David Ellis

Executive Vice President, Communications and Policy Outreach

Dear colleague,

The EFI Foundation attended CERAWeek to share our work and convene with leaders across the energy landscape. At our annual appearance at the world’s premier energy conference, we drew visibility to EFIF thought leadership in nuclear scaling, energy innovation, carbon accounting, and more. We spoke on panels, hosted roundtables, strengthened and initiated partnerships, and appeared in leading media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Semafor, the Financial Times, and Axios. Additionally, in March, EFIF Founder and CEO Ernest J. Moniz was interviewed numerous times about the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, including by NPR, the BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, and national news networks in Canada and Australia.  

EFIF’s CERAWeek engagements reinforced how closely energy challenges are connected. Our experts spoke on nuclear fusion, blue hydrogen, energy pragmatism, and the role of AI in the energy transition. Despite the variety of topics, we found that one theme held constant—energy security, affordability, access, and equity are all part of one conversation, and progress in one area depends on progress in the others. 

Throughout the week, Moniz stressed that meeting the myriad challenges of the energy transition requires pragmatism and coalition building, which is our consistent message at gatherings such as CERAWeek, this month’s DC Climate Week, and NYC Climate Week in September.  

We invite you to explore highlights on our website. 

INNOVATION

Video: EFIF Experts on Tackling Complex Energy Challenges

At EFIF, our work brings together rigorous, independent analysis and actionable policy recommendations to drive real-world outcomes. Our research is grounded in pragmatism, innovation, and collaboration with stakeholders across the energy system.  

From creating an ecosystem to advance the secure deployment of nuclear energy through the Nuclear Scaling Initiative (NSI), to providing recommendations on modernizing American energy innovation, and developing a framework for carbon accounting, our team works to connect technology, policy, and markets to accelerate a low-carbon energy future. 

Data Dive

Figure 1 in EFIF’s report, Building Demand for Low-Carbon Concrete, compares the cost per ton of standard cement with two lower-carbon mixtures, demonstrating that supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) can reduce both the cost and life cycle emissions of concrete, which is made using cement. 

Leading Conversations

• On April 7, Moniz will participate in a fireside chat during the United States Association for Energy Economics' annual Washington, D.C. energy policy conference at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.  

• On April 15, Stephen Comello, executive vice president at EFIF and executive director of NSI, will join a panel on nuclear financing and innovation at The Economist’s nuclear summit in London. 

• Alex Kizer, executive vice president at EFIF, spoke to The New York Times about how clean energy firms are evolving during the second Trump administration.  

• Moniz spoke to the Financial Times and appeared on ABC News, CNN’s The Brief with Jim Sciutto, CNN Live, CBC News Network, and twice on Bloomberg TV to explain how the conflict with Iran is impacting global energy markets.
• Kizer and Katelyn O’Dell Dean, senior research lead at EFIF, co-authored a piece for Competition Policy International advocating for a U.S. industrial policy strategy that uses demand-side measures to foster market creation. 
• Comello was quoted in Canary Media on the importance of repeatable, cost-effective nuclear reactor builds for responsible nuclear energy scaling.