Energy Unplugged by Aurora

In this episode, our Managing Director in Australia Hugo Batten speaks to Farhad Billimoria, Energy Systems Researcher, Energy & Power Group at the University of Oxford and Rowan von Spreckelsen, Principal in our Sydney office.  Farhard is currently completing his PhD on energy markets in Oxford and he has worked for Australia’s system operator AEMO, Mercer, CalPERS and AMP Capital Investors. The focus of the discussion is around the Australian energy market and incentive structures to bring on new renewables and firming capacity.  Main topics include: •The major challenges and opportunities for renewables and storage investment in Australia •Market design reforms and incentive structures shifting through renewables •The New South Wales Government contracts structures, key components and implications for market participants Next week on Energy Unplugged we will welcome Tony Cocker, Senior Independent Director of SSE plc. Stay tuned! Support the show

This week on Energy Unplugged we have a Christmas special episode in which we focus on waste management and energy from waste in particular. Our Research Director, Richard Howard is joined by two waste experts: Julia Watsford, CEO at Enfinium, the largest pure-play waste-to-energy operator in the UK and Chris Jonas, Director at Tolvik Consulting, one of the expert advisors on waste markets in the UK and Europe.  Main topics include: •COVID impact on the waste-to-energy sector •The role of waste management in the Net Zero transition  •Views on a potential incineration tax  •Negative emissions and the potential of energy from waste to incorporate CCS Support the show

In this episode, our Head of Commissioned Projects for Western Europe, Felix Chow-Kambitsch is talking to Boris Schucht, Chief Executive Officer of Urenco, an international supplier of uranium enrichment services. Boris joined Urenco in May 2019 from 50Hertz, the North-East German Transmission System Operator, where he has held the position of Chief Executive Officer since 2010. Previously he held a number of senior executive positions within the energy sector across Germany and Europe, including WEMAG AG and the Vattenfall Group. Felix and Boris discuss: •The role of nuclear in the energy transition and nuclear innovation •Key takeaways from COP26 and what is needed to ensure the targets are met •Pairing hydrogen and nuclear to decarbonize hard to abate sectors Next week on Energy Unplugged we will welcome Julia Watsford, CEO at Enfinium & Chris Jonas, Director at Tolvik Consulting. Stay tuned! Support the show

Our Commercial Manager Lisa Langer is joined by Christoph Strasser, Co-CEO of Pacifico Renewables Yield, a renewable energy producer with a quickly growing portfolio of roughly 170 MW.  Christoph joined Pacifico Renewables Yield as Co-CEO in October 2019 and prior to that he spent few years in J.P. Morgan‘s Corporate & Investment Bank. Christoph has a B.Sc. in Business Administration from University of Mannheim and M.Sc. in Management from University of Mannheim and ESSEC Business School.  Lisa and Christoph discuss: •Pacifico’s market expansion to The UK, Netherlands and Australia •Moving to less established markets and taking on merchant exposure in Pacifico’s projects •Power prices affecting renewables investment  •The next big challenge for the energy transition Support the show

Thekla von Bülow, Principal for Commissioned Projects in our Berlin office is joined by Shaun Kingsbury, Chief Investment Officer of Just Climate.  Shaun started his career working for Shell and in 2012 he has set up the world’s first low carbon investment bank – Green Investment Bank, which was later acquired by Macquarie Group. Currently Shaun is Chairman of Renewable Power Capital, Co-founder and Board member of Climate Transition Capital, Chairman of CNG Fuels and Chief Investment Officer of Just Climate, a new business launched in the beginning of November.  The focus of the conversation is on sustainable finance and climate impact investment helping to accelerate climate action.  Thekla and Shaun discuss: •Subsidy schemes for renewables vs. merchant / PPAs  •The role of the private sector in investing into clean energy technologies  •The ESG investment movement  •Corporate PPAs as a tool for decarbonisation Support the show

