A World Traders’ business lunch was held on September 10th at the British Academy, and our speaker was Dev Sanyal, Chief Executive, Alternative Energy and Executive Vice President, Regions, BP plc. 

Mr Sanyal emphasized the relevance of the generation of energy as the key that enabled the phenomenal growth in GDP in recent decades, and hence its linkage to world trade.  The full text of his remarks can be read here.

The talk prompted a lively discussion on the huge challenges, size and complexity of the task of converting energy generation from a mainly hydrocarbon to a low-carbon basis.

Questions varied from the impact of new hydrogen generation to the question of why we can’t just convert to non-hydrocarbons immediately. Mr Sanyal’s responses were thoughtful and extensive and allowed the attendees an in-depth view and understanding of the main issues affecting the energy sector. A truly educational experience.