Energy Unplugged by Aurora

EP.155 Global Project Finance Series in partnership with SMBC Group PART IV – The US

This episode of Energy Unplugged is fourth in a series on global project finance, organised in partnership with SMBC Group. Covering Europe, Australia, Asia, and the US, this series hosts guests from SMBC Group, various law firms, and Aurora energy experts.Focusing on project finance in the US, we’re delighted to welcome Carl Morales, Managing Director and Group Head for the North American Power Project Finance Group at SMBC Group, Ron Erlichman, Partner and Co-Head of Energy & Infrastructure in the Americas, New York at Linklaters, and our Head of North America, Oliver Kerr, in conversation with our Head of USA East, Julia Hoos.Main topics include the following:· An overall look at the project finance space across the US during the last year· The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), tax equity system, and how they impact the individual attractiveness of the US markets· Risks, including financial, merchant, technological, and policy, that lenders may face· The future of hydrogen technologies in the USSupport the show

EP.154 Aurora on the Importance of Energy Networks for Investment Decisions and System Operation

On this week’s Energy Unplugged episode, we deep dive in the importance of energy networks for investment decisions and the operation of the system to build Net Zero power systems. We’re happy to welcome our colleagues Alexandra Houston, Senior Associate and Ashutosh Padelkar, Research Associate in a conversation with our Managing Director for UK & Ireland, Dan Monzani. Alexandra is a Senior Associate in our GB Advisory team, where she has led a variety of work related to networks including for battery developers, long duration storage, renewables and locational marginal pricing. Ashutosh leads our Renewables service for the GB market and is also responsible for our Subscription Analytics offerings for corporate PPAs in GB and analysis of proposed policy and regulatory changes.Main topics include the following:• How Aurora expects networks and congestion to evolve in GB and what does this evolution mean for investment cases• The role of hydrogen and how it might interact with the various constrains of the network • What kinds of analysis and tools Aurora offers on this topicSupport the show

EP.153 Japan’s Green Transformation Act: Hitomi Komachi, Partner, Allen & Overy Tokyo

In this episode, we’re delighted to welcome Hitomi Komachi, Partner in Allen & Overy’s Tokyo office in a conversation with our Head of New Markets in APAC, Rowan von Spreckelsen and our Head of Advisory in Japan, Hayato Ono. The focus is on Japan’s recently unveiled green subsidy program, the draft Green Transformation Act published in February and passed into law in May by the Japanese Parliament.Hitomi is an English law qualified lawyer with extensive experience in clean energy projects and the broader energy transition field. Hitomi is an expert in the international legal landscape and government policies impacting key Japanese and international industry players. Main topics include:•An overview of Japan’s Green Transformation Act and its importance•The technologies the act is trying to incentivise and the mechanisms used•Japan’s Green Transformation Act vs. the US’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) •The “Supply Chain Subsidy” aimed for producers of hydrogen and ammoniaSupport the show

EP.152 Aurora Experts on the Hottest Power Markets in Europe

This week, on Energy Unplugged, we have a special episode featuring Aurora experts in a discussion about what energy markets are hot in Europe right now and why. Our Research Lead for European Power Markets Ryan Alexander is joined by Anuoluwa Omojola, Flexibility Lead and Rebecca McManus, Renewables Lead in the same team. Main topics include:•The most exciting markets for renewables and battery investment in Europe •The European Commission’s current power market reform •European Commission’s accelerated permitting rules and which markets are most ahead of the game in implementing those•Which markets are most proactive in terms of encouraging co-location and whySupport the show

EP.151 Julian Leslie, Head of Networks and Chief Engineer, National Grid ESO

In this episode we focus on the grid connections reform process and we welcome Julian Leslie, Head of Networks and Chief Engineer at National Grid ESO in a conversation with Emma Woodward, Project Leader at Aurora. Julian has 30 years' experience in electricity system operation, planning and investment in various senior leadership roles. His current role is to prepare Great Britain’s electricity networks for Net Zero. Julian has a degree in Electrical Engineering, is a Chartered Electrical Engineer and a Fellow Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.Main topics include:•The current grid connections process and the key steps developers have to follow •The multiple connections reforms going on at the moment, their current status and relation with other existing reforms •The key challenges in the reform processSupport the show

