Please note: This is a hybrid event. Registration for in-person attendance has reached capacity. Should additional space open, this message will be updated. Virtual attendance is still open and we invite you to join us remotely.

Background:

Foreign direct investment can contribute significantly to sustainable development through tax revenues, the transfer of capital and technology, job creation, linkages with local industries, infrastructure development, and capacity building. However, the extent to which these benefits actually accrue to host countries depends heavily on the policies of the host country and the investor, the regulatory and legal framework governing their relationship, and the institutions available to find mutually satisfactory outcomes for both parties. Nowhere are the stakes higher than with extractive industries, where oil, gas and mining have sometimes been a springboard to development and at other times a source of corruption, social degradation, and environmental catastrophe. As the resources are non-renewable, countries have a one-shot opportunity to transform the resource wealth into development.

Objective:

This event, co-hosted by the Center on Global Energy Policy and Columbia Global Centers | Rio de Janeiro, will provide a basic knowledge of the transformative potential, benefits and risks of the extractive-industry and the role of industry, governments and civil society. Participants will have the opportunity to learn and interact with experts from Columbia University and Fundação Getúlio Vargas to discuss the interlinkages of oil, gas and mining in Brazil and the U.S.

Speakers:

• Lisa Sachs

Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. Since joining CCSI in 2008, she established and now oversees CCSI’s robust research portfolio in its cross-cutting areas of expertise, and has overseen advisory work in Chile, Guinea, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Paraguay, Tanzania and Timor-Leste, among other countries. She teaches a masters seminar at Columbia Law School and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs on Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development, and lectures at Externado University in Colombia on International Investment Law. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University, and earned her Juris Doctor and a Masters degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, where she was a James Kent Scholar and recipient of the Parker School Certificate in International and Comparative Law.

• Fernanda Delgado

PHD trained in Energetic Planning (engineering), with petroleum geopolitics emphasis, Master degrees in Management Engineering and in International Finance. Two published books on Petropolitics, and an affiliated professor of Oil Geopolitics in Brazilian Navy Officers University. Professional experience in relevant companies, in Brazil and abroad, as Deloitte, Vale S.A., Gama Filho University, Royal Shipping Services and Dickinson Maritime Agency. Skilled on business plans design and construction, project financial viability studies and business valuation. Long experience in strategic planning, merger and acquisition, business analysis, economic and financial evaluation and competitive intelligence.

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Please note: This is a hybrid event. Registration for in-person attendance has reached capacity. Should additional space open, this message will be updated. Virtual attendance is still open and we invite you to join us remotely.

Advance registration is required. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email with access details.

For more information about the event, please contact energypolicyevents@columbia.edu.

Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy for a Women in Energy lunch and roundtable discussion with Dr. Pratima Rangarajan, the Chief Executive Officer of the newly-formed investment company, OGCI Climate Investments and Rhea Hamilton, Ventures Director of OGCI Climate Investments. Dr. Rangarajanand and Ms. Hamilton will discuss their job history, career paths, and perspectives on what it means to be a female leader in the energy industry. About OGCI Investments  Jointly funded by 10 Oil and Gas majors, OGCI Climate Investments (CI) intends to invest $1 billion over the next ten years to develop and demonstrate innovative technologies that have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CI plans to enhance the impact of the investments via strategic partnerships and with others working on low emissions technologies and solutions. Biographies Dr. Pratima Rangarajan Before joining OGCI Climate Investments, Dr. Rangarajan was the General Manager for GE’s Onshore Wind Product Line and the General Manager for GE’s Energy Storage startup. She had previously held the role of Deputy Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Emerging Technology and Research at Vestas Wind Systems. Pratima has a PhD in chemical engineering from Princeton University and a BS in chemical engineering from MIT. She is based in London.  Rhea Hamilton Previously, Ms. Hamilton was a Managing Director for a European family office heading private equity/venture capital direct investments in clean technology and renewable energy. Prior to this, she was an Investment Director at RobecoSAM Private Equity, formerly part of the greater Rabobank Group. Ms. Hamilton started her career with Royal Dutch Shell, where she held various positions including CFO of Shell Hydrogen. Rhea holds a Geological Engineering degree with a specialisation in Geophysics, from the University of British Columbia, and an MBA from IESE in Barcelona, Spain. This event is open only to current female grad students.  Space is limited therefore please register only if you can commit to attending the roundtable. Lunch will be provided.  If you have any questions, please contact: jem2245@sipa.columbia.edu

The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women is excited to invite you to tour the Central Energy Plant of Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus.  The tour will be led by Michael Haeser, Manhattanville’s Director of District Energy System, and Sejal Shah, Manhattanville’s Manager of District Energy Systems. It will start from the courtyard in front of the Lenfest Center for the Arts where participants will be introduced to the buildings the plant currently supports, then we will go down to the Central Energy Plant. We will walk through the control rooms and learn about the different systems that monitor the equipment (boiler/chiller). The group will then walk through the plants where Michael and Sejal will discuss what the boiler and chiller do and what other pieces of equipment the plant uses to ensure a smooth operation. They will also provide details on the refrigeration cycle, free cooling, steam, condensate, efficiency, and sustainability.  This event is open to current female grad students.  Space is extremely limited therefore please register only if you can commit to attending the site visit.  If you RSVP and can no longer attend, please email me at least three days in advance. If you have any questions, please contact: jem2245@sipa.columbia.edu

