Aurora Energy Research Podcast

This week on ‘Energy Unplugged’, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen is joined by Ralph Alexander, Chairman and CEO of Talen Energy, one of North America’s largest private power generation businesses.Some of the key topics include:•Supermajors’ role in low-carbon power generation•Energy transition and the future of nuclear •Decarbonisation policy and Government’s role to meet carbon targetsSupport the show

This week on 'Energy Unplugged', Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen discusses energy transition with EirGrid’s Chief Executive Mark Foley, the person responsible for keeping the lights on in one of Europe’s most ambitious electricity systems in terms of their decarbonisation goals.John and Mark discuss:• EirGrid’s mission to ‘transform the power system for future generations’• Ireland’s new Government ambition related to decarbornisation• Energy transition in terms of renewables development and networksSupport the show

In this week’s episode, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen is joined by Sam Arie, Research Analyst at UBS Investment Bank, to discuss financing the energy transition and the impact of COVID-19 on the utilities sector. Sam is one of the top utilities equities research analysts in the UK, and at UBS he leads the European Utilities Research team. John and Sam discuss:•The role of equities analysts•The impact of COVID-19 on the utilities sector, and policy response •Oil and gas majors’ contribution for financing the energy transitionSupport the show

As countries emerge from the Coronavirus lockdown and take stock of the severe economic impact they’ve seen, the focus is now on how to reboot the economy with significant stimulus packages of economic measures. In this week’s episode, Aurora’s Research Director Richard Howard discusses Green Stimulus with Cameron Hepburn, Professor of Environmental Economics and Director, Smith School, University of Oxford. Cameron and his team have been researching Green Stimulus, reviewing policies from around the world and the best measures to pursue from both the perspective of rebooting the economy and reducing emissions. Richard and Cameron discuss:•Different impacts of the pandemic across countries and industries, on emissions and wider environmental indicators •How we respond to the pandemic and what the recovery packages will contain•The best policies the UK Government should pursueSupport the show

Welcome to this week's instalment of our new podcast series ‘Energy Unplugged’. In this episode, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen discusses the Net Zero challenge with Emma Pinchbeck, the new appointed Chief Executive of Energy UK. Energy UK is perhaps the most influential energy industry group in the UK and Emma will join the trade association in July 2020, bringing with her valuable expertise and knowledge of the energy sector.Some of the main topics include: •Emma’s professional journey and transition from RenewableUK to the new role •Role of COP26 and the opportunity for the UK’s Government to shine on the international stage•The need of concrete actions for the UK to reach its Net Zero emissions targetSupport the show

Welcome to this week's episode of our new podcast series ‘Energy Unplugged’. Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen explores the energy transition globally in a great discussion with Riverstone’s Partner Chris Hunt. Riverstone is one of the world’s largest energy-focussed private equity fund and Chris has been in the renewables business well before the industry really began, as he first started working on wind energy projects back in the late 1980s. John and Chris discuss: •The biggest impacts of COVID-19 on the power sector and Green Stimulus plans in Europe•UK’s role in the development of global biomass business and competition between biomass, hydrogen and CCS•ESG current status and future steps: Implementation and MeasurementSupport the show

Welcome to our new podcast series ‘Energy Unplugged’, a mix of in-depth conversations with key international industry leaders, policymakers and academics, exploring the hottest topics across the energy market. Hosted by various Aurora experts, we invite high profile guests to share their unique perspectives on major energy issues. Our intention is to share with you a new episode every week, so stay tuned and enjoy the podcast!In this week’s episode, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen talks with Alistair Phillips-Davies, CEO of SSE plc, one of UK’s largest utilities, about SSE’s recent Greenprint for a cleaner and more resilient economy. Listen to the podcast to find out:•why is now an important time to act•why is offshore wind so central to the plan•whether access to charging infrastructure is a key barrier to electric vehicles uptake at present…•… and about Alistair’s darts abilities

In this final podcast episode of the COVID-19 series we are focussing on power market economics, prices and policy. Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen is joined by Richard Howard, Aurora’s Research Director who coordinated the recent work on the impact of COVID-19 for the power sector. The main topics tackled in this interview include: •The major recent impacts on gas, carbon and power markets in Europe•Key policy implications for the decarbonisation challenge and Green Stimulus measures •Behavioural change and related impacts on the economy and energy marketSupport the show

In this episode, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen focusses on battery storage assets, and is joined by two distinguished guests: Ben Guest, Head of New Energy & Investment Area, Gresham House and Brian Lonn, Head of UK Flexibility, Statkraft. This is a great discussion that hits on a wide range of topics, not limited to COVID-19: •The current status of the battery storage landscape in the UK and predictions for the next 5 years•Impact of COVID-19 on the storage business in terms of investment and optimisation•Opportunities for suppliers and retailers to start playing a predominant role in optimising storage assetsSupport the show

