2018 Mid-Continent Agenda

•Natural gas has been a building block for North America’s growth & prosperity
•Natural gas is not a “bridge” but, indeed, is a foundational fuel to ensure global development & prosperity
•As an industry, we’re far too quiet about how large a role our energy (natural gas energy) plays in the quality of life we have ALL come to expect

•The LDC Gas Forum is 30 years old this year.
•Today and 30 years ago are night and day for the gas industry.
        oOpen access
        oUnbundling
        oDeregulation
        oShale abundance
        oLNG (an innie becomes an outie)
•The revolution over the last decade.
•Today’s opportunities and challenges.
•Where can it all end up?
        oGas supply
        oExports, power generation, industry
        oBuilding out infrastructure
        oGas-electric interaction

Gas markets: Near term certainty and long term uncertainty

• Gas markets have become immune to the growing storage deficit. Certainty of supply from new Northeast pipes for the next few years is keeping markets unfazed despite record heat and record exports.
• Beyond that, markets are assuming demand will show up. Consensus market view relies on strong demand growth from gas exports and power to enable gas supply growth, but  this demand growth is dependent on a multitude of factors. How strong will LNG version 2.0 be? Will power demand growth surprise to the upside?
• Robustness of demand will have long term implications not just on flat price but also on basis pricing around the country as the markets pick winners and losers.

Immediately after the networking activities on Monday, stop by and join us in the Lobby Lounge of the Marriott Magnificent Mile Hotel for drinks and networking to kick off the 30th Anniversary of the Mid-Continent Forum!

In this session, we will explore the past 30 years of North American trade — with the US transitioning, from a major importing nation to the country’s recent emergence as a global supplier. Looking ahead, we will analyze trends in global demand, paying particular attention to potential sources of competing supply.

•New project updates
•Debottlenecking and re-plumbing plans
•Attaching growing sources of supply (Marcellus, Permian, etc.)
•Connecting new markets (LNG, exports, gas-fired generation, petrochem, etc.)
•Utility expansion plans

•How the future molds the ongoing market profile, and where the next big opportunities lie.
•Reliable, available, affordable and sustainable global energy - what will it take to provide it, who will and what will drive it?
•Mass Balance: The supply picture meets the coming winter post two below-average solar maxima in a row.
•The impact of unconventional supply and the ongoing potential for increased global demand.
•Surfing the LNG wave. The "Renewable Effect" – potential impacts on LNG from the push towards renewables. Will LNG eventually become a global commodity? What are the hurdles to overcome? Hub pricing, liquidity and associated risks.
•Where is new natural gas demand emerging? Exploring the expanding feedstock applications and a broader look at natural gas utilization; the importance of natural gas in commercial, industrial and residential demand scenarios of the future.

•Supply / Demand and market fundamentals
•Price implications
•Forwards, basis, indices, optionality, liquidity, etc.
•Contracting, risk management, financial and portfolio strategies
•Capital markets
•Linkage of global markets - Mexico, Canada, etc.
•LNG exports

To Celebrate 30 years in Chicago, please join our hosts, the Corporate Sponsors, at a cocktail reception in your honor. Don’t make your dinner plans too early as hors d’oeuvres and an open bar will be the highlight of this extremely well attended session!

1)Trump Administration Initiatives
        a) One Federal Decision MOU and permit streamlining
        b) Steel Tariffs
        c) Natural Gas Resilience Concerns
2) FERC -- Natural gas pipeline certificate policy
3) PHMSA – Finalizing the natural gas transmission safety rule
4) Congress – midterms on the horizon
 

Our gas buyer panelists will give you solid and valuable insight into what is currently working, what they have learned from volatility and what they will do differently next time. Topics of discussion to include:
1.What buying or pricing strategies are you currently employing, for instance, what if any long-term purchases are you making or how are you managing the hedging activities?
2.What are the important issues/challenges for your LDC/company/industry in both the short-term and the long-term? How will your LDC/company/industry meet these challenges?
3.How has the Trade War/Steel Tariffs impacted your business?
4.How has the recent low-cost commodity environment impacted expectations of and communications with end-users and regulators?
5.Were there any developments this winter that caused you to look at storage and firm transportation differently? Discuss how and why. What will you do differently to prepare for the winter of 2018/2019 based on low storage injection projections?
6.How have LNG exports impacted the current natural gas market?
7.Are the planned Marcellus/Utica pipeline projects enough to affect the current basis? What do you foresee as a result of the recent pipeline expansion and/or project delays?
8.What tools and assets would you like to have access to as an end-user to improve your ability to manage your energy portfolio?
9.What factors, other than price, influence your decision to choose one supplier over another?