Stratus Energy Group partners with companies developing the next generation of advanced energy businesses and infrastructure.
Expertise A Full Spectrum of Understanding
From panoramic policy formation to detailed market intelligence, Stratus has the broad range of skill sets and experience necessary to successfully execute your unique vision.
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Advancing Business Opportunities -
Removing Barriers to Market Entry -
Mitigating Risk -
Enhancing Market Knowledge and Skills -
Forging Business and Political Relationships
Advancing Business Opportunities
Decades of hands-on experience in project development and finance; market design and strategy; public relations and policy advocacy coupled with our extensive stakeholder network enables Stratus to provide clients with insight and access to numerous growth opportunities.
Experience
- Enabled a successful client strategy to engage a state government in a major energy infrastructure investment initiative.
- Connected OEM client with strategic partners for joint product development and sales.
Removing Barriers to Market Entry
The transition to competitive energy markets has created tremendous opportunity for new technologies and services. New ideas, however, are often hindered by a labyrinth of legacy rules and complex integrated systems. As experienced and deeply engaged stakeholders in this evolving landscape, Stratus is well positioned to guide your project from the chalkboard to the marketplace.
Experience
- Leading participants in the successful effort to define energy storage technologies in Texas statute.
- Leading participants in the successful effort to define wholesale market treatment of energy storage resources in PUCT Rule.
- Leading participants in the effort to engage energy storage resources in an ERCOT Pilot Project and to define market requirements for energy storage resources in the ERCOT Protocols.
Mitigating Risk
Whatever your role in the energy marketplace, dynamic market conditions and evolving rules and regulations make actionable intelligence more important than ever. Stratus provides clients with the granular view required to understand market complexity and the long view necessary to make informed decisions.
Experience
- Developed optimization strategies around assets, physical trades, energy swaps, and ancillary services offers in ERCOT and SPP.
- Performed long-term market analysis for generation asset owner weighing retrofit versus retirement.
- Stratus provides customized monitoring, reporting and analysis of market conditions and events as well as changes to market rules and systems to help you minimize risk and maximize opportunity.
Enhancing Market Knowledge and Skills
North American energy markets are highly regionalized in both their regulatory constructs and economic drivers. Successful participation requires deep knowledge of market systems, procedures and events to maximize opportunity. Stratus specializes in helping clients execute market strategies with confidence.
Experience
- Deep involvement in every major market design change to the ERCOT system since the industry restructuring of the mid-90s.
- Authors of dozens of specific revisions to the ERCOT Protocols and Other Binding Documents.
- Supported clients through generation interconnection, QSE qualification, market operations and trading, power purchase agreements, compliance investigations and enforcement actions, and an array of other market transactions.
Forging Business and Political Relationships
With over 100 collective years of hands-on experience in industry and government, the Stratus team is deeply and broadly connected to the business and policy leaders shaping the future of North American energy markets. Our nationally recognized, relationship-focused advisors have a proven talent for solving problems and delivering value.
TeamAn Intelligent, Effective Partner
With more than 100 years of collective experience, Stratus is comprised of nationally recognized, highly specialized, relationship-focused advisors with cross-functional skills and a talent for solving problems and delivering value.
Strategic Partners Connected is just the beginning.
Stratus’ reach extends beyond Texas with a respected network of regional and national contacts. By drawing upon these connections, we can better serve the unique needs of our business partners. Learn More
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Practice Areas
- Market Transaction Support
- Emerging Technologies Market Entry
- Regulatory Strategy and Support
- Public Policy Development
- Government and Public Relations
- Product/Asset Development
With a focus on developing and advancing domestic energy infrastructure, Paul Hudson serves as a principal in and advisor to a variety of energy-related interests. These interests range broadly across efficiency and demand response, fledgling smart grid entrants and vertically integrated utilities to renewables and traditional energy infrastructure. Hudson provides a range of value added service – from providing regulatory counsel to advising new participants on successful market entry strategies.
In his 15-year career, Hudson has served in a variety of policy related roles including former gubernatorial appointee to the three-member Public Utility Commission of Texas, and as Director of Policy to the Texas Governor. During his tenure he worked on a wide range of electricity-related issues including retail and wholesale market design, and regulatory oversight of the transition to the competitive electric market within ERCOT.
