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Rick Hornby

Rick Hornby is a Senior Consultant at Synapse Energy Economics. He has worked in the energy industry since 1976 as a regulatory consultant, senior civil servant, and project engineer. Mr. Hornby's primary areas of focus are planning, market structure, ratemaking and contracting in the electricity and natural gas industries. He has provided expert testimony and litigation support on these issues in approximately 100 proceedings on behalf of utility regulators, consumer advocates, energy marketers, gas producers, and utilities.

Since joining Synapse in 2006, Mr. Hornby has analyzed a range of electricity planning, portfolio management, procurement and ratemaking issues in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nova Scotia, New Jersey and Rhode Island. In 2007 he led the preparation of a forecast of avoided costs of electricity and natural gas in New England over a 15 year planning horizon for a consortium of electric utilities, gas utilities, and regulators.

Prior to joining Synapse, Mr. Hornby was a Principal with CRA International, formerly Tabors Caramanis & Associates. There he provided expert testimony and litigation support in several energy contract price arbitration proceedings, as well as in ratemaking proceedings in Ontario, New York, Nova Scotia, and New Jersey. He also managed a major productivity improvement and planning project for two electric distribution companies within the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority.

Mr. Hornby worked as a regulatory consultant with the Tellus Institute (formerly Energy Systems Research Group) from 1986 to 1998, where he addressed a wide range of energy and environmental issues. As Director of their Energy Group, he presented testimony on rates for unbundled retail services in restructured retail markets and analyzed the options for purchasing electricity and gas in those markets. As Manager of the Natural Gas Program, he prepared testimony and reports on gas industry restructuring, unbundled services, ratemaking, strategic planning, market analyses, and supply planning.

Prior to 1986, Mr. Hornby held several positions in the Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy. As Assistant Deputy Minister of Energy he directed the preparation of provincial energy plans and analyses of policies to improve efficiency of energy use and to develop Nova Scotia's natural gas, coal, and renewable energy resources. He also served as a Member of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Oil and Gas Board, responsible for regulating oil and gas exploration and development. Earlier in his career Mr. Hornby was a project engineer responsible for energy management programs in industry.

Mr. Hornby has a Master of Science in Technology and Policy from MIT and a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Dalhousie University.