Energy Unplugged by Aurora

This week on Energy Unplugged, Pierre Dennery, Aurora’s outgoing Country Head for France, is joined by Dominique Ferreira, Global Brand Director for Omexom, the energy infrastructure brand of VINCI Energies.  

Recorded live at the Building Beyond Conference in Paris, hosted by Leonard, VINCI's foresight and innovation platform. The conversation explores the growing importance of grid infrastructure in the energy transition, and why long-term investment, policy stability, and electrification are becoming central to energy security and decarbonisation strategies worldwide. Dominique works across Omexom’s global operations supporting grid infrastructure, electrification, and digitalisation projects that enable the energy transition across more than 30 countries. 

Pierre and Dominique discuss the evolving balance between decentralisation and interconnection, how infrastructure priorities differ across regions, and the role of digitalisation, AI, and new grid technologies in shaping the future electricity system. 

You will learn about: 

Why grid infrastructure has become one of the key bottlenecks of the global energy transition. 

How countries are balancing energy sovereignty, decarbonisation, and electrification through different energy strategies. 

Why interconnection and decentralisation are developing simultaneously across energy systems worldwide. 

How AI, digital twins, and predictive maintenance are changing the way grids are designed and operated.

This week on Energy Unplugged, Hugo Batten, Managing Director of APAC for Aurora Energy Research, is joined by Elias Saba, Chief Commercial Officer of Eku Energy, and Lara Panjkov, Aurora’s Head of Research in APAC. Together, they explore how battery storage economics are evolving across Australia and Japan, and how shifting market dynamics are reshaping investment strategies.

Elias leads Eku’s global Technology, Markets and Trading function and brings over 15 years of experience across energy storage, renewables, and market design, including previous roles at Tesla and Macquarie. He has played a key role in commercialising major battery projects such as Hazelwood, Rangebank, and Williamsdale, and shares insights into how developers are structuring revenue, managing risk, and scaling storage portfolios across global markets.

The conversation examines key trends shaping battery investment today: falling but volatile technology costs, increasingly bespoke offtake structures, and the growing role of merchant exposure and optionality. The speakers also explore how Australia’s mature market contrasts with Japan’s more policy-driven approach, and how evolving regulation, grid constraints, and utility participation are influencing deployment.

You will learn about:

Why early battery projects relied on merchant exposure and built-in flexibility.

How offtake structures remain bespoke despite growing market standardisation.

Why Japan’s battery market is developing differently, with strong government support.

How new use cases like data centre co-location are shaping the next phase of storage investment.

This week on Energy Unplugged, Rodrigo Borges, Market Lead for Brazil at Aurora Energy Research, is joined by Veronica Coelho, Country Manager & SVP at Equinor, and Roberto Colindres, CEO of Rio Energy. Together, they explore how Brazil’s power sector is entering a new phase of development – where system optimisation, rather than pure capacity growth, will define the next cycle of investment. 

Veronica brings a global developer perspective from Equinor’s international portfolio, including large-scale offshore wind, while Roberto draws on his experience leading the development and scaling of renewable assets in Brazil. The discussion highlights how Brazil’s abundance of wind, solar, water, and land positions it as a potential global clean energy powerhouse – provided the right regulatory and system-level frameworks are in place. 

The conversation examines the evolving dynamics of Brazil’s electricity market: rising curtailment, increasing intraday price volatility, and mounting pressure on grid infrastructure. The discussion highlights the growing importance of BESS to reduce curtailment, capture price spreads, and improve system flexibility, while also discussing why offshore wind—despite world-class resource potential—remains a longer-term opportunity given current cost challenges relative to onshore renewables. 

You will learn about: 

Why Brazil’s next phase of renewables growth depends on optimisation, not just expansion. 

How BESS can reduce curtailment, lower system costs, and enhance grid flexibility. 

Why offshore wind in Brazil is a major long-term opportunity but not yet cost-competitive. 

How grid constraints and market design challenges are shaping investment decisions. 

Why long-term policy visibility and regulatory stability are critical to unlocking future growth.

This week on Energy Unplugged, Claudia Gunter is joined by Luuk Veeken, CEO and co-founder of Dexter Energy. Together, they explore how rising renewable penetration is driving short-term power market volatility – and why success increasingly depends on mastering real-time trading and forecasting. 

Luuk explains how the shift from predictable, subsidy-backed renewables to weather-driven, merchant assets is transforming the market. With falling capture prices, rising imbalance costs, and more frequent price spikes, generators must move from simply maximizing output to actively optimizing value – continuously updating positions as forecasts evolve. 

The conversation highlights how improved forecasting, intraday trading, and automation can significantly reduce imbalance exposure, while also examining the growing role of batteries, evolving market design, and cross-border balancing in stabilizing prices. Looking ahead, Luuk outlines how AI-driven forecasting and automated trading will shape the next generation of renewable business models. 

You will learn about: 

Why short-term volatility and imbalance costs are rising in renewable-heavy systems  

How forecasting and intraday trading can protect revenues  

The role of market design and cross-border balancing in price formation  

How AI, automation, and batteries are reshaping renewable trading strategies 

Registration for the leading annual gathering of the European energy industry – the Aurora Spring Forum, taking place on 29th April 2026, in London is open - a one-day deep dive into the biggest strategic questions shaping Europe’s energy transition, plus top-tier networking and a live recording of Energy Unplugged. Book now at https://auroraer.com/events/aurora-spring-forum-2026 and use code PODCAST20 for 20% off.

This week on Energy Unplugged, Richard Howard, Global Director of Research at Aurora Energy Research, is joined by Nick Civetta, Project Leader at Aurora Energy Research, and Duncan Clark, Board Member at Renewable UK and former Head of Europe Development at Ørsted. In this episode experts unpack what recent allocation rounds mean for offshore wind project economics, and why the UK’s 50GW target is increasingly a question of delivery rather than ambition. While confidence is returning after a market reset, significant challenges remain – particularly around grid infrastructure, supply chains, and the sheer scale of projects needing to be built this decade. 

The conversation also looks ahead to how competition may evolve in future auctions, the growing role of system integration, and whether floating wind can scale commercially. Alongside this, they examine how AI and data centre demand could become a major driver of electricity consumption – and a potential opportunity for offshore wind. 

You will learn about: 

Why recent auctions signal a reset for offshore wind economics  

What’s really holding back project delivery in the UK  

How grid constraints could shape deployment this decade  

The outlook for floating wind and its challenges  

Why AI and data centres are a key wildcard for future demand 

Registration for the leading annual gathering of the European energy industry – the Aurora Spring Forum, taking place on 29th April 2026, in London is open - a one-day deep dive into the biggest strategic questions shaping Europe’s energy transition, plus top-tier networking and a live recording of Energy Unplugged. Book now at https://auroraer.com/events/aurora-spring-forum-2026 and use code PODCAST20 for 20% off.