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Interchange Recharged

The oil and gas majors are phasing down their renewable strategies. What does it mean for climate goals?

Interchange Recharged

Wood Mackenzie

Innovation, Tech News, Climate Change, Energy, Technology, Fossil Fuels, Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Business, Cleantech, News, Renewable Energy, Alternative Energy, 908174, Environment

4.8535 Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In February this year BP announced it was cutting its investment in green energy ventures from $5B to $2B while reallocating $10B to fossil fuels, and abandoning its 2030 oil output reduction target. Shell has also scrapped its planned 20% carbon reduction cut for 2030. It’s not a good display of intent from the perspective of the energy transition. In a highly volatile and uncertain policy environment it’s troubling for investors and clean energy developers. The prioritisation of short-term profit at the expense of long-term climate impact has many implications.

To find out, host Sylvia Leyva Martinez is joined by private investor Ben Dell, Managing Partner at Kimmeridge. He says that while “everyone wants low-cost energy on demand with a minimal carbon footprint, every dollar invested has to be cost-competitive. Philanthropy is not an investing strategy.” What does that mean in the context of clean energy deployment?

Plus, Wood Mac analyst Tom Ellacott joins the show to look at the outlook for oil and gas in light of the news from the majors. As he sees it, gas is a growth fuel for the next 20 - 30 years and the most optimal power delivery system is still renewables paired with small-scale batteries and natural gas. So why are major energy providers flip-flopping with their strategies when this is widely accepted?

The key questions are: how are oil and gas majors adjusting their capital allocation between fossil fuels and renewables? What’s the role of natural gas in the transition? And how should investors navigate volatility and uncertainty in energy markets? You’ll get the answers here.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

My view is, and I've been quite outspoken about this, that the IRA was one of the greatest

0:04.5

misallocations of capital in history. My personal view is you want the markets, the capital

0:09.7

markets to decide which investments are viable, not the US government.

0:14.0

A few years ago, oil and gas majors were making bold moves into renewables, pivoting capital,

0:20.2

rebranding strategies, and promising a greener

0:22.8

future. But today, we're seeing a sharp reversal. So where are companies resetting, to use

0:28.9

their word, the renewable strategies? I'm Sylvia Leva Martinez, principal analysis of Wood Mackenzie.

0:34.6

Welcome. It's great to have you here. Wood McKenzie's Solar Energy and Storage Summit is back in Denver on the 29th and 30th of

0:43.3

April, 2026.

0:45.3

It's co-located with the brand new North American Power and Renewables Forum, which features

0:50.3

senior speakers from across the US power sector.

0:53.3

Come and join over 450 senior leaders

0:56.0

from U.S. power developers, utilities,

0:59.0

and independent power producers

1:01.0

to tackle the industry's biggest challenges.

1:04.0

From navigating life after tax credits

1:06.0

to capturing the load growth boom,

1:08.0

discover how the energy mix is evolving

1:10.0

and how the U.S.

1:11.6

is going to meet that power demand. Seats are limited, so register now at woodmack.com.

1:22.5

Some of the very companies that led the charge are now pulling back, reassessing whether solar and wind

1:28.7

can deliver the returns they need. At the same time, gas is playing a larger role in

...

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