Alphatania is the training branch within Gas Strategies Group of Gas Information & Solutions. It offers customised courses as well as a wide range of public training courses and company tradings, consisting of lectures by industry experts, case studies, open discussions and debates on current topics and issues.

Open Programmes

Liquefied Natural Gas - The Commercial Imperatives
2 - 6 November 2009 Golden Tulip Apollo, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 22 - 26 February 2010 Perth, Australia; 7 - 11 June 2010 Barcelona, Spain
This introductory level LNG course broadly covers the features of the LNG Industry, taught by active industry consultants. Areas discussed include, upstream gas production, shipping, receiving terminals, LNG projects and their structures to LNG markets, contracts, financing and finishing with short term trading. The course is primarily aimed at those who have recently moved into the LNG industry or have an interest in expanding their knowledge of the sector.

Introduction to Gas and Power
16 November 2009 London, UK
This course provides a solid grounding in the natural gas industry, outlining the main commercial drivers through the gas chain. The discovery and production of natural gas will be discussed, as well as the organisation of gas markets and getting gas to the customer, llustrating how the distribution systems work. The importance of markets and contracts, the effect of distance and the need for infrastructure, financing and the rationale for joint venture projects are all outlined, along with basic electricity facts, and an account of the different types of electricity generators.

The Gas Chain - From Reservoir to Burner Tip
30 November - 4 December 2009 Munich, Germany; 22 - 26 March 2010 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 5 -9 July 2010 Australia
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the gas chain for the relative newcomer to the gas business which will also be invaluable to those changing roles within the gas industry.

Global Gas Markets
19 - 21 October 2009 Radisson Hotel, Boston, USA; 27 - 29 April 2010 Madrid, Spain
Global Gas Markets is an excellent, 3-day, high level training course on the commercial mechanisms of the global natural gas business. Global Gas Markets will give you a thorough understanding of the way competitive international gas markets function and will enable you to work, trade, transport and participate commercially in a successful way.

The Fundamentals of Commercial Gas Storage
18 - 19 May 2010 Berlin, Germany
This new training programme helps market participants to understand the storage business and how to generate and capture value from it, as the European Gas Markets liberalise. Interactive discussions will punctuate the programme and reinforce the delegates’ understanding of issues being addressed, particularly about: the storage market in Europe: the quantity of storage needed and different countries’ requirements; marketing and buying storage capacity; valuing storage and storage services.

Company trainings

Successfully Developing an LNG Business
This outstanding workshop facilitates client-teams to understand and shape their LNG aspirations and focus, within a full industry context. Delegates develop a comprehensive awareness and understanding of the fundamentals behind the whole value chain, from upstream to liquefaction through re-gasification to market, interacting with LNG experts involved in worldwide projects, with Gas Strategies Consulting.Through a unique blend of skills, experiences and perspectives, valuable and unparalleled sessions equip client-teams with a strategic understanding that will directly benefit their company’s developments.

Storage
In gas markets at various stages of liberalisation and where security of supply is a crucial issue, client-teams will consider different types of storage and their own commercial abilities in regulated markets, drawing from business models curently followed by major players.

Operational Training
As the LNG industry grows away from its roots of dedicated "tram-line" operation between liquefaction plant and regasification terminal, what once was "sales administration" has become a pro-active management task, reconciling destination and pricing changes with complex contractual commitments. And as market liberalisation advances, traditional pricing structures also come under pressure, with price reviews becoming increasingly complex and likely to lead to dispute. Our Readiness Training workshops aim to prepare LNG commercial teams to tackle the complexities of today’s markets through a combination of conventional training and commercial simulations aimed at testing and improving responses to market and operational events.

Competition and Regulation European Summer School for Executives (CRESSE)
25th June - 9th July 2010
CRESSE aims to establish a link between the new theories underlying competition & regualtory economics and the everyday practice. To do so, it presents the most recent developments in economic theory, empirical analysis and legislation in these policy areas by adopting a (mostly) non-technical and case-study based approach. CRESSE is designed for Executives of Antitrust and Regulation Commission, Ministries, International institutions as well as private energy companies affected by regulation.

