Power Map

From energy policy shifts to global currents, this final episode traces the map we charted together–featuring voices and insights that shaped Power Map.

Greece is emerging as a critical energy hub at the intersection of European grid integration, regional stability, and the global energy transition. This week, Joseph and Quill sit down with Georgios Stassis, Chairman and CEO of the Public Power Corporation, Greece's leading electricity producer and supplier. They discuss the enduring value of the transatlantic relationship, the challenge of ensuring energy affordability, and how European utilities are adapting to rapid changes in demand, technology, and geopolitics.

Congress plays a central role in shaping the U.S.'s energy and conservation policies. This week, Joseph and Quill sit down with Rep. Bruce Westerman, representative for Arkansas's 4th congressional district and Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Rep. Westerman shares his perspective on the long tradition of conservation in the U.S., the importance of permitting reform to help meet power demand growth, and the need for an all-of-the-above energy approach.

Norway is a global leader in fossil fuel production and clean energy technology deployment. This week, Joseph and Quill sit down with Torgeir Stordal, Director General of the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, where he oversees the responsible development of fossil, wind, mineral, and carbon management resources on the Norwegian continental shelf. They discuss the shifting energy security landscape, the challenges of balancing development with environmental goals, and Norway’s future as an energy-producing nation.

Canada is one of the U.S.’s closest allies and its top trading partner. The U.S. imports more than four million barrels of Canadian crude oil per day, the majority of which come from Alberta. This week, Joseph and Quill sit down with Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta, to discuss the province's important position in North American energy production. Premier Smith describes the role of oil and gas in driving economic growth, the challenges posed by shifting U.S. energy policy, and Alberta's efforts to balance energy development with environmental goals.

From record-breaking coal consumption to historic energy transition investment, 2024 was a year of contrasts. This week, Joseph and Quill discuss the major trends shaping the global energy landscape with Nat Bullard, co-founder of Halcyon and Managing Director of Business Climate. Nat shares insights from his annual slide deck, offering a data-driven perspective on the diverse stories unfolding within the energy transition.

Welcome to Power Map—a new podcast from the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program. Every other week, Joseph and Quill sit down with policymakers, industry experts, and thought leaders who are shaping the future of energy. Stay tuned for the first episode on February 26.

Over the past three months, we have spoken to thought leaders, former government officials, and top journalists about the themes and issues that will shape energy and climate policy under the second Trump Administration. On the final episode of “The Transition”, Joseph and Quill reflect on what we have learned and what is next alongside Clay Seigle, the Energy Security and Climate Change Program’s new senior fellow.

Why did President Trump declare an energy emergency? How will his administration measure success in energy policy in the coming years? This week, Joseph and Quill break down the implications of recent energy orders with Paul Dabbar, Co-founder and CEO of Bohr Quantum Technologies and former Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy under the first Trump administration.

Industrial policy has garnered support from both sides of the aisle in recent years. Will tariffs and reshoring efforts bolster U.S. manufacturing or drive up costs and hinder clean energy progress? This week, Joseph and Quill discuss green industrial policy with Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass, and Jane Flegal, Executive Director of the Blue Horizons Foundation and former Senior Director for Industrial Emissions at the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy under President Biden.

The Trump Administration is focused on maximizing U.S. oil production while limiting strategic adversaries' ability to leverage their own oil resources for their economic and geopolitical goals. This week, Joseph and Quill discuss the global oil market and the power of oil sanctions with Clay Seigle, the Energy Security and Climate Change Program’s new Senior Fellow and James R. Schlesinger Chair for Energy and Geopolitics.

Can markets deliver better environmental outcomes than mandates? This week, Joseph and Quill discuss conservative environmentalism with Hannah Downey, Policy Director at the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), and Jim Connaughton, former Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and Director of the White House Office of Environmental Policy under President George W. Bush.

As demand for clean, firm power grows in the U.S. and around the globe, nuclear energy is taking center stage. How will the incoming Trump administration shape the future of this critical technology? This week, Jane Nakano and Quill Robinson dive into the nuclear energy landscape with Jeremy Harrell, CEO of ClearPath and ClearPath Action, and Brad Plumer, climate reporter for The New York Times. 

Could President-elect Trump’s policies lower greenhouse gas emissions? How much influence does the president have over U.S. emissions? This week, Joseph and Quill discuss opportunities for climate progress in the coming years with Robin Millican of Breakthrough Energy and Lisa Friedman of the New York Times.

