Upcoming Event

Aurora Spring Forum London 2026

Apr 29, 2026
London
Doors open at 08:00 am

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Ambition, Affordability, Resilience: The Next Steps for the European Energy Transition

As the global Energy Transition enters its next decisive phase, 2026 will test whether governments, investors, and industry can sustain momentum towards net zero amid intensifying geopolitical and economic pressures. China is reinforcing its influence in clean technology, while the U.S. and Europe diverge over industrial strategy and climate ambition. Within Europe, fiscal constraints and election cycles are narrowing the scope of green policy just as electrification, AI, and the digital economy drive surging power demand. Technological progress – from rapid battery deployment to AI-enabled optimisation – continues to propel decarbonisation forward, yet the challenge remains: how can Europe balance ambition with affordability, maintain resilience amid fossil retirements, and finance the €5.6 trillion investment needed to deliver its energy transition?

Book your ticket now and join energy industry leaders to discuss the medium and long term challenges of the sector over a full day of intellectual engagement, thought provoking analysis, debate and networking.

Check out the 2025 highlights video…

Agenda

The 2026 programme will open with CEO keynotes from global energy and finance leaders, followed by plenary sessions exploring geopolitics, system resilience and investment strategy. New for this year, the Forum will host an Oxford-Union style Aurora Debate. The day will also feature a live recording of Aurora’s “Energy Unplugged” podcast, as well as afternoon breakout sessions tackling the frontier questions of the transition from China’s role in European supply chains to market design and financing the next wave of storage and clean technology.

As always, the Forum will combine high-level discussions with exceptional networking opportunities, including breakfast and lunch sessions, a formal networking dinner, and evening drinks reception – bringing together senior representatives from across Europe’s energy ecosystem in a uniquely collegial setting.

Agenda

08:00

Registration, Breakfast & Networking

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08:00 - 09:00

09:00

Welcome and Opening Remarks

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09:00 - 09:10

Hanns Koenig

Managing Director, EMEA, Aurora Energy Research

09:15

Aurora Energy Unplugged Live Session

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09:15 - 09:35

Lord Browne

Chairman, BeyondNetZero, Former CEO, BP

John Feddersen

Founder & CEO, Aurora Energy Research

09:40

Plenary Session: Geopolitics (China, US) and Consequences for Net Zero

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09:40 - 10:20

Chris O’Shea

CEO, Centrica

Jenny Bates

Heywood Fellow, Former Director General, FCDO

Michael Lewis

CEO, Uniper

Hanns Koenig

Managing Director, EMEA, Aurora Energy Research

10:20

Coffee & Networking Break

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10:20 - 11:00

11:00

Aurora Global Keynote - Charging Ahead: Finding an Edge in the Next Wave of Batteries

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11:00 - 11:20

Richard Howard

Global Research Director, Aurora Energy Research

11:25

Plenary Session: Keeping the Lights on Amid Fossil Retirements and Surging Power Demand

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11:25 - 12:15

Fintan Slye

CEO, NESO

Greg Jackson

Founder & CEO, Octopus Energy Group

Martin Pibworth

CEO, SSE

Ana Barillas

Managing Director, Iberia and LATAM, Aurora Energy Research

12:25

Networking Lunch & Coffee

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12:25 - 13:45

13:45

Aurora Keynote - Can Europe Make Energy Affordable Again?

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13:45 - 14:05

Dan Monzani

Managing Director, UK, Ireland & Africa, Aurora Energy Research

14:10

Plenary Session: Bridging Europe’s €5.6 Trillion Gap - Financing the European Energy Transition

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14:10 - 15:00

Christopher Hunt

Co-Founder and Partner, Sandbrook Capital

Laurie Fitch

Senior Advisor, PJT Partners

Mortimer Menzel

Managing Partner, Augusta & Co Limited

Rui Teixeira

Group CFO, EDP and EDP Renewables

15:05

Coffee & Networking Break

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15:05 - 15:45

15:45

Breakout Session 1 - Market Design for the Second Half of the Energy Transition

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15:45 - 16:25

Åsa Jamal

SVP, Vattenfall

Minesh Shah

Managing Director, TRIG, InfraRed Capital Partners

Peter Stanley

CEO, Elexon

Alex Esser

Head of Nordics & Baltics, Aurora Energy Research

15:45

Breakout Session 2 - Making the Renewables Business Case Work Despite Congested Grids and Negative Prices

