Jan Poetsch — Turning Power Into Profitability | Future Ventures Podcast Ep. 45

Industrial power is quietly becoming one of the biggest competitive levers in heavy industry — and almost nobody treats it that way. In Episode 45 of the Future Ventures Podcast, Maxim Atanassov sits down with Jan Poetsch, Founder and CEO of Arder Energy, to unpack how industrial companies can turn electricity from a passive operating cost into a genuine strategic advantage. Jan spent nearly two decades on some of the world's most complex energy projects at Shell and PetroChina before founding Arder. In this conversation, he breaks down why electricity is so much harder to manage than gas and what's really driving Alberta's wild power prices. He's blunt about where industrial operators are leaving real money on the table. We get into Alberta's record 34 consecutive hours of $0/MWh power, the "islanded" grid that makes prices swing from zero to nearly $1,000, and the coming market restructuring that will reshape how every large power buyer operates. Jan also walks through the savings his clients are capturing — 5 to 10% on operational levers alone, batteries clearing 20% returns, and power-factor corrections worth hundreds of thousands a year across distributed sites. The second half goes into more complex topics: why industrial heat is hard to make greener, how Rondo Energy's brick "thermal battery" changes the economics, Canada's role as an energy leader, and why Jan suggests Texas instead of California as a better example to follow. He ends with the best advice he's ever received and how giving helpful feedback can be one of the nicest things you can do for a startup founder. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 — Intro: power as a competitive weapon 01:57 — From small-town Germany to LNG Canada 07:23 — Why power is the most under-managed cost in industry 10:50 — Inside Arder's method: one goal, green/amber/red 14:34 — 34 hours of $0 power and Alberta's islanded grid 21:16 — Where the savings actually come from 34:26 — Why industrial heat is so hard to decarbonize 42:49 — Energy superpower, Texas, nuclear, and storage-first 👤 About the guest Jan Poetsch is the Founder and CEO of Arder Energy, helping industrial companies and investors turn power from a static cost into a strategic advantage. Before founding Arder in 2023, he spent close to two decades in global LNG and energy leadership at Shell and PetroChina, working across Europe, Russia, and Canada on projects including Sakhalin II and LNG Canada. 🔗 Links Arder Energy —   / arder-energy   Jan Poetsch on LinkedIn —   / jan-poetsch-1206791a   Future Ventures Corp —   / future-ventures-corp   ▶️ Subscribe for more candid conversations with the founders and investors building what's next. Hit subscribe and the bell so the next episode finds you.