The Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum convenes the world’s top energy and foreign policy decision makers annually to set the global energy agenda for the year ahead and examine the longer-term geopolitical and geo-economic implications of the changing energy system. The Forum is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, ADNOC, and Mubadala.
Over the past six years, the Forum has become the go-to conference on the geopolitics of the energy transition, where industry and foreign policy leaders set the energy agenda for the year ahead and examine the geopolitical and geo-economic implications of the changing energy system.
This year’s Forum took particular importance as His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber delivers his first public remarks as COP President-Designate. With the United Arab Emirates preparing to host this year’s UN Climate Change Conference, Dr. Sultan lays out his vision to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement as one of the region’s top energy, climate, and clean tech innovation leaders. Among our forum headliners, we are also pleased to announce the participation of John Kerry, US special presidential envoy for climate and former US secretary of state.
The 2023 Forum enables world leaders to be at the front end of empowering an inclusive energy transition at a moment where the nexus of energy security and climate action has come into acute focus. From the continuing impact of the crisis in Ukraine, to efforts to avert a global financial crisis, there has never been a more important moment for open and frank dialogue around the best paths to a net zero future.
Coverage
Playlist
Recaps
Transcripts
Special remarks
H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber
Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP 28 President-Designate; Managing Director and Group CEO, ADNOC
Transcript and recap
Report
Featured media
Day 1
- Reuters: “UAE’s Jaber says COP28 should be practical, leave no one behind”
- Financial Times: “New COP28 president wants renewable energy generation to triple by 2030”
- Bloomberg: “World ‘Way Off Track’ With Climate Goals, Says UAE COP President”
- Bloomberg: “Italy’s Gas Supply Set to Be More Secure Next Winter, Eni Says”
- Bloomberg: “Qatar Says Natural Gas Markets Will Remain Volatile for Years”
- AFP: “Mohamed Bin Zayed spearheading UAE’s stellar, global push for climate action, says Sultan Al Jaber”
- S&P: “UAE energy minister says oil market ‘stable,’ eyes Chinese demand comeback”
- S&P: “John Kerry lauds Jaber’s COP28 presidency as ADNOC CEO outlines clean energy strategy”
- The National: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forces nations’ hands on diversifying energy supplies”
- The National: “’Transformational’ progress needed to achieve net-zero targets, Dr Al Jaber says”
- The National: “Release of US oil reserves addresses ‘underlying crisis’ and not higher prices, envoy says”
- Gulf News: “UAE has a clear sense of responsibility and a great sense of urgency in hosting COP28: Al Jaber”
Day 2
- Bloomberg: “Kerry Says Gas Can Help Climate, But Only With Carbon Capture”
- Reuters: “U.S. climate envoy Kerry outlines carbon offset initiative for developing nations”
- The National: “Not enough money being put on the table for energy transition efforts, John Kerry says”
- The National: “John Kerry: US will not accept a bill for ‘loss and damage’”
- National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition: “H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber’s remarks”
- BBC World News: “World will need natural gas for a longtime to come”
- Bloomberg: “John Kerry: US will not accept a bill for ‘loss and damage’”
- S&P Global: “Europe well-poised to withstand upcoming Russian oil product sanctions: EU energy commissioner”
- The National: “John Kerry: US will not accept a bill for loss and damage”
- The National: “Not enough money being put on the table for energy transition efforts, John Kerry says”
Photos
Featured social media
confirmed speakers and moderators
AGENDA
Day 1
Saturday, January 14th
9:00 a.m. (GST) / 12:00 a.m. (ET)
Official opening
Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council
H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, United Arab Emirates; Managing Director and Group CEO, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
9:15 a.m. (GST) / 12:15 a.m. (ET)
Leadership fireside chat
H.E. Eng. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates
H.E. Eng. Saad Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, State of Qatar; President and CEO, QatarEnergy
MODERATOR
Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council
10:00 a.m. (GST) / 1:00 a.m. (ET)
Keynote remarks
The. Rt. Hon. Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, United Kingdom
10:10 a.m. (GST) / 1:10 a.m. (ET)
Coffee break
10:30 a.m. (GST) / 1:30 a.m. (ET)
Financing a sustainable and inclusive energy transition
KEYNOTE: Amos Hochstein, Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security, US Department of State
Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer, Eni
Amos Hochstein, Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security, US Department of State
Bernard Mensah, President of International, Bank of America
Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President of Programs, The Rockefeller Foundation
MODERATOR
Hadley Gamble, Anchor, CNBC
11:30 a.m. (GST) / 2:30 a.m. (ET)
Setting the 2023 Global Energy Agenda
Neeraj Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer, Crescent Petroleum
H.E. Belinda Balluku, Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Republic of Albania
Steven Kobos, President and Chief Executive Officer, Excelerate Energy
Roger Martella, Chief Sustainability Officer, GE
