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The world’s offshore wind installed capacity reached 117 gigawatts in 2023, up 50% over 2022. It is projected to reach 320 GW by 2030. We discuss with Asia energy markets veteran Mark Hutchinson the recently released Global Wind Report 2024 by Global Wind Energy Council. We have a quick review of 2023, focus on a couple of the key take aways, share some thoughts on some key Asia Pacific offshore wind markets, discuss the state of capital investments and financing, and finally look beyond 2024.

ABOUT MARK. Mark Hutchinson has over three decades of energy sector experience, including over 25 years consulting and research experience in Asia. He has expertise in strategic advice, finance, M&A, contract negotiations and due diligence in the power and renewables, and the oil and gas sectors. He is the chair of the Southeast Asia Task Force for the Global Wind Energy Council. Mark works with the GWEC members in Asia and globally to represent the wind industry in policy and regulatory discussions across the region. GWEC convenes both in-person and virtual meetings with key stakeholders, providing fact-based analysis and guidance to help shape policies that affect the wind industry.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Scaling up energy efficiency can for 11 per cent of cumulative emissions reductions by 2030 according to the IEA. In this episode energy industry veteran Alexander Ablaza, explains why energy efficiency the most important pieces of the energy transition although it is often unjustifiably ignored. He discusses in detail business and finance trends in the sector as well as examining the many investments opportunities, and the challenges, with energy efficiency in the Asia Pacific region.

ABOUT ALEXANDER: Alexander Ablaza is CEO of Climargy Inc. The last 23 years of his 38-year professional career have been dedicated to growing energy efficiency and other clean energy technology deployment in 14 Asian markets through the identification, due diligence and financial close of over $3 billion in direct investments, and also through catalytic market transformation, policy, regulatory, fund mobilization and transaction support interventions. He designed and established Climargy, a global pioneer private Super ESCO aggregator of ESCO project assets hosted by the C&I sector in Asian growth markets. He convened, founded, and chairs the Asia-Pacific ESCO Industry Alliance and the Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance. He likewise co-founded and sits in the Advisory Board of the Global ESCO Network and co-chairs the Marketplace Taskforce of the global coalition, Mission Efficiency. He is armed with 35 years of project and corporate management experience, an aggregate 29 years of energy sector involvement, and an educational background in engineering (BSCE) and economics (MBE). 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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In this episode podcast, we’re privileged to host two seasoned stalwarts of the heavy industry, Genevieve Hilton and Steve Willis. Their unexpected pivot has led them to channel their vast experience into a compelling work of fiction: ‘Fairhaven: A Novel of Climate Optimism’ (Habitat Press, 2024). This isn’t just a novel; it’s a beacon illuminating the pressing climate issues that our planet grapples with. Our conversation takes a deep dive into Genevieve’s and Steve’s transformative journey towards net-zero. We then shift our focus to three innovative climate solutions, not mere theoretical constructs, but viable both project-wise and financially, as explored in the novel. We also touch upon the topic of corporate sustainability and underscore the paramount importance of raising awareness. This episode isn’t just a discussion; it’s a thought-provoking exploration of climate change from a truly unique vantage point. Tune in for an enlightening experience.

ABOUT GENEVIEVE. Genevieve Hilton has worked in corporate affairs and sustainability in the Asia Pacific region since 1994. She previously led ESG and communications in Asia Pacific for Lenovo, as well as Corporate Citizenship and External Communications Asia Pacific for BASF. Since taking a step back from the corporate world in 2022, she has become a full-time sustainability activist and writer. Under the pen name Jan Lee, she is an award-winning science fiction writer. She is the co-author, with Steve Willis, of "Fairhaven – A Novel of Climate Optimism" (Habitat Press UK), a winner in the Green Stories contest. Her work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and recognized several times in the “Writers of the Future” contest. She also is Editor-in-Chief of The Apostrophe, the quarterly magazine of the Hong Kong Writers Circle. She currently acts as a senior advisor for a number of environmental and social activist organizations, as well as co-chairing the Energy & ESG Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong.

ABOUT STEVE. Steve Willis is an engineer and innovator with decades of experience providing solutions to environmental problems for large scale industries. The start of the covid lockdowns gave him pause to think carefully about climate solutions, what was needed and what it would take to get there. This led to a collaboration with the GreenStories team to produce the No More Fairy Tales anthology for COP27. Steve continues to work on large scale climate solutions, currently developing a CO2 sequestration mineralisation process which can be deployed at the million tonne scale.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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One of the rapidly growing areas in climate business and finance is the purchase by corporations of clean energy. This is frequently referred to as corporate renewable energy procurement. Such purchases jumped 12% to 46 gigawatts in 2023 according to BNEF. Our guest is Suji Kang, the programme director of Asia Clean Energy Coalition, an organisation dedicated to corporate renewable energy procurement in Asia. Members include major multinationals such as Amazon, Google, Ikea, and many others. We discussed a variety of topics including the broad picture of what is happening in the region, the work of Suji’s organisation with governments, and the challenges currently faced.