In this episode, our Head of Commissioned Projects in Central Europe, Hanns Koenig is joined by Christian Thiel, CEO of EnergyNest, a high temperature energy storage company.  Christian started his career at BMW and prior to joining EnergyNest in 2014 he worked as Investment Banker at UBS and as Consultant at McKinsey and he was the Vice President for Business Development and Marketing at Senvion. Christian has a PhD in Economics and Marketing focussing on designing sales structures in foreign markets.  The focus of the discussion is around the importance of addressing industrial heat for reaching Net Zero.  Main topics include: •EnergyNest’s technology and its role in the energy transition •The challenge of addressing the emissions coming from the heat sector •The current and future gas and carbon prices  •Hydrogen vs electrification Support the show

With National Grid just announcing that the group expects profits to hit top end of range on soaring energy prices as a result of interconnectors, the focus of today's show is on interconnectors’ role in delivering NetZero and the North Sea Link project as the world’s longest subsea interconnector linking the UK and Norway.  In this episode, our Managing Director for UK and Ireland - Dan Monzani is delighted to be joined by Cordi O’Hara, President of National Grid Ventures at National Grid. Cordi has more than 20 years’ experience in the energy industry, managing key relationships with government officials, regulators and customers. She began her career trading power and gas for Centrica and between 2014 and 2017 she was Director of the UK System Operator. Prior to joining National Grid Ventures, Cordi was Chief Operating Officer for the US Gas Business for National Grid.  Dan and Cordi also discuss: •The UK’s 40GW offshore wind target by 2030 and the technical barriers to get there •COP26 and the opportunities for wider global cooperation on grids  •The most attractive business environment for investing in hydrogen at the moment Support the show

In this episode we’re talking about power exchanges as a vital part of traded power markets. Our CEO John Feddersen is joined by Georg Aasen, Vice President at Nasdaq Commodities, which runs one of Europe’s largest power exchanges. Prior to this role, Georg was Head of Marketplace at Nord Pool and built up deep experience in the economics of power exchanges.  John and Georg discuss: •The key characteristics of a successful power trader •Social contribution of markets and what would the European power market look like in the absence of power exchanges •The evolution of renewables offtake and PPAs  •The future of non-power contracts and hydrogen Support the show

This week on Energy Unplugged we have a special episode which comes right after the UK Government published its Net Zero Strategy in response to the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations for the Sixth Carbon Budget and during COP26 taking place in Glasgow. Our Managing Director for UK and Ireland - Dan Monzani is joined by Lord Deben, Chairman of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in a conversation about Net Zero and prospects for COP26.  Lord Deben has over 50 years’ experience in public life, consistently as a deep influential voice on climate change and the environment. He was the UK’s longest-serving Secretary of State for the Environment (1993 to 1997) and he has held several other high-level ministerial posts, including Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1989 to 1993). Since 2012 he is the Chair of CCC, an independent, statutory body established under the Climate Change Act 2008 with the main purpose to advise the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets.  Dan and Lord Deben discuss: •The UK’s Net Zero Strategy - in which sectors the Government's plans are most complete and where are there the biggest holes •The investment costs of Net Zero and who pays for it •COP26 and the key ingredients in a successful climate diplomacy Support the show

In this episode, our Managing Director in Australia, Hugo Batten is joined by Rupert Maloney, Head of Hydrogen at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and Weijie Mak, Principal in Aurora’s office in Australia.  Before joining CEFC, Rupert was General Manager of Strategy & Corporate Development at Ampol, an Australian fuels player, as well as a banker at Macquarie and a lawyer at Baker & McKenzie. The discussion is focused on hydrogen and the opportunities for developing a hydrogen industry in Australia.  The main topics include: •Key takeaways of CEFC’s recent Australian hydrogen market study •Hydrogen as an export opportunity for Australia and prioritization of domestic opportunities  •How the Europeans are designing their markets around hydrogen  •The low electrolyzer CAPEX and the cost of capital reductions Support the show