Energy policy was largely missing in action during the contentious battle that was the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Yet, no economic sector – with the possible exception of healthcare – is likely to undergo greater policy disruption in a Trump Administration than energy. And the tectonic shifts in the U.S. policy landscape are already beginning … Read more
South Africa’s energy sector has been mired in controversy of late, leaving citizens in the dark as to where the country’s energy future is headed and what it will take to keep the lights on. Be it the delays in signing power purchase agreements for the renewables projects, the National Union of Metalworkers advocating for a socially owned renewable-energy sector or the nuclear new build … Read more
Hill+Knowlton Strategies co-ordinated the coalition’s efforts and worked with both leadership and a subcommittee of technical experts to build consensus and produce a politically sensitive solution. Levering our deep understanding of government and our trusted relationships with key decision-makers, we engaged and negotiated a successful outcome for government and industry. Although very rarely achieved, the … Read more
Peter Hunt, our national practice leader – energy, was quoted in this recent article from CIM Magazine about shifting public opinion on future projects in the Alberta oil sands. “I think I have a fantastic job,” declares Erika Uchmanowicz, community relations advisor at BP Canada, as she smiles at the camera. While the Sault Ste. … Read more
Leaving other countries in its wake, Germany has been a trailblazer in the shift towards renewable energy in recent years. Chancellor Angela Merkel, in an ambitious turnaround in energy policy, vowed to phase out nuclear energy by 2022, favoring renewable resources in an effort to curb climate change. While the policy, called Energiewende, has yielded … Read more
In my previous two blogs postings, we looked at two of the reasons why so many energy companies have been getting into trouble and finding the implementation of infrastructure projects to be so hard in many developed countries: The end of the Age of Enlightenment has produced societies less persuaded by facts and more swayed … Read more
Why are so many energy companies getting into trouble and why is the implementation of infrastructure projects proving to be so hard in many developed countries? There are several reasons, many connected to the broader environment in which such companies are working. Some of these reasons have been more discussed than others, but we’ll look … Read more
This article was originally published on our global Energy and Industry blog. Why are so many energy companies getting into trouble and why is the implementation of infrastructure projects proving to be so hard in many developed countries? There are several reasons, many connected to the broader environment in which such companies are working. Some … Read more
Summer is often a good time to reflect on the long-term direction of our business. George Friedman offered some interesting insights in his recent book “The Next Decade” that I think relate directly to the public relations business. The book focuses on US foreign policy and identifies four trends that will govern politics and business … Read more
It was Kim Campbell who famously quipped that elections were no places to discuss serious issues. We all know that seriousness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder but one big issue that has been absent from the current campaign is the idea of a national energy strategy. There is no shortage of … Read more
