In addition to providing consultancy and publishing services, MJMEnergy has provided training and capacity building services to its clients throughout the world. One of the ways it has done this has been by developing the fictitious nation of Dynamica which has its own offshore gas fields, onshore transportation regime and gas consumers. Using this ingenious platform MJMEnergy has been able to develop a series of business games and simulations that very effectively introduce course delegates to ‘real-life’ situations in the safety of the lecture room. For example, gas trading, gas contract negotiation, gas market liberalisation and gas marketing strategies.
The following are some examples of our work undertaken in this area;
Intro to Dynamica
Dynamica: Negotiation
Dynamica: Gas Market Liberalisation
Dynamica: Gas Trading
Interactive Games
Intro to Dynamica
MJMEnergy has developed the fictitious island of Dynamica in order to provide a flexible and versatile framework for capacity building in the energy industry. By adapting the infrastructure of this fantasy island, just about any situation can be created to effectively communicate and build understanding of the energy industry – or any other business for that matter.
The island of Dynamica contains all the different characteristics of a developing energy market including the following:
- Gas supplies – Dynamica is supplied by four offshore gas fields called Faith, Hope, Charity and Dependable. Also under certain circumstances Dynamica can import gas via an inter-connector or LNG via a new import terminal.
- Gas demand – Dynamica has a variety of gas users including power generators, chemical plants as well as commercial and domestic customers.
- Network infrastructure- Dynamica has an extensive high-pressure gas pipeline network, connecting supplies with customers and a neighbouring Island via an inter-connector. which
The actual details of companies, customers and market structures can vary from exercise to exercise depending upon the training requirements of the client.
Dynamica: Negotiation
Both negotiating teams are given briefing packs which provide each team with information relating to gas supplies, gas demand and other information relevant to the negotiation. Through a series of negotiation meetings overseen by MJMEnergy and participating company experts, the teams negotiate a gas contract covering the key contract issues of volume, duration, initial price, take-or-pay level and price escalation.
Key learning objectives
- To experience the process and practice of intense negotiation.
- To help delegates to set and manage negotiating positions.
- To expose delegates to the technical requirements of gas purchase negotiations.
Dynamica: Gas Market Liberalisation
This business game explores the issues associated with gas market liberalisation drawing on the framework set by the fictitious island of Dynamica using the region of Hypothermia, which is dominated by NGC (The National Gas Company of Hypothermia).
Using the region of Hypothermia as a framework, delegates are given particular roles in the energy industry such as the Minister of Energy; The MD of the local gas monopoly NGC; The energy regulator and large users of gas. Each delegate is then given a briefing pack relevant to their role and given the opportunity to explore a variety of gas market liberalisation strategies through a series of exercises. These include:
- Understanding the political dynamics of gas market liberalisation.
- Exploring different unbundling strategies.
- Developing a gas release programme in the light of ‘Take-or-pay’ contract restraints.
- Exploring gas transportation charging methodologies.
Currently set in a land called Hypothermia the case study develops over four separate exercises as players consider strategic, political and economic factors to determine gas import strategy, company unbundling, market liberalisation and gas trading. Key learning objectives
- To understand the roles and interactions between the different stakeholders.
- To understand the different stakeholder strategies use in a liberalising market.
- To explore the different legislative and regulatory components required.
Dynamica: Gas Trading
The gas trading game is presented over one or two hours as part of a training course or as a stand-alone team building exercise. Gas comes into the Dynamica National Grid at two locations: the LNG import facility at Ampleton (Terminal 1) and the pipeline gas import facility at Flowing Well (Terminal 2). Gas demand in Dynamica is based on three customer groups, domestic, industrial and interruptible which are supplied at a specific price and peak day volume and demand according to local weather situations.
Each company (delegate teams) has a data briefing pack that consists of the following:
- Demand data allows each company to calculate the demand and associated income of its customers on any given day.
- Supply data which is based on gas supply contracts including parameters such a ACQ, MDQ, price, and Take-or-Pay commitments.
- Other relevant background information on the gas trading market.
Each company is required to participate a series of exercises that ultimately results in all the companies trading gas in a ‘real to life’ daily competitive gas trading market, as follows:
- Each company is encouraged to establish a gas trading strategy.
- Each company is expected to identify the different team member roles.
- Once strategies and roles have been established each company can compete in the Dynamica gas trading market.
Teams must trade with each other to successfully balance their supply and demand whilst attempting to gain a larger profit than their competitors. Teams make bids and offers in an open outcry trading platform during timed sessions. Each session simulates one day and the exercise is normally conducted over a ‘four-day’ time period. Good trading and avoidance of imbalance penalties will determine the winner.
Key learning objectives
- To experience the speed and intensity of a daily gas trading market.
- To understand the importance of supply/demand management.
- To optimize income, take-or-pay, interruptible customers and penalties in a competitive market. for failure to meet demand.
- To encourage the participants to think strategically about how to trade gas with a given gas supply and demand portfolio.
- To win!
Interactive Games
As part of your capacity building experience we enable you to get as close as you can to reality in the form of competitive games that have been designed specifically to cement the knowledge that you have been presented with in the teaching sessions. These are based on the realities of energy prices, weather upsets and even chance cards to represent real life situations.
You may experience an unscheduled shut down of your power station or an earthquake that disrupts your gas supply but you will still be expected to balance your position and maintain supply to your customers.
In order to do this, you will need to work out a strategy or use your teams problem-solving skills.
Everything is presented in a creative format, making it a fun way to experience serious scenarios and learn how to deal with them.
As well as being enjoyable and fast moving, these games will identify some very deft traders, strategic thinkers and excellent operational skills.