EnergyCents

What a difference a year makes: energy equities are outperforming the broader stock market, and oil majors are well positioned in 2022 to return cash to shareholders via buybacks and dividends. IHS Markit Corporate Equity Analysts Lysle Brinker and Sam Hanna join EnergyCents this week to share the biggest learnings from recently completed earnings season, and how investors should consider the sect...

Vaca Muerta Shale play is the most important unconventional resource play outside North America. Over the last decade, it has seen significant improvements in productivity and costs, overcoming technical challenges by leveraging technologies and approaches employed in the US shale plays. The play is dominated by Argentine national oil company YPF and, although foreign IOCs are present there, aspec...

Western governments quickly responded to Russia's late February invasion of Ukraine with economic sanctions to discourage further escalation of conflict and lessen what is already a humanitarian tragedy. Initial sanctions excluded Russia's energy supply, though oil and gas markets still reflect scarcity amid uncertainty. S&P Global Expert on European Gas Laurent Ruseckas returns to EnergyCents thi...

IHS Markit's cleantech team released its "Top 10 clean technology trends in 2022" earlier this year, placing bets on the biggest expected movements across solar, battery, and other cleantech sectors. IHS Markit Vice President of Cleantech Eduard Sala de Vedruna joins EnergyCents this week to discuss four of the team's top 10 predictions, as well as disclose his 11th prediction – which didn't quite...

Structural declines in fuel demand will lead to reduction in global refining capacity over the coming years and decades. Where then might lie opportunities for growth-directed investment? IHS Markit's Head of Americas Refining Debnil Chowdhury joins EnergyCents this week to consider the changing incentives of Downstream executives, the opportunity for biofuels with aircraft, and the prospects for...

Global Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) firms have long embraced project-management opportunities with partners in oil and gas, particularly when it comes to complex offshore projects. However, the pipeline of opportunities is changing as the energy sector prioritizes low-carbon initiatives. Offshore Supply Chain Expert Ding Li Ang join to EnergyCents this week to discuss how EPC firms...

Before the pandemic, more than 25% of vehicle miles traveled in the United States came from commuting. Professionals are now working from home some, or all, of every week. Should we expect proportionate declines in fuel demand, and extensions of automobile lifespans? Mobility Experts Fellipe Balieiro and Todd Campau join to EnergyCents this week to discuss how social-distancing protocol led to str...

Battery and hydrogen technologies have emerged as two of the highest profile ideas to lower the world's carbon emissions. Battery technology is further along in many ways, though hydrogen has momentum thanks to enthusiastic support from governments, investors, and even traditional energy providers. Cleantech Experts Sam Wilkinson and Alex Klaessig return to EnergyCents this week to discuss the pot...

Asian countries will generate about 70% of the world's electricity demand growth between 2021 and 2025. And most of these markets are on track to fall short of stated net-zero targets due to lack of investment in renewables. IHS Markit Power Experts Chad Singleton and Vince Heo join EnergyCents this week to discuss the gap between certain countries' net-zero ambition and net-zero funding, and what...

There's a degree of consensus from financial prognosticators that energy equities from both the low-carbon and traditional sectors will outperform in 2022. IHS Markit Experts in capital and energy markets Chris Fenske, Peter Gardett, and Karim Fawaz join EnergyCents this week to discuss the operating environments behind the equity enthusiasm, and whether the start-of-year set up can meet investor...

Oil and gas producers made headlines in 2021 selling "net-zero oil" thanks to the purchase of carbon offset credits to mitigate Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions associated with bringing that oil to market. IHS Markit Upstream emissions experts Kevin Birn and Raoul LeBlanc join EnergyCents to discuss the upstream sector's emissions-management strategies, and how we should expect the trend to evolve.

EnergyCents welcomes back IHS Markit shale sector experts Reed Olmstead and David Vaucher for our annual year-in-review episode. We check in to see how well we performed against personal resolutions in 2021, make new resolutions for 2022, and share predictions on how the shale sector will evolve in the coming year.

