What's the future for regulated industries? Freshfields' Petersberg Conference will take a look

At a time of rising economic uncertainty, particularly for regulated industries, we are inviting decision-makers from telecommunications, power, energy and technology companies, along with policymakers and regulators, to our annual Petersberg Conference on 8 October 2019 to discuss a simple question: where is our industry heading?

The morning session will focus on general developments in regulated industries. The panel will consist of:

• Jochen Homann, President of Germany's Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur);
• Andreas Mundt, President of Germany's Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt);
• Achim Wambach, Chairman of Germany's Monopolies Commission (Monopolkommission);
• Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom; and
• Marie-Luise Wolff, CEO of ENTEGA and President of the Federal Association of the German Energy and Water Industries (BDEW).

The two afternoon panels, which will consist of CEOs and other senior executives from the European Commission, Vodafone, Volkswagen, RWE, E.ON and Open Grid Europe, will deal with particular telecoms and energy topics.

For telecoms, the panel will discuss:

• the potential and challenges of 5G;
• the obligations imposed by the Federal Network Agency on network operators and the impact of 'campus networks' for industrial users; and
• the competitive environment after further consolidation (eg Vodafone/Liberty Global).

The energy panel will take a deep dive into energy transformation and business models of the future. Panelists from energy suppliers and network operators will look at the RWE/E.ON/Innogy transaction and the enhancement of smart grids. They will also look at issues around the decarbonisation of the energy industry, such as carbon tax, using gas (including hydrogen) as a substitute for coal and exiting from coal-based power generation. 

In the field of energy infrastructure, we will learn more about smart grids, along with the rising contribution of renewables and how this is impacting the network. The panel will also discuss how power grids can ensure a stable energy supply, plus the decentralisation of energy storage and e-mobility.

If you would like to join us on 8 October 2019, please contact Kristina Russ.

You can find a full list of speakers on our website.