E3S Energy Economics & Evaluation Symposium

Financing EU Energy Assets in an Era of Volatility & Transition

A one-day symposium exploring the forces shaping the European energy landscape, from economic trends and capital flows to asset evaluation, AI and ESG-driven decision making.

Date Thursday, 2 July 2026
Time 8:30-17:45
Location Coventry University London Campus, Room MSX409

About the Symposium

The Energy Economics & Evaluation Symposium brings together practitioners, economists, investors, technical experts and students to examine how energy assets are valued, financed and managed in a period of market volatility, policy change, technology disruption and transition pressure.

Energy economics Asset evaluation Capital flows AI in valuation Methane, ESG & cost of capital Student Energython

Event Details

Date: Thursday, 2 July 2026
Venue: Coventry University London Campus
Address: 102 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EZ
Room: MSX409, 4th floor

Registration

Registration details will be added once the event registration page is available.

Registration

Program Agenda [download the latest flyer]

Sirine Trichili headshot
Master of CeremonySirine TrichiliYP Chair, SPE Asset Management Technical Section
8:30-9:00
Registration and Networking
9:00-9:15
Opening Remarks
Welcome and opening remarks from SPE.
9:15-10:30
Session 1: Chief Economist Panel
A high-level scene-setter led by economists and senior market practitioners. The panel examines the macro forces reshaping energy investment –commodity price cycles, geopolitical shifts, and capital allocation trends –and assesses where the market sits today and where it is likely to be in 12–18 months.
Shwan Dizayee headshot
ModeratorChris TomsovicMacro Foresight – Global Lead, Accenture
Long Wang headshot
Long WangChief Economist, Harbour Energy
Stephan Staber headshot
Stephan StaberHead of Economics, OMV
  • Macro dynamics impacting investment decisions and project economics.
  • Economic cycles: where are we now, and where might we be in 12–18 months?
  • How are majors and operators responding to current market conditions?
  • Long-term supply in an emerging supply crunch –what will the future look like?
10:30-10:45
Break
10:45-12:00
Session 2: Markets & Asset Evaluation
A practitioner-led deep dive into how European energy assets are being valued and transacted right now. The session tackles the growing bid-ask gap between buyers and sellers, the challenge of embedding carbon price trajectories and stranded asset risk into base-case models, and whether digitally instrumented assets are commanding a measurable valuation premium. It also addresses the elephant in the room for North Sea deals: growing decommissioning liabilities and whether the tax relief framework is keeping pace.
Rahim Masoudi headshot
ModeratorRahim MasoudiChief Technical Lead, EnQuest
Jean-Romain Cavaillez headshot
Jean-Romain CavaillezDirector, O&G Investment Banking, Cantor Fitzgerald
OF
Olive FitzpatrickVP Subsurface Portfolio Management, bp
Gavin Ward headshot
Gavin WardDirector & Expert Witness, RISC
  • Valuation methodologies are under stress –how are teams embedding carbon price trajectories and stranded asset risk into base-case valuations, and is there emerging consensus on approach?
  • The bid-ask gap is widening. Where is it most acute and what is actually unlocking transactions?
  • Is there a demonstrable valuation premium for digitally instrumented assets –and how are buyers verifying AI-driven forecasts in due diligence?
  • Decommissioning liability is growing. How are acquirers pricing tail-end exposure —and is the tax relief framework keeping pace?
12:00-13:00
Lunch Featured Speaker
C. Susan Howes headshot
C. Susan Howes2027 SPE President
13:00-13:30
Session 3: Investment & Capital Flows
A focused session on where capital is coming from, what it wants, and what that means for the North Sea ownership landscape. As IOCs divest, private equity, NOCs and sovereign wealth funds are stepping in –each with different return profiles and ESG conditions. The session examines whether the cost of capital spread between transition-aligned and conventional upstream assets reflects genuine risk or narrative, and takes stock of the UKCS consolidation wave: how far it has run and what comes next.
Rajkamal Srivastava headshot
ModeratorRajkamal SrivastavaDirector, Simplify Energy Economics
Daniel Slater headshot
Daniel SlaterPanelist | Director Equity Research – Energy Sector, Zeus
Bertram Silvera headshot
Bertram SilveraPanelist | VP Energy Investment Banking, Jefferies
Shifali Aggarwal headshot
Shifali AggarwalPanelist | Head of Energy Advisory, Forvis Mazars
  • Private equity, NOCs, and sovereign wealth funds are filling the space IOC divestments are creating. What does each capital class want –and how is that reshaping North Sea ownership?
  • How wide is the cost of capital spread between transition-aligned and conventional upstream assets –and does that spread reflect real risk or ESG narrative?
  • UKCS consolidation has accelerated sharply. Is this wave peaking –or are there more structural deals to come?
13:30-14:45
Session 4: Interactive Roundtables
Parallel discussion topics and table leads:
Marianne Espinassous headshot
Marianne EspinassousPortfolio optimisation: divest, harvest, reinvest | bp
Hitesh Mohan headshot
Hitesh MohanPowering AI through data centres: the gas challenge | CyberWorX Energy
Prof. Babatunde Anifowose headshot
Prof. Babatunde AnifowoseMethane, ESG and the cost of capital | Coventry University
14:45-15:00
Break
15:00-17:30
Session 5: Energython — “Molecule to Megabyte”
A Shark-Tank-style student pitch competition for funding a gas-to-data-center opportunity.
17:30-17:45
Concluding Remarks

