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Columbia Energy Exchange

Columbia Energy Exchange

Columbia University 100 Episodes Jul 21, 2026

Columbia Energy Exchange features in-depth conversations with the world's top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia and civil society. The program explores today's most pressing opportunities and challenges across energy policy, financial markets, geopolitics, and climate change as well as their implications for both the U.S. and the world.

Episodes

Tom Moerenhout and Tomasz Nadrowski on Fixing the Mineral Supply Chain
Tom Moerenhout and Tomasz Nadrowski on Fixing the Mineral Supply Chain Jul 21, 2026 53:02 Critical minerals sit at the intersection of energy technology, industrial competitiveness, and economic resilience. The issue has hit a fever pitch in the United States, driving the Trump administration to establish a $12 billion Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve and take other steps to support domestic mining projects. More broadly, G7 countries recently agreed to step up coordination to cut t
Suzanne Maloney on Whether Perpetual Conflict is New Normal for the Gulf
Suzanne Maloney on Whether Perpetual Conflict is New Normal for the Gulf Jul 14, 2026 57:44 Nearly a month after a ceasefire, the US-Iran deal seems to have all but collapsed as both nations have slipped back into active conflict. On Sunday, Tehran announced that the Strait of Hormuz is once again closed—a move President Trump immediately countered, stating the waterway will remain open "with or without Iran." Since then, both the US and Iran have reportedly begun new attacks, and the Pr
Iran Conflict Brief: How Renewed Strikes Impact Global Energy
Iran Conflict Brief: How Renewed Strikes Impact Global Energy Jul 10, 2026 43:26 In the 23 days since the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, strikes have returned, following a familiar pattern: Iran attacks vessels using an internationally backed sea lane in Omani territorial waters, the US retaliates against Iranian military infrastructure, and Iran strikes back at US bases across the region. This week, alongside funeral processions for the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Alice Yake on Planning for a Reliable, Cleaner Grid
Alice Yake on Planning for a Reliable, Cleaner Grid Jul 7, 2026 01:00:04 Grid operators sit at the center of many of the biggest forces reshaping the global energy system. They're navigating rising electricity demand, a lack of transmission infrastructure, shifting regulatory policies, and maintaining the tricky balance between affordability, reliability, and the need for dispatchable power.  Both here in the US and around the world, operating a reliable and resilient
Doug Arent and Robin Millican on What's Really Driving Electricity Prices
Doug Arent and Robin Millican on What's Really Driving Electricity Prices Jun 30, 2026 56:28 Concerns about the affordability of electricity in the US have been rising along with prices. And while the headlines have pointed to AI and data centers as the underlying factors, the exact causes are more complex.  The problem reflects a convergence of pre-existing structural failures, including inefficient infrastructure planning, utility incentives that are misaligned with cost efficiency, slo
Michael Cembalest Does the Math on the Energy Transition
Michael Cembalest Does the Math on the Energy Transition Jun 23, 2026 57:46 The energy transition is in the midst of its own transition. Spiking electricity demand and geopolitical events are driving up energy prices, while debates over the best sources of generation play out amid supply chain constraints and questions about whether or not the energy crisis in the Strait of Hormuz will accelerate a transition away from oil and gas.  But underneath all those debates is a m
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer on the US-Iran Deal, Hormuz Realities, and Iran's Nuclear Future
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer on the US-Iran Deal, Hormuz Realities, and Iran's Nuclear Future Jun 18, 2026 01:02:38 Yesterday, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding starting the clock on a 60-day truce. The agreement intends to halt attacks, begin lifting the US naval blockade, and restore commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. But deep uncertainty remains over how energy will actually flow through the waterway—and over the ultimate fate of Iran's nuclear program. Add to this, an increa
Iran Conflict Brief: The US-Iran Deal and a New Phase of Accommodation
Iran Conflict Brief: The US-Iran Deal and a New Phase of Accommodation Jun 16, 2026 37:30 The 109-day-old Iran crisis is heading toward an off-ramp in the form of a not-yet-public Memorandum of Understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While energy markets are celebrating with a sell-off, the actual operational future of the waterway chokepoint remains unclear.   Navigable shipping corridors remain constricted by mines, hundreds of vessels are still trapped, and full recovery could
Jessica Uhl on the Fractured Energy Transition: Why Speed Matters Now
Jessica Uhl on the Fractured Energy Transition: Why Speed Matters Now Jun 9, 2026 50:47 The clean energy transition had real momentum at the end of 2024. It was buoyed by federal support, billions of dollars of investment in new technologies, and broad acknowledgment of the costs of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions. But major roadblocks have emerged over the past 18 months. US support for some forms of clean energy was revoked. And rising energy costs, due in part to
Ashley Finan and Amy Roma on Speed, Safety, and Reforming Nuclear Energy
Ashley Finan and Amy Roma on Speed, Safety, and Reforming Nuclear Energy Jun 2, 2026 01:01:17 For years, the energy transition was discussed as a shift that would happen in steady, predictable increments. But a massive surge in electricity demand in recent years—now colliding with a fracturing geopolitical landscape—has reshaped the global race for clean, reliable power.   All this has pulled nuclear energy back to the center of the national conversation—with many policymakers from both si
Katie Auth on How the 'Modern Energy Minimum' Can Drive Economic Growth
Katie Auth on How the 'Modern Energy Minimum' Can Drive Economic Growth May 26, 2026 57:11 Despite all the advancements we have achieved globally in recent decades, as many as 750 million people still lack access to electricity. Tackling energy poverty requires far more than linking communities to an electric grid. Closing the massive disparity in opportunity for people around the world will require building energy abundance, not just access. Energy is prosperity, and one way to measure
Speed to Power: Christian Bruch on Siemens Energy's Turnaround
Speed to Power: Christian Bruch on Siemens Energy's Turnaround May 19, 2026 52:45 For years, the energy transition was discussed as a shift that would happen in steady, predictable increments. But the last 24 months have shattered that illusion. Energy providers now face extreme industrial volatility—where companies tasked with building the future of clean energy are also grappling with multi-billion dollar losses, supply chain fragility, and a sudden, massive surge in power de

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