Energy Unplugged by Aurora

This week on Energy Unplugged, Ana Barillas, Managing Director for Iberia and Latin America at Aurora Energy Research, and Rodrigo Borges, Market Lead for Brazil, are joined by João Brito Martins, CEO of EDP Brazil.  Brazil's energy transition has been one of the world's great success stories. Renewable capacity has expanded rapidly, solar deployment has surged, and the country has established itself as one of the largest and most dynamic power markets globally.  But success has brought a new set of challenges.  As curtailment rises, grid constraints intensify and investment in new renewable capacity slows; the conversation is shifting from how to build renewables to how to integrate them. At the same time, market liberalization is gathering pace; battery storage is preparing its first major auction, and policymakers face growing pressure to deliver the right signals for the next wave of investment.  João reflects on how Brazil's power sector has evolved, why networks are becoming increasingly important, and what must change to unlock the country's next investment cycle.  Brazil has shown it can deliver the energy transition at scale. The next challenge is creating a power system that can keep up.  Main topics include:  Has Brazil become a victim of its own renewable success?  Why curtailment, grid constraints and weak price signals are holding back investment  Can market liberalization unlock a new era of customer-driven power procurement?  What needs to happen for batteries and flexibility to scale in Brazil? 

This week on Energy Unplugged, Ana Barillas, Managing Director for Iberia and Latin America at Aurora Energy Research, and Rodrigo Borges, Market Lead for Brazil, are joined by João Brito Martins, CEO of EDP Brazil.  Brazil's energy transition has been one of the world's great success stories. Renewable capacity has expanded rapidly, solar deployment has surged, and the country has established itself as one of the largest and most dynamic power markets globally.  But success has brought a new set of challenges.  As curtailment rises, grid constraints intensify and investment in new renewable capacity slows; the conversation is shifting from how to build renewables to how to integrate them. At the same time, market liberalization is gathering pace; battery storage is preparing its first major auction, and policymakers face growing pressure to deliver the right signals for the next wave of investment.  João reflects on how Brazil's power sector has evolved, why networks are becoming increasingly important, and what must change to unlock the country's next investment cycle.  Brazil has shown it can deliver the energy transition at scale. The next challenge is creating a power system that can keep up.  Main topics include:  Has Brazil become a victim of its own renewable success?  Why curtailment, grid constraints and weak price signals are holding back investment  Can market liberalization unlock a new era of customer-driven power procurement?  What needs to happen for batteries and flexibility to scale in Brazil? 

This week on Energy Unplugged, Hugo Batten, Managing Director of Aurora APAC, and Arthur Yanagisawa, Head of Advisory for Japan at Aurora Energy Research, are joined by Virginie Sandilya, Chief Investment Officer of Shizen International and Head of Project Finance for the Shizen Energy Group.  Japan knows it needs batteries. The question is whether the market can build them fast enough.  Investor appetite remains strong, but the industry's biggest challenges are no longer technological. Grid congestion, rising interest rates, revenue uncertainty and increasingly competitive access to transmission are creating new hurdles for developers trying to reach financial close.  Drawing on experience from both the lending and development sides of the industry, Virginie shares her perspective on what separates successful projects from the rest, why bankability remains a central challenge, and how developers are navigating a rapidly evolving market.  In many ways, Japan's battery market has reached an inflection point. Investor appetite is there. The technology is proven. The question is whether the market structure can keep up.  Main topics include:  Why securing a grid connection may matter more than securing financing  Can merchant battery projects attract debt at scale?  The battle between contracted certainty and merchant upside  Could data centres unlock the next phase of battery deployment? 

This week on Energy Unplugged, Laura Picardo, Aurora Energy Research's Advisory Lead for Mexico, is joined by William Judd, Manager – Origination & Execution, LatAm at Cubico Sustainable Investments.  After years of limited renewable deployment, Mexico's energy transition is moving again.  New investment mechanisms, major regulatory reforms, and ambitious deployment targets are creating fresh momentum in one of Latin America's most important power markets. But this isn't simply a return to business as usual. Mexico is attempting to accelerate renewable deployment while integrating battery storage from the outset and building new partnerships between private developers and the state-owned utility, CFE.  Drawing on Cubico's decade-long experience in the country, William discusses the market's resurgence, the opportunities created by the new mixed-investment model, and the realities of delivering large-scale renewable and storage projects on compressed timelines.  The conversation also explores what Mexico can learn from markets like Chile and Uruguay, and whether the country can combine political ambition, private capital and strategic planning to deliver its next wave of clean energy growth.  Main topics include:  Why Mexico's renewable sector is entering a new phase of growth  The rise of long-term partnerships between CFE and private developers  How battery storage is being integrated into renewable projects from day one  The key opportunities and challenges facing Mexico's next energy boom 

This week on Energy Unplugged, Laura Picardo, Aurora Energy Research's Advisory Lead for Mexico, is joined by William Judd, Manager – Origination & Execution, LatAm at Cubico Sustainable Investments.  After years of limited renewable deployment, Mexico's energy transition is moving again.  New investment mechanisms, major regulatory reforms, and ambitious deployment targets are creating fresh momentum in one of Latin America's most important power markets. But this isn't simply a return to business as usual. Mexico is attempting to accelerate renewable deployment while integrating battery storage from the outset and building new partnerships between private developers and the state-owned utility, CFE.  Drawing on Cubico's decade-long experience in the country, William discusses the market's resurgence, the opportunities created by the new mixed-investment model, and the realities of delivering large-scale renewable and storage projects on compressed timelines.  The conversation also explores what Mexico can learn from markets like Chile and Uruguay, and whether the country can combine political ambition, private capital and strategic planning to deliver its next wave of clean energy growth.  Main topics include:  Why Mexico's renewable sector is entering a new phase of growth  The rise of long-term partnerships between CFE and private developers  How battery storage is being integrated into renewable projects from day one  The key opportunities and challenges facing Mexico's next energy boom