Lessons from Texas: In February 2021, several areas of Texas sustained prolonged blackouts and associated issues with water and other basic services. Most of Texas has a grid intentionally unconnected to national power transmission systems in other states, and the state has, in some ways, deregulated its electric energy sector more than any state in the U.S.
YPEnergy will discuss what happened in Texas with Jose Dizon, an energy expert who previously lived and worked in Hawaii, but has been living in Texas recently. We will look at some surprising similarities between Texas and Hawaii, and if there are some policy and regulatory lessons Hawaii can take away from Texas' past choices and recent experience.
Feel free to bring a lunch or beverage!
Please register through Eventbrite to receive the meeting link.
Speaker Bio: Jose Dizon was involved in energy for over 30 years. He was a long-time resident of Hawaii before retiring to Texas.
Jose is the managing director of a Texas-based energy consulting firm, where his firm helps clients with energy and water policy, strategy, acquisitions, and emergency response. He has over 30 years’ experience in the energy field. Mr. Dizon has a very broad energy perspective having represented developers, landowners, and electric and wastewater utilities. His roles included general manager of an energy company, vice president of a wastewater utility, various leadership positions with the Hawaiian Electric Companies, and head of submarine maintenance nuclear quality assurance. Jose has significant experience in emergency response planning and Incident Command Teams, having served as Incident Commander, Section Chief, and Public Information Officer at the electric utility during natural disasters and prolonged island-wide outages, and as PIO for a large public navy shipyard where he oversaw the efforts of 47 personnel. Jose has extensive regulatory experience in both the utility and non-utility spaces.
Jose attended the Center of Creative Leadership’s Leadership at the Peak program. He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering computer sciences and nuclear engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Jose is a licensed professional engineer. He served in the United States Navy as a nuclear submarine officer. He served as a mentor and coach to an energy startup company and continues to mentor senior managers and other professionals. Prior to moving to Texas, he served on the boards of several community organizations. He is currently a board member of the Hawaii Clean Power Alliance. Jose and his wife Shirley reside in Canyon Lake, TX in the beautiful Hill Country.
