Environmental Concerns Grow Among Energy Executives
With public opinion shifting in favor of a “more activist approach to dealing with global warming, a new study by Capgemini and Platts examines the issues confronting gas and electric executives.
The Platts/Capgemini Utilities Executive Study is designed to identify current concerns, gauge opinions about the future of the energy industry, and assess how utility companies will meet ever-increasing energy demands.
An overwhelming majority of executives polled - nearly 95%- said the industry’s focus on the environment had increased from 2006 to 2007.
Furthermore, 77% of participants identified environmental issues such as global warming, climate change, and emissions/carbon requirements as the issues of which they are most concerned.”
The survey of nearly 100 executives within the electric and natural gas industries in the United States and Canada identified five primary concerns:
- Addressing environmental concerns such as emissions, carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases
- Addressing industry regulations
- Coping with aging workforce and workforce management issues
- Building new, while maintaining or replacing aging and overburdened infrastructure
- Increasing adaptation of new technologies that can enhance energy consumption management
“In looking toward the next 10 years, energy executives provided a snapshot of industry issues that include increased environmental regulation and focus on conservation and energy efficiency. They also see increased inclusion of renewables in the fuel mix and continued volatility in natural gas prices as future concerns. ”
The full study is available free of charge from Capgemini.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.