Annual Forum: Final Program & Early Bird Registration Deadline

29/10/2026 - Annual Forum, Events

The program for the 2026 Asset Institute Annual Forum and QUT Energy Transition Centre Symposium is now available. Early bird registration closes 2 November 2026

Thirteen talks and a panel discussion from asset owners, operators, industry and research on how the energy transition is changing the way we build, operate and make decisions about assets.

Reliability, Resilience, and Renewal: Managing Assets in the Energy Transition

- Date: Friday 13 November 2026, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

- Venue: Room Three Sixty, Y-Block, QUT Gardens Point, 2 George St, Brisbane QLD 4000

- Cost: Public $180 before 3 November, $200 thereafter. One complimentary registration for paid Asset Institute members.

Program

Time	Session
8:00	Registration
8:30	Welcome and opening Michael Cholette, CEO, Asset Institute
8:40	Principal Sponsor address
9:00	Sovereignty, shutdowns and server farms: asset decisions in a rapid and messy transition Erik Vandenberg, General Manager – Growth and Energy Transition, Verbrec
9:25	Energy transition has many challenges: how do we get through it maintaining reliability? Steve Saladine, Sigma Squared Solutions and Board Chair, Asset Institute
9:50	Hardwiring collaboration for the energy transition: better decision making and change that sticks Dr Meg Hooper, Director, Carousel Consulting
10:15	Morning tea
10:45	Climate scenario analysis, assets and strategy: reflections from the first year of AASB S2 reporting Jess Kelly, Senior Transition Strategy Advisor, CleanCo Queensland
11:10	One site, two eras: delivering a utility-scale BESS within Australia’s largest coal-fired power station precinct Michael Pettenon, Battery Project Director, Origin Energy
11:35	Wind farm asset management: what makes wind farms special? Dr Liz Beavis, Asset Manager, Tilt Renewables
12:00	Building O&M capability through the energy transition Steve Clark, Business Development Director, SPIE Power Services
12:25	Networking lunch and exhibition
13:10	Panel: Our energy transition – how do we develop new energy operations whilst managing existing energy supply? Wendy McPate, QLD Delivery Manager, GHD and Asset Management Council Joshua Watts, Energy Storage Group Director, QUT Steve Clark, Business Development Director, SPIE Power Services Dr Tim MacTaggart, Business Development Manager, FPR Energy Facilitator: Liam Tobin, Managing Director, Envisage
14:00	Spinach in your teeth: how the hyper-transparency of emissions data will impact asset-intensive industries Prof. Robert Perrons, Queensland University of Technology
14:25	Understanding technological disruption and its implications for long-term asset decisions Dr Tim MacTaggart, Business Development Manager, FPR Energy
14:50	Afternoon tea and exhibition
15:20	Keeping the spark alive: managing ageing electrical assets and incorporating renewable energy sources Garry Cracknell, Senior Electrical Asset Engineer, Information Quality
15:45	From data to decisions: closing the loop on solar O&M with HiveOps Joel Ibrahim, Hardware Operations Manager, Proa Energy Intelligence
16:10	Delivering fit-for-purpose asset strategies on a diverse generation fleet as we transition to renewables Ben Roxby, Group Manager – Asset Engineering & Digital, Origin Energy
16:35	Understanding the practical challenges of performance assessment for utility-scale solar farms Dr Brendan Wright, University of New South Wales
17:00	Networking refreshments and exhibition
18:00	Close

Speaker bios are in the full program (PDF):

Download the full program (PDF)

Registration

The Forum is open to the public and everyone is welcome.

Paid Asset Institute members receive complimentary registration. Please contact Michael Cholette at michael.cholette@qut.edu.au to claim yours.

Sponsorship

Principal, Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorships are still available. Please get in touch if your organisation is interested.

This event may be eligible for Engineers Australia CPD. Refer to the EA guidelines to check suitability.