Energy Unplugged by Aurora

EP.126 Dalia Majumder-Russell, Partner Energy, CMS

This week on Energy Unplugged, we focus on what it takes to launch a successful hydrogen production project. We’re delighted to welcome Dalia Majumder-Russell, Partner at CMS UK in conversation with Emma Woodward, Project Leader on Aurora’s Advisory Team.Dalia is a partner in CMS’s Energy team in London, advising a wide range of investors, developers, utilities, lenders and governments on energy projects and infrastructure for over 10 years. She has extensive experience of negotiating power, gas and hydrogen offtake agreements and advising on carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) projects in the UK and internationally. Dalia and Emma discuss:* Key considerations for what it takes to launch a successful hydrogen production project* Financial aspects developers should take into account for a bankable project* Pieces of the puzzle policy makers need to consider * Transport and storage – key issues and risksSupport the show

EP.125 The UK Government’s Net Zero Strategy: Chris Skidmore MP

This week on Energy Unplugged we have a special episode with focus on the UK Government’s Net Zero Strategy. Our Managing Director in UK & Ireland, Dan Monzani is delighted to be joined by Chris Skidmore MP. Chris is a senior Conservative MP and former Minister for Energy and Climate Change from 2018 to 2019 when he signed the UK’s Net Zero targets. Chris is the chair of the independent review of the UK's trajectory to Net Zero which was reported to the UK Government last Friday, the 13th January. Main topics include:•The arguments for doubling down on Net Zero now when the voters’ main concerns are related to the cost of living•Are gas-free homes by 2033 possible? How quickly we can get to a tipping point on heat pumps? •The funding commitments and the financial strategy for Net Zero•Net Zero and the energy security crisisSupport the show

EP.124 Catherine Raw, Managing Director of SSE Thermal

In this episode, Emma Woodward, Project Leader on Aurora’s Advisory Team is joined by Catherine Raw, Managing Director of SSE Thermal to discuss low-carbon flexibility with focus on hydrogen and gas CCS within the power sector. Catherine joined SSE in April 2022 where she is responsible for the strategy, performance and development of the company’s flexible power generation and energy storage activities. Previous to SSE, Catherine was Chief Operating Officer for North America and Chief Financial Officer for Barrick Gold and Managing Director and Fund Manager at Blackrock.Emma & Catherine discuss:•The importance of low-carbon flexibility in the power sector •Additional system needs and how thermal technologies might be able to provide low-carbon capacity•The work SSE is doing in this space•The progress needed in 2023 in order to support the development of low-carbon flexibility in the power sectorSupport the show

EP.123 Aurora on the implications of the US Inflation Reduction Act

In this Energy Unplugged episode we discuss the implications of the US Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Our Head of US Oliver Kerr is joined by Martin Anderson, Aurora’s Head of Research in US, Felix Chow-Kambitsch, Aurora’s Head of US West and Julia Hoos, Aurora’s Market Lead for PJM.The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is the most significant piece of climate legislation in the US in over a decade, and aims to support accelerating the energy transition. Main topics include:•The state of the energy transition in the US and key differences compared to the European approach •How quickly can wind and solar scale given the constraints around supply chain and interconnection issues•What determines whether solar will take the production tax credit or the investment tax credit•The impact on power prices, on new build vs the existing assets and variations across marketsSupport the show

EP.122 Battery business models in Europe with Aurora experts Marise & Ryan

In this episode, we focus on an increasingly very hot topic which is battery business models in Europe. Our Managing Director for Central Europe, Hanns Koenig is joined by Aurora’s experts Marise Westbroek and Ryan Alexander. Ryan leads our European research team and one of their most popular reports this year has been the European Battery Markets Attractiveness, which looks into market and policy drivers for shaping the attractiveness of various markets for batteries across Europe. Marise is a Project Leader in our advisory team and specialises in flexibility markets. Over the past years she had led a massive multi-client study with focus on investing battery business cases in Germany, Netherlands and Belgium in particular. Main topics include:•The current market conditions for batteries, the impact of supply chain constraints and the high power prices across Europe•The characteristics developers would need today to be successful in such a complex market•Revenue streams development and implications on trading strategies for batteries•Individual and co-location business cases•Regulations and market designSupport the show

