3. A zephyr is by definition a "breeze from the West"
and representative of our working environment;
winds of change blowing over utilities and the
mining sector throughout the world bringing with
them occidental customs and practices.
COMPANY PROFILE
ZÉPHYR is an international Canada-based
consulting firm specialized in Power, Water and
Mining sub-sector reforms in developing
countries.
BACKGROUND
Reform in Power, Water and Mining sectors has
been sweeping the world for over 10 years since
the collapse of Eastern Economies. Governments,
no longer able to sustain investments in
infrastructure to meet demand are turning towards
a multitude of reform options from privatisation to
management contracts and incentive schemes
such as BOOT (Build Own Operate and Transfer)
to interest the private sector into providing the
necessary investment. This frees up Government
budgets for more pressing needs in basic human
Health and Education and provides timely
injections of revenue to State Treasury in addition
to expanding the private sector.
SERVICES
ZEPHYR offers reform related services to
Investors, Governments, Utilities and International
Financial Institutions (IFI) in the implementation of
reforms. With extensive experience in North
American and Africa, ZEPHYR can operate
equally well in French as in English while the firm
has the resources to undertake assignments in
Spanish and Portuguese.
∂ Policy Formulation
∂ Demand Forecasting
∂ Least Cost Investment Planning
∂ Expansion Planning
∂ Mining Development Planning
∂ Corporate Restructuring and Reorganization
∂ Privatization
∂ Acquisition/Project Due Diligence
∂ Investor and Negotiation support
∂ Interim Management
∂ Investment Promotion
∂ Database Management and Geomatics
4. ∂ Integrated Growth Poles: preparation and
implementation
These services can be supplied either on an
individual basis or through the corporation.
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5. LIST OF CLIENTS
Institutions
Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA); World Bank, African Development Bank,
Asian Development Bank, UNDP, FENU, ADEME,
Quebec Energy Board, AQME, OMVG, OMVS,
public ministries in Angola, Bahrain, Benin,
Burundi, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, China,
Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, India,
Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Mali,
Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Philippines,
Thailand, Quebec, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia,
Senegal, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
USAID.
Consulting and engineering companies
BCEOM, Coyne et Bellier, DECON, Deloitte
Touche Tomahtsu, Ernst & Young, HALCROW,
I.C.E.A, Louis Berger, Ogilvie, Renaud,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, ROCHE, RSW, SEED,
SNC-Lavalin, SOGREAH, TECSULT.
Water management companies:
ADM (Mozambique), CASAN (Brazil) CEDAE
(Brazil), EMAE (Sao Tome), LYSA (France)
REGIDESO (Burundi), SABESP (Brazil), SAUR
(France), SAUR INTERNATIONAL (France),
SBEE (Benin), SEEG (Guinea), SONEG (Guinea),
VIVENDI;
Power management companies
EDF (France), EDM (Mozambique) EECI (Côte
d’Ivoire) ENELGUI (Guinea), ENERCA, (Central
African Republic), Hydro-Quebec (Canada),
SAKENERGO (Georgia), SEGESA (Equatorial
Guinea) SENELEC (Senegal), SOGEL (Guinea),
TransÉnergie (Quebec).
Investment Bankers
BNP/Paribas (France); KBC (Belgium).
RESOURCES
Our experts all have extensive line management
experience complemented with a wide range of
international consulting assignments and all can
work in English and French.