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15:45 - 16:25

Alejandro Lopez Delgado

Managing Director Infrastructure, La Caisse

Mark Collette

Managing Director, EnergyAustralia

Miya Paolucci

UK CEO, Engie

Peter Highmore

SVP Head of Partnerships and M&A, Orsted

Tom Glover

UK Country Chair, RWE

Matteo Coriglioni

Head of Italy, Aurora Energy Research

15:45

Breakout Session 3 - From Constraint to Opportunity: Powering Europe's AI Data Centre Build-Out

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15:45 - 16:25

Arnaud Jouvin

VP Investments, Brookfield

Francois Sterin

COO, Data4 Group

Brian Potskowski

Head of Advisory, UK & Ireland, Aurora Energy Research

15:45

Breakout Session 4 – Fireside Chat

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15:45 - 16:25

Alistair Phillips-Davies

Chairman SSEN Distribution, SSE

John Feddersen

Founder & CEO, Aurora Energy Research

16:25

Short Break to Switch Rooms

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16:25 - 16:35

16:35

Breakout Session 1 – The role of China in the European Energy Transition

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16:35 - 17:25

Prof. Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE

Professor of Cryptography, Edinburgh Napier University

Horatio Evers

EU CEO, Ming Yang Smart Energy

Josephine Tan

VP Corporate Development & M&A, BHP

Evangelos Gazis

Head of SEE, Aurora Energy Research

16:35

Breakout Session 2 - What New Technologies Could Revolutionise the Energy Transition Picture?

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16:35 - 17:25

Lawson Steele

CEO, Haldane Energy

Richard Butland

CEO, Highview Power

Emma Woodward

European Hydrogen Market Lead, Aurora Energy Research

16:35

Breakout Session 3 - Getting Batteries Financed: to Toll or not to Toll

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16:35 - 17:25

Navin Parasram

Head of Trading and Member of the Executive Board, Alpiq

Niels Jakeman

Head of Energy Origination Europe, NORD/LB

Thaddäus Kreisig

Principal, Aurora Energy Research

16:35

Aurora Debate - Europe got Distracted by Green Hydrogen

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16:35 - 17:25

Ana Quelhas

EVP Hydrogen and Data Centres, EDP Renewables

Jose Noldin

CEO, GravitHy

Laura Sandys

Non-Executive Director, SSE Transmission, Highview Power, Sero Homes & Ohme Global

Richard Nourse

Chair of Schroders Capital Infrastructure, Schroders Greencoat

Caroline Still

Principal, Aurora Energy Research

17:25

Drinks Reception

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17:25 - 18:30

18:30

Formal Seated Networking Dinner

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18:30 - 20:30

20:30

After Dinner Drinks

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20:30 - 22:00

Partners

Exclusive Sector Partner

Partners

Why partner with us?

The Aurora Spring Forum is the leading annual gathering of the European energy industry, focussing on the decarbonisation of the energy system and bringing together the Biggest Energy Utilities, Developers, Investors, Policymakers and System Operators who shape Strategy, Capital Allocation and System Design across Europe’s energy sector. The event provides a platform for hard evidence, rigorous analysis and high-level discussion on the strategic questions defining the next phase of the Energy Transition – including Geopolitics, System Resilience, Investment Strategy, Market Design and the Technologies reshaping Supply Chains and Flexibility.

Partnering with us at Spring Forum enables your organisation to contribute to the high-level discussions driving Europe’s Energy Transition. It provides opportunities to share expertise, participate in focused engagements and align your brand with evidence-based analysis and sector-leading insight.

The Aurora Spring Forum also forms part of Aurora’s wider global programme of market-focused events:

Aurora Energy Transition Summit Warsaw, February: Focus on CEE market
Aurora Energy Transition Summit Madrid, June: Focus on the Southern Europe market
Aurora Energy Transition Summit Berlin, September: Focus on the German energy market
Aurora Energy Transition Forum, New York, October: Focus on the North American energy market
Aurora Energy Finance Conference, Paris, October: Pan-EU focus on energy financing
Aurora Energy Transition Summit London, November: Focus on the UK energy market

Contact

For more information, please contact:

Ethel Chiodelli
Senior Logistics Coordinator
ukevents@auroraer.com

For content and partnership opportunities, please contact

Steve Downing
Event Content Producer
steve.downing@auroraer.com

For Press Enquiries, please contact

Zinovia Fragkiadaki
Senior Press Officer, Global
zinovia.fragkiadaki@auroraer.com

Interested in partnering with us?

We’re always open to new and exciting opportunities for collaboration. For partnership enquiries, please contact Steve Downing.

