John Hofmeister, a speaker at the marcus evans Petrochemical & Refining Summit 2013, on ensuring energy for the future. Interview with: John Hofmeister, Former President, Shell Oil Company and Chief Executive, Citizens for Affordable Energy

1. Interview with: John Hofmeister,
Former President, Shell Oil
Company and Chief Executive,
Citizens for Affordable Energy
“Energy producers need to think of
consumers, and not wholesalers, as
their customers,” says John Hofmeister,
Former President, Shell Oil Company
and Chief Executive, Citizens for
Affordable Energy. “It is consumer
sentiment that sets the parameters for
the public dialogue on energy. To be
successful in the 21st century, energy
companies must open up, become part
of the dialogue on an ongoing basis and
educate the public,” he adds.
Hofmeister is a speaker at the marcus
evans Petrochemical & Refining
Summit 2013, in Austin, Texas, July
15-16.
How can we ensure affordable and
available energy for the future?
This starts with public awareness and
education. It is critical that energy
companies get public support for the
changes and investments that are
possible in the sector, because
governments follow public sentiment.
They are passive reactive.
If the public fears the risks associated
with energy investment, it will protest,
and the government response will
reflect that sentiment. This just brings
everything to a standstill.
Secondly, government awareness is also
needed, for what is required over the
short and long term, to support all
energy needs and build out the systems
of the 21st century.
Thirdly, the industry has to prove its
case and demonstrate it knows how to
manage risk. This requires a level of
transparency from them, increased
engagement and preparedness for
increased scrutiny.
The winning formula is the combination
of public awareness, government
awareness and industry engagement.
That is how energy companies will be
able to invest in the ways they need to.
The demand for energy will only
increase, so we need to figure out how
to make it happen and not how to
prevent it. This kind of spending
stimulates economies, creates jobs and
generates revenue for governments.
When we hold back energy investment,
we are our own worst enemy.
What key messages could you share
from your book, “Why We Hate the
Oil Companies: Straight talk from an
energy insider”?
We are all part of this process, because
we are all consumers. Energy producers
need to look at consumers differently,
and realize they need to satisfy the end
consumer. It is not an internal business
in and of itself. There has to be more
outreach, engagement, explanation and
scrutiny for there to be better
relationships. There is no reason why it
cannot happen.
The reason why we hate oil companies
is because we do not know what they do
and how they do it. They are too
inwardly focused, which is the wrong
approach to have. Energy companies
should be forthcoming and engaging as
a matter of good practice. We will all be
better off if we have a much better set
of relationships.
What energy solutions could the
industry capitalize on today?
In the near term, we have to keep doing
what we are doing to keep the world
supplied with energy.
As oil becomes more difficult and costly
to obtain, the opportunity to shift to
natural gas for transportation fuel
production is here and now. Three out
of the five ways of using natural gas are
suitable for trucks, trains and ships.
That could occupy us for the next 20-40
years. In the meantime, the R&D
needed for renewable energy needs to
move forward. We are not there yet on
wind, solar and biofuels. Third, it would
be wrong to give up on coal, as it will
continue to play an important part of
the future, so we must expand on the
technologies to clean it. Fourth, nuclear
still has great promise because it is so
efficient, but we could look into
alternative fuel sources such as
thorium, to give nuclear a new life.
Energy
companies
should be
forthcoming
and engaging
as a matter of
good practice
Boosting Energy Investment
Why Public Awareness is Critical for

2. The Energy Network - marcus
evans Summits group delivers
peer-to-peer information on
strategic matters, professional
t r e n d s a n d b r e a k t h r o u g h
innovations.
Please note that the Summit is a
closed business event and the
number of participants strictly
limited.
About the Petrochemical & Refining Summit 2013
This unique forum will take place at the Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin, Texas,
July 15-16, 2013. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade
show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders
and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The
Summit includes presentations on Process Safety, Regulatory Climate Change,
Future Outlook, Operational Excellence, and Developing Your Workforce.
www.petrochemicalrefiningsummit.com
Contact
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits
Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced. Kindly
inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
Generation Summit - www.generationsummit.com
Distribution Technology & Innovation Summit - www.dti-summit.com
Power Plant Management Summit - www.ppm-summit.com
Transmission & Distribution Summit - www.t-dsummit.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here: www.petrochemicalrefiningsummit.com/JohnHofmeister