Fossil fuels still account for 80% of global energy demand, despite decades of investment in renewable energy, yet the narrative surrounding the energy transition paints a starkly different picture.

In this conversation, Domenico Sansalone, corporate treasurer at Expro Group Holdings and a 20-year veteran of industrial finance, cuts through the political theater to reveal what energy companies actually model, where billions truly flow, and why the transition to renewables is far messier than headlines suggest.

From energy density and grid constraints to geopolitical risk and the real economics of fusion, this episode exposes the cold financial calculus behind energy's biggest bets and the overlooked technical barriers that make fossil fuels irreplaceable in the near term.

You'll learn

• Why fossil fuels remain dominant despite massive renewable investment, and what energy density and efficiency really mean
• The overlooked technical barriers facing solar and wind, including storage, intermittency, and grid integration challenges
• Why geothermal is a better long-term bet than fusion, according to an industry insider with access to real capital allocation decisions
• How multi-billion dollar energy investment decisions are actually made beyond NPV spreadsheets
• Why geopolitical risk and energy sovereignty now drive long-term energy strategy as much as climate considerations

Key discussion topics

• The disconnect between energy transition narratives and actual global energy demand (fossil fuels still 80% in 2024) Energy as a universal currency: why efficiency and energy density matter more than most realize
• Thermodynamics, energy loss, and why converting renewable energy is inherently less efficient than fossil fuels
• What major oil and gas operators are actually planning: growth through 2040 in places like Guyana and Namibia
• Capital allocation in cyclical industries: lessons from the 2008 financial crisis, the 2015 oil price collapse, and the steel industry crisis
• Geopolitical shocks reshaping energy strategy: Ukraine, Iran, Venezuela, and the rise of energy sovereignty
• AI-driven electricity demand: how data centers are consuming unprecedented amounts of power and reshaping long-term forecasts

Guest Background

Domenico Sansalone is a finance executive and corporate treasurer at Expro Group Holdings, one of the world's leading energy services companies operating across 60 countries with over 8,500 employees. A Canadian finance professional with nearly 20 years of experience, Domenico has navigated treasury and risk management at some of the world's largest industrial companies, including Rio Tinto's metals operations and ArcelorMittal's steel empire, before joining the global oil and gas sector at Expro. He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Oxford. Follow

Domenico Sansalone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/domenico-sansalone-6775027/

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About Business Unbound

Every week, your host, Florian Haufe, dives deep into conversations with visionary global leaders to bring you insights, inspiration, and the real stories behind success.

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