• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Francis R. Fannon

United States Department of State

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR)

Hon. Francis R. Fannon, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR), US Department of State, oversees US foreign policy in the critical intersection of energy and national security and promotes US interests to ensure energy resources are used to increase economic opportunity, stability, and prosperity around the world. Hon. Fannon advises the Secretary on strategies to promote universal access to affordable and reliable energy resources and to strengthen energy security through policies that advance diverse, transparent, and secure global markets for all energy types. Prior to this role, Hon. Fannon was the Managing Director of BHP’s Washington, DC Corporate Affairs office, where he developed a comprehensive US strategy for the world’s largest diversified resources company. Before BHP, he was a Senior Director at Murphy Oil Corporation in Washington, DC. Hon. Fannon previously served as Counsel to the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. In that capacity, he drafted, negotiated, and helped pass into law key provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. He also served as counsel to Senators Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Republican-Colorado) and Pete V. Domenici (Republican-New Mexico). Hon. Fannon holds a BA from Radford University, as well as an MA and a JD from the University of Denver.


Sessions With Francis R. Fannon

Tuesday, 10 March

  • 11:30am - 12:30pm (CST) / -

    Oil Market Outlook: Will the cycle of surplus continue?
    Markets

    Since 2013 the global oil market has been in a cycle of supply surplus, with prices falling five out of the past seven years. The Vienna Alliance has entered a fourth year of production restraint just as a cast of non-OPEC countries is beginning a period of production growth, offsetting decelerating gains from the United States. And now the impact of the coronavirus is leading to the first quarterly decline in world oil demand since the 2008/09 financial crisis. What is the outlook for the oil market as China begins to recover?

  • 05:55pm - 06:30pm (CST) / -

    Plenary - Europe, Russia and US: Who drives Europe's energy security?
    Geopolitics/Policy/Regulatory

    European energy security—particularly where natural gas is concerned—has recently been the subject of high-level geopolitical debate. From the perspective of many in Europe, the continent’s gas supply has never been more secure, thanks to major EU gas market reforms over the past 15 years and, at present, plentiful supply in the global LNG market. However, the United States sees threats to European energy security from new Russian pipelines—a view shared by some countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, the continued growth of renewable generation in Europe points toward the localization of energy production in the long term. How secure is Europe’s energy supply? Can the US play a constructive role in Europe's energy security? Should Russia be viewed as part of the problem, or can it be part of the solution?

Wednesday, 11 March

  • 09:30am - 10:20am (CST) / -

    The New Prize: Securing lithium, battery materials & renewables supply chain
    Clean Tech

    The market for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries—the undisputed battery of choice for the rapidly expanding electric vehicle (EV) market—is expected to grow quickly in the coming years. What is the future availability of the various metals that are required to manufacture the different types of Li-ion batteries? Can enough lithium supply be brought online to enable the mass adoption of EVs? Will there be any bottlenecks for the metals used in Li-ion battery cells, and could this hinder EV adoption? What other potential disruptions are on the horizon for the battery supply chain?