Introduction: In this episode of Unlocking the Energy Trilemma, Ravi and Jose interview Peter O’Kelly, CEO of Costec Systems, on the evolving global electricity mix. The discussion covers coal phase-outs, renewable intermittency, grid reliability, thermal plant flexibility, policy trade-offs, and the technical and economic challenges of balancing affordability, sustainability, and energy security. Click the link above to listen to the full episode.

Questions

What fact or figure related to the energy trilemma or energy transition would you like to share with our audience?
What lessons, positive or negative, have we learned over the last 15 years from deprioritizing coal and seeing the rise of renewables?
What is the impact of this new operational profile on thermal power plants that were not originally designed to operate so flexibly but are still required to keep running?
With AI data centres and electrification driving electricity demand and the need for new generation capacity, do you see reliability starting to take priority again over purely environmental targets, and what is your view on this?
With so much attention on building new generation capacity, how important is it in your view to upgrade and better utilize the power plants that already exist?
Do you think it is irresponsible for governments to keep politically committing to rapid coal face-outs before truly scalable, affordable, reliable alternatives are in place?
If billions of people still depend on coal and gas for basic living standards, is CO₂ truly the main global problem, or is the bigger challenge how to reduce emissions without sacrificing affordability and reliability? What is your view on this?
If you had a magic wand to unlock the energy trilemma, what would you wish for or ask to happen?