Alex Cruickshank (Principal Consultant)

Prior to joining Oakley Greenwood in 2016, Alex had over 25 years’ experience in energy markets within a range of organisations, including a vertically integrated utility, a generator/retailer, a rule making body and government.

Alex has deep experience in market design and rules development.  He was involved in the initial design of the National Electricity Market; examining capacity markets versus energy only markets, network development approaches and access rules.  He continued in the developmental role with the rules body (the National Electricity Code Administrator) as Principal Consultant Code Development and oversaw all rules change applications and changes.

After NECA, Alex worked with the Treasury Department in South Australia, providing technical advice as part of the Microeconomic Reform Unit and, in particular, managing a review into the operation of the National Electricity Market in South Australia during a period of system stress.

Alex then joined AGL, then a retailer, and was involved in the market development from a private sector perspective and assisted in the expansion of AGL initially into generation but later into new technologies.  While always holding market development roles, Alex held senior roles in the Corporate Affairs division in AGL, including Head of Energy Regulation.  In these roles, Alex was involved in responding to developments in wholesale and retail markets for gas and electricity and was often involved in working groups and task team examining specific rule changes.  As Head of Energy Regulation, Alex managed the regulatory teams in AGL for wholesale gas & electricity, retail gas & electricity operations and retail compliance.

Before he joined the energy industry, Alex lectured and taught management and related processes at the SA Institute of Technology and the SA Health Commission as well as consulting on organisational design and IT (payroll and management systems).

Alex has also been active in working to identify new technology, including the market and organisational changes required to exploit it.  Alex was Vice President of Smart Grid Australia and is a member of Smart Communities Australia.  Alex designed an approach for a Distributed Services Operator for a network business and is active in looking at approaches, such as transactive energy, to better incorporate demand side options with markets.

The DER work has included working with ARENA and AEMO on methods to baseline customer demand for DER, assessment of DR projects and market or pricing mechanism for integrating DER into the Australian National Electricity Market.  Most recently, Alex was involved in modelling the value of demand side orchestration (using a VPP) of loads and storage in WA.

During his time at Oakley Greenwood, Alex has participated in projects on market design, future technologies in Australia and reviews of change proposals.  He is involved in the design of the NT and WA markets and worked with companies seeking to develop solar and wind farms that interact with the NEM and normal commercial markets as well as companies seeking to harness and coordinate embedded resources.

Alex is Chairman of the international study committee on markets and regulation for the International Council for Large Electrical Systems (CIGRE).  Alex is also a member of the International Technical Council of CIGRE, which oversees the knowledge programme of CIGRE.  Alex chairs the market aspects of the biennial Large Disturbance Workshop with Greg Thorpe, which examines market and system disturbances in electricity grids around the world and what can be learned from them.

Alex is also a member of the Advisory Committee for Transmission and Distribution (ACTAD) of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), focusing on global electricity interconnection and integration of renewables.

During his career, Alex has developed experience in:

  • Energy market design and operation — including pricing and integration of demand side operations and resources
  • Wholesale and Retail energy processes, rules and regulation — including embedded networks and microgrids
  • Demand side response and demand side orchestration — including smart grids and advanced metering
  • The integration of emerging technologies into markets.
  • Organisational design and business management processes
  • Due diligence during acquisitions and mergers

Read Alex’s detailed CV here.

alex cruickshank

2016 – present - Oakley Greenwood Pty Ltd – Principal Consultant

2015 – 2016 - Alex Cruickshank Consulting - Principal

2001 – 2015 - AGL – various roles, including Manager NEM development, Manager Wholesale Markets Regulation, Head of Energy Regulation

2001- 2001 - SA Treasury (Micro-economic reform unit)

1998 – 2000 - National Electricity Code Administrator – Principal Consultant Code Development

1997 – 1998 - Optima Energy – Senior Analyst Market Liaison

1989 – 1997 - ETSA – various roles, including Principal Training Officer, Manager Strategic Planning, Manager Organisational Development, Executive Officer National Electricity Market Project.

1984 – 1989 - University of South Australia (then SA Institute of Technology) Coordinator of the Centre for Health Administration. Also, Lectured and tutored for the MBA and Graduate Diploma in Business programmes.

1976 – 1984 - SA Health Commission – various roles including Senior Staff Development Officer and Project Manager.

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