About this podcast
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
The newest 50 of 100 episodes
- Katie Dykes Shares Lessons on Building and Regulating a Modern Grid · 49 minEnergy costs are a big consideration for voters in much of the US today as they head to the polls. But the decisions that shape those costs will ultimately fall on state…
- Senate Permitting Reform Bill: If It Passes, Will It Work? · 1 h 10 minEvery permitting bill promises the same thing: build faster. The harder question is what the trade-offs are, and who bears them. That question is at the heart of the Bipartisan…
- DOE's Julie Kozeracki on the Federal Role in US Nuclear Financing · 51 minThe US may finally, after years of trying, be on the cusp of a nuclear renaissance. Commercial nuclear generation began in this country in 1958. Today, the US has 94 operating…
- Daniel Palken on the Bipartisan Senate Bill to Reform Energy Permitting · 1 h 5 minPermitting reform—to allow for faster approvals on new projects—is one thing that both climate advocates and energy developers have wanted for a long time. With demand for power…
- Gautam Jain and Ned Shell on the Promise of Carbon Credit Markets · 50 minCarbon credit markets have become one of the most hotly debated tools in the fight against climate change. Supporters call them essential to closing the gap between corporate…
- Global Gas Markets on Edge as Europe Braces for Winter · 57 minGlobal gas markets, especially in Europe, are approaching winter under serious pressure. With storage inventories lagging behind historical averages and shipping disruptions from…
- Iran Conflict Brief: Jan Stuart on What a US Diesel Export Ban Would Mean · 34 minSeven months into the largest oil supply disruption in history, there's still no resolution in sight. This week, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US and Iranian…
- Erica Downs and Michal Meidan on China's Oil Shock That Wasn't · 50 minThis week, Chinese President Xi Jinping travels to Washington for a state visit with President Trump, their second face-to-face meeting this year. Energy is likely to be high on…
- Six Months In: Iran War Widens as Energy Markets Feel the Shock · 56 minMore than six months into the war with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to cause turmoil in the Gulf region and global energy markets with no apparent end in sight…
- Luisa Palacios and Bob McNally on Why the US-Venezuela Oil Deal Matters · 56 minIt's been a tumultuous year for Venezuela, marked by political upheaval and deadly earthquakes. Then, in late August, the Trump administration announced a deal for over 65…
- DOE's Audrey Robertson on Growing US Critical Mineral Supply · 59 minAdvanced technologies, a return to domestic manufacturing, and the race to control energy production while also confronting surging demand for electricity. All of these factors…
- Editor's Pick: Rajiv Shah on Delivering Universal Abundant Energy Access · 1 h 1 minEnergy abundance means different things in today's global context than it did even a decade ago. It is about expanding electricity access while meeting rising energy demand. It…
- Matthew Yglesias on Abundance and the Politics of Energy · 1 h 6 minAbundance and affordability have become buzzwords among policymakers, who often have sharply different interpretations of how to attain them. To some, an energy abundance agenda…
- Luisa Palacios on Rebuilding Venezuela's Oil Industry After the Quakes · 54 minIt started last year as a pressure campaign at sea, with the United States seizing tankers as part of what President Trump called a "total and complete blockade" of vessels…
- Javier Blas on Lessons from Closing Hormuz (So Far) · 60 minOver the past five months, the Strait of Hormuz has been closed for extended stretches of time, disrupting roughly 10 to 15 million barrels of oil supply each day. It is the…
- Senator Alan Armstrong on Building American Energy Infrastructure · 1 h 8 minAs the demand for power surges across the US, the debate over how to build energy infrastructure has reached a fever pitch. And while both sides of the aisle broadly agree that…
- Tom Moerenhout and Tomasz Nadrowski on Fixing the Mineral Supply Chain · 53 minCritical 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…
- Suzanne Maloney on Whether Perpetual Conflict is New Normal for the Gulf · 58 minNearly 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…
- Iran Conflict Brief: How Renewed Strikes Impact Global Energy · 43 minIn 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…
- Alice Yake on Planning for a Reliable, Cleaner Grid · 1 h 0 minGrid 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…
- Doug Arent and Robin Millican on What's Really Driving Electricity Prices · 56 minConcerns 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…
- Michael Cembalest Does the Math on the Energy Transition · 58 minThe 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…
- Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer on the US-Iran Deal, Hormuz Realities, and Iran's Nuclear Future · 1 h 2 minYesterday, 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…
- Iran Conflict Brief: The US-Iran Deal and a New Phase of Accommodation · 38 minThe 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…
- Jessica Uhl on the Fractured Energy Transition: Why Speed Matters Now · 51 minThe 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…
- Ashley Finan and Amy Roma on Speed, Safety, and Reforming Nuclear Energy · 1 h 1 minFor 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…
- Katie Auth on How the 'Modern Energy Minimum' Can Drive Economic Growth · 57 minDespite 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…
