Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming energy as quickly and unpredictably as it has changed other parts of society. Oil and gas companies have been among its earliest adopters, using AI to optimize their operations, notably exploration and production.

But AI can also be leveraged, and is increasingly being used, to accelerate the decarbonisation agenda of the energy industry — whether by supporting the deployment of renewable fuels, reducing the climate footprint of incumbent fossil fuels, or increasing the efficiency of energy consumption.

This session will deal with the scope of this ongoing transformation and what AI means for energy and sustainability. It will show how AI is being used in practice by a number of key players. These include: scientists and tech innovators (focusing on GHG monitoring); policymakers and regulators; financial operators (focusing on how a major bank uses AI in its workflows and decision-making to decarbonise its energy portfolio); and the energy industry itself. The session will address the opportunities, obstacles and risks that relate to AI, and how, respectively, they can be taken, overcome and managed.

This session will be in person at the Consulate General of Canada in New York.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Neelesh Nerurkar

Neelesh Nerurkar is the Senior Advisor for Energy and Climate at the White House National Economic Council. His work includes coordinating the work of the government’s Task Force on AI Data Center Infrastructure. Neelesh is on detail from the Department of Energy where he is Director of the Office of Deployment and Infrastructure Policy. Leading a team of experts, he advises the Secretary of Energy, the White House, and Congress on policies to drive investment in clean, affordable, and reliable energy solutions. Prior to this role, Neelesh was Vice President at Clearview Energy Partners, where he advised institutional investors and corporate strategists on climate and clean energy issues. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at DOE and as senior energy policy advisor at the White House National Security Council, Department of State, and Congressional Research Service. He has also served as an energy economist in government and industry. Neelesh holds a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

SPEAKERS

Enam Ehe

Enam Ehe is Head of ESG Data & Systems at BNP Paribas. In this role, she is responsible for supporting the business strategy on sustainability, using data technologies to help the bank with their ESG commitments, respond to regulatory request and develop a concrete Sustainable Finance culture across the group.  With a rich and transversal background, Enam has an extensive expertise in cross-functional risk topics, data management and ESG topics coupled with a proven track record of delivering results and fostering innovation. From now on, Enam will put her acquired skills at the service of the ambitious decision of the group to act as a top leader on Sustainable Finance.  Prior to BNP, Enam worked as Consultant for RISK, IT and Systems topics and has over 20 years of experience in finance and insurance fields.

Sunaina Ocalan

Sunaina Ocalan is Senior Director of Corporate Strategy and Climate Change for Hess Corporation based in New York. In this role she works closely with the executive management team evaluating the opportunities and strategic issues affecting the company’s performance and future direction. In her role leading the climate change strategy, Ms. Ocalan is leading the company’s global efforts to integrate its sustainability objectives with the business strategy including defining the company’s path to achieve net zero emissions. As an integral part of this role, Ms. Ocalan helped develop Hess’ position on voluntary carbon markets, and Hess’s decarbonization strategy for the long term. Prior to Hess, she worked for CERA, and SLB. Ms. Ocalan has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from Rice University. A consummate learner, and to complement her technical and commercial skills, Ms. Ocalan completed a one-year certificate program in Sustainability at MIT in 2023, and is currently pursuing her level 1 CFA.

Quentin Peyle

Quentin Peyle is the Lead Methane Analyst and Product Manager at Kayrros, where he spearheads the development of cutting-edge technical solutions designed to meet the varied needs of financial institutions, governments, operators, and importers. Over the past three years, Quentin has been involved in the modeling and scaling of the UNEP-IMEO Methane Alert and Response System and collaborated with BNP Paribas to create a robust methodology for evaluating discrepancies between reported and estimated methane emissions across companies. In partnership with European and American universities, Quentin has co-authored scientific publications on methane detection using satellite imagery, and he works closely with governments worldwide to support impactful, data-driven methane mitigation strategies. Quentin holds a Master of Engineering from École Centrale and a Master of Engineering Management from the University of Melbourne.

Daniel Varon

Daniel Varon is an atmospheric chemist focusing on satellite remote sensing of atmospheric composition. He is currently Research Associate in the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at Harvard University. In July 2025, he will join the MIT faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. Daniel received his PhD in atmospheric chemistry from Harvard University in 2020 along with an MSc in applied mathematics. Daniel’s key research areas include satellite remote sensing of methane from fossil fuel production and nitrogen oxides from power plants, focusing in particular on the application of AI and computer vision to big satellite data to better detect and quantify emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollution.

MODERATOR

Antoine Halff

Antoine Halff is a non-resident fellow at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy and chief analyst and founding partner at Kayrros, a data analytics company that leverages artificial intelligence, advanced mathematics and satellite imaging to help its clients track energy and commodity flows, monitor industrial assets and reduce their climate footprint. Earlier, he served as chief oil analyst of the International Energy Agency in Paris, lead industry economist at the U.S. Energy Information Administration, head of commodities research at Newedge, a Société Générale subsidiary, and director of the Global Energy practice at Eurasia Group, among others. His book, Energy Poverty: Global Challenges and Local Solutions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), co-edited with Jon Rozhon and Benjamin Sovacool, was released by Oxford University Press in 2014. Mr. Halff holds an advanced degree from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, and a Masters from Université Paris VII.

PROGRAM

5:15 - 5:45 PM: Registration
5:45 - 7:30 PM: Presentation and Discussion
7:30 - 8:00 PM: Reception

COST

Registration is required for all attendees. An admission fee is required for in-person attendees as listed below:

$40.00 for General Admission
$10.00 for Academic/Military
$0.00 for Energy Forum Sponsors
$0.00 for Paid Subscribers

QUESTIONS

We would be pleased to answer any questions you might have about The Energy Forum, Inc. or about this session. For updates, follow us on twitter @NYEnergyForum