Baker Institute and Baker Botts’ Annual Energy Summit to examine global energy transition

Energy Studies

HOUSTON – (Sept. 15, 2021) – The 2021 Annual Energy Summit at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy will explore the critical issues affecting global energy markets, oil and gas, electricity, renewables and the environment in a virtual conference Sept. 29-30.

Energy Studies

Co-hosted for the fifth consecutive year by the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies and Baker Botts LLP, this year’s summit will feature four expert panels, keynote addresses by former Secretary of State and Baker Institute Honorary Chair James A. Baker III and Keisuke Sadamori, director of energy markets and security at the International Energy Agency, and armchair discussions with Stephen Trauber, vice chairman and global co-head of natural resources and clean energy transition at Citigroup Inc., and Suzanne Scott, Texas state director for The Nature Conservancy. Dong Kim, deputy director for the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office, will also give brief keynote remarks.

What: The virtual Fifth Annual Energy Summit – “Electrification and Decarbonization: Pathways to a New Energy Future.

When:

  • Day 1: Wednesday, Sept. 29, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
  • Day 2: Thursday, Sept. 30, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Who:

  • Panel 1: Decarbonization and Circularity (Sept. 29)
    • Jeremy Baines, president at Neste; Jason Bennett, partner, firmwide department chair for Baker Botts' Global Projects Practice and co-head of its firmwide energy sector leadership; Rich Byrnes, chief infrastructure officer at Port Houston; Heath DePriest, vice president of emerging energy at Phillips 66; Rachel Meidl, fellow in energy and environment at the Center for Energy Studies; and Takajiro "Tak" Ishikawa, senior executive vice president at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America.
  • Panel 2: Electrification and Sustainability (Sept. 29)
    • George Fibbe, partner and lead of Baker Botts’ environmental, social and governance team; Michelle Michot Foss, fellow in energy, minerals and materials at the Center for Energy Studies; Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of Electric Power Supply Association; Jeanne-Mey Sun, vice president of sustainability at NRG Energy; and Carl Williams, private investor and former co-head at Riverstone Holdings.
  • Panel 3: The Future of Oil and Gas in Energy Transitions (Sept. 30)
    • Thomas Holmberg, partner and co-chair of Baker Botts’ liquefied natural gas, hydrogen and carbon capture, usage and storage practice groups; Damon Daniels, chief commercial officer at Tallgrass Energy; Mitch Fane, Americas energy and resources leader and U.S. oil and gas leader at EY; Mark Finley, fellow in energy and global oil at the Center for Energy Studies; and Christopher Smith, senior vice president at Cheniere Energy.
  • Panel 4: Energy Transitions — Views from Around the World on the Road to Glasgow (Sept. 30)
    • Julie Mayo, partner at Baker Botts; Gabe Collins, the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at the Center for Energy Studies; Nicole Gibson, deputy director at the Department of State; Tomás González, director at Centro Regional de Estudios de Energía; Todd Moss, nonresident fellow at the Center for Energy Studies and executive director of the Energy for Growth Hub; and Atanu Mukherjee, CEO at Dastur Energy Inc.

Opening remarks will be provided by Edward Djerejian, director of the Baker Institute; John Martin, managing partner at Baker Botts; and Ken Medlock, fellow in energy and resource economics and the senior director of the Center for Energy Studies.

Where: The conference is free to attend, but registration is required here.

Participants are encouraged to follow @CES_Baker_Inst on Twitter and join the conversation online with the hashtag #BakerEnergy.

To schedule an interview with one of the organizers or experts, contact Avery Franklin, media relations specialist at Rice, at averyrf@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.

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This news release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks as the No. 1 university-affiliated think tank in the world and the No. 1 energy think tank in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blog.bakerinstitute.org.

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