FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 13, 2010 -- Bill Keller, a speaker at the marcus evans Power Construction & Engineering Summit 2010 addresses some of the challenges facing senior power construction executives in North America today.

Interview with: Bill Keller, Vice President, Engineering and Construction, Sempra Global


Miami, FL, January 13, 2010 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The increasing electricity demand is calling for the development of a truly 21st century power infrastructure in North America. The current electric grid has increasingly become vulnerable to inefficiency and power outages, and requires the adoption of new technologies and the integration of renewable sources of power to confront the challenges that lie ahead. Bill Keller, VP Engineering and Construction at Sempra

Global, a speaker at the marcus evans Power Construction & Engineering Summit 2010 taking place in Florida, February 21-23, shares his thoughts on renewable energy sources, power project construction and confronting the environmental concerns of the future.

What are some of the challenges facing power construction and engineering executives in North America at the moment?

Bill Keller: Volatility in the price of energy equipment continues to be a key challenge for the power construction industry, as well as an ageing workforce, with many craftsmen and engineers nearing retirement. Alongside these challenges, massive change is underway in how we generate and transport power, as renewable energy becomes an important part of the energy mix for our nation.

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What are your thoughts on modifying existing plants to extend their lifecycle?

Bill Keller: Coal-based energy is facing challenges because of environmental concerns and a global trend to reduce greenhouse gases. Rather than extending the lifecycle of an existing coal plant that is a heavy greenhouse gas emitter, we should look at replacing the plant altogether. We need to move away from traditional coal without carbon sequestration and instead focus on natural gas, which is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Nuclear energy, which requires a longer development timeline, will certainly become a larger part of our future energy mix. I think the United States is going to move in that direction.

To view the complete press release, please visit http://www.me-uk.com/summit/newsletter.asp?eventid=16041&RecID=1557