Energy Unplugged by Aurora

EP.4 Cameron Hepburn, Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Oxford

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

EP.3 Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of Energy UK

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

EP.2 Chris Hunt, Partner at Riverstone

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

EP.1 Alistair Phillips-Davies, CEO of SSE

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 🎯😊Support the show

EP.21 Aurora on COVID-19 implications - Part VIII - Interview with Richard Howard, Aurora

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

EP.20 Aurora on COVID-19 implications - Ben Guest, Gresham House & Brian Lonn, Statkraft

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

EP.19 Aurora on COVID-19 implications - Part VI- Interview with Chris Stark CCC

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

EP.18 Aurora on COVID-19 implications - Part V - Interview with Tom Glover, RWE

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

EP.17 Aurora on COVID-19 implications - Part IV - Interview with Dan Wells, Foresight Group

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

EP.16 Aurora on COVID-19 implications - Part III - Interview with Antony Skinner, Ashurst

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