The incoming Trump Administration has pledged to unleash American energy by lifting restrictions on energy production and undoing the Biden climate agenda. How will Trump’s deregulatory agenda and proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reshape the U.S. energy landscape? Will Republicans and Democrats find common ground on permitting reform? This week, Joseph and Quill break down deregulation, DOGE, and permitting reform with Mike Catanzaro and Josh Siegel.

Over the last four years, President Biden implemented the most ambitious climate agenda in U.S. history. President-elect Trump and his fellow Republicans have pledged to undo the Biden climate agenda when they take control of the House, Senate, and White House in January. This week, Joseph and Quill discuss what the 2024 election taught us about the politics of climate change and the future of climate policy with Matt Yglesias, author of the Slow Boring newsletter.

China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the leading global renewable energy manufacturer. The United States is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and the world’s top oil and gas producer. This week, Joseph and Quill discuss the role of energy and climate in the U.S.-China relationship and the outlook for the Trump administration with Ilaria Mazzocco and Frank Fannon.

President-elect Trump has pledged to unleash U.S. oil and gas production to achieve American energy dominance. What are the potential risks and benefits of this approach? This week, Joseph and Quill explore the incoming Trump administration's oil and gas strategy with Victoria Coates and Kevin Book.

What are the incoming Trump administration’s energy policy goals? What political, geopolitical, and economic challenges will influence Trump and his officials’ ability to achieve these goals? This week, Joseph and Quill discuss the energy policy outlook for the Trump administration with Tim Puko, Emily Domenech, and Dave Banks.

Energy powers the world. With the re-election of Donald Trump, U.S. energy policy is set to undergo a major shift. "The Transition," an Energy 360° Miniseries, will unpack the future of energy and climate policy under new leadership with political insiders, thinkers, and business leaders reshaping the landscape. The first episode drops on Wednesday, November 13th.

This week, CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Senior Adviser Linda Stuntz, Senior Associate John Larsen, and Fellow Cy McGeady join Quill Robinson to discuss permitting reform. With the introduction of Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Senator John Barrasso's (R-WY) Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, Washington is once again discussing how the permitting status quo is hindering progress on the United States’ energy security and climate goals.

This week, Kevin Book of Clearview Energy Partners joins Quill Robinson, Senior Program Manager and Associate Fellow, to discuss the climate and energy policy implications of the 2024 presidential election. 

This week we discuss Mexico’s post-election landscape with Diego Rivera Rivota of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. In June, Claudia Sheinbaum won a resounding victory in Mexico’s presidential election. A climate scientist by background, Sheinbaum is expected to continue many of her predecessor’s energy and climate policies. But how might things shift? 

This week, former Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) joins Joseph Majkut, director of the CSIS Energy Program, to discuss how policymakers can balance the development of the United States' energy resources with climate goals. 

This week, Emily Domenech of Boundary Stone Partners, Adrian Deveny of Climate Vision, and Peter Stahley of Cassidy and Associates join Quill Robinson to discuss the creation of the Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans and Democrats shared and competing energy priorities, and the future of American climate leadership. 

This week, the CEO of Shell, Wael Sawan, talks with Joseph Majkut, director of the CSIS Energy Program, about the future of the energy transition, the role of natural gas particularly LNG in ensuring energy security, and the need for reliability and stability when making energy investments.

From the live event at CSIS on June 4, 2024.

Transcript: https://www.csis.org/analysis/conversation-wael-sawan-ceo-shell

Do U.S. gasoline prices really start to increase after Memorial Day? To find out, Tom Kloza, Global Head of Energy Analysis with OPIS, talks with Ben Cahill about whether prices will be on the rise this summer and the complicated factors that can lead to higher gas prices at the pump.

Adi Imsirovic and Ben Cahill discuss the short term oil market outlook and the impact of embargoes, sanctions, and other interventions on global crude and product flows.

This week, Joseph Majkut talks with Sandeep Pai (Swaniti Global), Neelima Jain (CSIS), and Pradip Swarnakar (IIT-Kanpur) about how a just transition fits into our energy transition. Over the past 2 years, the CSIS Energy Program worked on the Global Just Transition Network, which worked to build a peer-to-peer network between South Africa, India, and the United States to facilitate knowledge sharing and learning from each other's experiences through sub-national engagement.

