The Atlantic Council hosted on November 16, 2020, a conversation with Claudio Descalzi, chief executive officer of Eni, to discuss how he views his company’s role in the broader energy transition, why he is leading the company into one of the most significant transformations in its history, and how his company responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and market turmoil. The discussion was moderated by Frederick Kempe, president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council. The event also featured Ernest Moniz, president and chief executive officer of the Energy Futures Initiative and former US secretary of energy, as a respondent in the discussion.
The coronavirus crisis has hit the energy sector hard and has disrupted oil markets for several months with a demand and oil price collapse. This crisis broke out as the sector was already embarking on a profound transformation aimed at decarbonizing its businesses and embracing cleaner energy alternatives. New environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies are increasingly impacting the views of investors and the general public, increasing the transparency and the urgency of companies’ energy transition pathways. Eni, one of Europe’s major oil and gas companies, has not been spared the financial impact of the pandemic, but it has been profoundly restructured in 2020 to be among the first oil and gas companies to begin its transition to new, cleaner energies—leading Bloomberg to declare it “the greenest oil company.” Mr. Descalzi, Secretary Moniz, and Mr. Kempe will discuss how COVID-19 and the push to diversify have changed Eni’s investment strategy, what it means to become an energy company, and what role Mr. Descalzi sees his company playing in the clean energy transition.
The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center was pleased to present this live show as part of their mission to inform and shape the discussion around the global energy transition and the industry’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. From publishing timely commentary and analysis to providing a forum for industry leaders to discuss and formulate strategies for navigating the transition to renewable energy technologies, the Global Energy Center helps develop the right energy policy strategies to best guide the industry and the world to a swift and equitable energy transition while promoting energy security across the globe.
An #ACFrontPage Event
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The Global Energy Center develops and promotes pragmatic and nonpartisan policy solutions designed to advance global energy security, enhance economic opportunity, and accelerate pathways to net-zero emissions.