Gilles Baril: Power Transmission Planning Expert
and Equipment Specialist
Roland Brilot: Institutional Reform and
Privatization Specialist (Power and Water)
Roger Christen: Institutional Reform and
Privatization Specialist (Power, Water, Mining)
Peter Czech: HV Transmission System Planning
and Operations and Regulation
Vincent David: Energy Economics and Demand
Side Management
Louis Doransky: HR and Training Specialist
Jacques Fontaine: Demand Forecasting and
Tariff Specialist
Miville Gagnon: Hydroelectric Dam Design and
Operation, Safety
Florent Gauthier : Institutional Reform and
Privatization Specialist (Mining) Reform
Nilgün Gökgür : Social impact of privatizations
specialist
Hassan Hussein: Investment Banker
Yves Ménard: Regulatory Expert (Power)
Simon Paré: Electricity Markets Specialist,
Generation and Corporate Planning
Dr. Co Pham: Electricity Tariff Specialist
Gilles Sergerie: Geomatics - IT
3
6. TYPICAL
ASSIGNMENTS
Institutional Strengthening, Reorganization and Reform
Institutional and commercial
framework
Ertan Hydroelectric
Power Station,
Sichuan Province,
China
Power Sector Institutional
Strengthening
Heilongjiang Power
Company,
Heilongjiang
province, China
Operational Reorganisation Guinea
Consolidation of Energy Sector
Activities
Sierra Leone
Restructuring of Energy Sector ENELGUI, Guinea
Public Enterprise Sector
Restructuring
ACT, CFCO, PPN,
SNE, SNDE,
VNTF, Congo
Russian Power Sector Reform Murmansk Region,
Russia
Electricity Markets and Energy Trade
Co-ordinated exchange of Power OMVS, Mali,
Mauritania,
Senegal
Integration of Power generation
and transmission facilities
Gambia, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau,
Senegal
Nam-Khan II Power Project Laos
Notheast China Power Project China
Interconnection Project Russia-China
High Voltage Transmission
systems
(OMVS) Mali,
Mauritania,
Senegal
Interconnection Study Egypt Syria Turkey
and Iraq
National Grid Corporation Study NGCL, Laos
Arabic Gulf Countries
Interconnection ( GCC) Bahrain, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar,
United Em.
Expansion Planning
Modernisation Program Libya
Generation Planning Canada
Rural Electrification Master Plan Burundi
Hydro-Quebec Investment Plan Canada
Integrated Growth Poles
Pôles intégrés de croissance
(World Bank excellence award for
Africa 2007)
Madagascar
PPA/IPP
600 MW IPP PPA negotiations Morocco
Bogoutchanskaya
Power Station project Russia
Independent Power
generation and wholesale
electricity markets seminar Tunisia
Privatization
Privatisation of Servicios
Elecricos del Gran Buenos Aires
SEGBA, Argentina
Privatisation of Egyptian Public
Sector Enterprises
Egypt
Privatisation of the Electricity
Utility
SENELEC,
Senegal
Assistance to State Enterprises
Privatisation
Latvia, Tanzania,
Ghana, Niger,
Madagascar,
Cameroon
Tariff Setting
Conditions for financial
equilibrium in the sector
Central African
Republic
Tariff setting Canada
Mining Reform
Laos Mineral Development Plan Laos PDR
Management Information
Systems
Philippines
Mining Development Plan Morocco
4
7. BIOGRAPHIES
Gilles Baril, B.A., B.A.Sc. Electrical engineering,
Senior Transmission Systems Planner. Electrical
Engineer with over 26 years of experience in
power system planning and 9 years in electrical
equipment research and testing. Has been
involved in many international and national
technical and standardization organizations such
as IEEE, IEC, CIGRE, CEA and has co-authored
many papers in the electrical power industry field.
Has also been involved at various levels
in many international projects.
Roland Brilot, B.Sc. Physics, Civil engineering,
Certificate of environmental Science, Power Utility
consultant and Institutional Reform Specialist. 25
years of experience. Mr. Brilot has worked for 20
years in the electric sector, successively for a
public utility (Hydro-Quebec), bilateral and
international financial institutions (Canadian
International Development Agency, World Bank),
and since 1991 for various consulting
engineering firms. He is a specialist in
energy planning, power generation
planning, energy economics, institutional
reform and privatization. Experienced in
project cost benefit analysis, long-run
marginal cost analysis for optimization
purposes. Preparation, supervision and
implementation of energy projects in developing
countries (Africa, Latin America and Asia) hydro
and thermal generation, transmission and
distribution, rural electrification, institutional sup-
port, energy sector restructuring, training.
Extensive overseas experience. Since he joined
the private sector, he is more and more involved
in business development, contacts with clients
and financial institutions, financial packaging,
proposals, contract negotiation and
administration. In the last four years, he worked
almost exclusively as a Consultant, either to
Governments or private Investors on water and
electricity public utilities, privatization projects, and
for independent private power producers. He is
well aware of the various privatization schemes
and related legal and financial issues, financial
simulations of the transactions, negotiation of
legal documents such as Concession
Agreements, Power Purchase Agreements, Fuel
Purchase Agreements, etc.
