Wood Mackenzie 2023 Research Excellence Awards

One of my favourite traditions at Wood Mackenzie is the annual Research Excellence Awards. It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on another year of stellar analysis from our global team. Analysis that builds on our proprietary data with unique, actionable intelligence that fuels confident decision-making.

Choosing the winners is always a tough task. This year ten reports stood out from a packed crowd, delivering compelling and timely insights that support our mission to bring clarity to the energy transition and transform the way we power our planet.

My fellow judge Harriet McGann, VP, Editorial Integrity and I are delighted to present the Wood Mackenzie 2023 Research Excellence award winners:

Chairman's award:

Energy transition outlook 2023

Prakash Sharma, David Brown, Jom Madan, Lindsey Entwistle, Roshna N, Sarah Jameson

The energy transition outlook (ETO) report maps three different routes through the energy transition with increasing levels of ambition – but also difficulty and investment.

Explore the ETO.

Horizons thought leadership award:

Playing by new rules: how the CBAM will change the world

Elena Belletti, Nuomin Han, Ivan Perez | September 2023

Ahead of the introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in October, this edition of Horizons set out the global implications of the first mechanism of its kind to be introduced anywhere in the world.

Read it in full. 

Informs:

The Jonker discovery in Namibia: what could it be worth?

Gail Anderson, Julie Wilson | March 2023

Shell's Jonker-1 well was the third major discovery in the Orange sub-basin within 12 months, in the world's hottest deepwater exploration play. This inform gave our assessment of the scale of the discovery, the implications for development – and how much Jonker could be worth.

INSIGHTS:

North America renewable natural gas (RNG): state of the market

Natalia Patterson, Dulles Wang | May 2023

This report delivered a comprehensive analysis of the North America RNG market, including the supply and demand outlook to 2050, carbon intensity comparison, policy and regulatory mechanisms and trends and key industry players and investments.

Get a complimentary copy.

All eyes on DRI

Sushmita Vazirani, David Brown | October 2023

The steel industry stands on the cusp of decarbonisation, with direct reduced iron (DRI) at its core, potentially heralding a new era of sustainable industrial practices. This report delved into some key DRI technologies, cost economics and the challenges and levers influencing the shift to green DRI as the clarion call for decarbonisation amplifies globally.

Visit the store to read this report.

The state of US distributed solar-plus-storage

Max Issokson | August 2023

This report leverages our project-level distributed solar data to delve into the state of distributed solar-plus-storage in the US. The report includes insights on attachment rates on the national and state levels, key drivers of adoption, the competitive landscape of installers and battery vendors, and key trends shaping the markets.

Get a complimentary extract.

2023 tight oil cost inflation: tempering the runup

Nathan Nemeth | January 2023

This report delved into how sustained high commodity prices, geopolitical uncertainty and constraints on OFS supply chains drove inflation higher than previous predictions. Margin expansion continued to be pushed by OFS companies in efforts to regain profits to 2014 levels. Limitations to frac fleet and drill rig access, skilled labour and OCTG remained the top hindrances to elevating activity.

Find this report on the store.

CORE REPORTS:

Global gas investment horizon outlook

Lucy Cullen, Kateryna Filippenko, Massimo Di-Odoardo, Dulles Wang | December 2023

In this webinar, our panel of experts highlighted key themes from our latest global gas investment horizon outlook, exploring the European gas market balance, Asia as the driver of global LNG demand growth, global LNG supply and demand balance and global gas prices.

Waste to energy landscape: projects, technologies and costs

Jom Madan | May 2023

Global waste is piling up, with annual volumes expected to grow from 2.3 Bt in 2022 to 3.4 Bt by 2050. Nearly 70% of this refuse currently ends up in open dumps or landfill, resulting in severe pollution with impacts on local communities and ecosystems. This report explored waste-to-energy (WtE) as a potential solution to this impending crisis.

Get a complimentary extract.

HyNet Northwest Cluster CCUS valuation

Lucy King, Harris Jones, Gabriel Cann | December 2023

HyNet North West is one of the leading decarbonisation projects in the UK. Along with the East Coast Cluster, it was selected as one of two Track 1 cluster projects to progress through the UK’s Cluster Sequencing Process, which will underpin the country’s target to capture and store at least 20 Mtpa CO2 by 2030. This report delved into the detail.

To mark the accomplishments of all of our winners, a donation was made to Let’s Share the Sun to facilitate the use of solar energy in developing communities around the world.

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