In this episode, Chad Hughes welcomes Matteo Villani, President of 3 Peaks Land & Engagement Inc, to the show to explore the regulatory environment in British Columbia and the complexity of navigating the Indigenous communities, the environmental and regulatory needs, and the agricultural land reserve restrictions in order to access land for oil and gas assets. Matteo takes us through his twenty year career in the industry and speaks from his experience working in BC.

With a landman father, Matteo was exposed to the industry early. The stories he heard from his father and father’s colleagues impressed upon him the idea of landmen as problem solvers which gave him a fascination with the industry. Out of university he secured an internship program at Shell Canada and started his career in a research team exploring northern Canada, the Beaufort Sea area. His career would then lead him to Enbridge Energy and finally to Crew Energy.

Matteo defines the layers of British Columbia’s regulatory system for Chad, starting with the Agricultural Land Reserve. An environmental report including soil examination, wildlife concerns, and even an archaeological assement, related to the Heritage Conservation Act, are all required. He explains the complexities of First Nations consultation as well. Matteo and Chad discuss the skills Matteo learned early in his career that assisted in working in BC, different regulation requirements in BC jurisdictions, and how to manage internal relationships within a company navigating a complex system. Matteo’s insight and advice are valuable and shed light on what is needed for a successful venture in BC land.

“I really could take some of the skills that I learned, particularly at, you know, the kitchen table and with communities across Canada. It's really honing in on that listening skill and making sure that you understand what the issues are and not assume what the issues are.” - Matteo Villani

---

Chad Hughes | CEO, Entrepreneurial Leader, Author: website |linkedin

Matteo Villani | President of 3 Peaks Land & Engagement Inc: linkedin

__

In this episode, Chad Hughes welcomes Ramiro Roel, Senior Manager of Development at Leeward Renewable Energy, to the show to discuss his current position in being a key part of getting site control for Leeward’s renewable developments across the US. They explore Ramiro’s upbringing and how the relationships built in his early career influenced his work journey. Ramiro talks about many aspects of renewable energy, his expertise, and some of the reasons he hears for people rejecting renewables.

Ramiro was born and bred in Texas and grew up around the oil and gas sector. He tells Chad about the relationships he formed in the early days working on his dad’s ranch that still inform some of his work today. He names some of the influential people who helped shape his early career in Field Services and the lessons learned then that he’s always followed.

Chad and Ramiro explore renewable energy at depth, from the false narratives that people believe about renewables to the specific work Ramiro does in his current position at Leeward Renewable Energy. He describes his process of listening to landowners and learning from their concerns so he can be transparent about what the process is about. Chad hears the guiding principles that have led Ramiro throughout his career and solicits advice from him for anyone looking to get into the land profession. The conversation highlights how relationships drive careers and the opportunities inherent in renewable resources.

“I want to try to get them to understand, to better have a situation as to where we're coming from. We're not the big bad wolf. We're trying to come in and actually create energy for those folks that absolutely need it, and so if there's something that we can do about it, then obviously that's something where we step in and explain and lay all our cards out on the table. This is why we're here. This is what I'm trying to do.” - Ramiro Roel

About Ramiro Roel:

With an extensive background in land management and real estate within the energy sector, Ramiro Roel’s focus centers on leveraging project planning, development and supervisory skills to advance renewable energy initiatives. Leading Greenfield development campaigns, his role is pivotal in expanding renewable energy projects through expert lease negotiations and strategic project planning. Ramiro’s recent tenures at Kinder Morgan, Inc., and Buckeye Partners have honed his expertise in lease negotiations and stakeholder management, ensuring smooth project progression and sustainable land use.

Ramiro’s team's efforts in focusing on alternative energy solutions reinforce a commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement. Proficient in Spanish, he bridges communication gaps, fostering inclusive collaboration across diverse teams and international projects. At the core of his professional mission lies a dedication to optimizing land resources for the energy transition, with every successful negotiation reflecting this steadfast goal.

---

Chad Hughes | CEO, Entrepreneurial Leader, Author: website |linkedin

Ramiro Roel |Sr. Manager Development, Leeward Renewable Energy: website | linkedin

In this episode, Chad Hughes welcomes Kristina Hamernik, Energy Storage Development Manager at Innergex, to the show to talk about land access and stakeholder engagement from the developer perspective. Kristina talks about the personal experience she had living abroad that led her to study renewable energy. She shares her career journey since then, her philosophy, and how the technology being used to develop battery storage sites is changing.

It was the experience of living abroad in Krakow, Poland and developing allergic reactions to the smog while running that led Kristina to research clean air and into getting her Masters at Sciences Po in France. Her career has led her through Public Energy where shse was focused on diversifying energy mixes and fossil fuel dependant remote locations to her position with Innergex today. She tells Chad about her experiences working with land professionals and hearing landowner stories early on in her work.

Chad and Kristina dive into the very human element of land development projects, the company perspective of not just generating revenue but focusing on people and prosperity and ensuring a benefit to the planet, and what factors can cause land owners to back away from projects being discussed. Kristina also explains what battery energy storage looks like and her role in working to develop and expand the adoption and understanding of the advantages of energy storage. This episode highlights work in the renewable space and the vital importance of the human element of the land piece.

“... energy storage is moving fast, and it's exciting because it's moving quickly, which might be a cause for concern, but I have to say, this industry is so quick on adopting lessons learned. There are so many success cases. And then there are cases where there's definitely things to be taken for the future and adopting different measures. And I think principally everything is health and safety. That's the crux of it. But it's an industry where best practices are advancing so, so quickly because the lessons learned are being adopted and taken very seriously, which is really exciting. And then when you combine that with decreasing price trends because of increased demand, for example, these projects are commercially viable.” - Kristina Hamernik

About Kristina Hamernik:

While living abroad, a personal experience served as the catalyst for Kristina’s career change and dive into the energy industry. She is passionate about the opportunities for enhancing energy security while adopting clean energy solutions. Kristina has worked as a business and early-stage project developer for renewable energy solutions for remote regions and islanded diesel power grids and included work on projects for remote mining operations, Northern communities, post-natural disaster grid reconstruction and modular renewable solutions for military applications.

Kristina’s current role is Development Manager for Energy Storage at Innergex, where she is driven by the opportunities and benefits of wide-spread adoption of energy storage across Canada and internationally.

Based out of Montreal, Kristina is enjoys being active outdoors during all-seasons with a love for cross country and downhill skiing, hiking as well as regularly practicing kickboxing. She is currently training for her first triathlon.

---

Chad Hughes | CEO, Entrepreneurial Leader, Author: website |linkedin

Kristina Hamernik |Energy Storage Development Manager, Innergex: website | linkedin