MODERATOR
Landon Derentz, Senior Director, Global Energy Center; Richard Morningstar Chair for Global Energy Security, Atlantic Council
12:30 p.m. (GST) / 3:30 a.m. (ET)
Private lunches
2:00 p.m. (GST) / 5:00 a.m. (ET)
Leadership fireside chat
General James L. Jones, Jr., Executive Chairman Emeritus, Atlantic Council, Founder, Jones Group International
2:15 p.m. (GST) / 5:15 a.m. (ET)
Europe in crisis: The path forward
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Amb. Richard Morningstar, Founding Chairman, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
KEYNOTE: H.E. Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director General for Energy, European Commission
Luis Cabra, Executive Managing Director, Energy Transition, Technology, Institutional Affairs, and Deputy CEO, Repsol
Anatol Feygin, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Cheniere Energy
Maksym Timchenko, Chief Executive Officer, DTEK
The Hon. Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, US Department of State
Ben Wilson, Chief Strategy & External Affairs Officer, National Grid
MODERATOR
Andrew Sollinger, Publisher and CEO, Foreign Policy
3:15 p.m. (GST) / 6:15 a.m. (ET)
Energy inflection point: Reliable supply in a moment of crisis
H.E. Sharif Alolama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates
Helima Croft, Managing Director and Head of Global Commodity Strategy, RBC Capital Markets
H.E Osama Mobarez, Secretary General, EMGF
Paddy Padmanathan, Vice-Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, ACWA Power
Carlos Pascual, Senior Vice President, Global Energy, S&P Global Commodity Insights
MODERATOR
Eithne Treanor, Founder and CEO, ETreanor Media
4:15 p.m. (GST) / 7:15 a.m. (ET)
Coffee break
4:30 p.m. (GST) / 7:30 a.m. (ET)
SIMULTANEOUS SESSIONS
Global gas 2023: Europe, Asia, and supply security
Alex Booth, Head of Research, KPLER
Hiroshi Hasegawa, Special Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Japan
Amb. Richard Morningstar, Founding Chairman, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
Toby Rice, Chief Executive Officer, EQT
MODERATOR
Samantha Carl-Yoder, Policy Director, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Climate diplomacy amid growing geopolitical tensions
Neil Brown, Managing Director, KKR Global Institute
Rt. Hon. Charles Hendry, CBE PC Professor, University of Edinburgh; Former Minister of State for Energy, United Kingdom
Amb. Paula Dobriansky, Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Ana Palacio, Founder, Palacio Asociados
MODERATOR
Ken Berlin, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center
Energy market madness: Price caps, supply interventions, and the pursuit of investment stability
Hunter Hunt, Chairman and CEO, Hunt Consolidated Energy
Joseph McMonigle, Secretary General, International Energy Forum (IEF)
Geraldine Wessing, Chief Political Analyst, Shell Plc
Amb. Dóra Zombori, Deputy State Secretary for Energy Security, Hungary
MODERATOR
Charles Lichfield, Deputy Director, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council
7:00 p.m. (GST) / 10:00 a.m. (ET)
General reception
9:30 p.m. (GST) / 12:30 p.m. (ET)
NIGHT OWL SESSION
After the war: Russia’s role in the energy system
Helima Croft, Managing Director and Head of Global Commodity Strategy, RBC Capital Markets
The Rt Hon. Charles Hendry, CBE PC Professor, University of Edinburgh; Former Minister of State for Energy, United Kingdom
Amb. John Herbst, Senior Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council
Carlos Pascual, Senior Vice President, Global Energy, S&P Global Commodity Insights
MODERATOR
Landon Derentz, Senior Director and Richard Morningstar Chair for Global Energy Security, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
Day 2
Sunday, January 15th
8:00 a.m. (GST) / 11:00 p.m. (ET)
Keynote remarks
Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA
H.E. Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment and Ministerial Coordinator and Climate Envoy for COP27, Arab Republic of Egypt
8:15 a.m. (GST) / 11:15 p.m. (ET)
The road to COP28: Ambition, inclusivity, and equity
H.E. Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment and Ministerial Coordinator and Climate Envoy for COP27, Arab Republic of Egypt
Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP27, Egypt; Special Envoy on Financing 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, United Nations
Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and CEO, Sustainable Energy for All
MODERATOR
Dan Murphy, Anchor and Correspondent, CNBC
9:15 a.m. (GST) / 12:15 a.m. (ET)
Fireside chat: Energy transition accelerator
John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, US Department of State
Andrew Steer, President & CEO, Bezos Earth Fund
Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President of Programs, The Rockefeller Foundation
MODERATOR
Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council
10:00 a.m. (GST) / 1:00 a.m. (ET)
Emerging markets: Net-zero pathways in the developing world
KEYNOTE: H.E. Alparslan Bayraktar, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Republic of Türkiye
Otmane Benamar, Chief Technology Officer, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, GE Gas Power
Mary Burce Warlick, Deputy Executive Director, International Energy Agency
Isabel Munilla, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Market Development, Climate, and Multilateral Engagement, US Department of Energy
Daniel Schroth, Director, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department, African Development Bank
MODERATOR
Eithne Treanor, CEO, ETreanor Media
11:00 a.m. (GST) / 2:00 a.m. (ET)
Coffee break
11:30 a.m. (GST) / 2:30 a.m. (ET)
SIMULTANEOUS SESSIONS
After the Inflation Reduction Act: How will the global climate effort change?
