Bernard Looney's New Role at Type One Energy

Bernard Looney, the former chief executive of BP, has been appointed as an independent board member at Type One Energy, a US-based fusion power developer headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Type One Energy aims to deliver commercial fusion power to the grid by the mid-2030s and is currently working on a prototype project in Tennessee, while also launching a US-UK consortium called the UK Infinity Fusion Consortium to invest in the sector. Type One Energy CEO Christofer Mowry stated that Looney has "led at the highest level of the global energy industry."

Background on Looney's Departure from BP

Looney resigned abruptly from BP in September 2023 after an internal investigation revealed he had failed to disclose the extent of his personal relationships with company employees. In December 2023, BP announced that Looney had been dismissed and would forfeit pay, pensions, and shares totaling over £32.4 million ($41.3 million). During his tenure at BP, Looney spearheaded the company's push into the energy transition, which ultimately failed to deliver results and prompted his successor, Murray Auchincloss, to reverse course and focus on BP's core oil and gas business.

Looney's Recent Appointments and Activities

Since his ousting from BP, Looney has maintained a low profile but has quietly accumulated several roles in new energy-related ventures. In late 2024, he joined the board of XRG, the energy investment company owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). That same year, he became chief executive and chairman of Prometheus Hyperscale, a US data center provider. In early 2024, Looney was appointed chairman of artificial intelligence company ExpectAI. Additionally, according to his LinkedIn page, he has been acting as an advisor for AI and software firm Cognite.