Energy Unplugged by Aurora

EP.247 Rosheen McGuckian, CEO, NTR

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Rosheen McGuckian, CEO, NTR. She joins our Head of Research for Western Europe & India, Marc Hedin, and Steph Unsworth, Research Senior Associate in our Oxford office, to discuss the consequences of grid constraints in European countries.
Rosheen serves as the Chief Executive Officer of NTR, a leading investor and asset manager in Europe’s transition to clean energy. With over 25 years of experience and more than 3 GW of clean power investments, NTR’s expert interdisciplinary team now oversees 1.4 GW of clean energy and storage assets across seven European markets, operating on behalf of three investment funds.
Main topics include the following:
Impact on Internal Rate of Return (IRR), debt sizing, and project viability in project risk management
Battery deployment as a potential solution in countries with weak grid infrastructure
Characteristics of a bankable renewables project with unremunerated constraints in 2030 in Europe

EP.246 Jürgen Mayerhofer, CEO & Co-Founder, enspired

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Jürgen Mayerhofer, CEO & Co-Founder of enspired. He joins our Managing Director for Iberia & LATAM, Ana Barillas, to discuss battery optimisation.
Jürgen holds an MBA in energy management and has worked in the energy sector for 20 years, contributing to the expansion of renewables in the grid in various expert positions. Under his leadership, enspired has evolved from a small-scale startup into a trusted institution with dozens of in-house specialists for AI trading services in Europe’s short-term power markets.
Main topics include the following:
How are battery optimisation and battery trading different?
What does it take to unlock dependable revenues and finance for storage at scale?
What challenges does co-location bring to the optimisation of a battery and what strategies can be pursued to overcome them?

EP.245 Matt Grover on Battery Dispatch and Economics

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Matt Grover, Director of Energy Markets at Fluence in Australia. He joins our Managing Director for APAC, Hugo Batten, and our Head of Research in APAC, James Ha, to discuss battery dispatch and economics.
At Fluence in Australia, Matt leads the team responsible for the company’s Mosaic software product, which supports dozens of renewable generators and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) assets in trading on the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM). Prior to joining Fluence, Matt held roles at AMS, EnelX, and EnerNOC. He brings over a decade of experience in Australia's NEM market operations.
Main topics include the following:
Key features of NEM’s market design and generation mix, and future changes at a system level
The role of battery dispatch software in overall business cases
Battery economics including merchant dispatch, offtake contracts, and virtual tolls

EP.244 Mallika Ishwaran, Chief Economist, Shell

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Mallika Ishwaran, Chief Economist, Shell. She joins our Managing Director for APAC, Hugo Batten, and our Global Research Director, Richard Howard, to discuss Shell’s 2025 Energy Security Scenarios.
As Shell’s Chief Economist, Mallika advises on macroeconomic issues, economic trends, and related policy matters, shaping Shell’s long-term scenario outlooks. Prior to joining Shell, she had a distinguished career in the UK government, holding several senior roles, including Head of Policy Analysis at the Cabinet Office for the 2009 G20 London Summit.
Main topics include the following:
Impact of AI and rising energy demand in the models and scenarios
The role of gas in the energy transition, and the biggest levers to bend the emissions curve down
The best use of long-term energy models in the development of reports

EP.243 Tom Glover, UK Country Chair, RWE

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Tom Glover, UK Country Chair, RWE. He joins Caroline Still, Project Leader in our Oxford Advisory team, to discuss the main challenges GB’s power sector is facing.
As RWE’s UK Country Chair and Chair of the RWE UK Renewables Boards, Tom serves as the company’s most senior representative in the UK. He is responsible for leading national-level engagement and managing relationships with key stakeholders. In addition to his role at RWE, Tom is Chair of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association and a trustee for several charities. His previous experience includes roles at Barclays Capital, Enron, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Main topics include the following:
The impact of the Clean Power 2030 targets on the confidence of markets and investors
What decisions need to be settled by strategic planning, and which should be market-driven?
What can and should the UK be doing now to take advantage of the global uncertainty and remain attractive to global investors?

