The World Forum on Energy Regulation has published a broad international speaker lineup for its ninth edition in Tbilisi.
WFER IX will take place from 21 to 24 September 2026. The Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission will host the event under the International Confederation of Energy Regulators.
The announced lineup includes regulatory leaders, electricity-market specialists, academics and energy-system experts from across the world.
International regulatory leaders
David Morton, Chair of the International Confederation of Energy Regulators, appears among the listed speakers. GNERC Chairman Davit Narmania and Commissioners Giorgi Pangani and Givi Sanikidze will represent the Georgian host institution.
The European regulatory community will have a significant presence.
Dr Annegret Groebel is listed as President of the Council of European Energy Regulators and Director of International Relations at Germany’s BNetzA. Her work also includes participation in the Board of Regulators of the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators.
Emmanuelle Wargon, Chair of ACER’s Board, and Andrej Juris, Head of the Energy Community Regulatory Board Unit, also appear on the speaker page.
North American and international expertise
The lineup includes Lindsay S. See and Judy Chang, both listed as Commissioners at the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
James B. Robb, President and Chief Executive Officer of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, is also expected to participate. NERC oversees the reliability and security of the North American bulk power system. Robb’s listed areas of expertise include cybersecurity, variable generation, large electricity loads and power-system transformation.
Other listed North American participants include Carolyn Calwell, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Energy Board; Katie Sieben, Chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission; and Ann Rendahl, President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Technology, markets and system flexibility
Several speakers bring experience from electricity markets undergoing rapid technological change.
Anna Collyer, Chair of the Australian Energy Market Commission, and Clare Savage, Chair of the Australian Energy Regulator, appear in the published lineup.
Jonathan Thurlwell, Head of Emerging Technologies at the UK energy regulator Ofgem, is also listed. Other participants include representatives of Portugal’s ERSE, Brazil’s ANEEL, Japan’s Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission and regulators from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Their participation reflects the international scope of the forum. However, the programme also concentrates on practical regulatory questions that are directly relevant to Georgia.
Topics relevant to Georgia’s energy transition
WFER’s programme covers electricity-system reliability, regional market integration, grid investment, network tariffs and regulatory incentives for energy-transition investment.
It also includes sessions on smart charging, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and climate-related network resilience.
On the final day, discussions will address energy storage, grid flexibility, green hydrogen and decentralised generation. These topics are increasingly important as electricity systems add more solar and wind capacity.
For Georgia, the forum offers access to regulatory experience from countries managing many of the same challenges now emerging locally. These include renewable integration, network investment, balancing, consumer protection and system resilience.
The published speaker lineup may still change before September. Nevertheless, the current list indicates that Tbilisi will host a substantial international discussion on the future of electricity and energy regulation.
Source: WFER IX official speaker list and general programme.