EP.121 Horatio Evers, Managing Director, BASF Renewable Energy

In this episode, our Managing Director for Europe, Middle East & Africa, Manuel Koehler is joined by Horatio Evers, Managing Director, BASF Renewable Energy. BASF is the biggest chemical company in the world and in his current position, Horatio is responsible for the strategic direction and overall achievement of BASF’s Net Zero targets. Horatio is passionate about collecting, refurbishing and driving old racing bikes and through this reduces his CO2 output.Horatio and Manuel discuss:•BASF’s journey to decarbonisation and the company’s Net Zero targets•What kind of partnerships are important for BASF•The main changes that would need to happen at the policy level and why •The implications of the energy crisis in Europe on BASF from a renewables perspectiveSupport the show

EP.120 Sheldon Kimber, CEO & Founder, Intersect Power

In this episode, our Managing Director of Aurora in APAC & California, Hugo Batten is delighted to be joined by Sheldon Kimber, CEO and Founder of Intersect Power and our Founder and CEO, John Feddersen. Intersect Power is one of the most successful and dynamic clean infrastructure companies in the US today. Sheldon has had a hugely impressive and diverse career in energy, spending time at Recurrent, Calpine and at Accenture before founding Intersect Power. He also lectures at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley.Main topics include:•Intersect’s thinking about the future of energy markets and decarbonisation•The US energy markets and the future of utilities in California•The energy crisis in Europe Read more from Sheldon on The Nexus of Deep Decarbonization here: https://www.intersectpower.com/the-nexus-of-deep-decarbonization/Support the show

EP.119 Nick Carter, Managing Director, Akaysha Energy

In this episode, Nick Carter, Managing Director at Akaysha Energy and Weijie Mak, Aurora’s Head of Consulting in Australia join Hugo Batten, our Managing Director in APAC & California. Akaysha is a battery developer that has just had a major investment from Blackrock to help fund storage developments across APAC. Prior to Akaysha, Nick has worked at Macquarie, Tesla and AGL, as well as Toyota and General Motors.The focus of the discussion is very much on the nuances of battery and hydrogen investment cases in Australia and across other key Asian markets. Main topics include:•The evolution of battery investment cases in the next few years•Supply chain and CAPEX increases•The transaction with Akaysha and Blackrock that made news in Australia•Akaysha’s business plan when it comes to hydrogenSupport the show

EP.118 Elliot Mainzer, President and CEO of CAISO

In this episode, our Managing Director in APAC and California, Hugo Batten and our CEO, John Feddersen are joined by Elliot Mainzer, President and CEO of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).Elliot has had an impressive career in energy, spending time at Enron, 18 years at the Bonneville Power Administration where he rose to CEO, and over the last 3 years being the CEO of CAISO.Main topics include:•Californian energy markets - reality versus plans•Market design in CAISO evolving over the very long-term •Innovation in storage investment cases in CAISOSupport the show

EP.117 Aurora Hydrogen Conference 2022: Alexander Voigt, Co-Founder and Board Member, HH2E

This is a special podcast episode featuring one of the speakers at the Aurora Hydrogen Conference 2022, taking place on Wednesday 9th November in London.Our Co-Head of Advisory in Central Europe, Thekla von Bülow speaks to Alexander Voigt, CEO and Co-Founder of HH2E.Alexander is a serial entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the global energy transition. He has studied physics and started his career at an engineering bureau working on solar thermal solutions. He has founded several companies in the energy sector such as Solon in the solar space, Younicos in the battery space, Lumenion in the high temperature heat storage space, and as well as STOFF2 & HH2E in the hydrogen space.Thekla and Alexander discuss:• What does HH2E do? And what role will it play in the European hydrogen space?• How can the growth of the hydrogen economy be accelerated and what are the main hurdles?• What is the right way to integrate hydrogen in the wider energy system?• What will the future of the European hydrogen landscape look like, and what will be the role of non-EU imports?This discussion will be continued at our fully booked Hydrogen Conference on Wednesday 9th November in London. We hope to see you there!Support the show