South Pole Q&A: The Demand for Energy Transition Consulting In 2026, businesses are navigating a labyrinth of challenges when it comes to energy and sustainability. They have to deal with tightening regulations, volatile geopolitics and scrutiny from investors, all while trying to keep the lights on. Charting a route through this complexity requires not only ambition, but specialist guidance. That is where firms like South Pole come in, helping organisations translate climate commitments into workable, science-based strategies. Energy Digital sat down with Rob Ellinson, Senior Managing Consultant and Sector Lead at South Pole, to discuss what companies are grappling with as they build transition plans, how energy security is reshaping priorities and why the cost of inaction is becoming impossible to ignore. Please introduce yourself and tell us about your role at South Pole. I’m Rob Ellinson, a Senior Managing Consultant leading South Pole’s energy sector practice. I work with energy and utilities companies to help them understand and manage climate risks, strengthen resilience, and develop credible climate transition plans. On top of coordinating the expertise of our energy and topic specialists, the majority of my day is spent supporting organisations as they navigate the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition. In practice, that means helping clients assess the impacts of physical and transition risks, integrate climate considerations into their investment and business planning, develop science-based decarbonisation strategies, meet regulatory and stakeholder expectations, and build the business case for long-term value and competitiveness. For readers unfamiliar with South Pole, can you explain the kind of work the firm does? South Pole helps organisations turn climate and sustainability ambitions into real-world action. We work across three core areas: - Environmental Certificates – connecting clients with high-impact climate and nature projects that deliver measurable environmental benefits - Climate Consulting – helping