ABOUT SUJI: Suji Kang is the Asia Program Director of Asia Clean Energy Coalition (ACEC) where she is responsible for engaging all members and stakeholders to create a favourable policy and market environment for the company’s clean energy procurement across the Asia Pacific region. Suji has ten years of experience in the public-, private-, non-profit sectors in energy and environment industry. She has worked as a director of K-RE100 solutions team at ROOT ENERGY, a private start-up company providing consulting and procurement services for renewable energy projects for companies in Korea. Prior to that Suji served as Regional Manager of Asia at the World Energy Council, based in London. Prior public experience includes her lead on international cooperation and external affairs team in Korea Energy Foundation. Suji is a graduate of McGill University with Bachelor’s degree in Management and currently studying for Msc in Energy and Environment at Korea University. She is a native speaker of Korea, fluent in English and conversational French.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Some of the climate business and finance trends in Europe and the US are highly applicable to the Asian experience. In this episode, energy media specialist Pamela Largue provides some clarity on some of these trends. We first briefly chat about her organisation, Enlit World, an important source of sector news and trends through publications and conferences. We then discuss Pamela’s latest findings after participating at Enlit industry conferences in Europe (energy security) and the US (energy costs and the I.R.A.). Finally, we have a quick chat about Pamela’s own podcast, the Energy Transitions Podcast.

ABOUT PAMELA. Pamela Largue is senior reporter on Power Engineering International, a daily news site with a 25-year-plus heritage of covering the power generation sector. She writes about all aspects of the energy industry in news articles, features, and interviews. She is also the host of the Energy Transitions Podcast, which magnifies the future energy landscape through the lenses of industry movers and shakers. Pamela holds a post-graduate degree in Social Anthropology and has worked in media and energy events for more than 12 years.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Our guest is Mike Thomas who heads The Lantau Group, a Hong Kong-based consultancy, and who is one of the leading energy economics thinkers in the Asia Pacific region. As it is the beginning of the year, Mike evaluates a small sample of the many developments in the region’s climate business and finance in 2023. He also shares a few thoughts on 2024 and beyond. We discuss some specific markets including Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and China as well as examine some of the major themes such as the ASEAN grid, offshore wind, and grid capacity. Mike truly offers some unique perspectives thanks to his vast experience and extensive work with corporates, governments, and financial institutions.
Link: research by The Lantau Group.
Previous Episode with Mike: Ep23 Temperature check on the energy transition in Asia, ft Mike Thomas, 20 December 2022

ABOUT MIKE: Mike Thomas is a founding partner at The Lantau Group with over 30 years of consulting experience, focussing on the energy sector.  He advises a wide range of energy sector stakeholders on strategic, regulatory, and competition matters; sustainability; market design and development; and commercial transactions.  Prior to co-founding in 2010, he headed the Asia Pacific Energy & Environment practice of a global consulting firm.  Mike has an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, United States and a BA in Economics from Carleton College, United States. More specifically, within the Asia Pacific region, he has led many significant engagements involving the robust application of economics and analytics to a wide variety of business, policy, and regulatory challenges affecting the electricity and gas sectors.  He works extensively with multinationals on sustainability strategies, focussing on the best options in different markets, and on the regulatory and policy changes needed to support increasing renewable energy contracting options.  He has testified or advised as an industry economic expert in commercial contract disputes before courts or arbitral panels in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia, and on disputed regulatory matters before regulatory authorities in New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines.  His experience in commercial matters includes market forecasts and revenue simulations for numerous renewable energy and conventional energy projects and market assessments in South Asia, North Asia, ASEAN, and Australia/New Zealand. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Corporates play a crucial role in driving the energy transition. Their role is critical to accelerating change and addressing the pressing climate change challenges. It is critical for corporates to formulate transition strategies, beyond climate risk and other types of reporting. It is a tough hurdle given all of this is very new. Our guest is Summer Chen who is a Principal Consultant with ERM, a leading multinational consultancy firm. Summer works with corporates on the strategy front, among other things. In the episode, first Summer puts transition in Asia into context. Then she offers several key take aways from her COP28 visit. She then discusses how corporates approach transition strategies, including a few examples. Finally, she shares some thoughts on her long-term outlook.
Helpful Link: ERM's SustainAbility Institute