5
8. Roger Christen, B.Sc. Engineering. MBA,
President of Zéphyr. 30 years of experience.
Roger Christen is an engineer, MBA and a
Certified Management Consultant and senior
project manager with a varied experience in
several aspects of utility and mining reform, from
managing power utilities to institutional streng-
thening, privatization, letting of concessions, tariff
setting, etc. He has professional experience in
consulting and in line management for both
private and public sector institutions, at the
national and international levels. Some 13 years
of his early career were spent with Price Water-
house Management Consulting Services. He has
spent the last eleven years in international
consulting for donors, governments and public en-
terprises mainly in the development of the private
sector, in design and implementation of
privatization programs, in institutional restructuring
projects and enterprise reorganization and
management. He has lived with his family
overseas for extended periods. He has
been at the head of his consulting
enterprise for the last seven years. His long
personal experience with donor funded
projects, in leading large multidisciplinary
teams in complex institutional reform
assignments internationally and especially
with line management experience in developing
countries, combined with his personal living and
investment experiences give him a unique
perspective on power, water and mining sector
reform.
Peter Czech, B. Electrical Engineering, M.Sc.
Electrical Engineering, over 25 years of
experience with Hydro-Quebec in HV
Transmission Systems Planning & Operations and
regional power agreements. Mr. Czech has been
Consultant to the Quebec Energy Board on
matters affecting the bulk electric transmission
system in the North East. (Canada-US) and
Consultant to the law firm of Ogilvie, Renaud in
the Quebec/Vermont interconnection contract
arbitration process. He was also Executive
assistant to the Director of power system
operations, TransEnergie, a division of Hydro-
Quebec. As such, he was responsible for
representing the interests of Trans Energie at the
Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC),
North American Electric Reliability Council
(NERC) and Congrès international des Grands
réseaux électriques (CIGRÉ). Mr. Czech was also
the Canadian representative to Study Committee
39 (System operations) of CIGRÉ, and
prepared and presented to the Warren
Commission of inquiry the operational
review of the events following the January
98 ice storm.
Vincent David, Economist, is specialized in
Energy demand studies, Economic and
financial analysis for investment projects, Project
management, Energy Efficiency Policies and
Program Design, and Energy project monitoring.
He has been involved in DSM activities from its
very beginning in Canada in the mid-seventies.
He highly contributed to launching DSM policies
and programs in the Province of Quebec, and has
been involved in this sector at numerous levels
ever since. He has extensive international
experience in the field.
9. Miville Gagnon, B.A Sc, Civil Engineering, M.Sc.
(Hydraulics) M.I.T., USA, over 35 years
experience, Senior civil engineer – Dam safety
and water management. Mr. Gagnon has
extensive senior level experience in the design of
hydro projects covering both dam safety aspects
as well as operational issues. He has been
involved in numerous projects dealing with the
evaluation of hydropower sites both in Canada
and throughout the world. Mr. Gagnon has worked
with various consulting engineering firms including
as a hydraulic engineer with The SNC Group and
Acres Ltd., and as project manager with RSW Inc.
Since 1992, he has worked as a
senior power project consultant.
Hassan Hussein, BA Business
Administration, Senior Financial
Executive and Investment Banking
Specialist, 23 years of experience.
Mr. Hassan Hussein is Chairman
and Managing Director of his own Investment
advisory services firm TIIA, and is the first
President of the Egypt branch of the KBC Bank
(Belgium). For the past three years, TIIA was the
local partner of the Deloitte-Roche Consortium, a
Canadian Executing Agency of a major CIDA-
funded privatization project in Egypt. He was
formerly the Deputy Chief Executive of a Bechtel
Privatization Project in Egypt (USAID funded). Mr.
Hussein holds a certificate from Harvard
University in Corporate Finance and has
extensive experience in privatization, investment
banking, fund management, international stock
markets, and public offerings in Europe, the
Middle East, and Egypt. Mr. Hussein worked with
various Egyptian public sector holding companies
and their affiliated company chairmen since 1991
and led the effort to establish privatization units in
six holding companies. He was responsible for
debt analysis and development of privatization
methods and options. He has been recently
elected as board member and secretary general
to Egyptian Capital Market Association (ECMA)
and as such plays personally a leading senior role
in the development of the Capital Market as an
advocate to market forces. Before returning to
Egypt in 1992 he managed funds in Europe and
the Gulf, actively investing in the European stock
markets on behalf of Gulf investors and
established strong relationships with institutional
investors and leading investment banks. After
returning to Egypt he lectured on finance and
banking in the Central Bank of Egypt's Bankers
Institute and the AUC.