EP.150 Lowina Lundström, Senior Vice President, Svenska Kraftnät

In this Energy Unplugged episode, we discuss the upcoming priorities of the Swedish TSO (transmission system operator), such as the capacity market implementation and solving grid bottlenecks. We’re pleased to be joined by Lowina Lundström, Senior Vice President, Svenska Kraftnät, in a discussion with our Head of Nordics & Baltics, Alexander Esser.Lowina is also Chairman of the Board of Directors at eSett, a company providing balance settlement services to participants of electricity markets in Finland, Norway and Sweden. Prior to that, she had several roles at the Nordic utility Fortum, and at Ellevio, one of Sweden's largest energy companies.Main topics include:•The role of TSOs for the energy transition in Sweden•The needs and bottlenecks of the Swedish power system•Sweden’s future as an electricity exporterSupport the show

EP.149 Dave Jones, Global Electricity Insights Lead, Ember

This week on Energy Unplugged we welcome Dave Jones, Global Electricity Insights Lead at Ember in a conversation with our Managing Director for Central Europe, Hanns Koenig. Ember is an independent energy think tank that uses data-driven insights to support the energy transition. Before joining Ember in 2020, Dave worked for 13 years at German utility E.ON as an electricity analyst and after that, in 2014, he joined the non-profit Sandbag, where he was working on phasing out coal in Europe.Main topics include: •Driving the agenda for Europe’s coal exit and global trends in the coal phase out •Campaigning for wind parks, grid expansion, efficiency vs. campaigning against coal •Ember’s most recent European Electricity Review and its work on a global renewables goalSupport the show

EP.148 Llewelyn Hughes, Professor, Australian National University on Japan energy markets

In this Energy Unplugged episode we focus on Japan’s energy markets. We’re delighted to be joined by Professor Llewelyn Hughes of the Australian National University (ANU) in a conversation with our Managing Director in APAC and California, Hugo Batten and our Head of New Markets in APAC, Rowan von Spreckelsen. Llewelyn is a deep expert in Japan’s energy markets, being currently the Director of the Japan Institute at ANU. He’s had a long and distinguished academic career, spending time at MIT, Tokyo University, and Harvard, he has worked both in government (i.e. as an advisor to Ichirō Ozawa, Liberal Party of Japan) and the private sector (i.e Enron in Japan), as well as providing strategic and regulatory advice to energy companies operating in Japanese energy markets. Main topics include:•The evolution of Japan’s power markets over the last 5 years •The Japanese power market de-regulation and market shifts and the big domestic players’ response to these •The challenges of decarbonisation of the power sector in Japan, covering transmission, nuclear, hydrogen and offshore windSupport the show

EP.147 Sven Utermöhlen, CEO, RWE Offshore Wind

This week on Energy Unplugged we welcome Sven Utermöhlen, Chief Executive Officer at RWE Offshore Wind, in a conversation with our Co-Head of Advisory for Central Europe, Casimir Lorenz. RWE is a leading global player in renewables and number two worldwide in offshore wind. Sven joined RWE in 2022 and before he has held various senior executive roles in renewable energy for more than sixteen years, including at innogy SE, and E.ON, where he also led the company’s offshore wind division. He also previously served in management consultancy roles for the Boston Consulting Group. He studied at the Universities of Karlsruhe and Hamburg.Main topics include:•The outlook of the offshore wind supply chain in Europe •The probably of reaching the ambitious offshore wind targets in Europe •The aim of a good market design for renewables and offshore wind in particular •The competition between different markets with regards to their attractivenessSupport the show

EP.146 The Japanese Power Market with Aurora’s Leadership Team in Tokyo

This week we have a special episode on Energy Unplugged in which we discuss the Japanese power market with Aurora's leadership team in Tokyo.Our Managing Director in APAC and California, Hugo Batten is joined by Aurora’s Rowan von Spreckelsen – Head of New Markets, APAC; Hayato Ono – Head of Advisory, Japan; Alex Luta and Zelin Chen – Project Leaders, Japan and Sehun Nakama – Associate, Japan.This episode is being released just as we open our office in Tokyo and deliver our first research projects in Japan.Main topics include:• The current generation mix in Japan and expected changes over the next years• Key elements of the energy transition in Japan• The Japanese electricity market design• Insights from Aurora’s Japan power market modelling workSupport the show