Energyforum
Arbitration & Mediation in the Energy Industry
Amsterdam
Course leaders
Graham Coop
General Counsel, Energy Charter Secretariat
Graham joined the Energy Charter Secretariat as General Counsel in 2004. The Secretariat is a Brussels-based international organisation responsible for the Energy Charter Treaty, of which 51 states and the European Communities are members. Prior to this, from 2002 until 2004, he was a partner with Denton Wilde Sapte's Energy and Infrastructure Department in London. From 1992 until 2002, he was with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Paris, where he became Head of the Energy and Natural Resources Group. Graham Coop was a member of the legal team representing Bahrain in its territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation dispute with Qatar in the International Court of Justice and received the Order of Bahrain as a result of his work on that dispute. In 1998 and 1999 he was seconded to lead the 5-lawyer International Transport and Supply Contracts Division of the Legal Service of Gaz de France. He has written and spoken extensively on international legal questions, including legal issues for international energy companies investing in Iraq. He has advised governments and international corporations on disputed sovereignty and maritime delimitation issues throughout the Middle East. Graham Coop's wide experience in oil, gas, electricity, water, renewable energy and infrastructure covers major projects, joint ventures, supply agreements, transport agreements, competition and regulatory issues, and contentious matters. He is regularly published and cited in the UK, French, Arabic and Russian press and speaks regularly at conferences around the world.
Floor Touber
Owner, TC Energy Projects
Floor obtained his degree in marketing and economics at the University of Amsterdam. Established his own consultancy agency in 1986, after 12 years with British Petroleum in their Dutch, German and London offices working in marketing, government relations and mergers & acquisitions.
As an independent consultant he worked in mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances and new business development in oil & gas.
His client list includes Total, Repsol Spain, Pennzoil Espana, Shell Hydrogen, Exxon UK, Texaco, Duke Energy, British Gas, Statoil Norway, Fortum Finland and others.
Floor frequently acts as an arbitrator / mediator in solving international disputes in oil & gas and researches "Paradoxes in energy liberalisation" at present.
His languages include Dutch, English, German, Spanish and French. He has an extensive experience in working with Anglo-Saxon and European cultures.
Dr Serena Hesmondhalgh
Principal, The Brattle Group
Serena has over twenty years experience as an economic consultant specialising in energy markets. During that time she has acted as an expert witness in a number of gas and power contract price reviews and arbitrations, provided asset valuations for contract negotiations and undertaken detailed competitive analysis of power and gas markets for regulators and as part of merger and acquisition proceedings.
To support these analyses, Dr Hesmondhalgh has developed a range of sophisticated analytical tools. More broadly, she has expertise in matters affecting vertically integrated utilities, gas flexibility mechanisms, and power market economics (including the valuation of interconnectors and pumped storage assets). She also assists clients with studies on the impact of climate change policies on investment decisions.
She has advised the Great Britain regulator since the early 1990s on issues including market design and abuse, transmission access, pricing for gas and electricity, emissions and incentives for system operators and transmission owners.
Dan Harris
Principal, The Brattle Group
Dan is an expert in the economics of gas and electricity markets and is based in Rome. He has been involved in client engagements across the full spectrum of the industry and his clients include energy regulators, competition authorities, gas and electricity network companies, gas buyers and sellers, and electricity generators. He recently co-authored expert witness testimony in a major gas contract arbitration, and has performed analysis and drafted testimony in several gas contract arbitrations and negotiations. He has particular expertise in the valuation of interconnectors, LNG terminals, gas storage, and the analysis associated with gas contract 'price re-openers'. Prior to joining The Brattle Group in 2002, he worked for Shell for five years in a variety of roles.