Jacques Fontaine, B.A Sc, M.Sc.
Electrical Engineering. 34 years of
experience. Demand Forecasting
Specialist - Extensive experience in
Demand Forecasting for power
networks and in tariffs. Mr. Fontaine
was with Hydro-Quebec from 1965 to 1997 where
he held many key positions including: Manager
Forecasting, Generating and transmission Group;
Adviser and team leader, Load forecasting,
Corporate Planning; Project Coordinator, Special
Projects, Hydro-Quebec’s Senior Management;
Head of Division Forecasting and System
Planning. More recently, Mr. Fontaine has been a
Senior Advisor for H-Q making representations
before Quebec’s Energy Board, acting as
representative in a first collective bargaining
agreement, and participating in rate studies for
new electrical loads of large industrial customers.
His International experience includes a World
Bank evaluation of the energy sector of Burundi
(work in Bujumbura and in Montreal) and energy
related projects in the USA, Madagascar and
Guinea-Conakry.
10. Florent Gauthier, Geological Engineer and
Consultant, Mines with over 30 years of
experience for both the private sector and for
international funding institutions specializing in
mining, geology, and mine evaluations since
1981, offering the contracted services of
geological and mining teams and active in several
junior mining investment companies with
exploration properties in Quebec and Mali, since
1997. In collaboration with a Canadian
Consortium headed by ROCHE in partnership
with Price Waterhouse, he was Study Director
responsible for all aspects in developing a
revitalization strategy for the Moroccan mining
sector other than phosphates. The study involved
a comprehensive review of all
aspects related to sector
development with a team of some 50
experts.
Rodrigue Haché, 25 years
experience with hydro-quebec in
technical areas including distribution
and metering, commercial activities (client
services, large clientèle, commercial programs)
and human resource management. mr. haché has
extensive management experience in a power
utility having been promoted over the years from
section chief up to general manager of a small
utility. he has 8 years of experience on
international experience including some 4 years in
guinea, two as general manager
Hubert Raoelison Andriamasoandro,
Electromechanical engineer of 54 years old with
29 years of experience in studies and project
works as planner, controller, coordinator and
department head in the industrial electricity sector
(generation and distribution of electricity). He was
responsible for the operation and maintenance of
complex of electricity generation (dams,
hydroelectric power stations and diesel plants, as
well as dispatch). He was as well a project
manager. He participated in the development of
the first electricity least cost expansion plan in
Madagascar.
For 10 years he was Department Head for
hydroelectric power stations within
the Generation and Transmission
Department responsible for the
management, operations and
maintenance of the hydroelectric
power stations at the National Utility
in Madagascar (JIRAMA). He was
also Head of the powerhouse at Andekaleka and
Mandraka, responsible for the rehabilitation and
return to operations of the hydroelectric power
station of Volobe (Toamasina) flooded by the
cyclone Honorine. He was Resident Head
Engineer for during the construction and initial
operation of the hydroelectric powerhouse at
Andekaleka as well of others.
11. Simon Paré, B.A Sc Engineering Physics, M.Sc.,
Industrial Management, DES - Applied
Economics, Electricity Markets Specialist. - Mr.
Paré is an international consultant on electrical
power systems. His scope of activities includes:
institutional audits and analysis, corporate
planning, generation planning, power systems
exchanges, wholesales tariffs, economic studies,
etc. Previously, Mr. Paré was employed by Hydro-
Quebec for 32 years. He was in charge of power
exchanges between Hydro-Quebec and the
neighboring systems of Ontario and New York
State. From 1995 to 2000, he served on Hydro-
Quebec’s Board of Directors where he
sat on the Executive, the Audit and other
BOD committees. Since 1995 as an
International Consultant on Power
Systems, Mr. Paré has been involved in
many power projects including: the
Gambia River Development Organization
(OMVG); the Bogoutchanskaya (Russia)
Power Station Rehabilitation; the Nam Khan II
Power Project (Laos) funded by CIDA; the
Northeast China Power Group (Asian
Development Bank.); the Russia-China
Interconnection Project aimed at interconnecting
the Russian (Siberian) grid with the Chinese grid;
the Laos National Grid Corporation Study. Mr.
