Business Services Industry

UH-GEMI Brings Energy Trading Experts to Town Again

Business Wire, Feb 25, 2008

Focus of 6(th) Annual Energy Trading Conference is Alternative Energy Trading

HOUSTON -- A group of industry experts will debate the future of energy sources as the University of Houston's Global Energy Management Institute housed at the C. T. Bauer College of Business holds its 6th Annual Energy Trading & Marketing Conference.

"We will be bringing together traders, risk managers, securities analysts, investors, consultants and lawyers to discuss the changing energy marketplace," said Avani Dave, GEMI program coordinator. "Seats are filling up quickly for this landmark event, but we will continue the registration period until the day before the conference."

Registration information is available at www.bauer.uh.edu/UHGEMI/featured.htm. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 11 at the University Hilton Hotel. The conference's title, "Energy Trading: Beyond Gas and Power," reflects the notable growth in energy trading volumes, said Dr. Craig Pirrong, UH-GEMI energy markets director and Bauer College finance professor.

"In the past several years, energy trading volumes have exploded," he said. "Not only have we witnessed tremendous growth in traditional energy commodities such as natural gas, oil, and power, but there has also been a dramatic expansion in relatively new areas of the energy trading space."

"Due to skyrocketing prices and increasing environmental concerns, biofuels, such as ethanol, have achieved increasing prominence, and new environmental markets are growing dramatically," Pirrong added. "Moreover, markets for transportation have become increasingly integrated with energy, and LNG is assuming an increasingly important role worldwide."

The 2008 UH-GEMI Energy Trading & Marketing Conference will explore these important, but non-traditional, aspects of energy trading. A distinguished set of speakers will discuss the commercial, regulatory, and political issues surrounding energy trading beyond gas and power.

Those speakers include George Baker, partner at William & Jensen; Don Ellithorpe, Vice President of Structuring at Merrill Lynch Commodities; Joe Raia, Senior Vice President of Marketing at NYMEX; Sal Gilbertie, Senior Vice President of Energy & Renewable Fuel Derivatives at FIMAT; Davis Thames, Senior Vice President at Cheniere; and Richard Sandor, CEO of the Chicago Climate Exchange.

Registration to the event is $150, with a company table for seven receiving a 30 percent discount. Government employees are eligible for a 25 percent discount. For more information on registration and sponsorships, visit www.bauer.uh.edu/UHGEMI/featured.htm.> About the University of Houston

The University of Houston, Texas' premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

About the C. T. Bauer College of Business

The C. T. Bauer College of Business has been in operation for more than 60 years at the University of Houston main campus. Through its five academic departments, the college offers a full-range of undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees in business. The Bauer College is fully accredited by the AACSB International - the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In August 2000, Houston business leader and philanthropist Charles T. (Ted) Bauer endowed the College of Business with a $40 million gift. In recognition of his generosity, the college was renamed the C. T. Bauer College of Business.