Ørsted’s Andy Brown: "We should think in centuries.”

“We’re not in an energy transition. We’re in an energy addition.” In this wide-ranging conversation, Andy Brown OBE, ⁠President of the Energy Institute ⁠and ⁠Vice Chairman of Ørsted⁠, breaks down the real state of the global energy system with rare clarity. Drawing on the Statistical Review of World Energy, Andy reveals what the data actually shows: – Global energy demand rose 2% – CO₂ emissions rose 1% – Every energy source — fossil and renewable — grew simultaneously The transition, he argues, is not yet a transition at all. It is an addition. We explore: 1. The global energy picture – Why decarbonising electricity is the world’s most urgent task – Why electrification — still only 20% of final energy use — must accelerate dramatically – How China has become both the problem and the solution: • 57% of all new renewables • Two-thirds of global EV sales • Electricity growth equal to adding an entire Germany in a single year 2. Ørsted — leadership through turbulence Andy discusses Ørsted’s rise to the world’s offshore wind leader — and the hard lessons from recent U.S. setbacks, supply-chain pressures, and a $9bn equity raise. He explains how risk management, staged commitments, and culture helped stabilise the organisation during crisis. 3. Carbon capture — from theory to reality A deep dive into one of the world’s most advanced CCS chains: Ørsted’s biogenic CO₂ capture, liquefaction, transport via Northern Lights, and permanent storage 2.6 km beneath the Norwegian seabed. Andy explains why CCS may be essential — and why without a global CO₂ price, it cannot scale to the levels required by the IPCC. 4. Leadership at scale Reflecting on leading Pearl GTL in Qatar — one of the largest industrial projects ever built — Andy shows how a culture of care delivered world-record safety performance. He shares what leadership requires when systems are in flux, and how incumbents can be moved from fossil to future. 5. Talent, purpose, resilience From developing the next generation of leaders to surviving a five-artery heart bypass, Andy speaks openly about purpose, vulnerability, and creating environments where people dare to step beyond what they were asked to do. 6. The long view Andy closes with a profound shift in perspective: “Everyone thinks in decades. We should think in centuries.” This episode is a masterclass in systems thinking — energy, economics, geopolitics, leadership — and what it truly takes to transform the foundations of modern society. A conversation for anyone shaping, or trying to understand, the next era of global energy. For more information: Ørsted, Energy Institute