EP.242 Jonathan Dillon on Clean Energy Investment Trends in Europe

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Jonathan Dillon, Partner at Clifford Chance. He joins our Global Research Director, Richard Howard, to discuss clean energy investment trends in Europe.
Jonathan specialises in domestic and cross-border M&A for clean energy, renewables, and brownfield infrastructure assets. He advises private equity, infrastructure funds and other financial investors and has particular experience in competitive sale processes and the establishment of joint venture structures.
Main topics include the following:
How is the investor landscape evolving in terms of investor profiles, geographical interest, technology, and business models?
How do investors perceive the emerging risks to the markets and technologies of focus?
How much does the volatile geopolitical climate influence investors' decisions?

EP.241 Margaret Cooney on New Zealand’s Power Market

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Margaret Cooney, Chief Operating Officer at Octopus Energy in New Zealand. She joins our Managing Director for APAC, Hugo Batten, and our Head of Australia, Weije Mak, to discuss New Zealand’s power market.
Prior to Octopus Energy, Margaret was the Head of Powershop in New Zealand. She has also held roles at Meridian in New Zealand, and at OFWAT in the UK as their Head of Market Reform.
Main topics include the following:
New Zealand’s predominantly green energy mix and the key drivers of investment
Evolving from Demand Side Response to Intelligent Demand in a nodal market with extended, linear grids like those in New Zealand.
What are the challenges and advantages of operating in smaller, more isolated markets?

EP.240 Jacob Stedman, CEO, Blykalla

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Jacob Stedman, CEO of Blykalla. He joins our Head of Nordics & Baltics, Alexander Esser, to discuss the role of nuclear energy and, more specifically, of small modular reactors (SMRs).
Jacob is the CEO of Blykalla, a Swedish company specialising in the development and supply of lead-cooled SMRs. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader with over 20 years of experience, having founded and led multiple start-ups and scale-ups. Most recently, he served as co-founder and CEO of Platform24, a leading Nordic SaaS company. Earlier in his career, Jacob spent six years at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on electricity generation and climate change.
Main topics include the following:
The role of nuclear power for a future power system
The nuclear renaissance and the ambitions by the Swedish government
Blykalla’s technology and advantages of SMR over conventional nuclear reactors

EP.239 Dawn Owens on Geothermal Power in the US

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Dawn Owens, Head of Project Development and Commercial Markets at Fervo Energy. She joins our Managing Director for North America, Oliver Kerr, and Emma McElrath, Advisory Associate in our Oakland office, to discuss geothermal power in the US.
In addition to overseeing the development of the geothermal company Fervo Energy, Dawn also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University. She brings a wealth of experience in the power sector, having held roles at NRG Energy, GenOn Energy, and other organisations.
Main topics include the following:
What is geothermal energy, and what are the differences between traditional and enhanced geothermal systems?
The role of geothermal energy in the US power system
Commercialisation of geothermal energy and barriers to a more widespread adoption

EP.238 Marion Calcine on Long-Term Investing in Volatile Markets

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Marion Calcine, Chief Investment Officer at Ardian Infrastructure and Member of the Ardian France Executive Board. She joins our Research Lead for France & Iberia, Christina Rentell, to discuss investment strategies.
As CIO, Marion supervises investment processes for Ardian Infrastructure Funds in Europe and in the Americas. She has served, or currently serves, on the boards of 3New, 4New, 2i Rete Gas, Trados M45, and Mila. On top of this, Marion co-leads digital project OPTA, which aims at optimizing operational performance and minimizing merchant risk of a 2GW portfolio.
Main topics include the following:
Investment strategies amidst market volatility
Development of the hydrogen landscape
Attractiveness of financing battery storage
Enhancing operational efficiency in asset management