Full-time Thaught Master Degrees and Associated Diplomas

Master of Science (MSc) in Energy Studies and Associated Diplomas
full time
This MSc/Diploma can be without specialisation and can be tailored on participant's aspiration by choosing one of the following specialisations:
Energy Economics
Energy and the Environment
Energy Finance
Energy Policy
Energy Regulation
International Oil and Gas Management
Oil and Gas Economics
The Geopolitics of Energy

Master of Laws (LLM) and Associated Diplomas
full time
CEPMLP offers 11 different LLM/Diplomas. The most relevant to energy regulation are:
Energy Law and Policy
Environmental Law and Policy
International and Comparative Nuclear Law and Policy

Master in Business Administration (MBA)
full time
CEPMLP offers different MBA. The most relevant to energy regulation are:
Oil and Gas Management
Energy Industry Management

Flexible Learning
This new programme of study involves a combination of intensive on-campus and off-campus study introduced for academic year 2008/09. CEPMLP offers different Flexible Learning programme. The most relevant to energy regulation is:
LLM in International and Comparative Nuclear Law and Policy


Distance Learning
Existing part-time degree programmes are also enhanced by offering components in the form of specially designed distance learning modules. These modules will correspond to the equivalent on-campus courses in the degree programmes. CEPMLP offers either a Master of Laws degree (LLM) or a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
The most relevant to energy regulation are:
LLM in Resources Law and Policy
MBA in Oil and Gas Management

The list of the 2010 CEU courses is available online.

Geopolitics of Energy
10 November 2009
The purpose of this course is to bring participants up to date with the most important geopolitical and economic developments and their relation to and impact on the development of international energy markets. The course aims to intensify knowledge of and insight into the interlinkages and drivers of the international energy markets at the political, policy and corporate level. The course is characterised by an integrated approach to energy training - combining attention for the notion of security of energy supply, market and price developments and the environment - and offers lectures on energy demand and supply developments, on the changing geopolitical landscape, on the most important energy consuming and producing countries and their international relations. This one day course is developed for participants working in the energy sector or related professions.

EU Energy Policy: Liberalisation in Challenging Times
Details about the forthcoming session are not currently available
The purpose of this course is to bring participants up to date with the most important geopolitical and economic developments and their relation to and impact on the development of international energy markets. The training is characterised by an integrated approach to energy training -combining attention for the notion of security of energy supply, market and price developments and the environment - and offers lectures on trends and developments in the EU power and gas sectors, the regulation of networks, power investments in a liberalised market and changing circumstances in world energy markets and the relevance for EU market policies. This one day course is developed for participants working in the energy sector or related professions.

Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) training course
19-23 October 2009
This practice-oriented course is tailored for officials using RIA, as well as executives wanting to get an overview of the RIA process to influence policy decisions. Main features: tailored training course designed for European policy officials and executives; a practice-driven approach reconstituting real-life professional situations through case studies and practical examples; the most experienced public policy and RIA trainers in Europe, directly involved in major RIA developments; sessions with ample possibilities to discuss any question about RIA and to exchange opinions.

The Energy Delta Institute (EDI) is an International Business School and Research Centre for Natural Gas. EDI performs research and professional training, focused on all economical, managerial and geopolitical facets of the gas value chain, also with the cooperation of business and academic parties.
It offers training programmes for executives, flexible programmes and tailor-made versions of programmes ( see the EDI programmes overview).

Flexible Executive Master of Gas Business Management
The flexible Executive Master of Gas Business Management programme consists of three separate, though mutually linked training programmes, that can also be joined on a stand-alone basis. This Master Programme will be concluded by a Summer Academy and a Thesis project. These three programmes (each consist of two 1-week modules, the first week taking place in the Netherlands, the second a few months later in another location) are:
Natural Gas Strategy Course
Part 1: 22 – 26 March 2010
Part 2: 19 – 23 April 2010
Gas Market Regulation Course
Part 1: 17 – 21 May 2010
Part 2: 14 – 18 June 2010
Large Energy Projects Course 
Part 1: 8 - 13 November 2009, Groningen, The Netherlands
Part 2: 6 - 11 December 2009, Essen, Germany

Specific Programmes
Energy Delta Institute organizes a variety of open enrolment courses with a focus on topics of high interest for the gas industry. These so-called short tracks generally last from one to several days and are organized twice yearly.
The most relevant to energy regulation are:
Underground Gas Storage Course
Master Class Developments in Gas Trading
Master Class Developments in LNG
De Gaswaardeketen 

All of EDI’s short-tracks can also be delivered as in-company courses. In addition EDI can deliver or on several occasion already has delivered short track programmes that can be organized as in-company programmes and if there is sufficient interest from different players also as an open enrolment course.
The most relevant to energy regulation are:
Gas Contracting
Liquefied Natural Gas
Dispatching
Pipeline Integrity Management Systems
Health, Safety and Environment
Energy Law
Gas for the Power sector
Transport, Planning, Modelling
Developments of sour gas fields
Lifecycle Management
Security Risk Management