ABOUT SUMMER. Summer is a Principal Consultant of the Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change Team with ERM based in Hong Kong. She is experienced in climate strategy development, climate risk assessment, scenario analysis and financial impact quantification covering a broad range of sectors. Summer also provides low carbon transition advisory, supporting companies at all stages of their net zero journey, from developing a decarbonisation strategy, implementing emission reduction measures, to deploying low-carbon technologies. Prior to Hong Kong, Summer has worked for the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office for over 5 years on climate change energy policy through the delivery of projects to support regional energy transition. She took on temporary roles in UN agencies and has previously lived and worked in Malaysia, China, Kenya and the UK.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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 Decarbonisation efforts start with the commitment by a government. Once the broad policy is set, the real hard work of regulation begins. To understand and advance sustainable finance it is absolutely imperative to understand this work. In this episode our guest is Eugene Wong who shares his unique insights on the Southeast Asian experience. Eugene is the Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia. The Institute is a neutral, convening platform to bring together different stakeholders to advance the sustainability agenda in ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asia Nations). The actors include policy makers, regulators, industry, academia, and others, and are all focused on Southeast Asia’s financial sector as a catalyst for ASEAN’s sustainable agenda. Today, for example, the Institute is a host to  the ASEAN Taxonomy Board collaborating with all of the capital markets regulators in Southeast Asia.
References: ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance version 1 (Nov 2021); ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance version 2 (June 2023); ASEAN Transition Finance Guidance (Oct 2023);

ABOUT EUGENE: Eugene Wong is the Chief Executive Officer of SFIA, an independent institute established to catalyse ideas on Sustainable Finance at the policy level in ASEAN, as well as propel action in support of those policy ideas. SFIA is currently the Host of the ASEAN Taxonomy Board and convenor of the ASEAN Capital Market Regulators’ Industry Advisory Panel on Sustainable Finance. Eugene was previously the Managing Director, Corporate Finance & Investments of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). He also served as a member of the Audit Oversight Board in Malaysia and was an Adviser to the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board. He oversaw the SC’s ASEAN related initiatives and was a Chair of the Deputies of the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (ACMF) and the Co-Chair of its Sustainable Finance Working Group. The ASEAN Green Bond Standards, ASEAN Social Bond Standards and ASEAN Sustainability Bond Standards were issued during his tenure as Chair of the Deputies of the ACMF. In addition, he was a Co-Chair of the ASEAN Working Committee on Capital Market Development. Eugene represents SFIA as an observer to the International Capital Market Association’s Green Bond Principles, Social Bond Principles, Sustainability Bond Guidelines and Sustainability-linked Loans Guidelines Group. Eugene is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Fellow of CPA Australia and a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Industry practitioners are a key source to understand the business and finance of the energy transition in Asia. In episode 37’s we have a conversation  is Robert McGregor. Robert is the Chief Corporate Development Officer of Gurīn Energy, a pan-Asia renewable energy company. He has a long, illustrious, and unique career in the energy industry first in the UK and then in Asia. We had a broad-based and in-depth conversation on key topics revolving around clean energy.  Robert shares his thoughts on the current state of the renewable energy industry in the region, about corporate strategies and the importance of corporate culture, about the state of financing and finally offers his outlook on the sector.

ABOUT ROBERT. Robert is the Chief Corporate Development Officer of Gurīn Energy, a pan-Asia renewable energy company. After a 17-year career in the UK energy industry, Robert moved to Asia in 1997 to undertake senior roles in investment banking (Hong Kong) and in private equity (Singapore). In the period from 1997 to 2014, Robert worked on transactions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Australia, and also collaborated with Hong Kong and Japanese corporates. In April 2014, Robert relocated to the Philippines (where his family resides) to take up employment with the Aboitiz Group where he had a concurrent role overseeing business development, investments, and divestments in both the Aboitiz Equity Ventures and Aboitiz Power companies. Robert was the chairman of the Investment Committee and project-managed almost all of the Group’s significant capital deployments over the last nine years. Robert graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry (1980) and an MBA (1994), both from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He recently added an MLitt in Scottish Heritage (2022) from the University of Aberdeen. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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 Corporates all over the world are under immense pressure to address their carbon footprint.  They must worry about their own footprint as well as that of other companies their linked with, such as their suppliers. In this episode I chat with a specialist in this area, Albert Sutanto. Albert is the Southeast Asia Markets Manager at Mt. Stonegate Green Asset Management based in Taiwan. Albert shares his experience on how he helps corporates to identify and reduce their carbon footprints as well as raising their consumption of clean energy.  He discusses corporate decarbonisation strategies in Asia in general and in Southeast Asia in particular.  He also touches on the financing side of the equation.

