CERAWeek Podcast with Atul Arya

Recorded live at CERAWeek 2026, this episode features David Rabley, Global Energy Strategy Lead at Accenture, in conversation with Atul on how energy companies are moving AI from experimentation to real business value.

From reprocessing legacy data to optimizing operations across the energy value chain, AI is becoming embedded in core workflows. Yet only a small share of companies are seeing meaningful results—highlighting the gap between deploying tools and transforming how the business operates.

Key topics:

• AI across the energy value chain—from legacy data to operations
• Why only ~10% of companies are seeing real AI performance
• AI as a business strategy, not an IT initiative
• The 70/30 shift: investing more in people and change than technology
• From efficiency gains to new sources of growth

This episode, recorded live at CERAWeek 2026, highlights how energy companies are moving beyond AI pilots toward enterprise-wide transformation—an increasingly central theme in the convergence of energy, technology and business strategy.

The energy transition is increasingly becoming an energy expansion, as electrification, industrial growth and AI-driven demand accelerate the need for reliable electricity. In this episode, Morten Wierod, CEO and President of ABB, joins Atul to discuss how rising power demand is reshaping priorities for grids, infrastructure and industrial systems worldwide.

The conversation highlights why grid resilience is emerging as a national security issue, illustrated by the 2025 blackout in Spain and Portugal that left 65 million people without power. As electricity becomes more central to economic activity, reliable grids are now critical infrastructure priorities.

Key topics:

• The shift from energy transition to energy expansion as electricity demand accelerates
• Grid resilience as a national security priority in an increasingly electrified world
• Energy efficiency as a hidden hero, with potential savings exceeding 10% of global electricity consumption
• Electrification, AI-driven demand and automation reshaping industrial energy systems

Energy demand continues to grow, but the defining feature of today's energy system is volatility.

In this episode, Nick Studer, Incoming Chief Executive Officer of Marsh Risk, President and Chief Executive Office of Olivier Wyman, joins Atul alongside Mark Pellerin, Global Head of Energy & Natural Resources at Oliver Wyman, to discuss how rising uncertainty is reshaping decision-making across the energy sector—and why risk management and insurability are increasingly shaping which energy projects get financed and built.

Key topics:

• Risk management shifting from operational issue to board-level priority
• The surge in power demand from data centers and implications for infrastructure investment
• Bankability and insurability shaping the pace of new energy technologies
• A "commercially smart" energy transition where profitability and sustainability must coexist
• Climate adaptation and resilience as growing balance-sheet considerations

This episode builds ahead to CERAWeek 2026, March 23–27 in Houston, where leaders will examine how risk, resilience and capital allocation are shaping the next phase of the global energy system. Learn more at ceraweek.com

Low-carbon fuels could work in today's engines, pipelines and refineries—without rebuilding the entire energy system.

Meg Gentle, Executive Director of the Board at HIF Global, joins Atul Arya to discuss how e-fuels—synthetic hydrocarbons made from renewable electricity, water and recycled CO₂—could help decarbonize sectors where electrification is difficult.

The conversation explores how "drop-in" fuels can leverage existing infrastructure, why aviation and shipping are key early markets, and what it will take to scale global production—from certification systems to partnerships across the fuel value chain.

Key topics:

• Producing gasoline from renewable electricity, water and recycled CO₂
• Drop-in fuels that work with today's vehicles and fuel infrastructure
• Scaling e-fuel production and reducing costs through larger facilities
• Sustainable aviation fuel as a key pathway for aviation decarbonization
• Direct air capture as a future CO₂ source for synthetic fuels
• Global carbon accounting and certification systems to enable trade

This episode builds ahead to CERAWeek 2026, March 23–27 in Houston, where leaders will examine how molecules and electrons together will shape the next phase of the energy transition. Learn more at ceraweek.com

Steel accounts for 9% of global greenhouse gas emissions—making it one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize.

José Fonrouge, Global Environmental Director at Ternium, joins Atul to discuss the realities of reducing emissions in a two-billion-ton industry. The conversation examines structural constraints—from coal dependence and infrastructure gaps to global market dynamics—while outlining pragmatic pathways grounded in recycling, energy efficiency and hydrogen innovation.