LOCATION: Princeton Club of NY 15 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy program is hosting a public panel discussion on how shifting energy and environmental policies are impacting the financial sector. Our panel of experts will explore issue related to both conventional and renewable energy including tariffs on solar panels, what policies have the greatest effects on financial markets, short-term and long-term effects of the current administration’s plan to open more drilling areas, and the short-term and long-term views of investments in renewables. The panel will include the following speakers: – Maria Jelescu, CEO, Ardinall Investment Management – Dawn Pasquin, Chief Risk Officer, GE Energy Financial Services – Sarah Valdovinos, Co-Founder, Walden Green Energy – Iany Ianachkova, Director, Cohn Reznick Capital Registration is required. This event is open to press. Please direct media inquiries to Jamie Shellenberger-Bessmann. It will also be livestreamed at: energypolicy.columbia.edu/livestream A podcast of this event (in addition to other past Center events) will be available ~12 days after the date of the event through iTunes or via our website. For more information contact: energypolicy@columbia.edu

Fossil fuel companies are under pressure from shareholders, citizens and the courts to shift their business models to reduce emissions or face huge financial consequences. There are now more than 1,500 large corporations with net-zero emission pledges, including one-quarter of the S&P 500.

In today’s episode, host Bill Loveless speaks with Mindy Lubber — President and CEO of CERES, a sustainability nonprofit that pushes private companies to integrate the risks associated with climate change into their business strategies. 

They spoke about the changes happening in the market and inside boardrooms, and whether any of it is happening fast enough.

NEW YORK — The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs announced today that Erin Blanton has joined CGEP as a Senior Research Scholar. Blanton will lead the natural gas research initiative and will conduct research focused on the role of natural gas in the energy transition, energy markets and geopolitics. Blanton will also manage collaborative projects that contribute to the University’s wider research and engage with public and private sector leaders, journalists and students.

“Global natural gas markets are in the midst of a major transformation. Investors, regulatory agencies and policymakers are working to understand the economic, environmental and geopolitical impacts of this transformation,” said Jason Bordoff, Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs and Founding Director of CGEP. “Erin can speak fluently on everything from the impact of increased LNG flows on Russia’s leverage over European gas buyers to the environmental implications of natural gas methane leakage and flaring. We are confident she will help us continue to drive our work in this space ahead successfully. Her deep expertise in energy markets will help bring into context the impact this transformation will have on global trade, energy security and efforts to address climate change.”

“The natural gas industry has made a case that gas can be a critical factor in the ongoing energy transition as a bridge fuel, primarily by displacing more-polluting coal in the energy system,” said Blanton. “But methane leaks, flaring and venting — which are receiving steadily greater attention in recent years — all have the potential to undermine the role of the industry in this transition and their profitability moving forward. I’m excited to join the team at CGEP and am looking forward to engaging the industry on the importance of the environmental, social and governance aspects of transforming the sector.”

About Erin Blanton

Before joining the Center, Blanton spent 16 years at Medley Global Advisors, an independent macro-policy research firm. Blanton was a managing director and led natural gas and renewable coverage as part of the firm’s energy team. Her clients consisted of the world’s leading hedge funds, asset managers and investment banks. Blanton has a master’s degree in Energy Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cornell University.

The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy program and NYU’s Center for Global Affairs are excited to invite you to tour the Arthur Kill Natural Gas Plant at Staten Island. This event is being hosted and led by NRG Energy. Please see the full details below.  Transportation to and from the facility will provided.  Pick-up & drop-off location: NYU’s Center for Global Affairs – Woolworth Building, 15 Barclay Street Pick-up time: 8:00am. We will leave no later than 8:00am and will not wait for latecomers. Please arrive at the pick-up location by 7:45am.  Drop off time: 1:30pm Arthur Kill Gas Plant Tour Details The NRG facility runs on three units. The first, AK2 is a gas-fueled steamboiler (348MW) and was built in 1959. It was originally designed for coal, oil, and gas, but now only performs gas, front-fire boiler and simple steam. The CT-1, built in 1969, is gas only, but oil capable with a simple cycle gas turbine. The AK3, also built in 1969, was originally coal only but was modified for oil in 1972. In 1991, it was modified again to be a gas-only, tangentially-fired boiler, simple steam unit. Sustainability The plant has been actively involved in sustainability efforts since its founding. It has participated in several replanting initiatives and, in 2012, developed a sunflower planting as well as a water conservation project to help replenish surrounding areas. Arthur Kill manages water conversation and a bio-diversity project. The latter project helps replenish the local population of osprey, or sea hawk, by building nests. The facility has also partners with the Harbor School, supporting the Billion Oyster Project, which endeavors to help rebuild the protective reef in New York Harbor. This event is open only to current female grad students.  Space is extremely limited therefore please register only if you can commit to attending the site visit. No-show’s will not be permitted to participate in WIE events through the end of the calendar year. If you RSVP and can no longer attend, please email me at least three days in advance. If you have any questions, please contact: jem2245@sipa.columbia.edu 

India’s energy challenges are diverse and compounded by a growing global commitment to climate change, which has serious implications for India’s reliance on cheap coal to power its cities and villages alike. On this episode, host Jason Bordoff talks with Sunita Narain, Director General of the Center for Science and Environment, one of India’s leading environment NGOs based in Delhi, and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People for her work on climate change and the poor. They discuss: The role energy access and energy poverty play in India’s energy narrative; How to prevent fossil-fuel addiction among India’s citizens; The challenge of transitioning India off of cheap coal and the role of natural gas in the developing world; The need for smart fuel subsidies; Whether the Paris Agreement is a good deal for India and other developing nations.