Introductory Level Courses

Summer School
Details about the forthcoming session are not currently available
The International Training Program on Energy Regulatory Practices (a Summer School) jointly implemented by ERRA and the Central European University (CEU) provided the technical, economic and legal skills that are needed to design and manage successful regulatory systems for the electric power industry. The target audience of the summer school was junior and newer regulatory commissioners/staff of ERRA members who are current and future policy makers in their countries.

Intermediate/ Advanced Courses

Monitoring Activities of Energy Regulatory Commissions
4 days
Details about the forthcoming session are not currently available
This 4-days course is dedicated to core responsibilities of energy regulatory authorities / commissions (ERC) with regard to a) monitoring the behaviour of individual licensees as well as the overall outcome of the behaviour of a group of companies and b) to their role in enforcing rules and regulations in cases of detected non-compliance. During the intensive course the following broad themes will be addressed: Basic Concepts and the Monitoring Needs of Price Regulation; Service Quality; Electricity Markets; Other (Energy Community Market Monitoring project; Communicating the results of monitoring and enforcement activities). While track I of the Course is only available to regulators, track II is available to regulators and non-regulators such as ministry and local government representatives, utility companies, banking institutions, consulting companies.

Price Regulation and Tariffs
4 days
Details about the forthcoming session are not currently available
Co-hosted by the Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA) and the U.S. National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the purpose of This 4 -day Course is to equip students with the core concepts, objectives and techniques of designing and evaluating rate structures in the energy sector which guarantee fair rate of return for the regulated companies; increase of productivity and efficiency of regulated companies over time; fair and reasonable tariffs for end users; a transparent tariff setting procedure. The Course Participants will be divided into two parallel tracks: the first is exclusively designed for mid-senior level practicing energy regulators, admission will be provided only to regulators, the second is available to non-regulators such as ministry and local government representatives, banking institutions, law and investment firms, consulting companies and regulated utility companies.

E-learning Courses

E-learning Courses on Monitoring Activities of Regulatory Commissions
7 weeks
30 November 2009 - 22 January 2010
The objective of this e-learning training is to assist regulators to understand the importance of and teach them to develop an integrated monitoring activity within their Commissions. The accomplishment of the course will help participants: to understand the objectives, the scope and nature of as well as the limitations on the powers of ERC monitoring activities over the regulated companies (licensees); to learn best practices to select among the different procedures, forms and institutional settings of monitoring activities depending on the nature of the issue that drives an actual monitoring activity; to asses a basic knowledge on the methods aimed at monitoring a) the economic performance of regulated companies; b) service quality; c) electricity market operations and d) the environmental performance of regulated utilities; to learn to design an efficient monitoring and enforcement policy (plan) for the ERC.

Erasmus Master Course on Economics and Management of Network Industries (EMIN)
two academic years
This Erasmus Master Course has the objective of training highly qualified professionals, able to manage and regulate efficiently network industries and infrastructures, either in companies' staff, in consulting teams or in public entities like ministries, development or regulatory agencies.
The approach of the programme is: International, in terms of global representation of faculty and students; Interdisciplinary, covering engineering, economics, law, policy and finance; Integrated, relying on both teaching and research.
This Erasmus Mundus program will deliver a multiple diploma. Students will receive the diploma of each university where they have studied given the requirements of each University: the French Master of “Economics, Technology and Territory" degree, the Spanish Master “Electricity Sector” degree and the Dutch Master of Science in “Engineering and Policy Analysis” degree.

MSc Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis & Management (SEPAM)
Two years (full time)
This two-year programme is aimed at educating engineers who can contribute to the design and management of infrastructures and related services. The programme focuses on decision making processes which rise above the level of a single organisation and which occur at the interface of the public and private sectors. SEPAM seeks to offer students the capability to transfer technical knowledge obtained in bachelor programmes into the worlds of management and operations, especially in such multi-actor sociotechnical environments as transport, logistics, energy, industry, water and ICT.