ABOUT ALBERT: Albert is the Southeast Asia Markets Manager at Mt. Stonegate. He is a dynamic and results-driven business development professional, with a proven track record in the renewables and environment industry. Specialize in driving growth and market penetration for carbon credits and energy attribute certificates in the Southeast Asian market. Forge strategic partnerships, identify emerging market trends, and deliver innovative solutions to maximize sustainable impact. Successfully establish and expand business operations, leveraging strong stakeholder relationships. Committed to fostering collaboration and advancing sustainable initiatives for a greener future. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Asia will account for 50% or more of global energy transition investments in the next three plus decades. Financing is of primary importance and is a challenge. In this episode, Andrew Kinloch, a leading infrastructure finance expert, discusses some of these challenges. He looks at financing renewable energy projects in general and then he discusses in detail some of the challenges such as how to address Asia’s young coal fired power plants fleet. He also has interesting thoughts about the role of multilateral banks financial institutions.

ABOUT ANDREW. Andrew Kinloch is a consultant on infrastructure finance in Asia and founder of the Logie Group. He has been Lead Arranging and advising on infrastructure finance for over 30 years.  In 2003, he set up in business as Logie Group to advise across the whole investment cycle namely: governments and public sector on policy; institutional investors on strategy; transaction preparation and advisory; and acting as an expert witness in arbitrations. Andrew is a member of the UNECE roster of PPP experts; acts as a peer reviewer for them; and is on IFC’s Nominee Directors database. He is a Fellow of the HKICPA, ICAEW and HKIoD; and a member of the HKSI, HKIB and APIEx. Andrew worked originally with KPMG then PWC in London, Hong Kong, and Sydney; he then switched to investment banking with Westpac in Sydney and project finance at Mizuho then UBS in London; he returned to Asia in 1998 as Head of Global Structured Finance, Asia Pacific for WestLB when it was a top five Lead Arranger of project finance globally.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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The development of China's solar industry is key to the nation’s as well as the world’s net zero ambitions. Installed capacity was 392 GW in 2022 and is set to continue to grow further. In this episode, we speak to Frank Haugwitz who has been involved in the sector for over two decades. He is a Senior Advisor and China Representative of Apricum, a transaction advisory and strategy consulting company. We first briefly look at the history and background of the industry and identify the reasons behind the massive growth. We then look at the current state of the industry. Finally, we evaluate the future opportunities and challenges in the industry. 

ABOUT FRANK. Frank Haugwitz is Senior Advisor and China Representative of Apricum, a Berlin-based globally active transaction advisory and strategy consulting company dedicated to the cleantech industry. He is an industrial mechanic by profession and obtained a degree in Applied Business Languages (Sinology) and International Business Management. Frank worked in Beijing for over two decades through 2022. Originally from Germany, he has been working as a long-term expert on photovoltaic and renewable energy projects in China. He was supported by the German government and the European Union between 2002 and 2009 and in 2009 he jointly founded the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA) headquartered in Singapore. Since late 2009 he has been an independent solar energy consultant running a consultancy he founded, Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory Co. Ltd. (AECEA), from 2012 to 2022. He was Head of Intersolar's Global Conference Development, from 2010 to 2021. He also was the Vice-Chairman of the Renewable Energy Working Group of the European Chamber of Commerce in China from 2013 through 2016. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Sustainability and green finance can be highly complex subjects as they comprise a multitude of disciplines. Recent years have seen the creation of a variety of advisor and consulting firms specialising on sustainability. In this episode, Wee Boon Siong, CEO of RHT Green which specialises in advising on sustainability and green finance, discusses how RHT Green helps corporates in their sustainability journey, something increasingly key to their operations and fund raising. Boon Siong provides insights on two aspects. He first discusses, the actual nuts and bolts of advising organisations in sustainable value creation strategies and also the partnering with clients to capture sustainability opportunities. He then focuses on the green finance aspect of the work, especially capital raising such as a Singapore-based green fund focused on SMEs.

