 and has over 25 years of experience in the power industry. Her responsibilities as Principal Manager of Origination include overseeing competitive solicitations of utilityscale structured transactions through negotiations of long-term power purchase agreements, while ensuring compliance with the California Public Utility Commission’s (CPUC) rules and regulations. More recently, Maria was responsible for overseeing SCE’s Mid-Term Reliability RFO, procuring over 5,700 MW of new generation, including battery storage, long duration energy storage, geothermal and RPS resources. Maria is also responsible for managing SCE’s resource adequacy procurement, among other responsibilities.
Cara Martinson, CESA’s Safety & Permitting Working Group - Public House Consulting
Cara is the President and Founder of Public House Consulting, specializing in clean energy and local government issues. With over two decades of experience in lobbying and government affairs, she represents multiple clean energy trade associations and advises developers on complex legislative and regulatory matters.
Before launching her firm in 2022, Cara was Senior Director of Regulatory and Political Affairs for a Fortune 200 renewable energy company, managing its policy portfolio across ten western states. She previously spent 13 years with the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), advocating for local governments at the State Capitol on a wide range of policy issues.
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Mark Thompson, Senior Director, State Affairs, Form Energy
Mark Thompson is the Senior Director, State Affairs at Form Energy. At Form Energy, Mark engages with state policymakers and regulators to help move forward beneficial markets to unlock the value of multi-day energy storage for customers.
Prior to joining Form, Mark was a Commissioner at the Oregon Public Utility Commission between 2019 and 2023. During his tenure, Mark helped the Oregon PUC reach milestone decisions on early implementation questions around Oregon’s energy decarbonization laws, the state’s involvement in resource adequacy, and reworking the rules and customer protections for lowincome customers. Previous to that, Mark was a legal practitioner on energy regulatory matters. Mark has experience working in the industry for over 20 years, including as the Director of Rates and Regulatory Affairs at NW Natural, and as Staff Counsel for the Public Power Council, focusing on federal energy supply matters.
Don Tretheway, CESA’s CAISO Working Group - Managing Director, GDS Associates, Inc.
Don has over 13 years experience in wholesale energy market design and policy. During his career at the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), he led the development of key market design changes and enhancements including the creation of the Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) and exploring further regional collaboration in the day-ahead market (EDAM). In addition, he was responsible for creating the 15-minute market, including GHG costs in wholesale markets, developing the original storage market model which served as the foundation of FERC Order No. 841, and addressing uncertainty by introducing the flexible ramping product in the real-time market and imbalance reserves in the day-ahead market.
