2020 CEO Survey: Frank Calabria, Origin

The pandemic accelerated technology in every aspect of our lives and there will be no turning back, says Origin chief Frank Calabria.

What are the three enduring lessons or changes to flow from COVID-19?

The pandemic forced us to move quickly and decisively, focusing on continuity in our most important activities, so we could help maintain reliable energy supply, protect our people and communities and continue to serve our customers. The ability for the entire organisation to be able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and be decisive is something we need to keep beyond the pandemic.

The pandemic accelerated technology in every aspect of our lives and there will be no turning back. This is a fundamental shift, and it is driving lasting changes in energy and in consumer behaviour.

Flexibility is here to stay — we discovered that remote working can be equally effective and productive.

How would you rate the shape of the Australian economy as we head into the new year?

Decisive action by governments and significant stimulus to support Australians has helped us to fare relatively well so far, although I don’t think we’ll understand the full impacts until the government support and stimulus packages roll back at the end of March.

However, I am cautiously optimistic as we head into 2021.

What three reforms are needed to sustainably grow the economy?

A co-ordinated national approach to energy that can accommodate differing and evolving state preferences remains crucial to ensuring private sector investment in renewables and firming capacity as we transition towards a net zero by 2050 ambition.

To continue momentum during the recovery and stimulate investment, we need to remain committed to removing unnecessary regulation.

Accelerate diversifying our economy from a commodities and resources focus and growing our tech, services and green energy sectors.

What are the three best growth opportunities for your company in 2021?

Our partnership with Octopus Energy will transform our retail business, enabling us to deliver market leading customer service at a significantly lower cost.

We are accelerating the development of a green and lower carbon portfolio. The immediate opportunities are to upgrade existing plant to support bringing more intermittent renewable generation into the system, such as fast-start gas turbines that can dispatch in five minutes or less and batteries. Hydrogen is also an emerging opportunity and we are progressing a number of projects.

Gas continues to be a core part of our portfolio, and our existing fields are performing better than ever. We are also progressing exploration in the Beetaloo Basin.

What impact will digital transformation have on your company?

The convergence of data and energy has already transformed our business and to be successful in future, energy companies will need to harness this data and share value with their customers.

Energy companies will need to not only be large scale producers and suppliers of energy, but also aggregators of energy — helping their customers to get the most out of decentralised energy resources such as solar, storage and EVs.

How would you rate business, state and federal government performance this year?

Overall, governments have performed very well this year under challenging circumstances. The stimulus measures were swift and substantial, providing a cushion from the initial economic impacts and have been eased down as the situation allows, which is sustainable and appropriate.