ABOUT BOON SIONG. Wee Boon Siong has over 30 years’ experience in various industries, holding different responsibilities in research departments, user organizations and vendor service providers. In particular, he spent many years in insurance companies and is still closely associated with the industry as a partner. He is familiar with the regional markets having been in charge of the whole Asia Pacific region when he was with CallidusCloud, and has intimate knowledge of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam markets as he had direct responsibilities to set up offices and manage the operation there to support the regional expansion. In addition, he has some knowledge of several Asian languages. He spent several years in government service and hence understand both public and private sectors well. Boon Siong read mathematics at Cambridge University and graduated with triple first class honours in 1990. He also holds a diploma in auctorial science from the Institute of Actuaries. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Carbon exchanges are an important component of sustainable finance as they enable the sale of carbon credits to reduce emissions. In this episode, we have Bill Pazos, Co-founder and Co-CEO of the AirCarbon Exchange (ACX), which won Environmental Finance’s Best Carbon Exchange award twice. The discussion starts with an overview of the role of carbon exchanges and Bill’s views on the current state of carbon markets and trading. We then delve into ACX's history, shareholders and stakeholders, operations, how carbon credits are organised on the platform, and other aspects.

ABOUT BILL.  Bill is a carbon market pioneer who has managed emerging market and high yield investments for more than 25 years and currently serves as director of Kuber Energy, a renewable energy and climate finance advisory company in Singapore.  Previously, he was a Managing Director at Standard Bank.  In this capacity he was the Global Head of Carbon origination and Finance, as well as a member of the board of Standard Merchant Bank Singapore.  As the CEO and founding partner of Ecoinvest Carbon S.A., a joint venture company with Bunge S.A., he built what became one of the world’s largest aggregators of carbon credits.  In his early career he was a bond trader at JP Morgan Chase (MHTCo.) in New York as well as a partner at Dartley a large Emerging Markets Fixed Income Fund.  He holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics with a concentration in Mathematics from The College of Wooster, Ohio, and an MBA in International Management from ASU’s Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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A circular economy transforms goods nearing the end of their useful life into resources for reuse. It aids climate action in three ways. It complements decarbonization measures, it supports the sustainable scaling of the clean energy transition, and it enhances adaptation to a changing climate. The value creation opportunity is US$4.1 trillion, according to one estimate. Our guest, Ellen Martin from Circulate Capital, is greatly involved in investing in this space. In the podcast, she first provides some background on the circular economy in general and plastic circularity in particular, and how it ties in with climate action. She also describes the investable market as well as government policy and regulation. From the perspective of private equity, we then dive into the business and investment opportunities in the Asia region, including a discussion on the types of investors as well as some examples of Circulate Capital’s investments.
(Link to The Circulate Initiative's report referred to by Ellen: Plastics Circularity Investment Tracker)

Ellen Martin is Circulate Capital’s Chief Impact Officer. In her role, Ellen is responsible for driving impact and insights for the firm and managing ESG through the investment process. As a member of Circulate's leadership and investment teams, Ellen is focused on ensuring the firm's collective strategies, assets, and relationships deliver impact as it grows. She is also a senior advisor to Circulate Capital's mission-aligned non-profit, The Circulate Initiative. Prior to that, Ellen was Vice President for Impact and Strategic Initiatives at Closed Loop Partners where she led impact, research, and portfolio management for Closed Loop’s Infrastructure Fund. During her tenure, the Fund deployed $50M with $200M co-invested in projects in North America, resulting in avoidance of 2 million tons of GHG emissions in the first three years. Before she discovered her passion for the circular economy, Ellen was a strategy consultant at FSG, the social impact consulting firm, where she worked with Fortune 500 companies, philanthropic foundations, development banks, and nonprofit organizations to develop, implement and evaluate impact strategies. She is a regular speaker and contributor on the topic of investing in the circular economy.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Hundreds of billions of dollars in global assets follow ESG principles. The massive growth seen in the past few years is set to continue, estimate various investments banks. This means that ESG research has become one of the pillars of green finance, socially responsible investing, impact investing and the like and is becoming part and parcel of standard investment research. In this episode, one of the region’s most respected ESG analysts, Charles Yonts who heads Asian ESG Research at Macquarie Group, first discusses the basics of the research that he does including the approach and the challenges. We then take a deeper dive into some of the interesting issues including battery supply chains – especially cobalt and nickel, greenwashing, coal divestment and other hot topics.

