2023's theme for climate and energy: ACTION!

It’s been an intense, impactful, and positive start to 通用电气 's 2023 engagement on climate and energy transition policy globally.??We’re seeing unparalleled momentum picking up pace with each week.??Our engagement with stakeholders from the public, NGO, and private sectors in these early weeks has brought me a lot of optimism for our key theme for 2023:??ACTION!

The most common critique in this space is the talk:action ratio.??I certainly concur.??We cannot afford to lose time in implementing steps to address climate change, accelerate electrification and decarbonization, and advance sustainability goals.??

What I’ve seen in the early days of 2023 gives me optimism for the year that we are going to turn the proverbial corner from talk to action.??Below are the five key developments we’re watching in 2023 and how we are supporting each for success.

1.?Government policies align to enable ACTION:??We’re now officially in year one of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Act (IIJA) implementation, and both the private and public sectors are taking swift action out of the gate.??With the IRA’s ten years of certainty, we are seeing demand rapidly emerge for renewable energy investments in the near term and sharper focus on breakthrough investments such as small modular reactors, hydrogen, and carbon capture.??Regions from Canada to the European Union to Africa to the Middle East are exploring analogous programs to accelerate domestic clean energy deployment this year.??As a company that helps generate one third of the world’s energy, our top policy priority this year is to ensure the swift implementation of these policies to enable urgent deployment while helping build the needed supply chain and workforces.??While the laws lay the critical foundation, we urge governments to promptly issue guidances and take steps to achieve the full potential. Time is of the essence and weeks matter to jump start these opportunities for 2023's business planning cycles. We look forward to active engagement and partnership to enable swift implementation.

2.?Electrification drives ACTION:??Increasingly, electrification is becoming the driver of near-term action while we make longer-term progress toward decarbonization goals.??The tragic war in Ukraine, including recent Russian targeting of Ukraine’s energy grid, as well as the senseless attacks on energy infrastructure in the United States, are elevating electrification to a top energy security and national security issue.??At the same time, we need to accelerate efforts to prepare the grid for other sectors that will choose an electrification path in order to decarbonize.??I believe 2023 will be the year where electrification takes center stage.??Read a piece I wrote for the Atlantic Council’s “2023 Global Energy Agenda” here.

GE’s diverse investments are well positioned to solve the dual challenges of decarbonization and electrification simultaneously.??Just this week, GE Digital, part of GE Vernova, launched?GridOS, a new grid orchestration portfolio, which will make sure that cleaner sources of power get to the front of the line, ensuring electrons are available when and where they are needed while maximizing opportunities to lower emissions. Learn more here.

3.?Preparing the ecosystem for ACTION:??It’s exciting to see long overdue action on the horizon, but it also raises questions about whether our broader ecosystem is prepared for the investments that are accelerating.??The biggest risk to action is the need to reform permitting and approval systems.??I support U.S. Senator Manchin’s and others’ focus on this priority. I am proud to be part of a diverse and bipartisan group of stakeholders in presenting a proposal that fully preserves public participation while accelerating action on energy projects.??Learn more here.

We also have to make sure that we have a trained labor force and supply chain ready on day one.??I’m proud of GE’s recent proposal to develop two state of the art offshore wind factories in New York, including a Pathways to Wind training program that will ready at least 35 percent of our team from economically disadvantaged populations. Learn more here.

For a recent discussion on my views on the ecosystem at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, tune in here.

4.?Public-private partnerships deliver on ACTION:??After working for or with the government for nearly 30 years, the biggest transformation setting up action is the growing impact of public-private partnerships.??While hard to quantify, increasingly our efforts, investments, and actions in decarbonization and electrification are in close collaboration with government actors toward shared goals.??A prime example is our industry leading work on SMR deployment with the BWRX—technology GE is developing in partnership with government actors in Canada, Poland, the United States, and elsewhere. Learn more here.

Perhaps our proudest partnership:??This week, working closely with USAID , we supported the delivery of a mobile gas turbine power plant to Ukraine than can provide the equivalent electricity to at least 100,000 homes.??This public-private partnership, requiring close and creative logistics among all of us, brought out the best in the public sector and private sector’s complementary skills and abilities, and marks just the beginning of our close collaboration to support the country’s grid. Lean more here.

5.?The UAE takes center stage in climate ACTION at COP28:?Finally, my boldest prediction for 2023 is that #cop28 will emerge as the most significant COP since Paris.??Already, expectations are high for the “Stocktake COP” where countries assess the implementation of the Paris Agreement.??But beyond that milestone, after spending time directly with COP28 President HE Dr. Sultan Al Jaber and HE Majid A. Suwaidi, I’m confident that the UAE is going will emerge this year as a driving force for decarbonization and electrification action globally.??

Dr. Sultan al-Jaber will approach COP28 with the same accountability with which he successfully runs businesses—setting metrics, key performance indicators, and accountability.??His goal is to demonstrate how a country long associated with fossil fuels can dispel stereotypes and lead deployment and innovation in renewable energy and breakthrough technologies to decarbonize fossil fuels while also lifting the quality of life for people.??I am betting on him to succeed. Majid Al Suwaidi?may be the most accessible COP official I’ve met, approaching COP28 with a sense of humility to partner with anyone willing to sign up to contribute to an aggressive agenda of action that leaves a lasting impact at the end of the year.??At its core, the UAE is focused on action at COP28 and is bringing the rigor and experience to succeed.??For my views on the impact of COP28, tune in here.