Key topics:

• The global scale of steel production and its emissions footprint
• The current state and growing potential of steel recycling
• Carbon capture and emissions reductions targets for steel
• "Turquoise hydrogen" as a potential low-carbon pathway
• Incentives, trade dynamics and global "green steel" standards

This episode builds ahead to CERAWeek 2026, March 23–27 in Houston, where leaders will examine hard-to-abate sectors, industrial competitiveness and the energy transition. Learn more at ceraweek.com

Green hydrogen is entering a more disciplined phase—where project viability and secured offtake matter more than headline announcements. In this episode, Kim Hedegaard, CEO of Power-to-X at Topsoe, joins Atul to discuss what it will take to scale clean fuels on commercially sound foundations. The conversation examines how the sector is shifting toward industrial maturity—where access to competitive power, risk mitigation and capital discipline determine which projects move forward. High-temperature electrolysis, offering between 20-30% greater efficiency, compared to other electrolyzer technologies illustrates how technology can improve economics—but bankability will ultimately define the pace of deployment. Key topics:

• Moving from hydrogen hype to commercial discipline
• Offtake, risk allocation and project bankability
• Efficiency gains in high-temperature electrolysis
• Scaling manufacturing to reduce costs
• Policy and regulatory drivers shaping demand

This episode builds ahead to CERAWeek 2026, March 23–27, where leaders will examine how technology, capital and policy must align to scale the next phase of the energy transition. Learn more at ceraweek.com

Microsoft has matched 100% of its annual global electricity consumption with renewable energy—contracting 40 gigawatts across 26 countries.

Hanna Grene, Global Go-to-Market and Innovation Leader for Microsoft's Global Energy & Resources Industry, joins Atul to discuss what this milestone signals for the energy sector as AI demand accelerates.

The conversation explores how AI is driving performance in the power sector, reshaping grid operations, infrastructure development and business processes—highlighting why energy systems are becoming foundational to digital growth and competitiveness.

Key topics:

• Microsoft's 40-gigawatt renewable procurement milestone
• AI as a strategic input for energy systems and economic growth
• AI-driven grid efficiency, reliability and interconnection timelines
• Generative AI for permitting and project acceleration
• Community-first AI infrastructure and system impacts
• Scaling AI across operations, workforce and customer engagement

This episode builds up to CERAWeek 2026, where leaders will examine how AI, electricity demand and infrastructure modernization are reshaping the energy system. Learn more at ceraweek.com

Heavy-duty gas turbine demand in the Americas has grown more than six-fold in five years, a clear signal that the power sector is racing to deliver new generation capacity.

Bill Newsom, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas, joins Atul Arya to discuss what it takes to build power at speed as electricity demand accelerates. The conversation focuses on execution – how manufacturers, utilities and technology partners are scaling equipment supply, project delivery and infrastructure to meet rising demand while advancing decarbonization.

Key topics:

• Surging turbine demand and its signal for power markets
• Competition for manufacturing capacity and longer equipment lead times
• Standardized plant designs and partnerships to accelerate delivery
• Faster permitting and policy shifts enabling new infrastructure
• Carbon capture and hydrogen pathways supporting lower-carbon power

This episode builds up to CERAWeek 2026, March 23–27, Houston, where leaders will examine how the energy industry is scaling generation capacity, accelerating project delivery, and deploying infrastructure to meet rising electricity demand. Learn more at ceraweek.com

Rising global energy demand, security of supply and long-term investment decisions are shaping the future of the energy system. In this episode, Ashraf Al Ghazzawi, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Corporate Development at Saudi Aramco, joins Atul Arya to discuss these dynamics and their impact on energy markets. Key topics include:

• Global demand growth and regional energy disparities
• Investments in supply needed to keep pace with resource depletion rates
• Energy security through diversity of suppliers
• AI's impact on operational efficiencies
• Disciplined approaches to lower-carbon investments

This episode builds up to CERAWeek 2026, where leaders will examine the intersection of energy security, technology deployment and long-term system resilience. Join the conversation March 23–27, 2026, in Houston. Learn more at ceraweek.com.

Rising electricity demand from AI, data centers, and electrification is reversing decades of flat load growth and reshaping power markets. In this episode, Lawrence Coben, Chair & CEO of NRG Energy, joins Atul to discuss how energy providers are responding to a new era of accelerating demand, tightening capacity and growing infrastructure needs. The conversation examines how utilities, technology companies and large energy users are adapting—highlighting the growing importance of investment, partnerships and policy frameworks to ensure reliable and affordable power. Key topics include:

• The return of large-scale electricity demand growth after decades of stagnation
• Implications for industry, large energy users, and residential customers
• Expanding generation capacity, modernizing the grid, and virtual power plant solutions
• Collaboration across utilities, hyperscalers, and technology partners
• Policy and permitting reform as critical enablers of new energy infrastructure

This episode builds up to CERAWeek 2026, where leaders will examine the convergence of demand growth, infrastructure investment and system resilience. Join the conversation March 23–27, 2026, in Houston. Learn more at ceraweek.com