Master of Science Engineering and Policy Analysis (EPA)
Two academic years (full time)
The EPA is an international programme offered in English that focuses on policy processes regarding large-scale technical systems for utilities management and industrial innovation. It aims to provide participants with interdisciplinary knowledge and practical skills in areas such as problem structuring, systems analysis, policy and decision modelling and support, analysis of multi-actor networks, economics and management. Consistenly with the interdisciplinary approach, the Faculty includes mathematicians, technologists, economists, lawyers and social scientists.
The EPA is part of the Erasmus Mundus programme.

Annual training
The course reviews the basic theory of energy regulation with a special attention to the EU regulatory experience and it is open to staff of energy companies and of energy regulators. The course is a sequence of 4 Blocks (3 residential in Florence and 1 elearning).

FSR Summer School
A two week residential introductory course that reviews the basic theory of energy regulation with a special attention to the EU regulatory experience and it is open to staff of energy companies, energy regulators from around the world but also to university graduate, doctoral students and other stakeholders.

Máster en Gestión Técnica y Económica en el Sector Eléctrico (MSE)
One academic year (full-time)
The MSE is a one-year full-time programme in Spanish (part-time attendance is also possible). It is developed in cooperation with the ETSI ICAI and specifically the IIT. The goal of this programme is to provide participants with a deep understanding of the economic, regulatory and technical fundamentals of restructuring electricity sectors. The course is intended for graduate students on a full-time basis as well as for active professionals or representatives of energy companies and commission on a part-time basis.
The MSE is part of the Erasmus Mundus programme.

Master in Economics and management of network industries
Two years
Organised by Universit Paris-Sud 11 (Facult Jean Monnet), Universit Pontificada Comillas of Madrid and Universit Technische Universiteit de Delft (Netherlands), in partnership with the University Institute Europen de Florence, this master is part of the Erasmus Mundus programme. The purpose of the course is to form professionals highly qualificated, capable to manage and regulate effectively the industries of reseaux and their infrastructures. To obtain its diplome of Master, every student will have to choose between three complementary options and two or three types of specialisation.

Short Course on Regulation
19th April - 23rd April 2010
The course covers regulatory theory as well as practice at all stages of the regulatory process of utility, financial and other sectors: law and rule-making risk management, institutional frameworks and enforcement. The interdisciplinary approach considers regulation from the perspectives of economists, lawyers, sociologists, political scientists and others.
This Course is also available as Three-Day 'Client' Edition.

MERN Training and Guided Study Programme (TAGS): details not yet available.

Utility regulation
8-12 March 2010
 This course examines the economics underpinning the regulatory process and its application in the UK and internationally. Key modules look at how price controls are set, RPI – X regulation and its alternatives, the cost of capital, comparative efficiency, the process of liberalisation and policing competitive markets. Through plenary sessions, case studies, practical workshops and discussion, the course—now in its second decade—will equip partecipant with a solid understanding of economics principles and concepts, and give you an economics toolkit for use in your day-to-day work.

SMi have had an established portfolio of Pharmaceutical, Defence, Energy, Finance and PPP/PFI events running since 1993. They are at the forefront of linking businesses with information, organising over 150 Conferences, Workshops and Masterclasses every year.

For a list of the upcoming activities consult the SMI events page.

Renewable Energy Flexible Training Programme (REFLEX)
REFLEX provides a fully integrated training programme covering mechanical, electrical, chemical, marine, environmental engineering, and energy management associated with renewable energy systems. It combines distance learning with intensive school weeks, involving academic staff from different faculties under the co-ordination of the School of Marine Science & Technology.
The REFLEX programme offers three structured courses, all with the possibility for part-time attendance:

Master of Science in Renewable Energy
One year (full time); up to five years (part time)
The MSc consists of 12 modules and a MSc project.

Postgraduate Diploma in Renewable Energy
One year (full time); up to five years (part time)
The Postgraduate Diploma consists of 9 modules and a Diploma project.

Postgraduate Certificate in Renewable Energy
Six months (full time); up to three years (part time)
The Postgraduate Certificate consists of 6 modules.

In addition, all modules in the programme are available as stand alone Continuing Professional Development (CPD) modules.

INFRATRAIN
Every October WIP organizes the Autumn Shool INFRATRAIN, a Series of Events in "Applied INFRAstructure Research and Policy TRAINing", aiming to promote the training of junior researchers and young professionals from ministries, regulatory agencies and the private sector. INFRATRAIN is designed as a forum covering the theoretical and applied topics most relevant for modern European infrastructure policy. Last edition was dedicated to the issue of "Trends in Infrastructure Modeling and Policy". Teaching methods combine keynote lectures, training sessions, seminars and workshop.