UPCOMING EVENT

Nov 24, 2026

Great Britain

Speakers

Martin Pibworth

CEO, SSE

Lord Browne

Chairman, BeyondNetZero, Former CEO, BP

Jenny Bates

Heywood Fellow, Former Director General, FCDO

Chris O’Shea

CEO, Centrica

Michael Lewis

CEO, Uniper

Miya Paolucci

UK CEO, Engie

Greg Jackson

Founder & CEO, Octopus Energy Group

Åsa Jamal

SVP, Vattenfall

Rui Teixeira

Group CFO, EDP and EDP Renewables

Fintan Slye

CEO, NESO

Laurie Fitch

Senior Advisor, PJT Partners

Christopher Hunt

Co-Founder and Partner, Sandbrook Capital

Josephine Tan

VP Corporate Development & M&A, BHP

Francois Sterin

COO, Data4 Group

Richard Butland

CEO, Highview Power

Ana Quelhas

EVP Hydrogen and Data Centres, EDP Renewables

Peter Highmore

SVP Head of Partnerships and M&A, Orsted

Peter Stanley

CEO, Elexon

Prof. Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE

Professor of Cryptography, Edinburgh Napier University

Arnaud Jouvin

VP Investments, Brookfield

Richard Nourse

Chair of Schroders Capital Infrastructure, Schroders Greencoat

Mortimer Menzel

Managing Partner, Augusta & Co Limited

Alejandro Lopez Delgado

Managing Director Infrastructure, La Caisse

Mark Collette

Managing Director, EnergyAustralia

Tom Glover

UK Country Chair, RWE

Alistair Phillips-Davies

Chairman SSEN Distribution, SSE

Niels Jakeman

Head of Energy Origination Europe, NORD/LB

Navin Parasram

Head of Trading and Member of the Executive Board, Alpiq

Jose Noldin

CEO, GravitHy

Hanns Koenig

Managing Director, EMEA, Aurora Energy Research

John Feddersen

Founder & CEO, Aurora Energy Research

Dan Monzani

Managing Director, UK & Ireland, and European Hydrogen, Aurora Energy Research

Ana Barillas

Managing Director, Iberia and LATAM, Aurora Energy Research

Richard Howard

Global Research Director, Aurora Energy Research

Alex Esser

Head of Nordics & Baltics, Aurora Energy Research

Matteo Coriglioni

Head of Italy, Aurora Energy Research

Emma Woodward

European Hydrogen Market Lead, Aurora Energy Research

Casimir Lorenz

Managing Director, Central Europe, Aurora Energy Research

Evangelos Gazis

Head of SEE, Aurora Energy Research

Caroline Still

Principal, Aurora Energy Research

Brian Potskowski

Head of Advisory, UK & Ireland, Aurora Energy Research

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Ambition, Affordability, Resilience: The Next Steps for the European Energy Transition

Agenda

Registration, Breakfast & Networking

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Hanns Koenig

Aurora Energy Unplugged Live Session

Lord Browne

John Feddersen

Plenary Session: Geopolitics (China, US) and Consequences for Net Zero

Chris O’Shea

Jenny Bates

Michael Lewis

Hanns Koenig

Coffee & Networking Break

Aurora Global Keynote - Charging Ahead: Finding an Edge in the Next Wave of Batteries

Richard Howard

Plenary Session: Keeping the Lights on Amid Fossil Retirements and Surging Power Demand

Fintan Slye

Greg Jackson

Martin Pibworth

Ana Barillas

Networking Lunch & Coffee

Aurora Keynote - Can Europe Make Energy Affordable Again?

Dan Monzani

Plenary Session: Bridging Europe’s €5.6 Trillion Gap - Financing the European Energy Transition

Christopher Hunt

Laurie Fitch

Mortimer Menzel

Rui Teixeira

Coffee & Networking Break

Breakout Session 1 - Market Design for the Second Half of the Energy Transition

Åsa Jamal

Minesh Shah

Peter Stanley

Alex Esser

Breakout Session 2 - Making the Renewables Business Case Work Despite Congested Grids and Negative Prices

Alejandro Lopez Delgado

Mark Collette

Miya Paolucci

Peter Highmore

Tom Glover

Matteo Coriglioni

Breakout Session 3 - From Constraint to Opportunity: Powering Europe's AI Data Centre Build-Out

Arnaud Jouvin

Francois Sterin

Brian Potskowski

Breakout Session 4 – Fireside Chat

Alistair Phillips-Davies

John Feddersen

Short Break to Switch Rooms

Breakout Session 1 – The role of China in the European Energy Transition

Prof. Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE

Horatio Evers

Josephine Tan

Evangelos Gazis

Breakout Session 2 - What New Technologies Could Revolutionise the Energy Transition Picture?

Lawson Steele

Richard Butland

Emma Woodward

Breakout Session 3 - Getting Batteries Financed: to Toll or not to Toll

Navin Parasram

Niels Jakeman

Thaddäus Kreisig