Our previous podcasts in this COVID-19 series covered a wide variety of perspectives from industry leaders. In this episode, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen welcomes his special guest Chris Stark, Chief Executive for The Committee on Climate Change to discuss the implications of COVID-19 on the power sector from a climate and policy perspective. Some of the key topics discussed in this episode include: • Implications of short-term reduction in carbon emissions and broader pollutants • COVID-19 impact on Government actions for decarbonisation• Parallels between the challenges posed by COVID-19 and climate changeSupport the show

In our 1-1 interviews, we hear different senior perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on power markets. This week, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen investigates the situation from the utility perspective in an interview with Tom Glover, CFO of RWE Renewables GmbH and RWE UK Country Chair. Some of the key topics discussed in this session include:•COVID-19 impact on how the business is running in terms of operations, market, constructions and development•Impact on the decarbonisation imperative and role of Government in the power sector •The requirement for CfDs for large deployment of renewables and CfD auctionsSupport the show

Our previous podcasts in this series covered the renewables investment, project finance and legal perspective on the impact of COVID-19 for the energy sector. In this episode we focus on the infrastructure investor perspective, welcoming Dan Wells, Partner at Foresight Group in an informative discussion with Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen.Some of the main topics discussed include:•COVID-19 impact on developing, financing and investing in assets, capital raising and running transactions•Different direct impacts across Europe, US and Australia •Long term resilience across supply chain, capital structure, scale and geographySupport the show

In our first two COVID-19 podcasts, our interviewees specialised in investment and project finance. In this podcast, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen looks at the legal perspective, interviewing Antony Skinner, Partner in the Project Practice at Ashurst. Key topics tackled in this 1-1 interview include: •COVID-19 impact on processes, around equity and debt raising •Policy uncertainty for investors and the role of corporate PPAs in developing power assets•Impact on the long-run decarbonisation of the economy and on Ashurst’s investment in its low carbon capabilitiesSupport the show

In this podcast, we are excited to welcome Alejandro Ciruelos, Managing Director, Project & Acquisition Finance for Santander Corporate and Investment Banking, in a great discussion with Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen, about the impact of COVID-19 on energy project finance market in the short and longer term. Some of the key topics tackled in this interview include: •Impact from a project finance perspective and more specifically on Santander’s strategy•Government’s role and support offered to businesses in UK•Impact on commitments related to decarbonisation and renewables investmentSupport the show

Welcome to the first podcast in our ‘Aurora on COVID-19’ series.In these unprecedented times, our goal is to help you understand the implications of COVID-19 for both your business and the energy sector more broadly. Each week we’ll be sharing a a 1-1 podcast interview with key industry leaders.In this podcast, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen is joined by his special guest Richard Nourse, Founder of Greencoat Capital, to talk about the impact of COVID-19 for renewables investment in UK and Europe.This is a great discussion that hits on a wide range of topics, not limited to coronavirus:• COVID-19 from a renewables policy perspective• Impact of the new onshore and solar CfD auctions for the sector• Role of capital structure in renewables and the role of markets in the power sectorSupport the show

Here we interview Danielle Lane from Vattenfall, about her experience, focus, and ideas for her Spring Forum panel. Remember to follow our channel!Support the show

In this episode, we interview Keith Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Power, who shares some insights about what he might discuss in the upcoming Aurora Spring Forum panel ‘How will customer requirements and technology change energy retail?’. If you’ve not yet booked your place for the 24 March event, visit our website today!Support the show

In the second of our Spring Forum podcasts, we’re joined by Toni Volpe – Chief Executive Officer of Falck Renewables – for insight into the ideas he’ll be contributing as part of the panel session ‘How will renewables be delivered ten years from now?’. When you’ve listened, follow our podcast for the latest updates from Aurora, then visit our website to register for your place at the Aurora Spring Forum 2020!Support the show

The Aurora Spring Forum hosts a plethora of industry experts, and we’re delighted to welcome Stephen Bull of Equinor to the panel ‘Competition in renewables auctions: Is this the future? How involved should Government be?’, taking a closer look at to what extent we need auctions in a high-renewables world, and how auction design needs to reflect increasing cannibalisation.Stephen’s responsibilities at Equinor include project development for their global wind portfolio, and business and project development for the low carbon business line, including carbon capture and storage and hydrogen. He also has special responsibility for Equinor’s floating offshore wind business, Hywind, and their energy storage concept, Batwind.We interviewed Stephen for the first in a series of Spring Forum 2020 podcasts. Listen to his thoughts on renewables auctions, as well as Net Zero, and the Aurora Spring Forum!Support the show

With just days to go until the UK General Election, the climate emergency has become a key topic of interest to voters, with parties keen to demonstrate their green credentials. Labour’s manifesto has stepped back from the Net Zero by 2030 pledge made at their Party Conference in October. So, what is their official stance?At Aurora’s 2019 Battery and Flexibility Conference held in October, Aurora’s Research Director Richard Howard interviewed Alan Whitehead MP – Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change. Richard challenged Alan on Labour’s position on Net Zero, the achievability of the 2030 target, and what it means for the energy system and the need for flexible capacity. Richard’s and Alan’s full interview is available now on our podcast channel, as the first of four podcasts from the Battery Conference, and it couldn’t be more timely. Listen now, and look out for more episode in the coming months!Support the show