ABOUT CHARLES. Charles Yonts has been working as the Head of Asian ESG Research at Macquarie since 2020. He has spearheaded ESG integration efforts for the team, rolling out proprietary corporate governance and sustainability scores alongside stock analysts around the region. Before joining Macquarie, Charles led the ESG and Power Research teams at CLSA, where he worked for fifteen years. He also directly covered Greater China climate tech stocks from 2004 and was the top-rated earnings estimator for Asian Utilities in both 2018 and 2019 according to StarMine. Charles has a BS in Finance from the University of Minnesota and studied Chinese language and economics at Fudan University in Shanghai.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Offshore wind generation capacity is one of the fastest growing forms of green energy globally. It will rise 10-fold this decade – to 330 GW by 2030 from about 34 GW in 2020 –based on one estimate (Wood McKenzie) and will need tens of billions of dollars. Our guest, Mark Hutchinson is one of Asia’s leading veteran experts in the energy sector in general and clean energy in particular. In our conversation we first discuss the current state of the US and European offshore wind markets. We then deep dive into the current state as well as the outlook for offshore wind in some key jurisdictions around the region, including Japan and South Korea. As well as markets which are offering enormous potential including India, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In addition to the business opportunity, Mark also shares some interesting thoughts on financing trends.

ABOUT MARK. Mark Hutchinson has over three decades of energy sector experience, including over 25 years consulting and research experience in Asia. He has expertise in strategic advice, finance, M&A, contract negotiations and due diligence in the power and renewables, and the oil and gas sectors. He is the chair of the Southeast Asia Task Force for the Global Wind Energy Council. Mark works with the GWEC members in Asia and globally to represent the wind industry in policy and regulatory discussions across the region. GWEC convenes both in-person and virtual meetings with key stakeholders, providing fact-based analysis and guidance to help shape policies that affect the wind industry.

Note: Link to details on GWEC’s Global Wind Report Launch 2023

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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The Blue Economy’s annual turnover is US$3–6 trillion (UN), which some estimate will double by 2030, presents a growing opportunity for business and investment. In this episode, Dr Mike Abundo, CEO of OceanPixel, first offers a clear and detailed definition of the Blue Economy, its ecosystem, including ocean and marine clean energy, as well as the intersection with decarbonisation and the energy transition. Mike also discusses the data management and intelligence angle. We then move to OceanPixel as a case study in the Blue Economy with Mike offering three examples of projects the company has been working on. Finally, Mike shares his insights about the outlook of the Blue Economy opportunity.

ABOUT MIKE. Dr Michael Lochinvar Sim Abundo is a green (and blue) techno-preneur who specializes in Marine Renewable Energy (with pilot projects in small island developing states and ‘tropical’ solutions) and other technology-enabled, innovation-infused sustainability transitions. He has over 15 years of experience in various roles in the Innovation and Research, Development, & Demonstration (RD&D) Ecosystems of the Asia-Pacific Region working with academe, industry, and government. He has contributed to the inclusion Marine Renewable Energy into Southeast Asia’s Energy mix at various scales (e.g. energy harvesting, micro-grid, grid-tied/large scale) and for a spectrum of applications (e.g. vessel, ports, aquaculture, etc). Michael is handling R&D/Project collaborations between industry, academe, and government focusing on Digitalization, Data Processing and Management, Autonomous Vehicles (land, air, sea -surface and underwater), Internet-of-Things (IoT), Human Factors, etc in applications such as robotics, food security, resiliency, energy, defence, traffic management (air and vessel), sustainable operations, and the wider Blue Economy. He has successfully initiated, executed, and handed-over a community-based energy intervention programmes especially for accelerated post-disaster recovery with a sustainability plan involving various stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, Academe, Industry, local gov’t).

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka  |  FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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The global carbon markets are an important source for funding the decarbonisation needed to mitigate the climate crisis. The compliance and the voluntary global carbon markets amount to almost US$1 trillion or so. They are set to grow dramatically. The smaller of the two, the voluntary one, will grow five-fold by 2030 from US$2 billion in 2022, Shell and BCG expect. China will be a key player in the growth given it has the world’s largest carbon market. Julien Hage from CICC Asset Management first shares his thoughts on the basics of the carbon markets and trading, especially the EU Emissions Trading System. He then evaluates the current state of the markets in the EU and in China.

ABOUT JULIEN. Julien Hage is Managing Director and Head of International Business at CICC Hong Kong Asset Management. Julien started his career in asset management with AXA Rosenberg in London where he joined the trading desk and went on to act as deputy head of trading for Europe. He then spent the next 10 years in Hong Kong in investment banking, first with BNP Paribas then with Société Générale. There he held several roles including Asia Pacific head of cash equity execution and later as APAC head of trading and product management across cash equity and listed derivatives. In 2021, he moved back to the buy side, joining Rayliant asset management as head of derivatives trading. In 2022, he joined CICC Hong Kong AM as head of international business. Julien holds a master’s degree in computer science as well as a postgraduate degree in financial engineering from SKEMA business school in France.