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Practice Areas
- Electricity Systems Analysis
- Electricity Market Analysis
- Market Transaction Support
- Expert Testimony
- Emerging Technologies Deployment
A 40-year veteran of the energy marketplace, John Moore brings a broad range of expertise in electricity system analysis, electricity market analysis, market rule and policy development, emerging technology deployment and market transaction support to clients facing uncertainties in today’s power marketplace. He provides transmission and resource planning to both regulated and unregulated entities including generation portfolio analysis and generation interconnection studies to ensure effective market positioning for asset owners and developers.
Moore has completed asset valuation and operational analyses in plant due diligence studies assisting in asset transactions and mergers; directed strategic, management, financial, policy, and economic consulting services for numerous energy industry participants during periods of considerable change; and prepared numerous competitive assessments, new entrant market assessments, and risk mitigation strategies to guide entities in their business decisions. Moore maintains a strong working knowledge of the SPP, ERCOT and SERC marketplaces as a result of over 30 years of power industry activity in the Texas and surrounding power markets.
Practice Areas
- Policy Development
- Government/Public Relations
- Market Rules/Transaction Support
- Project/Business Development
- Emerging Technologies Integration with Bulk Electricity Systems
A nationally recognized expert in electricity market design and renewable energy policy, Mark Bruce provides an array of strategic services to diverse clients in the energy industry bringing his hands-on expertise in public and government relations, regulatory and business strategy, and policy development and implementation to infrastructure projects, market transactions, and business development activities.
After serving as staff to the Texas Legislature, Bruce has represented the interests of numerous market participants, industry coalitions, and trade associations before state and federal legislative bodies, regulatory authorities, and in various standing and ad hoc regional stakeholder processes, including those of Independent System Operators and Regional Transmission Organizations.
Practice Areas
- Market Analysis
- Asset-Based Market Strategy Development and Implementation
- Shaping and Managing Commercial Impacts of Market Rules Changes
- Hedging and Trading Strategy
A recognized expert in the ERCOT energy market, Brandon Whittle adds value to clients in wholesale power trading, generation resource optimization, and bulk electricity storage development in ERCOT through market rules navigation, market event analysis, and regulatory advocacy in the stakeholder processes of Independent System Operators and Regional Transmission Organizations.
Whittle has over a decade of experience in many aspects of market design and policy including congestion management, nodal pricing, and market operations. He has provided trading and marketing support to both utilities and trading shops; advocated for well-operated and efficient power markets; and taken a leading role in new market design and implementation.
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Practice Areas
- Policy Development
- Government Relations
- Public Relations
- Product/Asset Development
- Market Design
- Emerging Technologies
Having served 23 years with the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Jess Totten brings valuable knowledge and insight to energy market design and energy policy formation. He advises clients on their interactions with regulators and provides strategic guidance to their regulatory efforts.
In addition to advising Texas regulators and legislators on energy policy issues throughout the entire decade-long Texas electric utility industry restructuring process, Totten participated in the development of the Annual Baseline Assessment of Choice in Canada and the United States (ABACCUS), a set of criteria used to evaluate the retail electricity competition regimes in North America. He also led the effort at the PUCT to design and implement the landmark Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) transmission project.
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Practice Areas
- Early Stage Business Development and Capital Raising
- Turnarounds and Workouts
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Strategy and Alliance Development
- Corporate Finance
B.F. Whitworth has diverse transactional, operational, and sales experience garnered over the course of his 30 year career in management and finance. Whitworth has served as principal or advisor in a number of competitive industry sectors including oil and gas; media; telecommunications; automotive tooling and equipment; aircraft parts and services; manufacturing; financial services; and real estate.
Whitworth has been responsible for new business development; bank loan negotiation and syndication; private placements; equipment financing; purchase and sale agreements; and other advisory work, including workouts. He has assisted an array of large and small clients with business plan development and analysis; strategic alliances and recruitment; software development and acquisition; and business financing requirements.
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Strategic Partners
Connected is just the beginning.Stratus’ reach extends beyond Texas with a respected network of regional and national contacts. By drawing upon these connections, we can better serve the unique needs of our business partners.
Download Complete Bio (PDF)Results Expertise makes all the difference
Whether it’s changing a statute, connecting with a key policy influencer or providing crucial insight on compliance, Stratus knows when, where and how to influence change to its partners’ advantage.
Contact
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