Cécile Costa Fraysse, Class of 2019

Can you describe your academic and professional background?

I graduated from the School of Public Affairs at Sciences Po. I specialised in economics throughout my studies, from the Collège Universitaire, via Berkeley and finally my public economics master's courses at Sciences Po. This social science has given me rigorous analysis, a critical mind and an interest in reading research papers. Intellectually, I think I owe a lot to the classes of two unique professors at Sciences Po: Benoît Cœuré and Jean-Pierre Landau.

I have always wanted to apply my knowledge of economics to the challenge of the energy transition. One of my first internships was with the Prime Minister's office (France Stratégie), in the Sustainable Development and Digital Department. I particularly enjoyed working with a team of interdisciplinary experts, surrounded by engineers, economists and political scientists. I was able to find out what was driving the growth of renewable energies. A few years later, I wrote a dissertation on the economic history of the nuclear programme in the 1970s from the same perspective, with the idea of combining different social sciences. 

Sciences Po also opened the doors to institutions that I had always dreamed of. Joining the ECB for six months and helping to set up the Network for Greening the Financial System was an outstanding experience. Since Mark Carney's (Governor of the Bank of England) founding speech in 2015*, I have witnessed significant advances in sustainable finance. As a member of the ACPR's Sustainable Finance Climate Commission, I co-authored a report on the Paris financial centre's climate commitments and led a task force to study biodiversity-related risks. Since the introduction of new standards such as the CSRD or the European green taxonomy, climate change has become part of the scope of study for financial institutions, in the same way as credit risk or inflation.

What were the main stages in the development of your career plan?

My third year as an exchange student on the Berkeley campus in California, a pioneering region in terms of sustainable development in the United States, had a profound impact on me. I think I took with me a bit of the enterprising and optimistic spirit of the American West.

Thanks to my position in the strategy department at RTE, I'm lucky enough to be able to observe at close quarters the new reindustrialisation movement linked to the energy transition. I was particularly struck by the profusion of new projects being developed around France's major industrial ports: the development of hydrogen, renewable energies, the installation of gigafactories and so on. I prepared for the visit by RTE's Director of Strategy and Regulation to the transitional areas of Fos and Dunkirk. I met with industrial project developers, local authorities and regional government departments. This movement is a source of economic spin-offs and hope for the regions, and I'm proud that RTE is putting its shoulder to the wheel to support it. 

What are the characteristics of your current job as PMO in RTE's Strategy Department? 

The role of electricity networks is little known. Yet their importance to the energy transition is now recognised by the European Commission and the International Energy Agency. Without electricity grids, how can we ensure that the production of new energies (nuclear, offshore, solar, etc.) is evacuated? How can we supply electricity for new low-carbon uses (electric vehicles, heating, etc.)? In this respect, the network is a 'system' and forces me to adopt a cross-disciplinary view of the energy sector.

In concrete terms, I'm involved in the steering team for the report that is to launch the third development cycle for the French electricity grid. This is a major industrial programme, which will be negotiated with the regulator and the government, and currently involves almost every department in the company.

Beyond this study, I am observing RTE's transformation towards a world of growing electricity needs. This paradigm shift raises a number of questions about industrial strategy. How can we be sure of achieving carbon neutrality? How can we ensure our supplies, and what new skills or new sources of funding can we mobilise? My colleagues have the onerous task of responding to all these issues, and I'm listening carefully to what they have to say as they go about their work.

What do you see as your next challenges?

I'd like to spend part of my career abroad, and why not in a developing country. I think that Sciences Po has taught me to leave my comfort zone, to risk adventure. We can learn a lot by opening our eyes, and I'm fascinated by the dynamism of certain countries, like Morocco, which is now preparing to sell its renewable electricity all the way to the UK. 

How has your training at the School of Public Affairs, and more specifically the Economics and Public Policy stream, contributed to the position you hold today? 

When I was still a student, I was deeply inspired by certain papers in economics. I could mention in particular those by Martin Weitzman on climate risks or Jacques Percebois. Gradually, and thanks to economics, I became interested in fields that were far removed from my initial training in the social sciences: industry and innovation in energy or adaptation to climate change.

Sciences Po pushes us to be innovative agents of change. I discovered the world of artificial intelligence thanks to the Policy Lab. I was even able to go back to California, to Facebook's head office. Since then, I've been keeping abreast of these new advances, which are bound to affect the energy sector. How can we better manage an electricity system with intermittent energy sources? How can we get small players to participate more effectively in the energy market? It was crucial for Sciences Po students to familiarise themselves with the challenges and biases posed by the rise of digital industries.

Would you have any advice for a student or future graduate?

Dare and persevere! A lot of women don't dare go into certain careers, especially if they don't meet 100% of the criteria. Today, I'm surrounded by engineers and experts specialising in highly technical subjects. I wasn't predestined for a career at RTE. But I'm convinced that what makes the difference is above all our passion for a subject and our tenacity.

* Speech by Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, delivered on 29 September 2015 at Lloyd's of London entitled "Breaking the tragedy of the horizon - climate change and financial stability"

Learn more

• The Master in Public Policy at the School of Public Affairs
• The Economics and Public Policy stream at the School of Public Affairs