After months of high expectations, the UN conference COP26 concluded in November and left many climate enthusiasts wishing there had been more substantial policy successes. There are reasons for optimism, however, including a surprise agreement on carbon offset trading provisions. EnergyCents welcomes IHS Markit climate and finance experts Peter Gardett, Paul McConnell, and Roger Diwan in this spe...

Oil markets find themselves at the intersection of fear and greed with supply concerns and fear-of-missing-out enthusiasm pushing prices into a higher band for 2021 and 2022. EnergyCents welcomes back oil markets expert Karim Fawaz to discuss reasons for the step change in oil price support, and where he sees markets trending over the coming months.

European natural gas prices have more than tripled in 2021 on the back of a post-Covid demand surge that has far outpaced supply – and all before the beginning of winter, when seasonal demand is highest. IHS Markit's Laurent Ruseckas, an expert in European gas markets, returns to EnergyCents this week to assess the current European gas crunch, and share his views on the potential timing and mechan...

The Chinese saying, 摸着石头过河, translates roughly in English to "touching the stones to cross the river" and describes the need to embrace an often-indirect path to reach a known destination. The saying is relevant this autumn as planners look to the other side of a power shortage affecting more than two-thirds of China's provinces. IHS Markit's Jenny Yang and Lara Dong, both experts China gas...

Transitioning United States power and gas markets to a net-zero economy requires coordinate policy and infrastructure strategies that don't neglect practicalities of implementation. IHS Markit power experts Xizhou Zhou and Wade Shafer join EnergyCents this week to discuss potential tightness in US gas and power markets as 2021 winter approaches, and how what happens in the near-term may shape long...

Competition within the Canadian oil sands has concentrated among a few specialists as carbon-concerns contribute to divestments from more diversified players. IHS Markit's Kevin Birn, an expert in emissions and Canadian oil markets, joins EnergyCents this week to share what is a stable outlook for oil sands production, and consider how we should view play's future as climate concerns increasingly...

The climate-policy arena shifts in November to COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, after a closely watched UN General Assembly session in New York this September that included high-profile participation by government leaders, and even Korean pop sensation, BTS. IHS Markit experts in climate policy and finance Peter Gardett and Conway Irwin return to EnergyCents this week to discuss how diplomacy will meet...

Brazil's presalt is a world-class resource play that is becoming a core region for several major operators. Nevertheless, challenges remain, namely Brazil's political dynamics, recent exploratory results indicating more gas than oil, and the ongoing energy transition. We hope you enjoy this discussion with our experts Fernanda Machado and Tony Reinsch as they share their detailed knowledge about t...

Investors, disruptive start-ups and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are hunting for the points of competitive differentiation that will drive the future of automotive mobility. The result is a tangled web of battery innovation, retooled-automotive manufacturing, charging-network footprints, and brand-equity promotions. IHS Markit Automotive expert Graham Evans joins EnergyCents this week t...

Not all fossil fuels are created equal, and natural gas holds some advantage relative to its carbon-moleculed peers as climate ambition influences global energy policy. IHS Markit Vice Presidents of Climate and Sustainability Michael Stoppard and Shankari Srinivasan join EnergyCents this week to discuss how gas can contribute to a net-zero transition, and other recent findings from their recent st...

Upstream Capital Cost Service (UCCS) Discussions is a new addition to the Upstream in Perspective podcast. In these conversations, analysts from the UCCS will discuss some highlights from their latest research. The September 2021 podcast centers around the large price gain that we have seen in the Upstream Capital Cost index. The markets driving this change were steel, bulk materials, and equipmen...

Low-carbon investment by oil majors has historically generated lower volatility and lower returns relative to capital directed at oil and gas projects. How will further decarbonization pressures influence the portfolio choices and returns expectations of the world's largest traditional energy companies? EnergyCents welcomes back IHS Markit Research Director Chris DeLucia, an expert in oil and gas...

Carbon, Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration projects, or CCUS, involve well-established technologies that have yet to reach the commercial scale to adequately mitigate global emissions. And the sector is now undergoing a period of innovation and investment amid recognition that a viable CCUS business model will be key to firms and governments realizing net-zero ambition. IHS Markit CCUS expert...