Discussions with Andy Calitz
Wine and Energy
Andy, actually Andries, Calitz is a South African born electrical engineer and expert in the energy sector. He worked for various organisations such as Eskom, Royal Dutch Shell and ADNOC. He was notably the former CEO of LNG Canada. He is one of the top experts that I turn to for advice whenever I have a question on energy or electricity and he is always willing to answer them by giving “his input”.
A few weeks ago, he was in Paris and invited me over for a discussion on Eskom, Nuclear Power, LNG, and Energy Policy, accompanied by a bottle of wine.
In practical terms, conversations about energy policy often unfold over a glass of wine (or a pint of beer) accompanied by a handwritten analysis. During our discussion, we explored various ideas, including topics such as load shedding in South Africa; the unbundling of Eskom; what he would do if he were to be Eskom’s CEO; constraints on the energy transition; the distinctions in the outlook of Asian and Western elites toward the Industrial Revolution and Energy Transition; South Africa's announcement of a new nuclear power plant; and a range of other subjects.
One noteworthy aspect we discussed was the challenge faced by nuclear power projects, even with state support, in comparison to the success of liquefied natural gas, which is often financed through private capital.
Given that LNG construction, especially in the context of offshore projects, is often more complex than nuclear power construction, why is there such a significant difference in performance?
We came up with the following matrix.
What clearly stands out is that there are a few differences when viewed from a higher level.
I've highlighted in red the clear areas that need improvement and serve as evident red flags.
He also delivered several interesting presentations on the topic of energy. They are now available on YouTube and cover a global tour on nuclear power, the LNG supply chain, and the lessons to be drawn from the energy transition in Europe.
They are linked below for those interested in a high level discussion on energy policy in general.