This podcast episode and the information contained in it are for general information only and do not constitute financial, professional, investment or any other kind of advice in any way and shall not be considered as an offer or solicitation to deal in any investment products. Also, it shall not be regarded as an offer or solicitation of business in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to offer or solicit business in such jurisdictions. Although the information in this podcast has been obtained from sources which China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Asset Management Limited (“CICCHKAM”) believes to be reliable, it does not guarantee the accuracy of such information and such information may be incomplete or condensed.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka  |  FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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The Japanese government should be treating decarbonisation with the outmost importance and urgency.  It is one of the largest energy consumers in the world – fifth largest oil consumer for example –and it is almost totally reliant on fossil fuel imports. The authorities did set out a net zero road map which has been broadly criticised for not being robust. Our guest, Mika Ohbayashi of the Renewable Energy Institute in Japan, is uniquely qualified to discuss the government’s renewable energy past track record as well as its path going forward. In the episode, we also discuss the approach to various energy technologies including nuclear energy.

ABOUT MIKA. Mika Ohbayashi is a Director at Japan’s Renewable Energy Institute. Before joining the Institute, she worked for International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as Policy and Project Regional Manager for Asia Oceania, in Abu Dhabi, from May 2010 to Aug 2011. She is one of two founders of Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP), and served as Deputy Director for 8 years since its establishment in 2000. She also worked for UKFCO at the British Embassy to Japan, as Advisor for Climate Change Projects and Policies. She started her carrier in the energy fields by joining Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center in 1992, after some years work experience. She coordinates many scientific study projects, takes leadership to team up various networks including national parliamentarians and local authorities, domestically and internationally to improve sustainable energy society. She was awarded the Global Leadership Award in Advancing Solar Energy Policy by the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) in 2017.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka  |  FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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 The Asian and global electric vehicle market is massive and growing fast. One of the many forecasts put the value of the sector to rise six-fold, to almost $1,110 billion by 2030 from about $180 million in 2021. Key to the growth of EVs, and thus to decarbonisation and the energy transition, is the charging and the companies that operate the charging infrastructure. Our guest is Vincent Yip, the Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Technologies Holdings Limited. The listed company specialises in the supply and installation of EV chargers, infrastructure, and central management systems. Vincent first examines EV charging in general.  We then look at the actual business and the charging point operators’ business models, including financing issues. Finally, we chat about Vincent’s company specifically as a case study.

ABOUT VINCENT. Vincent graduated from Oxford University with a Master’s Degree in Engineering and Computer Science. He started his career at McKinsey & Company and had been with the firm for 12 years. Subsequently, he has been an entrepreneur and senior management in building and transforming businesses. Before joining Cornerstone Technologies, he was the CEO of K11 Cultural Enterprise Businesses. Prior to that, he was the Group CEO of G2000 (Apparel) Limited.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka  |  FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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The real estate sector accounts for about two-fifths of global carbon dioxide emissions meaning it plays a direct key role in decarbonisation and a major indirect role in the energy transition. This is something particularly important to Asia given the region has eight of the top ten largest urban agglomerations worldwide. Our first guest for 2023 is Johan Tellvik who is the CEO of ESG Real Estate Lab. He shares his experience and insights on the latest trends in real estate and smart cities when it comes to decarbonisation.

ABOUT JOHAN. Johan Tellvik brings 30+ years of experience in finance as a highly successful hedge fund manager, investment banker, and strategic advisor. He has managed large absolute return portfolios at billion-dollar hedge funds with special focus on real estate, sustainability, capital markets, and technology. He has analysed and invested in hundreds of IPOs and is a strategic advisor working with private start-ups helping with business development, financial planning, and business evolution. He brings a wealth of experience as an educator having been an active speaker throughout his career. He has for the past few years been involved in business development and fundraising roles for a variety of different companies. He is the CEO and co-founder of ESG Real Estate Laboratory which is focused on educating and up skilling professionals working in the real estate ecosystem with regards to sustainability and profitability.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka | FEEDBACK: Email the Host. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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In Episode 23, the last for 2022, we measure the current temperature of the energy transition in some key Asia economies with one of the region’s most experienced and respected energy economist and consultant, Mike Thomas. He explains how the region is rapidly transitioning today though it came very late in the game. He broadly talks about the great amount of investment interest and activity that he has been witnessing. Some of the selected countries discussed include Australia, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Finally, he offers an overall outlook on Asia’s decarbonisation path.

