Foley was a Silver Power Sponsor of the WEN 2022 Conference, which was held in person in Fort Worth from April 3-5, 2022.  A number of Foley team members attended the conference along with over 500 attendees from various areas of the energy industry, including development, logistics, operations and management, consulting, financing and legal representatives.  The attendees represented a broad range of the energy sector, ranging from more traditional oil and gas companies to renewable energy developers and everything in between.

Approximately 65 speakers participated in general presentations as well as break-out sessions throughout the conference.  The general sessions focused on broader topics, such as leadership; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I); and energy transition.  These presentations discussed attributes of effective leaders (namely, courage, authenticity and inclusivity), the role of women in sustainable energy development, and one presenter’s prediction for future energy transition trends based on data collected by BloombergNEF. 

The break-out sessions drilled down into more specific topics centered around four “tracks”: DE&I; leadership; regulatory, legal and financial; and technical.  Popular topics included:

• Energy Transition: 
  • Emerging/growing industries, such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (“CCUS”), hydrogen fuel, batteries and offshore wind.  Panelists discussed technological improvements and future challenges and the need for balance between historical and new energy sources.  
  • Decarbonization, including new and emerging technologies as well as the strategies adopted by various companies to reach a goal of “net-zero” and the challenges that they face.
  • Venture Capital - panelists discussed how clean energy transition has impacted investment strategies, new opportunities, and emerging trends in venture capital activity. 
• Regulatory: 
  • Environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters, including an in-depth look at each category and how companies can address each area.  Panelists also discussed the SEC’s climate disclosure proposal and the growing importance of metrics, tracking and reporting on these topics.
  • The state of the past and present energy policy in Mexico.
  • Clean Water Act, including an overview of the Waters of the United States (“WOTUS”) and a recent policy shift by the Army Corps of Engineers.
• Cybersecurity:  Panelists discussed trends in cyber-attacks, including attack techniques, and what companies can do to protect themselves from an attack.   

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