• Transaction support
• Infrastructure policy and planning
• Governance and anticorruption
• PPPs
• Clean energy and carbon strategy
  • Clean Energy and Carbon Strategy - Projects
  • Clean Energy and Carbon Strategy - Key Staff
• Regulation of natural monopolies
• Expert evidence
• Antitrust
• Market modelling
• Policy advocacy and strategy

CLEAN ENERGY AND CARBON STRATEGY | Key Staff

Castalia advises on clean energy policies and strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Alex Sundakov—Alex’s experience in public policy and commercial decision-making makes him a trusted advisor to major energy companies and industry groups on clean energy policy and the impacts of the Kyoto Protocol. Alex regularly advises major corporations in Australia, New Zealand and Canada on the latest developments in policies to reduce emissions, and he helps companies formulate regulatory strategies and develop internal processes for regulatory compliance. Alex is well-known for his work in New Zealand challenging the assumptions of the Government’s climate change policy, which led the Government to revise its projections of the national fiscal impact of the Kyoto Protocol

David Ehrhardt—David has worked on clean generation developments globally. In the Mekong region, he helped the Asian Development Bank develop a regional strategy to encourage renewable generation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the Caribbean, David has helped to create regulatory structures to promote renewable energy. He recently advised the Office of Utilities Regulation in Jamaica on its first tender for renewable generation procurement. In New Zealand, David has helped to assess the costs of the proposed cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases, and has advised companies on strategies to adapt to the new regime.

Alfonso Guzman— Alfonso’s experience in financing and operating renewable energy investments in emerging markets includes numerous engagements to advise private equity investors and governments. For example, he directed Castalia’s advice to AES on its bid to acquire US$5 billion of renewable and conventional energy assets; advised the lender of a 60MW wind farm; advised private equity investors and lenders, including Deutsche Bank, IFC and Goldman Sachs, on renewable energy investments; and is advising the sponsor of a 25MW hydroelectric plant in Nicaragua. His work for governments includes developing policies and regulations that encourage private investment in renewable energy, as well as acting as privatization advisor for the auction of government-owned energy assets or the right to develop renewable energy assets.

Kevin Richards—Kevin specialises in the economics of clean energy, climate change and carbon markets. His work analyses the impact of emissions trading schemes and other market-based solutions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing incentives for adopting improved land use management practices and alternative energies. He recently drafted a review of the competitive risks posed by the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme and he was a lead contributor on a project measuring the impact of Australia’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme on the small business sector. Before joining Castalia, Kevin worked for the United States Government on agriculture trade, biotechnology, energy, and climate change policies. He served as an aid to senior staff on the Whitehouse Council of Economic Advisors, providing analysis of international climate change efforts and domestic clean energy and climate change policy proposals.

Prabhat Sethi—Prabhat has experience working on the design of climate change policy and carbon financing for clean energy projects in emerging markets. Prabhat has advised private sector clients and Government agencies on the design and implementation of policies to manage greenhouse emissions in New Zealand, and has helped to formulate carbon trading strategies for major emitters to meet their regulatory obligations. Prabhat recently helped a US$300 million private equity fund conduct due diligence on clean energy investment opportunities throughout Asia by sourcing attractive clean energy projects and analysing future project cash flows and profitability.

Veronica Chalmers—Veronica advises on domestic and international greenhouse gas regulatory regimes.  Currently she is assisting Solid Energy (New Zealand’s largest coal producer) to develop a carbon management strategy, evaluating commercial risks and opportunities offered by the emissions trading scheme in New Zealand. She also helped advise Solid Energy on the relationship between energy and carbon prices, plausible ‘scenarios’ for this relationship in the future, and the implications of these scenarios for Solid Energy’s coal business.

Gianmarco Servetti—Gianmarco has extensive expertise in sustainable energy and CO2 mitigation, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean. He is managing the preparation of a Sustainable Energy Framework for Barbados, providing comprehensive policy recommendations for promoting economically viable renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that will reduce the country's energy costs, reliance on fossil fuels, and CO2 emissions. He is also managing the development of a legal framework for renewable energy in Dominica, with a particular focus on realizing the country's geothermal potential. Among previous assignments, he participated in the design of renewable energy and energy efficiency credit facilities for Peru and Jordan; the design of energy efficiency and CO2 mitigation programs in Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, and the United States; and a study on the biofuels potential of Mozambique. His expertise also includes analyzing private equity investment opportunities in renewable energy and clean technology projects in Latin America. Gianmarco has supported the development of project activities under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), contributing to the preparation of Project Idea Notes (PINs) and Project Design Documents (PDDs).