CLASS OF 2016
WORLD-GENERATION FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016
25
Francis Cann was recently appointed
vice president and business development
director for the power group at WSP |
Parsons Brinckerhoff, a global engineer-
ing and professional services organization.
In his new position, he is responsible for
business development strategies in power
generation, transmission and distribution
(T&D), hydropower, renewables, and ener-
gy services projects across the U.S.
The power group at WSP | Parsons
Brinckerhoff, a part of the firm’s U.S.
Industrial and Energy sector, is a leading
provider of technical, project management
and consulting services for both T&D and
generation projects. The group’s work
includes application of conventional tech-
nologies for new power generating facilities
and rehabilitation of older plants, as well as
more innovative techniques to increase
energy efficiency, including cogeneration,
combined-cycle generation and the use of
renewable energy sources.
Mr. Cann has over 35 years of experi-
ence in the power engineering and con-
struction industry, having managed major
projects involving nuclear generation, coal
power, combined cycle systems, hydropow-
er, power delivery, and energy plant
upgrades. He earned a bachelor’s degree in
mechanical engineering from Manhattan
College and began his career as a mechani-
cal engineer in nuclear generation in New
York City. Through the 1980s and 1990s he
travelled across the U.S. and Mexico work-
ing on numerous major power plant proj-
ects. In the 2000s he diversified his career
in coal power, combined cycle power,
hydropower, power delivery systems, ener-
gy plant upgrades, chemical plant upgrades
and U.S. military base upgrades. He recent-
ly managed a $1.6 billion utility electric cap-
ital improvement program from planning/
conceptual design through commissioning,
consisting of 400 projects ranging from
$50,000 to $50 million each.
According to Mr. Cann, with the aging
T&D infrastructure in the U.S. there is a
surge in demand for T&D and substation
engineering capabilities. “At WSP | Parsons
Brinckerhoff, we offer expertise in conven-
tional high-voltage overhead transmission
and specialized underground transmission
systems,” Mr. Cann explained. “We’ve
worked on every major network element,
including overhead lines, substations,
underground and submarine cables, protec-
tion and control systems, and supervisory
control and data acquisition (SCADA)/dis-
tribution management systems.”
With lower gas prices, Mr. Cann finds
there is an incentive to add gas-fueled
power plants to generating companies’
fleets for peaking and to the private indus-
trial sector to take advantage of the market
price. “The desired addition of gas units is
producing opportunities for our generation
group as this is one of our specialties,” he
pointed out.
He also finds that with the current oil
glut there is a pressing need for storage
solutions, particularly underground facili-
ties. “Facing the challenges of stockpiling
their excess capacity, major oil companies
are finding that underground storage in salt
caverns can be a cost-effective approach,”
he noted. “At WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff,
we have decades of expertise in the devel-
opment of these types of underground stor-
age facilities.”
Mr. Cann continues to see opportuni-
ties with renewables as well. “Development
of solar, wind and biofuel resources will
continue to expand as we move toward a
more carbon neutral posture in the U.S.,”
he said. “And since these resources are not
always near the electric grid, there will be a
growing need for interconnection facilities
and T&D capacity to bring the power to
where it’s most needed.”
Despite today’s low oil prices, Mr. Cann
remains bullish on the energy industry.
“While we are certainly in a period of tran-
sition, with significant turmoil in energy
markets, the U.S. is on a course that will
result in greater diversity of energy
resources and major upgrades to our elec-
tric utility infrastructure,” he commented.
“It has always been my belief that times of
great challenge are also times of great
opportunity, which succinctly describes the
U.S. energy industry today.”
FRANCIS CANN
VP & Business Development Director
WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff Power Group
We have to work through archaic
documentation. Whether or not the tax
credits are extended — the ITC was
extended in late 2015 for an additional 5
years —, we really need a level playing
field. We have to price fossil fuels
correctly. A carbon tax should be part of
the mix. It makes logical sense and is the
right thing to do.
Can we do it politically? I think so.
What will be the tipping point?
Demographics. With the people in the
younger generations, the need to do some-
thing about climate change is ingrained.
Once they vote in greater numbers, they
will have an impact.
ABOUT ANDREW DE PASS
In 2015, Andrew de Pass was appointed
Chief Executive Officer of Conergy and is
responsible for the day-to-day management
of the company.
Andrew graduated in 1989 from The
Richard Ivey School of Business
Administration at the University of
Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Arts
with honors in Business Administration,
and was awarded the Gold Medal. He
received the designation of Chartered
Financial Analyst in 1998.
ANDREW dePASS
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