- Speed to Power: Christian Bruch on Siemens Energy's Turnaround · 53 minFor 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…
- Iran Conflict Brief: How the Iran Standoff is Rewriting US-China Relations · 28 minThe Iran crisis is in its 80th day. Right now, roughly 1,500 vessels laden with oil, natural gas, fertilizers, and oil products sit trapped in the Persian Gulf by a dual…
- Arctic Expert Iris Ferguson on Greenland's Resources, Geopolitical Risks · 48 minMuch of the world's attention today is understandably focused on conflict in the Middle East, and the immediate implications for energy markets and global security. But other…
- Bob McNally and Jason Bordoff on Handling an Energy Crisis · 58 minIn moments of geopolitical crisis, energy is never just a backdrop. It's often at the center of the story. Today, as conflict involving Iran sends shockwaves through global oil…
- Iran Conflict Brief: Why the UAE Is Leaving OPEC Now · 30 minIt has been a tumultuous 24 hours for the global energy landscape. Yesterday, the United Arab Emirates sent shockwaves through the oil industry by announcing its withdrawal from…
- The Iran Oil Shock: Will it Force the World to Re-think the Future of Energy? · 40 minIn this special episode Jason Bordoff, founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy, sits down with Robin Pomeroy, host of the World Economic Forum podcast, Radio…
- Ian Bremmer on Navigating a Fragmenting World · 29 minThe global order that shaped the past several decades is giving way to a more fragmented and uncertain world. Long-standing alliances are under strain, economic integration is…
- Amos Hochstein on the Strait of Hormuz Opening and Where the War is Headed · 52 minIt's been a head-spinning day in the Iran war. Earlier today, following a temporary truce between Lebanon and Israel, Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be…
- Iran Conflict Brief: Will the Ceasefire Hold? Analyzing Tehran's High-Stakes Diplomacy · 48 minWith an April 21 deadline looming, the Middle East remains suspended in a volatile state of war and peace. Regional mediators are scrambling to broker a second round of US-Iran…
- Rajiv Shah on Advancing Universal Abundant Energy Access · 1 h 0 minEnergy abundance means different things in today's global context than it did even a decade ago. It is about expanding electricity access while meeting rising energy demand. It…
- Dan Steingart on Battery Innovation and the Future of Energy Storage · 49 minThe conflict in Iran is a reminder of how quickly global energy markets can be disrupted. It also underscores why advances in things like battery technology — from electric…
- Iran Conflict Brief: Ali Ansari on What's Going on Inside Iran · 30 minOn the eve of President Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the global energy landscape faces a moment of unprecedented risk. With dated Brent crude already…
- Iran Conflict Brief: The War's Lasting Impact on Gulf States · 30 minWhile US and Israeli forces have significantly degraded Iran's military and nuclear capability, the global energy landscape remains in a precarious position. For weeks, the…
- Daleep Singh on the Need for a US Industrial Policy Playbook · 1 h 0 minDuring President Trump's second term, the administration has taken unprecedented action in the US private sector. The federal government's investments in critical mineral mining…
- Javier Blas on CERAWeek and the Energy Market's Reckoning · 60 minToday marks the last day of CERAWeek, the annual energy industry conference sometimes described as the Davos of energy. As oil and gas CEOs and government officials gathered in…
- Kurt Campbell on China's Approach to Energy Security and Statecraft · 53 minThe month-long Iran conflict has rapidly expanded, drawing in actors across the Middle East and raising concerns about broader regional escalation. As a result, we're seeing…
- Iran Conflict Brief: How the Energy Shock Is Reshaping Investment · 35 minNearly a month in, the conflict in Iran appears to have hit a critical inflection point. Over the weekend, President Trump gave Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to open the Strait of…
- Iran Conflict Brief: The High Cost of Attacking Energy Infrastructure · 37 minAs the conflict in the Middle East enters its 20th day, events on the ground have shifted into a critical new phase marked by direct strikes on core energy infrastructure. With…
- Michael Gerrard and Jeff Holmstead on Next Chapter in US Climate Policy · 48 minThe climate policy landscape in the US is in flux. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency repealed its own power to regulate greenhouse gases. Two weeks later, the…
- Iran Conflict Brief: A 'Tacit Bargain' Protecting Gulf Energy · 25 minAs the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran enters its third week, the complexities of the global energy landscape are deepening by the hour. Shut-ins of Middle Eastern…
- Iran Conflict Brief: What It Will Take to Open Up the Strait of Hormuz · 26 minIn energy markets, all eyes are on the Strait of Hormuz. As of March 11, 2026, this vital passage is effectively closed to tanker traffic, stranding almost a fifth of world…
- New Rapid Response Series: The Iran Conflict Brief · 1 minThe conflict in the Middle East is evolving with incredible speed, creating a landscape where the complexities of understanding both immediate and long-term outcomes have never…
- How the Iran Conflict Is Reshaping Russia and China's Energy Security · 59 minSince the US-Israeli bombing campaign began in Iran, energy markets around the world have been on edge as the conflict threatens immediate and long-term energy supplies. We've…
