EnergyCents

Five oilfield services firms control more than 65% of the hydraulic horsepower capacity available to US shale-focused operators interested in fracing wells. Nearly 80% of that capacity is in use, and overall horsepower is not expected to expand anytime soon. North America oilfield services experts Chris Alexander and Prashanth Pillai join EnergyCents this week to consider what the capacity limitat...

More than a dozen operators are preparing to bid in December on up to 12 pre-salt blocks in Brazil's Campos and Santos basins, including the promising Ametista Block. This year's auction times with the finalization of a presidential run-off and marks the first time pre-salt blocks are available in a Permanent Offer System, which is designed to promote award efficiency and had been previously appli...

There are more than 20 Green Banks operating in the US with a shared goal of accelerating cleantech investment in underserved communities and filling other climate-related market gaps. Alison Bennett, a banking reporter with S&P Global's Market Intelligence, joins EnergyCents this week to discuss the role of Green Banks in climate finance, and what to expect from the institutions on the back of a...

Europe's real GDP grew by about 5% during the first two quarters of 2022 on the back of post-pandemic strength from the service sector. Momentum, however, stalled in response to high energy prices and contraction now appears imminent. S&P Global experts on European economics and policy Diego Iscaro and Petya Barzilska join EnergyCents this week to discuss the impact of high energy prices on EU mem...

Increasing the mix of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) in airlines is a key ingredient in the aviation sector reaching its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Biofuels expert Kevin Lindemer returns to EnergyCents this week to discuss the technologies and policies supporting SAF development and consider the timing of market-share growth for lower carbon fuels in aviation. Learn more about S&P Globa...

The US shale sector is awash in cash on the strength of commodity prices and prudence of operations. North America upstream experts Reed Olmstead and Imre Kugler join EnergyCents this week to consider the near-term outlook for shale producers, and why high commodity prices are not stimulating aggressive drilling campaigns. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights shale forecasting and analys...

Climate Week NYC runs September 19-25 in Manhattan, during a week when the city will also be crowded with dignitaries attending the United Nations General Assembly. Climate and energy experts Peter Gardett and Roman Kramarchuck join EnergyCents this week – ahead of their own Climate Week attendance – to share their expectations for program, and frame its role in the accelerating global environment...

The broad-reaching Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes a mix of federal incentives to motivate clean-energy investment that will mitigate emissions-related climate concerns. North America Power experts Patrick Luckow and Doug Giuffre join EnergyCents this week to share their early analysis of the bill, and highlight its potential implications for the US electric grid. Read more of Patrick and D...

Egypt hosts the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP27, this November. The event takes place during a year when energy security has overshadowed many countries' climate concerns. Climate policy experts Anna Mosby and Conway Irwin join EnergyCents this week to share expectations for the upcoming conference and consider how the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act may...

Utilities and their commissions are watching customers embrace distributed generation and battery investments that could impact existing rate design and returns on equity. Lillian Federico, a Commodity Insights research director for S&P Global's Capital IQ, joins EnergyCents this week to discuss the evolution of utility rate design, and how growing climate and resilience priorities from US consume...

Governments of resource-rich countries in Africa find themselves at a crossroads as oil and gas operators weigh stranded-asset risk before committing to long-lead-time fossil-fuel projects. Roderick Bruce, an expert in petroleum-sector risk with S&P Global Commodity Insights, joins EnergyCents this week to discuss how host governments in Africa are working with operators to balance their near-term...

Policy makers are returning their attention to nuclear power as a potentially low-emission, reliable generator of electricity. Most recently, the European Parliament voted in early July to apply its green label to nuclear power under the EU's sustainable finance taxonomy. S&P Global Commodity Insights experts in European power Coralie Laurencin and Sylvain Cognet-Dauphin join EnergyCents this week...

Washington state in April became the first state to adopt all-electric standards for new commercial and multi-family constructions. The move follows similar, more localized, activity led largely by California municipalities to limit the expansion of fossil-fuel end use. Gas utilities Expert Tom DiChristopher, a Commodity Insights senior reporter for S&P Global's Capital IQ, joins EnergyCents this...