ABOUT MIKE.  Mike Thomas is a founding partner at The Lantau Group with over 30 years of consulting experience, focussing on the energy sector.  He advises a wide range of energy sector stakeholders on strategic, regulatory, and competition matters; sustainability; market design and development; and commercial transactions.  Prior to co-founding in 2010, he headed the Asia Pacific Energy & Environment practice of a global consulting firm.  Mike has an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, United States and a BA in Economics from Carleton College, United States. More specifically, within the Asia Pacific region, he has led many significant engagements involving the robust application of economics and analytics to a wide variety of business, policy, and regulatory challenges affecting the electricity and gas sectors.  He works extensively with multinationals on sustainability strategies, focussing on the best options in different markets, and on the regulatory and policy changes needed to support increasing renewable energy contracting options.  He has testified or advised as an industry economic expert in commercial contract disputes before courts or arbitral panels in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia, and on disputed regulatory matters before regulatory authorities in New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines.  His experience in commercial matters includes market forecasts and revenue simulations for numerous renewable energy and conventional energy projects and market assessments in South Asia, North Asia, ASEAN, and Australia/New Zealand.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka  |  FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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It is a ideal time to take a temperature check of the state of sustainable finance in Asia as the year draws to an end. The episode’s guest is an expert in all things sustainable finance given his background and interactions with regulators, corporations, and investors. Tasos Zavitsanakis if the head of Sustainable Finance for Greater China at UBS’ APAC Sustainable Finance Office. We first define sustainable and transitional finance and then focus down on the evolution of this area in Asia. We evaluate where we stand today, and finally where we are heading. All in an easy-to-understand format. We also discuss current and long term areas of opportunities for corporations and for capital markets investors.

ABOUT TASOS. Tasos, is Head of Sustainable Finance for Greater China within the APAC Sustainable Finance Office at UBS where he is responsible for driving Sustainable Finance business initiatives. His focus is on client and regulatory engagement, thought leadership development, capacity building, and forging strategic partnerships in the sustainability ecosystem. Tasos, specializes in Decarbonisation strategies supporting clients in formulating Credible and Just Transition Plans and Impact towards Net Zero. In addition, he leads UBS's global Carbon working group and has represented UBS in the global industry Taskforce for Voluntary Carbon Offset Markets and developing UBS’s Carbonplace infrastructure. Tasos, supports UBS’s Sustainability and Impact Institute contributing in thought leadership and has co- authored “The Green Inflection Point, driving decarbonization of the real economy” and the “Voluntary Carbon Market Primer”. Tasos, regularly advises regulators and exchanges in APAC to develop the Sustainability Finance agenda including Climate and Risk Management Frameworks, Disclosures, Taxonomies and Carbon market development and is regularly called upon to represent the firm in sustainability conferences. He also represents UBS as a co-chair of HKMA’s Capacity Building Cross Agency Steering Group. Tasos is a graduate from Imperial College, Electrical and Electronic Engineering in the UK. In addition, he holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and certificates in CFA Institute in ESG Investing, Sustainability and Climate Risk from GARP and Circular Economy from Cambridge. Finally, he is a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional and a Certified Al Gore Climate Reality Leader speaker.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

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Our guest is Jan Napiorkowski, global head of clean energy at Ariel Re. Jan first discusses his background and his work in insurance in clean energy, an area which is vital to sustainable finance. The elephant topic! Then we launch into two sections. In the first part of the episode, we look at some of the basics. Namely, the insurance and reinsurance of clean energy projects in the world in general and in Asia in particular. In the second part of the discussion, we take a deeper dive in the topic. We discuss a little bit more in depth about technologies and couple of examples as well. Two technologies which feature prominently are battery energy storage and bioconversion/Waste-to-Energy.

ABOUT JAN. Jan Napiorkowski is Global Head Clean Energy, Vice President, Ariel Syndicate of Lloyd's (Ariel Re). Before 2010 Jan held various positions in the insurance and reinsurance sector across Europe. Since 2010 he developed the insurance market for renewable energy performance warranties and headed Munich Re’s APAC Clean Energy unit out of Hong Kong. In 2015 Jan established Ariel Re's Clean Energy practice specialized in a wide range of Performance Guarantee solutions for utility scale and C&I portfolios of solar, waste to energy and storage projects. Jan is a trained theoretical physicist and holds a MBA in Insurance and Risk Management.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka  |  FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30- Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | FEEDBACK: Email the Host.