Ben Backwell, CEO, Global Wind Energy Council
Lee Beck, Senior Director, Clean Air Task Force
Brad Crabtree, Assistant Secretary, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Department of Energy
Tim Holt, Member of the Executive Board and Labor Director, Siemens Energy
Julian Mylchreest, Executive Vice Chairman of Global Corporate & Investment Banking, Bank of America
MODERATOR
David Goldwyn, Chairman, Energy Advisory Group, Atlantic Council
What’s next for Africa’s energy transition?
KEYNOTE: Amadou Hott, Special Envoy and Global Champion, Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa; Former Minister Economy, Planning and International cooperation, Republic of Senegal
Ana Hajduka, Founder & CEO, Africa GreenCo Group and GreenCo Power Services Limited
Amadou Hott, Special Envoy and Global Champion, Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa; Former Minister Economy, Planning and International cooperation, Republic of Senegal
Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Development Officer, US International Development Finance Corporation
Norman Moyo, CEO, Distributed Power Africa
MODERATOR
Kelsey Warner, Future Editor, The National
What’s next for South and Southeast Asia?
Dannif Danusaputro, Chief Executive Officer, Pertamina New & Renewable Energy
Jonathan Goh, Director of External Relations, Energy Market Authority of Singapore
Dr. Kazutomo Irie, President, Asia Pacific Energy Research Center
Diep Nguyen van Houtte, Senior Manager, International Finance Corporation
MODERATOR
Ailun Yang, Environmental Program Manager, Bloomberg Philanthropies
12:30 p.m. (GST) / 3:30 a.m. (ET)
Private lunches
2:00 p.m. (GST) / 5:00 a.m. (ET)
Competition for critical minerals
Amos Hochstein, Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security, US Department of State
MODERATOR
Helima Croft, Managing Director, Global Commodity Strategy, RBC Capital Markets
2:30 p.m. (GST) / 5:30 a.m. (ET)
SIMULTANEOUS SESSIONS
Models for net-zero value chains: Infrastructure, interconnectivity, and finance
KEYNOTE: Jasim Husain Thabet, Group CEO, TAQA
Eng. Fahad Alajlan, President, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center
Dr. -Ing. Christian Bruch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Energy AG
Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Standard Chartered
Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Development Officer, US International Development Finance Corporation
Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Baker Hughes
MODERATOR
Phillip Cornell, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center; Principal for Energy and Sustainability, Economist Impact
Decarbonizing trade systems
Allard Castelein, CEO, Port Authority of Rotterdam
Deborah Lehr, CEO, Edelman Global Advisory
Ann Mettler, Vice President, Europe, Breakthrough Energy
Evita Moawad, United Nations’ Industrial Decarbonization Organization
MODERATOR:
George David Banks, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
Facilitating a nuclear-powered net zero future
Ana Birchall, Special Envoy for Strategic and International Affairs, Nuclearelectrica
Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Poland
Joseph McBrearty, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
Daniel Poneman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Centrus Energy Corp.
MODERATOR
Jennifer Gordon, Director, Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
3:30 p.m. (GST) / 6:30 a.m. (ET)
Coffee break
4:00 p.m. (GST) / 7:00 a.m. (ET)
SIMULTANEOUS SESSIONS
Critical mineral supply chains: Capacity, resiliency, and sustainability
KEYNOTE: H.E. Arifin Tasrif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Republic of Indonesia
Jason Bloom, Head of Fixed Income and Commodity ETF Strategy, Invesco
Rod Colwell, Chief Executive Officer, Controlled Thermal Resources
Frank Fannon, Managing Director, Fannon Global Advisors
Helaina Matza, Director, Energy Transformation, Bureau of Energy Resources, US Department of State
MODERATOR
Reed Blakemore, Deputy Director, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
Energy transition in the MENA region
Olivia Azadegan, Energy Transition Director, MENA, Clean Air Task Force
Marco Margheri, Head of US Relations, Eni
Robin Mills, CEO, Qamar Energy
Jennifer Sara, Global Director for Climate Change Group, The World Bank Group
MODERATOR
David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow, Center on global energy policy, Columbia University
What’s next for hydrogen
Hussein Fouad El Ghazzawy, Senior Energy and Industry Consultant, LYNX
Meg Gentle, Executive Director, High Impact Fuels
Shuayb Ismail, Associate Partner and Head of Partnerships, Xynteo
MODERATOR
Randolph Bell, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
5:00 p.m. (GST) / 8:00 a.m. (ET)
Leadership fireside chat
Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy, European Commission
MODERATOR
Amb. Richard Morningstar, Founding Chairman, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
5:30 p.m. (GST) / 8:30 a.m. (ET)
Closing remarks and reception
Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council
Landon Derentz, Senior Director, Global Energy Center; Richard Morningstar Chair for Global Energy Security, Atlantic Council
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