REV2025: The Economic, Reliability, and Environmental Benefits of New England and Québec Bi-Directional Transmission
Wednesday, October 15th, 2025 – 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Grid United
Emerald Ballroom
This panel will explore various aspects of how interregional transmission is critical to helping achieve New England’s collective clean energy goals, including unlocking new in-state renewable development and creating an energy exchange between New England’s offshore wind and Hydro Quebec’s incredible storage capacity.
Moderator: Brittney Wilson, Vermont Department of Public Service
Brittney Wilson was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service by Governor Phil Scott in January 2025. In her current role, she effectively serves as the Department’s Chief Operating Officer, responsible for managing daily operations and executing on strategic decisions. She previously served for eight years as Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs and Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Scott. In these roles Wilson coordinated complex intergovernmental relationships and oversaw critical state functions, including regulatory affairs, government operations, and shaping gubernatorial policy initiatives. Wilson served as the Governor’s primary liaison for several vital state agencies and departments, including Agriculture, Digital Services, Labor, Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Board, Public Service, and Transportation.
Speakers
Serge Abergel, Hydro-Québec Energy Services U.S.
Serge Abergel took office as Chief Operating Officer of Hydro-Québec Energy Services in 2021. This U.S. subsidiary is responsible for hydropower export initiatives to the New York and New England markets. Since joining Hydro-Québec in 2014, he has held various positions in media and stakeholder relations and government affairs. He has led information campaigns on the company’s export initiatives and is a frequent public speaker on Hydro-Québec’s clean energy-generating fleet and transmission system. He was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of WaterPower Canada, a trade organization representing the hydropower industry, in 2022.
John Parsons, MIT Center of Energy and Environmental Policy Research
John Parsons is the Deputy Director for Research at the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR). His research focuses on the valuation and financing of investments in energy markets and the problems of risk in energy and environment markets. Recent publications have touched on the value of changing the utilization of transmission to maximize the value of hydro assets and expanded penetration of renewables, the value of investments in life extensions of nuclear power plants, the economics of new microreactors, and the impact of decarbonization on generation assets in the U.S. midcontinent.
Dan Sosland, Acadia Center
Dan Sosland is president of Acadia Center, a position he has held since co-founding the organization in 1998. One of the first non-profit organizations created to address climate solutions at the regional level, Acadia Center focuses on climate and clean energy solutions to reduce climate pollution that improve public health and provide consumer, economic, and equity benefits. Dan has authored and led the development of groundbreaking Acadia Center reports on climate change roadmaps, energy efficiency, and electrification frameworks. Prior to Acadia Center, Dan was Senior Attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation in Maine and Boston, and began his career as a litigation attorney at major law firms in New York City. Dan’s work at Acadia Center has been recognized by the Exemplary Public Service Award from Cornell Law School, the ACEEE Champion of Efficiency Award, the Maine Forever Award for watershed protection and the U.S. EPA’s Environmental Merit Award. He is a member of the board of directors of U.S. Climate Action Network and the Northeast Clean Energy Council.