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Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
How DOE’s Announcement on Data Centers Could Impact the Grid
The US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to make a rule that would help rapidly move electricity onto the US grid in large amounts.
Podcasts
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
Amy Harder on Climate and Energy Reporting
The national conversation around climate change is shifting. There’s more focus on energy affordability and demand, as well as on the dual role artificial intelligence plays as both...
Events
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December 10, 2025
• 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
est
Responsible Mining in Latin America: The Extractive Transition and Social License, a Crossroad for the Andean Region
The event is for CUID holders only. Please note: space is limited. The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA invites Columbia University students to a...
Event
• Large Conference Room
Center on Global Energy Policy
Center on Global Energy Policy
News
Dr. Luay al-Khatteeb Joins the Center on Global Energy Policy as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow
July 15, 2021
Dr. Luay al-Khatteeb, a former Minister of Electricity for the Republic of Iraq, has joined Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow. In this role he will focus on the energy dynamics in the Middle East and specifically on economic reform in post-conflict states like Iraq and their efforts towards lowering carbon emissions.
“We’re thrilled to have Dr. al-Khatteeb return to the Center,” said Jason Bordoff, Founding Director of CGEP. “He brings valuable expertise in energy from the Middle East. As we continue to think through what a global energy transition needs to look like, his first hand experience in the region will help guide our policy research.”
Among several goals he outlined, Dr. al-Khatteeb said he would focus on the impact the Paris Agreement has had on the Middle East’s resource-rich economies post-COVID-19. This includes looking at resource-based development strategies and economic growth, distribution of natural resource rents, challenges related to domestic demand growth, diversification, and the deployment of renewables.
“I will also investigate the implications of emerging technologies on the energy transition,” said Dr. al-Khatteeb. He said he would analyze the future of the fossil fuel market and energy policies across the region. He will examine the creation of a sensible balance in conflicting energy agendas and challenges ahead in both the electricity and petroleum industry for selected OPEC countries.
Dr. al-Khatteeb is also the founding director of Iraq Energy Institute, and a former Foreign Policy Fellow at Brookings Institution. His professional experiences span over twenty years in business development and public policy with executive capacities as director and senior advisor to various multilateral institutions, international oil companies, commercial banks and management consulting firms. He is working on two books, the first addresses the comparative energy policy frameworks in federal systems, and the second on the political economy of Iraq post 2003.
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Blue states have higher electricity prices than red states. We need more infrastructure — including fossil fuel infrastructure — to ensure that electricity is affordable.
Relevant
Publications
Regulatory Progress for Project-Based Carbon Credit Markets: Pre-COP30 Roundtable Summary
On November 6, 2025, in the lead-up to the annual UN Conference of the Parties (COP30), the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University SIPA convened a roundtable on project-based carbon credit markets (PCCMs) in São Paulo, Brazil—a country that both hosted this year’s COP and is well-positioned to shape the next phase of global carbon markets by leveraging its experience in nature-based solutions.
Summaries
by Gautam Jain, Preetha Jenarthan, Victoria Barreto Vieira do Prado + 3 more • December 04, 2025
America’s Toothless Sanctions on Russian Oil
Last month, the Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, signaling a renewed desire to drive Moscow to the negotiating table in its war against Ukraine. But although these measures have the potential to harm the Russian economy, just how much damage they inflict will depend largely on one actor: Beijing. China bought almost half the oil Russia exported in 2024, evading Washington’s existing restrictions in the process. And new sanctions alone will do little to push China into significantly reducing its purchases.
What the Global Electric Vehicle Market Signals for US Automakers and Policymakers
Commentary
by Pierpaolo Cazzola • November 24, 2025
