The Energy Forum

On Aug. 20, the Center for Energy Studies and the Energy Institute at the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma hosted a joint conference on “ Energy, Technology, and Grid Resilience .” At the conference, fellows joined industry leaders and policymakers to examine how the rapid growth of data centers and artificial intelligence is reshaping electricity demand and raising new ques...

The global oil market continues to be volatile. Tensions between Iran and the United States persist, driving economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The Strait of Hormuz’s intermittent closures not only have led to a lower available oil supply but also have reduced its reliability as a route for shipping. Recently, the Trump administration announced a new plan to open Venezuelan oil fields to inves...

A recently announced deal between the U.S. and Venezuela to produce 65 billion barrels of oil – roughly a fifth of Venezuela’s total proven oil reserves – has raised questions about its terms. A single Latin American company, NABEP, run by Venezuelan executive Alejandro Betancourt, has been tapped to produce the oil, with part of the company being potentially owned by the U.S. Department of Defens...

Small modular reactors, or SMRs, are attracting growing interest as a potential source of reliable, lower-carbon electricity for industries, data centers, and countries that may not need, or be able to finance, a large conventional nuclear plant. Turning that potential into real-world projects, however, requires more than innovative reactor designs—it depends on financing, manufacturing, regulatio...

Oil markets have experienced significant volatility across much of July, particularly after the dissolution  of a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S., which temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz. The resumption of conflict — Iranian strikes on vessels transiting the strait, Houthi threats to vessels attempting to transit the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from the Red Sea, the reimposition of the U.S. b...

The Center for Energy Studies recently hosted its second annual sustainability summit, bringing together experts to examine sustainability challenges from a systems-level perspective. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,”  Rachel A. Meidl is joined by two speakers from the summit: Marco Castaldi , professor at City College of New York and cochair of the Recycling Science Council , and Katherine H...

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz led to months of volatility in the oil market, but a new memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offered the first signs of a path toward stability. However, short-term risks for the oil market remain as a broader peace deal is discussed, and long-term questions are emerging as global suppliers and consumers seek to prevent a similar shock...

In this episode, Rachel A. Meidl is joined by Natalie Messer Betts, vice president of sustainability at the Recycled Materials Association (REMA) , to discuss the growing challenge of discarded electronics — from phones and laptops to data center equipment and medical devices. They explore why the term “e-waste” can be misleading, how reuse and refurbishment can provide greater environmental benef...

As conflict and instability in the Middle East continue to shape global energy markets, Americans are beginning to feel the effects far beyond the gas pump. Host David M. Satterfield speaks with energy experts Kenneth B. Medlock III and Mark Finley about why oil prices react so sharply to geopolitical shocks. They discuss how those shifts ripple through airline fares, travel costs, inflation, and...

Guyana sits at the center of one of the fastest energy expansions in the world — at a moment when geopolitical tensions, supply disruptions, and market volatility are reshaping global energy systems in real time. But rapid growth brings difficult questions: What are the risks, tradeoffs, and strategies behind turning a historic resource boom into lasting national development? During a visit to Ric...

Guyana, on the northern coast of South America, has become one of the fastest-growing energy producers in the world. Since oil production began in 2019, the country has quickly emerged as a major force in global energy markets, at a time when geopolitical tensions and market volatility are reshaping the global energy landscape. During a visit to Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy...

Recorded live at CERAWeek in Houston, this episode of The Energy Forum features Kenneth B. Medlock III in conversation with Francisco J. Monaldi on the forces reshaping oil markets across Latin America. They examine Venezuela’s changing outlook after Maduro’s capture, the investment prospects ahead, and how countries like Brazil, Guyana, Argentina, and Bolivia are redefining the region’s role in g...

Tensions in the Middle East are reshaping global energy markets, and the impacts are already being felt. In this episode of The Energy Forum, Abhi Rajendran , Skip York , and Kristian Coates Ulrichsen break down the latest developments around the Strait of Hormuz and what they mean for oil supply, global trade, and energy security. As supply chains tighten and demand rises heading into summer, thi...

The conflict in Iran is sending shock waves through global energy markets, tightening supplies, driving up prices, and placing energy security at the center of strategic and economic considerations. On this episode of “Baker Briefing,” Ambassador David M. Satterfield , director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and Kenneth B. Medlock III , director of the Baker Institute Cent...

In this episode of The Energy Forum, Abhi Rajendran and Skip York unpack the latest developments discussed at the Center for Energy Studies’ Oil Market Roundtable. The conversation examines how tensions involving Iran, evolving policy in Venezuela, and disruptions across global energy trade are influencing oil prices and market expectations. They also explore the emerging divide between sanctioned...

The United States has launched strikes on Iran — and global energy markets are already reacting. How far could this escalation reach, from the Strait of Hormuz to gasoline prices and electricity bills here at home? Ambassador David Satterfield, director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is joined by Ken Medlock, director of the Center for Energy Studies, to unpack the energy...

Nearly a decade into Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s diversification drive is entering a more constrained phase: some initiatives are moving ahead, while others are being resized, delayed, or quietly shelved. In this episode of ”The Energy Forum,“ host Jim Krane (Diana Tamari Sabbagh Fellow in Middle East Energy Studies) speaks with Karen Elliott House (journalist, author, and former managing editor a...

In this episode of The Energy Forum, host Michael Maher sits down with former CES Graduate Student Luke Min, who now works at ExxonMobil and current doctoral fellow Stan Kannegieter to discuss what it’s like pursuing a PhD through Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies (CES). They explain how the program blends rigorous academic training with real-world application, and how wo...

Artificial intelligence, data centers, and industrial growth are driving a new wave of electricity demand, while also placing growing pressure on water systems that underpin energy and infrastructure development. In this special cross-posted episode from "Talking Under Water," hosted by Bob Crossen of Endeavor Business Media, Gabriel Collins of the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute...

Oil markets are entering 2026 with rising geopolitical risk and an uneasy global supply balance. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York break down what recent political developments in Venezuela and Iran could mean for crude oil production, prices, and long-term investment decisions. This episode provides a timely look at where oil markets may be headed, what could tig...

Oil markets are heading into 2026 with more uncertainty than prices suggest. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York discuss why oil prices have remained resilient despite apparent oversupply. They examine OPEC+ supply discipline, non-OPEC production growth, China’s oil stockpiling, and what these forces mean for market balance. The conversation also explores geopolitic...

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” energy and transportation policy fellow Ed Emmett talks with Michael Graff , former chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide, about hydrogen’s past, present, and future. Together, they explore how this versatile fuel fits into today’s energy transition and what it will take to make it a truly global solution. This conversation was recorded on Oct. 29, 2025. ...

Nonresident fellows Abhi Rajendran of Energy Intelligence and Skip York of Turner Mason & Co. joined “The Energy Forum” to examine the state of global oil markets in 2025. Drawing on themes from the Annual Energy Summit  (Panel: 1:15:49 – 2:20:39) and the latest  “Energy Insights ” report, they discuss market flexibility, risk premiums, shale’s slowdown, and what to watch as prices test new lo...

The energy sector is evolving fast, and so are the opportunities for the next generation. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Michael Maher, chief of research operations at the Center for Energy Studies, and Nicole Van Den Heuvel, associate dean of students and executive director of Rice University’s Center for Career Development, explore how students are preparing for careers across oil and ga...

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Center for Energy Studies nonresident fellows Abhi Rajendran , director of oil markets research at Energy Intelligence, and Skip York , energy economist and industry strategist, explore why markets look more resilient today than a decade ago, how supply chains have adapted, and the signals to watch as we move toward 2026.  This year’s Energy Summit , which th...