Paré also worked on various international studies
for Hydro-Quebec International, in particular: as
leader of the team preparing the privatization
specifications of SEGBA (The Buenos Aires
Electric Utility) in Argentina (World Bank); as an
Institutional Specialist responsible for the
administrative structures, operation rules and
framework Study on an interconnection project
between the GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi
Arabia); as a consultant to the Senegal River
Development Organization (OMVS), for a study of
the high voltage transmission system connecting
Mali, Mauritania and Senegal with the Manantali
generating station; on the Egypt - Jordan - Syria -
Turkey - Iraq Interconnection Study; on the Ertan
Hydroelectric Power Station, Sichuan Province -
China aimed at defining an institutional and
commercial framework between the generation
and distribution utilities; Mr. Paré also worked at
the World Bank in Washington D.C. as a Power
Economist and Engineer on leave from Hydro-
Quebec.
12. Co Pham, B.Sc. Eng., M.Eng., PhD Engineering,
Tariff specialist, 28 years of experience. Dr. Co
Pham has more than 25 years of experience with
Hydro-Quebec in the field of Energy Development
and Regulation. He has directed numerous tariff,
tariff reform and rate adjustment studies in
Canada and in foreign countries. He is also a
planning specialist in least cost and marginal cost
studies. More recently, Dr. Co Pham has been
working as a Consultant in Regulation and Tariffs,
including an assignment as Team Leader for a
World Bank/CIDA Project in Russia providing
technical assistance to the Murmansk Regional
Energy Commission in conjunction with the
Russian Power Sector Reform Program.
13. Martin J. Poirier, B.A.Sc., Engineering, MBA,
Marketing & Privatization Specialist. Mr. Poirier is
an engineer and MBA with over 25 years of
experience in the marketing, management and
financing of many international utility projects in
the fields of engineering, construction, technology
transfer, institutional and corporate restructuring,
and privatization. He has held senior executive
positions with well-known engineering and
management consulting firms including in the
areas of strategic direction and corporate
governance. During his 10 years with The SNC
Group, he held several key positions including
Vice-president, Project Financing, CFO of a major
Electrification project in Saudi Arabia, Marketing
Director and Project manager on various power
and telecommunication utility projects. As Vice-
president of Price Waterhouse Canada Inc., Mr.
Poirier was responsible for the restructuring of a
large para-statal company in Gabon and was
assigned as Interim General Manager of
ENELGUI (Guinea Electric Power Authority). He
was also Assistant Vice-president of Teleglobe
Canada Inc., responsible for negotiating traffic
sharing agreements with Public
Telecommunications Utilities in Eastern Europe.
He has also been Vice-president of Arborescence,
a start-up company specializing in Internet
technologies. More recently, Mr.
Poirier has worked as a consultant for
Roche-Deloitte the CEA of a CIDA
funded privatization project in Egypt.
Mr. Poirier has worked, lived and held
long-term positions in several
countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle
East and the Caribbean.
Gilbert Sergerie,
M.Sc. and B.Sc.
Geological enginee-
ring, GIS specialist
with over 25 years
experience. Mr.
Sergerie is a senior
GIS specialist in all areas of Power and Mining
applications with extensive experience in
implementing GIS Mining and Power related
projects internationally. His expertise revolves
around management, consulting and development
of Information Systems for the resource and
power industries. As a project evaluation
specialist he has led the computer-based
assessment of over 50 mining projects of various
types around the world. Several GIS
applications/solutions have been developed
through his direct involvement in Thailand, Laos,
India, Nepal, and the Philippines. Positions held
by Mr. Sergerie include: Vice-President, Business
Development, CHIM; Project Director, Asia,
Photosur Geomat International; Consultant for the
United Nations in Lao People's Democratic
Republic; Geodata Specialist and Mining project
Evaluator, SNC Lavalin Inc.; Management
Consulting project leader, Napocor, Philippines;
Technical and Management consultant for an
integrated geo-scientific information
system in Thailand (CIDA funded).
More recently and for over five years,
Mr. Sergerie was involved as a mana-
gement consultant in the re-
structuring and privatization of
electrical utilities in India.
