WEBINAR: The Energy Transition & DOE’s Loan Program
The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) is one of the centerpieces of the Biden Administration’s efforts to transition the energy sector to zero carbon. As of January 2023, the LPO had over 125 pending applications requesting almost $120 billion in loans and loan guarantees. The office has issued numerous announcements for various projects in the past few months, including lithium production and battery manufacturing. At the same time, there continue to be questions about the program and how its staff has addressed previous concerns.
On March 15, ConservAmerica hosted a discussion with LPO Director Jigar Shah. Jigar provided an update on LPO’s priorities and activities, including its operational improvements, and explained how the LPO fits into DOE’s overall efforts to accelerate and commercialize breakthrough technologies. We also heard from James Calaway, the executive chairman of Ioneer, the company developing the Rhyolite Ridge lithium mining and production project in Nevada.
Panelists
Jigar Shah has been the director of the Energy Department’s Loan Program Office since 2021. Before joining DOE, Jigar was the co-founder and President at Generate Capital, where he focused on helping entrepreneurs accelerate decarbonization solutions through low-cost infrastructure-as-a-service financing. Earlier in his career, Shah founded SunEdison, a company that pioneered “pay as you save” solar financing. After SunEdison, Shah served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change. Originally from Illinois, Shah holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois-UC and an MBA from the University of Maryland College Park.
James Calaway is a veteran leader in the development of lithium projects and companies, and is now leading the development of his second major lithium project - Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge in Nevada. He has served as the Executive Chairman of Ioneer since 2020, and Chairman since 2017. James gained firsthand lithium experience with the development of the Salar de Oloraz project in Argentina, serving as Chairman of Orocobre Ltd (now Allkem) for eight years. James holds a B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Arts from the University of Oxford.
Moderator
Jeff Kupfer is the President of ConservAmerica. During the George W. Bush Administration, Jeff helped lead the Department of Energy, serving as the Acting Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer as well as the Chief of Staff. In those positions, he played a central role in the development and implementation of U.S. energy policy.