Miami, FL – June 25, 2026 – The Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Florida hosted the Energy Forum on Thursday, June 25, at the offices of Greenberg Traurig in Miami. The annual event brought together executives from leading energy companies, utilities, investors, policymakers, and technology providers to discuss the trends reshaping the future of the energy sector in the United States.
The forum welcomed more than 100 attendees and representatives from some of the industry’s leading organizations, including Avangrid, AES Corporation, Duke Energy, Zelestra, New Project Media, MN8 Energy, Repsol Renewables North America, Greening North America, PV Hardware USA, Ener-T, Matrix Renewables, Greenberg Traurig, and CleanBridge, among others.
The event was opened by Juan Carlos Pereira, Executive Director of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, followed by a keynote address delivered by José Antonio Miranda, Chief Executive Officer of Avangrid, Presenting Sponsor of the Forum. Serving 3.4 million customers across 25 U.S. states and managing approximately $50 billion in assets, Avangrid is leading an ambitious investment strategy focused on strengthening transmission and grid infrastructure to support the nation’s energy future
“As energy demand continues to surge, we remain committed to modernizing outdated grid infrastructure to improve reliability and also enable economic development,” said José Antonio Miranda, CEO of Avangrid. “This investment depends on strong collaboration with our business leaders, policy makers, and local communities to deliver a modern, resilient grid that powers a growing economy and long-term energy independence.”
Throughout the day, four thematic panels explored the most pressing challenges facing the energy sector, including grid modernization, the impact of artificial intelligence on electricity demand, energy security, infrastructure resilience, and the technologies required to deliver reliable, affordable, and low-carbon power.
Setting the tone for the day’s discussions, the opening panel, “Unlocking Growth: The Grid as the Critical Enabler of the Energy Transition,” brought together Ken Zagzebski (Chairman, AES) and Michal Bartczak (Avangrid, Vice President, Powering New York, Avangrid). The conversation focused on the growing importance of transmission infrastructure as the foundation of the energy transition. Panelists agreed that the electric grid has become the industry’s greatest bottleneck and emphasized the need to accelerate permitting processes, modernize aging infrastructure, expand transmission capacity, and provide greater regulatory certainty to unlock long-term investment. They also highlighted that combining large-scale transmission projects with distributed solutions such as energy storage and grid intelligence will be essential to support future electricity demand.
Attention then turned to the broader geopolitical and economic landscape during “Energy in an Uncertain World: Security, Resilience and Strategic Diversification.” The session brought together Bernerd Da Santos (Chairman at AES Clean Energy, & Senior Strategic Advisor), Alberto Fernández (Vice President, Head of Construction, MN8 Energy), Alfonso Queipo (General Manager, PV Hardware USA), and moderator Jeffery Safford (Managing Director, CleanBridge) to examine how geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain challenges, and unprecedented demand growth are transforming investment strategies across the energy sector. Panelists agreed that resilience has become the industry’s defining priority, requiring greater supply chain diversification, increased domestic manufacturing, accelerated deployment of new technologies, and stronger collaboration between developers, manufacturers, investors, and customers.
One of the Forum’s most anticipated conversations focused on the explosive growth of artificial intelligence and hyperscale data centers during the panel “Powering the Digital Age: AI, Data Centers—Exponential Demand or a Bubble?” featuring Phillip North (Chief Executive Officer, Zelestra), Brett Birman (Chief Commercial Officer, New Project Media), Sam Holeman (Vice President, Grid Integration Strategy, Duke Energy), and moderator Robert J. Downing (Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig). The discussion examined the unprecedented growth in electricity demand driven by AI and data centers and its implications for utilities, corporate procurement, transmission planning, and affordability.
This surge represents a structural shift, requiring faster regulatory processes, stronger coordination between utilities and large consumers, and significant infrastructure investment. They also highlighted the growing role of behind-the-meter solutions—such as solar, gas, and storage—while reaffirming the central role of the interconnected grid. The discussion further emphasized the importance of early community engagement to support project development and build public trust, concluding that meeting future demand will require long-term planning, stronger partnerships with local communities, and new approaches to energy procurement and system design.
The day concluded with a forward-looking discussion on one of the defining questions of the energy transition: how to deliver reliable electricity at scale while continuing to expand renewable generation. In “Beyond Intermittency: Delivering Reliable Energy at Scale, Federico Toro (Chief Executive Officer, Repsol Renewables North America), Sergio Prado (Chief Executive Officer, Greening North America), Itamar Sarussi (Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Arcvia Energy), Verónica Rea (Technical Director ATA Renewables), and moderator Ignacio Callejo (Managing Director, Head of U.S. Investments, Matrix Renewables) examined one of the sector’s greatest challenges: ensuring reliability while moving beyond the limitations of intermittent renewable resources.
The consensus was that delivering reliable energy at scale will require a diversified energy mix supported by battery storage, advanced grid technologies, digital solutions, and continued investment in resilient infrastructure. They also emphasized that successfully transforming the power system will depend not only on technological innovation, but also on aligning engineering expertise, long-term capital, and strategic planning to build a more flexible and dependable grid capable of meeting future demand. The discussion underscored that solving the reliability challenge requires integrating technical innovation with strategic investment and operational expertise, ensuring that reliability, affordability, and decarbonization advance together as complementary objectives.
Closing the event, Juan Carlos Pereira, Executive Director of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the importance of continuing to foster dialogue among industry leaders as the sector enters a new phase of transformation.
“The Energy Forum reflects the essence of what the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce stands for: creating exclusive, high-level spaces where the industry’s leading voices can openly discuss the challenges and opportunities that will shape the future. Energy is one of the world’s most strategic industries, touching every aspect of our economy and society. By bringing together executives, innovators, investors, and policymakers in a focused environment, we help anticipate what’s next, foster meaningful connections, and contribute to the conversations that will define the future of energy,” said Juan Carlos Pereira.
SPAIN-U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Florida is an official chamber established as a private, non-profit organization and a member of FECECA, the Federation of Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce in the Americas. With more than 520 member companies, it is one of the leading binational business organizations in the United States, bringing together companies of all sizes and industries with a shared interest in expanding business opportunities between Spain, the United States, and Latin America.
Celebrating more than 46 years of promoting bilateral trade and investment, the Chamber organizes over 40 corporate and networking events annually, providing a platform for business leaders to exchange knowledge, foster strategic partnerships, and strengthen economic ties between both countries.
