The day opened with a keynote by Jan Rosenow (Oxford University) on energy efficient transition solutions, sparking reflections on how to combine ambition with practicality. “It was inspiring to start with such a clear-eyed view on what actually works,” one participant noted afterwards.

In the same morning session, Mette High (University of St Andrews) offered a striking provocation: “How can one of the richest countries in the world continue to expand oil and gas, and still talk about energy transition?”

The Norwegian-language afternoon complemented these debates, drawing on FNI’s in-house expertise to deliver a timely programme. 

“An energy market without common rules is like a football match where everyone plays by their own,” said Per Ove Eikeland (FNI), in the session on EU climate policy. Together with Lars H. Gulbrandsen (FNI), Jørgen Wettestad (FNI) and Elin Lerum Boasson (UiO), he highlighted how the EU’s Fit for 55 package and new energy directives are deeply shaping Norway, and why the lack of clear governance tools fuels political tension at home.

The session on just transition asked who really pays the price of decarbonisation. Eivind Hjort Matthiasen (FNI) underlined that many vulnerable households are renters: they cannot invest in heat pumps or insulation in homes they do not own, and thus fall outside both support schemes and “green prestige.” Tor Håkon Inderberg (FNI) warned that Norway will not meet its 2030 targets without a massive increase in renewable power, while Solveig Aamodt (Cicero) stressed that fairness in the energy transition must be understood both globally and locally: “Climate policy without social policy will not work.”

Geopolitics rounded off the afternoon. Gørild Heggelund (FNI) showed how China built its dominance in critical minerals through long-term planning and by taking on costs Europe refused. Irja Vormedal (FNI) described how US green industrial policy has become a matter of national security: “It’s no longer only about climate – it’s about protecting against China.”

A red thread throughout the day: energy transitions are not only about technology, but about politics, power, justice and security.

The seminar showcased insights from across FNI’s ongoing projects: on the European Green Deal and its implications for Norway (DEAL, ClimaLand), on fair transition and energy poverty (FAIRPOWER, PowerPoor, Include), and on the geopolitical dimensions of energy transitions, from China’s role to critical minerals in the Arctic and Norway’s foreign policy (CHAMBITION, Critical minerals in the Arctic, GEOPOL).

The seminar was supported by the Empowered Futures Research School, funded by the Research Council of Norway.