• CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Atul Arya

S&P Global Commodity Insights

Senior Vice President & Chief Energy Strategist

Atul Arya, Senior Vice President and Chief Energy Strategist, S&P Global, is responsible for integrating energy content, analysis and insights across the entire energy value chain and for C-suite client engagements. Atul’s areas of expertise include energy strategy, climate change, energy transition, renewables, CCS, Hydrogen, clean energy technologies, upstream oil and gas and energy markets. He has previously led Energy Insight, Research and Analysis, and Energy Research teams at IHS and IHS Markit and held leadership positions with bp globally in oil and gas, solar PV, technology planning and corporate strategy. Atul has served on boards of several companies and institutions including Tata BP Solar, Green Mountain Energy and National Council for Atmospheric Research. He was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Agenda Councils on Climate Change, Advanced Energy Technologies & Future of Oil and Gas and served as Adjunct Senior Fellow at Council on Foreign Relations. Atul was the Study Director for the US National Petroleum Council's report Principles and Oil & Gas Industry Initiatives and Technologies for Progressing to Net Zero (2022). He led the S&P team on Global Energy Solutions Initiative and was the lead author of the Report on Multidimensional Energy Transition (2023) .  Atul led the program design and was lead moderator for India Energy Forum by CERAWeek from 2017 to 20121.   He is a speaker and moderator at public conferences, company boards and industry events and is a member of the CERAWeek leadership team. Atul holds B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in engineering.

Sessions With Atul Arya

Monday, 18 March

  • 09:30am - 10:10am (CST) / 18/mar/2024 02:30 pm - 18/mar/2024 03:10 pm

    Voices of Innovation: Ernest Moniz

    Hear from one of world’s foremost experts on energy, climate change and nuclear power on the outcomes of COP28, nuclear energy development, future of multi-dimensional energy transition and the work of Nuclear Threat Initiative. What were the most significant accomplishments at COP28?  How are IRA and IIJA progressing?  What is the current state of nuclear threats and risks?  And much more …

  • 11:50am - 12:30pm (CST) / 18/mar/2024 04:50 pm - 18/mar/2024 05:30 pm

    Spotlight | Accelerating Carbon Management
    Carbon Management/Decarbonization

    According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), large-scale Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is required to limit warming to 1.5 °C. The technology is critical for difficult-to-decarbonize sectors like heavy industry, and emissions-mitigation scenarios assume a significant ramp up in CO2 abatement from CDR technologies, particularly from Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) and Direct Air Capture (DAC). What is the outlook for CCUS and DAC? Which business models make CCUS and DAC commercially viable? How can carbon markets be leveraged to make CDR technologies more attractive? How big of an impact is the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act having?  

  • 02:05pm - 02:45pm (CST) / 18/mar/2024 07:05 pm - 18/mar/2024 07:45 pm

    Speed and Scale: Unlocking a just, secure and sustainable future
    Innovation & Technology

    The energy transition needs to move fast to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, but it also needs to develop in a way that ensures energy security, expands energy access and promotes sustainability. That will require striking the right mix of technological development and deployment, policy support, financing and public acceptance. It will also unfold differently in different parts of the world. What polices can accelerate energy security, energy access and emission reductions? What will be the key technologies? Where can investment unlock rapid technological progress? How can governments and companies collaborate to build a just, secure and sustainable future?  

  • 02:55pm - 03:35pm (CST) / 18/mar/2024 07:55 pm - 18/mar/2024 08:35 pm

    Energy Companies of the Future
    Strategy and Business Models

    Although the energy transition is the focus of every energy company, emissions continue to increase and demand for hydrocarbons is at an all-time high. The direction of travel appears to be clear—increasing focus on climate and sustainability—but the pace is less certain and uneven globally. For investors, the correlation between sustainability and market performance is unclear, raising concerns over how to generate returns while meeting demands for sustainable portfolios. What is the vision for the energy company of the future? How do companies generate returns while accelerating energy transition?  Will the energy transition need higher energy prices? How do emerging and developing countries attract capital and talent from international companies?    