This week, BCG’s Tom Baker joins Joseph Majkut to discuss opportunities for U.S. leadership in the clean energy transition, highlighting the potential role of technologies like hydrogen and new policies in driving progress. They look at areas that could slow the build-out for low-carbon energy including grid modernization and new infrastructure. 

In this week’s special episode, Ben Cahill and Jon Alterman discuss recent developments in the Middle East, U.S. policy objectives in the region, and how the oil market's response to geopolitical risks has changed.

Further Reading: A Détente Option for Iran

This week, Ben Cahill speaks with Akshat Rathi, a senior climate reporter for Bloomberg and author of the book Climate Capitalism. In his book, Rathi explores how governments can create the right policy environment to unlock the potential for innovative climate solutions from businesses and individuals. 

Further Reading: Climate Capitalism: Winning the Race to Zero Emissions and Solving the Crisis of Our Age. 

On this special episode of Energy 360, Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director General of DG Energy at the European Commission and Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources at the U.S. State Department, talk with CSIS Energy Program director Joseph Majkut about the U.S.-EU Energy Council and its agenda for jointly addressing energy security and climate change. 

Further reading: Joint Statement by the U.S. and EU following the 11th U.S.-EU Energy Council 

This week, Ben Cahill talks with Georges Tijbosch about how certifying natural gas could help create a lower-emission energy future. Georges is the CEO of a company called MIQ, or Methane IQ. MIQ is a global leader in methane emissions certification. It aims to create transparency by providing buyers with information about the emissions associated with the natural gas they are purchasing.

Read More: Why Methane & Certification? 

This week, climate expert Nat Bullard joins Cy McGeady to discuss the key trends that are shaping our decarbonization future. He and Cy talk through surprises and challenges to decarbonization progress, including the impact of interest rates on capital flows, the need for investment in hard-to-decarbonize sectors like steel, the role of technology, and the potential of AI to both increase energy demand and unlock solutions for climate change. Nat emphasizes the importance of maintaining momentum in decarbonization efforts and scaling up existing solutions.

Further Reading: Decarbonization: Stocks and flows, abundance and scarcity, net zero

This week, Adam Johnson, Managing Partner with Metis Endeavor, joins Gracelin Baskaran to share his insights on the role of critical minerals in the energy transition. Adam and Gracelin look at the mining sector’s pathway for supporting and sustaining the transition. They drill into the impact of U.S. government policies on private investments, the importance of government support and coordinated efforts across the sector, as well as the need for increased financing for mining projects. Adam also discusses some challenges and risks associated with investing in critical minerals, such as price volatility and competition with China. 

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This week, Tim Gould, Chief Energy Economist at the International Energy Agency joins Joseph Majkut, director of the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, to discuss highlights from the World Energy Outlook and the need to scale up renewables, improve energy efficiency, reduce methane emissions, and address critical minerals production in order to maintain momentum for clean energy deployment.

Tim Gould was appointed the Agency's Chief Energy Economist in 2021. As Chief Energy Economist, he provides strategic advice on energy economics across a wide range of IEA activities and analysis. Mr. Gould is also Head of the...

This week, André de Ruyter, former CEO of Eskom the South African national power utility, joins Cy McGeady and Gracelin Baskaran to discuss South Africa’s energy sector and its energy transition plans. In the discussion, Andre draws on his time at Eskom to emphasize the importance of long-term planning and policy decisions for the electricity sector in South Africa.

Kevin Book, ClearView Energy Partners and Senior Adviser (non-resident), CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, and Liam Denning, Columnist, Bloomberg Opinion, joined Joseph Majkut, CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program to assess which energy developments in 2023 have staying power and look ahead to the energy and climate issues to watch next year.

Watch the CSIS Event: 2023 Energy and Climate Review

This week, Trevor Houser, a partner at the Rhodium Group, joins Allegra Dawes (CSIS) to discuss highlights from the Clean Investment Monitor. The Clean Investment Monitor, a joint project of Rhodium Group and MIT’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, tracks public and private climate investments since 2018. In the past year, clean energy investment in the United States totaled $213 billion, a 37 percent increase from the previous year, largely due to new legislation passed in the United States (the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, and the Chips and Science Act) and up 165 percent from five years ago...