Nexans’ annual Climate Day brought sustainable energy debates to the forefront

Key stakeholders discussed offshore wind farms and U.S. energy independence

• Nexans hosted its third annual Climate Day in New York City on September 21 as part of Climate Week NYC.
• Executives from the energy sector debated the future of offshore wind in the U.S. and how to build a supply chain that can support the energy transition.
• Actor and environmentalist Adrian Grenier opened the event with a fireside chat on ocean conservation.

Nexans, a global organization and key driver for the world’s transition to a more connected and sustainable energy future, hosted its third annual Climate Day in New York City this afternoon with executives from the energy space including Siemens Gamesa, the American Clean Power Association (ACP), Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), Equinor, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), Ørsted, Marmen, and the Business Network for Offshore Wind (BNOW).

In a world where energy has been at the center of the conversation, this event in which ideas could flow freely, was crucial to the development of actionable solutions to the energy crisis.

One key takeaway highlighted by Nexans CEO Christopher Guérin was that “The reserves for raw materials are not infinite. The consumption of copper in the world went from 9 million metric tons to 21 million metric tons in the last 25 years. With the world becoming more electrified than in the past and because of the addition of electric vehicles, in 10 to 15 years, the demand will increase to 35 million metric tons. The only way to support to support investments in sustainable energy is through the recycling of raw materials and to increase innovation.”

The event also featured a fireside chat about ocean conservation with actor and environmentalist Adrian Grenier and remarks from Congressman Andrew Garbarino (NY) and Senator Ed Markey (MA), as well as panels debating whether offshore wind can help solve the energy crisis and what the supply chain will look like in the United States for more sustainable sources of energy.

Some key takeaways from the day include:

• We can only achieve our goals if companies, policymakers, and governmental agencies work together with one objective: to make change and move toward a more sustainable future, today. These are challenges we face together, and we must culminate our individual efforts to ensure change while keeping costs low.
• Elected officials hope to localize the supply chain to meet their sustainability goals, create jobs and support the local economy while at the same time ensuring the security of the electrical grid. The Inflation Reduction Act empowers businesses to make decisions that are necessary to expand offshore wind operations in the United States.
• Actor, filmmaker, and environmentalist Adrian Grenier noted that, “There’s an artificial timeline that has been imposed. We need to be reliant and take responsibility to make these positive changes. Let’s put more resources, more minds, and more energy into what we can build without the constrains of fear and time.”

 A full video of Nexans’ Climate Day with more insights from panelists is available to stream HERE.