  • 05:30pm - 06:00pm (CST) / 18/mar/2024 10:30 pm - 18/mar/2024 11:00 pm

    How to Address Climate Change?

    Join us for an enlightening panel discussion as we exploringe strategies to address the challenges of climate change. How do we balance the uncertainties and risk of climate change with the growing need for affordable, reliable and sustainable energy? What role should adaptation play? Our panelists will dissect the multifaceted aspects of climate change mitigation and adaptation, offering insights into innovative solutions and policy frameworks. 

     

  • 07:30pm - 09:00pm (CST) / 19/mar/2024 12:30 am - 19/mar/2024 02:00 am

    How Will Carbon Markets Evolve?
    Carbon Management/Decarbonization

    COP28 failed to deliver the expected progress on Article 6, which is meant to support the development of global carbon markets. Consequently, the voluntary carbon market is regrouping around the question of quality, which has been impacting issuances, retirements and price trends. Will the sector be able to regain momentum? Simultaneously, national carbon compliance programs are being developed in key countries of the Global South, even as more established carbon markets are being strengthened and projected across borders. Will these different trends and markets converge? Can COP29 deliver progress for carbon markets?  

Tuesday, 19 March

  • 10:30am - 11:10am (CST) / 19/mar/2024 03:30 pm - 19/mar/2024 04:10 pm

    Voices of Innovation: Chris Field

    Join a conversation with a renowned expert on climate science on the impacts of climate overshoot, accelerating climate action and just transition.  What is the current state of world’s climate?  How do you make climate actions sticky? What are the metrics by which we should measure progress on climate action?  And much more…

  • 02:20pm - 03:00pm (CST) / 19/mar/2024 07:20 pm - 19/mar/2024 08:00 pm

    Different Pathways to Low Carbon

    Strategy and Business Models

    In “Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector,” published in May 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) stated that net zero by 2050 requires “nothing short of a total transformation of the energy system that underpins our economies,” and “the pathway is narrow but achievable.” Three years later, even though there has been a groundswell of net-zero commitments by countries and companies, the pathway seems narrower. Demand for hydrocarbons and the resulting GHG emissions continue to increase. Although there has been considerable progress in reducing emissions in the power sector, the progress in all other sectors—viz. transport, industry, residential and agriculture—has been very slow. What are the technologically and economically feasible pathways to reduce emissions today? Are industrial policies such as Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act  (IIJA) and the European Green Deal having an impact? What is necessary to get buy-in from investors to reward energy transition investments? What approaches are necessary to continue economic growth while flattening emissions in developing economies?    

  • 04:00pm - 04:40pm (CST) / 19/mar/2024 09:00 pm - 19/mar/2024 09:40 pm

    Making Strategic Choices in a Time of Change
    Energy Transition

    Multiple transitions are unfolding around the world from geopolitical to technological. Meanwhile, the pace of change is accelerating as evidenced by the impact of Gen AI in just the past 12 months. The current energy transition is complex and multidimensional. Setting linear, global targets and predefined emissions pathways, which do not account for important aspects of the energy trilemma, have proven counterproductive. Net-zero targets for many countries go beyond 2050. And there are significant policy uncertainties in a year when over half of the world’s population is going to the polls. What strategies will endure in such a turbulent period? How are companies deciding on capital allocation across their portfolios and managing technological and policy risks? Why do investors seem skeptical about energy transition investments?    

Wednesday, 20 March

  • 07:15am - 08:20am (CST) / 20/mar/2024 12:15 pm - 20/mar/2024 01:20 pm

    Update on National Petroleum Council Studies on Deployment of Low Carbon Intensity Hydrogen and Reducing GHG Emissions

    Upstream Oil & Gas

    The National Petroleum Council is nearing completion of its major studies on the deployment of low- and zero-carbon hydrogen energy, and on pathways and options for GHG emissions across the U.S. natural gas supply chain. Leading members of these studies will provide updates on these studies and their implications.  