Global coal prices are at multi-decade highs as post-CoVid demand spikes in the face of underinvested supply. Coal Markets Expert Taylor Kuykendall, a Commodity Insights senior reporter for S&P Global's Capital IQ, joins EnergyCents this week to discuss the current coal market imbalance, and consider how competing environmental and energy-security concerns may influence markets going forward. Lear...

The LNG industry counts 48 floating regasification and storage units (FSRU) in its global fleet, and demand has exploded as Europe seeks gas-supply optionality after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Charter rates have about doubled this year to approximately $200,000/day. S&P Global LNG Expert Andres Rojas joins EnergyCents this week to put the current FSRU-market tightness into perspective, and cons...

Energy-directed capital has long been biased to the molecule thanks to the global scale and operational efficiencies of fossil fuels. Focus has, in some ways, shifted to the electron with the maturation of low-carbon technologies. S&P Global climate finance expert Peter Gardett returns to EnergyCents this week to discuss the complexities of climate-aligned energy investing, and how there's room fo...

The global energy sector, largely defined by the traditional businesses of oil and gas companies, is increasingly associated with cleantech investment and innovation. S&P Global upstream technology experts Judson Jacobs and Carolyn Seto join EnergyCents this week to discuss how oil and gas companies are approaching energy-sector disruption, and what to expect as high commodity prices offer renewed...

The United States is entering summer with natural gas prices approaching $9/mcf and Lower 48 storage levels 15% below the five-year average, and North America drillers are loath to increase supply as investors force restraint. S&P Global gas markets experts Matthew Palmer and Laurent Ruseckas join EnergyCents this week to discuss how this summer, and how global gas demand increasingly influences N...

Russian sanctions have fundamentally altered commodity market conditions, how oil is priced, and the framework used by market participants to form forward price expectations. S&P Global oil markets expert Karim Fawaz joins EnergyCents this week to discuss how energy-security priorities have reshaped global oil markets, and the key areas to watch as we move in the second half of 2022. Learn more ab...

Global solar installations were expected to grow more than 30% in 2022 before COVID restrictions in mainland China impacted operations of the world's largest solar manufacturer. S&P Global solar supply chain experts Siqi He and Cormac Gilligan join EnergyCents this week to discuss the importance of China to solar supply chains, and the potential impacts to 2022 expectations from curtailed manufact...

Plug Power Inc., headquartered in Latham, N.Y. is working to build an "end-to-end green hydrogen ecosystem" with support from large customers and joint-venture partners that include Walmart, SK E&S, and Renault. Plug CEO Andy Marsh joins EnergyCents to describe the company's evolution since its 1997 founding; discuss how JVs fit into his growth strategy; and offer thoughts on the direction of glob...

Global Upstream merger and acquisition activity increased in 2021 after pandemic-led uncertainty and a reset in the shale sector forced moderation in 2020. Upstream M&A Expert Chris Sheehan joins EnergyCents this week to review trends profiled in his annual Global Upstream M&A Review and Outlook report, and offer thoughts on why 2022 will be a "buyer's market" as operators prioritize asset quality...

Nearly 80% of the world's potential offshore wind resources are in waters deeper than 60 meters or in waters with poor seabed conditions. These winds cannot be accessed by traditional bottom-fixed installations – and represent opportunity for nascent floating offshore wind projects. S&P Global Offshore Wind Expert Andrei Utkin joins EnergyCents this week to discuss the growing interest in floating...

COVID restrictions and Russia sanctions upended seaborne trade patterns over the past several years and are now contributing to levels of consumer price inflation not seen in some 40 years. S&P Global's Vice President of Maritime and Trade Rahul Kapoor joins EnergyCents this week to discuss changes in commodity shipping patterns observed since lockdowns froze global trade in early 2020, and identi...

Many of the more than 1 billion people living in 49 sub-Saharan Africa countries are underserved by reliable electricity generation, leaving a massive opportunity for power-generation investment. However, the challenges – namely stimulating demand and designing the right business model – are equally large. S&P Global Experts on Electricity and Energy Storage Sylvia Macri and George Hilton join Ene...