John Smelcer
Managing Director, Business Development, Head of Southern Africa Globeleq
John has 20 years’ experience working in the energy & infrastructure sectors. As interim Chief Development Officer, he leads Globeleq’s business development activities across the group and is responsible for leading the strategy and growth of the business. He successfully led the 450MW Temane gas fired project in Mozambique, and under his leadership, he has significantly increased the project pipeline for the company. Prior to his time at Globeleq, John was a commercial and legal advisor in London and South Africa where he was recognised as a leading advisor on large scale energy projects and project financings and was involved in some of the largest LNG projects in emerging economies including in Qatar, Papua New Guinea and across the African continent as well as working on large scale gas fired power projects and other complex value chain energy projects.
In addition to his Globeleq role, John regularly leads training seminars with senior government officials and other stakeholders related to energy developments and financings.
John holds a Juris Doctor of Law degree from the University of Washington and an undergraduate degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He is a member of the New York bar.
Conference Agenda Sessions
PANEL DISCUSSION
Gas-to-Power: Unlocking Africa’s Potential
Africa‘s proven reserves of natural gas offer a tremendous opportunity to generate baseload electricity that can be reliable, affordable and cleaner than other alternatives such as coal, diesel or heavy fuel oil. However, gas-to-power remains a North African story with significant undeveloped potential in sub-Saharan Africa. What are the risks associated with gas-to-power projects in Africa and how can stakeholders work together to unlock the potential of the sector to support Africa‘s energy transformation? This session explores the dynamics of gas-to-power in Africa from a both a switching and greenfield investment opportunity.
Key areas of discussion:
• The role of gas in Africa's energy mix: what is the potential of gas for baseload power generation and grid stability?
• Infrastructure development for gas-to-power projects: what strategies can we adopt to build pipelines and power plants across Africa?
• Financing gas projects in a carbon-constrained world: how can we addressing the challenges of attracting investment for gas projects in a climate-conscious era?
• Leveraging gas for renewable energy integration: Exploring how gas can support the integration of intermittent energies.
Tuesday 08 October 17:15 - 18:00 Plenary Stage
Gas Forum
Africa‘s proven reserves of natural gas offer a tremendous opportunity to generate baseload electricity that can be reliable, affordable and cleaner than other alternatives such as coal, diesel or heavy fuel oil. However, gas-to-power remains a North African story with significant undeveloped potential in sub-Saharan Africa. What are the risks associated with gas-to-power projects in Africa and how can stakeholders work together to unlock the potential of the sector to support Africa‘s energy transformation? This session explores the dynamics of gas-to-power in Africa from a both a switching and greenfield investment opportunity.
Key areas of discussion:
• The role of gas in Africa's energy mix: what is the potential of gas for baseload power generation and grid stability?
• Infrastructure development for gas-to-power projects: what strategies can we adopt to build pipelines and power plants across Africa?
• Financing gas projects in a carbon-constrained world: how can we addressing the challenges of attracting investment for gas projects in a climate-conscious era?
• Leveraging gas for renewable energy integration: Exploring how gas can support the integration of intermittent energies.