Session 5: 2026 Student Energython — Europe Edition

The Europe Regional Energython features the “Molecule to Megabyte” challenge, where student teams design a techno-economic model to power a 10–20 MW data center from a natural-gas-fired or fuel power plant.

Objective and Rules

  • Student teams of 3–5 members develop a structured project mentored by a faculty advisor.
  • Proposals should cover supply chain, power generation technologies, agreements, and financial modelling.
  • Submissions include a standalone 10-minute video and a detailed presentation of up to 15 slides.
  • Pitch content should emphasize natural gas supply and transportation agreements, power off-take agreement, power generation technology, and the financial model.
  • Potential data center sites should be in the same country as the team’s SPE Student Chapter.
  • The top five teams will compete in a Shark-Tank-inspired finals format.

Key Dates

13 AprilTeam registration opens
1 MayTeam registration closes
2 MayProject financials training video releases
1 JunePresentation and video submission deadline

Finals: End of June, date and location to be announced.

Judging Criteria

Innovation — 20%Creative and practical solution
Technical Rigor — 25%Feasibility of the gas-to-power system
Financial Model — 25%Clear economic case with sensitivity analysis
Presentation — 30%Clarity, professionalism and impact

Prizes

1st1500 EUR
2nd1000 EUR
3rd500 EUR

Contact: speamtsenergython@gmail.com

Organising Partners

This symposium is supported by SPE technical communities and Coventry University London Campus, bringing together asset management, methane, economics, evaluation and student engagement perspectives.

SPE Asset Management Technical Section
SPE Methane Technical Section
Coventry University London Campus

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship opportunities are available for organisations interested in supporting the E3S Symposium and the 2026 Student Energython - EU Regional.

Gold Sponsor
Support high-visibility event programming and student engagement.
Silver Sponsor
Contribute to the symposium experience and regional Energython participation.
Digital Marketing
Support digital promotion, communications and audience engagement.
For sponsorship details, please contact:
shwan.dizayee@accenture.com and Sirine.Trichili@omv.com

About E3S

E3S, the Energy Economics & Evaluation Symposium, creates a forum for cross-disciplinary dialogue on how energy opportunities are evaluated, financed and advanced in a changing market environment. The EU Regional edition extends the E3S conversation to European energy assets, capital discipline, transition pressures and the role of emerging digital and AI-enabled decision tools.