  • 10:15am - 10:50am (CST) / 20/mar/2024 03:15 pm - 20/mar/2024 03:50 pm

    Building Tomorrow's Energy Infrastructure
    Energy Infrastructure/Supply Chains

    In the next three decades, there will be significant expansion and repurposing of the global energy infrastructure to deploy a spectrum of new technologies, including renewables, hydrogen, CCS, large-scale storage, bioenergy, EVs as well as enabling infrastructure such as transmission lines.  Companies will invest billions of dollars and will depend on market development, technological progress and government policies for successful implementation.  It will require unparallel partnership among governments, private companies, investors and civil society.  Which technologies are ready for deployment today?  What are the major challenges and risks to build tomorrow’s energy infrastructure? What are the models for successful public and private partnerships? How can permitting be accelerated? How should the people needed to design and build this infrastructure be recruited and trained? 

  • 11:10am - 11:45am (CST) / 20/mar/2024 04:10 pm - 20/mar/2024 04:45 pm

    Scaling Technologies for the Future
    Innovation & Technology

    Transitioning from today’s emissions-intensive energy system to a near-zero emission system over the next 30 to 40 years will require large-scale deployment of a wide spectrum of technologies, including renewables, CCUS, DAC, Hydrogen, storage, EVs, bioenergy, nuclear, energy efficiency and more. It will require integrating energy technologies with Gen AI, 5G and edge computing to build the reliable and sustainable energy system of the future. What are the technology platforms that will be essential? How can integration of energy and digital technologies be accelerated? How will future partnership models evolve? What will be the skills required to succeed?  

  • 12:00pm - 01:00pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 05:00 pm - 20/mar/2024 06:00 pm

    Strategic Roundtable | Materials Transition

    Materials (in addition to minerals and metals) have a critical role in enabling the energy transition.   Materials with lower GHG emission intensity in their manufacturing, operation and/or disposal/reuse will be needed. High-performance carbon-based materials are expected to play a major role in this transition. Despite its importance, the materials transition is little understood by policy makers and the public.  In which sectors will the materials transition be most impactful? What role will carbon-based materials play in the materials transition? What are the implications for hydrocarbon suppliers and downstream value chain participants? What new policies will be needed to facilitate the transition to lower GHG intensity materials?  

  • 02:30pm - 03:10pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 07:30 pm - 20/mar/2024 08:10 pm

    Strategic Roundtable | Rethinking Energy and Climate Scenarios?

    Long-term scenarios for global energy demand, energy supply and GHG emissions provide important tools for policymakers, companies and investors alike. While scenarios have been used since the 1970s, their role has never been more critical, or more contentious. And the variations across scenarios have never been more pronounced due to major uncertainties in future climate policy actions and the pace of clean energy technology development and deployment. Furthermore, fault lines in the global consensus are appearing as countries in the “Global South” prioritize energy access and economic development and are keen to develop indigenous fossil fuel resources. Are current scenarios fit for purpose? Do they adequately capture the complexities and trade-offs of a multidimensional energy transition? What should be the key characteristics of any new scenarios? 

  • 04:30pm - 05:10pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 09:30 pm - 20/mar/2024 10:10 pm

    National Labs Accelerating Energy Transition
    Energy Transition

    We are proud to bring back representatives from the U.S. National Labs as they discuss their latest technological innovations. 

Thursday, 21 March

  • 09:05am - 09:45am (CST) / 21/mar/2024 02:05 pm - 21/mar/2024 02:45 pm

    Technology Choices for the Future
    Innovation & Technology

    The global energy system is in the early stages of major technological transformation. Companies, policy makers and investors around the world are accelerating the pace of innovations and investments in new technologies. There are many challenges ahead—scaling new technologies, investing in infrastructure such as smart grids and removing regulatory barriers. What technological solutions are ready for commercial deployment today? How do we balance focus between supply side and demand side?Are there any game-changing technologies that are not on our horizon? How will AI impact the pace of energy innovation? Can technology and innovation create the breakthroughs needed to accelerate the energy transition or will non-technical factors keep slowing things down? 

  • 11:30am - 12:00pm (CST) / 21/mar/2024 04:30 pm - 21/mar/2024 05:00 pm

    Leadership and Mindset for Low-carbon Transformation

    Carbon Management/Decarbonization

    Getting to net zero will require unprecedented and rapid transformation of the energy sector. How would businesses respond in a world where “next-zero” goals become license to operate similar to safety culture becoming the norm in the oil and gas sector? What steps must industry leaders take to create this new culture and mindset? How are the rapid technological advancements influencing strategic thinking? And how are the next generation of leaders responding? 

  • 12:30pm - 01:00pm (CST) / 21/mar/2024 05:30 pm - 21/mar/2024 06:00 pm

    Unveiling the Latest Breakthroughs in Climate Change Mitigation
    Policy & Regulatory

    Although billions of dollars are being invested in new technologies, global GHG emissions continue to increase because growth in emissions from developing countries still exceeds the decline in emissions from OECD countries. The importance and need of technologies—existing as well as those on the horizon—is highlighted in every energy transition conversation. Wind, solar PV and batteries have made significant improvements in performance and cost over the last two decades. However, hydrocarbons still account for 80% of primary energy supply—just as was the case 30 years back. What are the most promising technological breakthroughs in climate change mitigation? What has been the impact of IRA and IIJA so far? What are the biggest barriers to scale-up? How is Gen AI transforming energy industry?

  • 03:30pm - 04:10pm (CST) / 21/mar/2024 08:30 pm - 21/mar/2024 09:10 pm

    Voices of Innovation: Scott Tinker

    Engage in a data rich conversation with one of world’s leading experts on multidimensional transition in the Global North and the Global South.   What is the “Radical Middle”?  Is there Is no such thing as “renewable energy”?  How do we navigate trade-offs? How do we create a rational conversation about energy and climate change? And much more …

  • 04:30pm - 05:10pm (CST) / 21/mar/2024 09:30 pm - 21/mar/2024 10:10 pm

    Book Talk with Walter Isaacson: Elon Musk

Friday, 22 March

  • 08:00am - 09:00am (CST) / 22/mar/2024 01:00 pm - 22/mar/2024 02:00 pm

    Reflections on the Week
    Energy Transition

    In this session, S&P Global experts will discuss the highlights and key takeaways of the week.   

  • 10:00am - 10:40am (CST) / 22/mar/2024 03:00 pm - 22/mar/2024 03:40 pm

    Multidimensional Energy Transitions: Lessons and challenges
    Energy Transition

    Developments over the last three years have shaken expectations of a linear global transition as climate goals compete with economic development, energy access, energy security and affordability. The events of the last few years have made it clear that there cannot be an energy transition without energy security. We are beginning a multidimensional transition: a multispeed, multifueled and multi-technology transition with different road maps and end points for different countries. How can the deployment and scaling of new technologies be accelerated?  What will be the approaches to implementing the COP 28 commitments?

  • 11:20am - 12:00pm (CST) / 22/mar/2024 04:20 pm - 22/mar/2024 05:00 pm

    Reimagining the Energy Future
    Innovation & Technology

    Although the global energy mix is always in a state of continuous transition, the sheer scale of the world’s energy system makes the sort of rapid changes seen in technology difficult to replicate in energy. Yet in recent years, growth in unconventional oil and gas and solar PV are often cited as revolutionary changes. Are there similar energy revolutions on the horizon? Could we visualize a fundamentally different global energy system? Are you optimistic or pessimistic about bending the emissions curve? What surprised you the most? How impactful will Gen AI be in the energy sector? Is a clean energy future moving faster than many people think? How can energy transition be orderly and balanced?