ICIS - energy podcasts

Europe's gas market is entering a new era in which transparency is becoming just as valuable as the resource itself. As policymakers tighten requirements around carbon emissions, methane monitoring and the gradual withdrawal from Russian gas, market participants are under growing pressure to prove not only the environmental footprint of their supplies but also their origin and compliance status. I...

While Europe’s long-term biomethane potential remains strong as output is projected to reach up to 35bcm by 2030, growth is being slowed by regulatory bottlenecks, permitting delays and feedstock constraints. At the same time, new policy developments are reshaping the outlook. Germany is tightening transport decarbonization rules while introducing more flexible pathways for renewable gases in heat...

Since Russia sharply reduced gas supplies to Europe in 2022, Poland has emerged as a key regional gas crossroads, underpinned by its Swinoujscie LNG terminal, expanded interconnections and access to Baltic and North Sea supplies. Gas grid operator Gaz‑System has strengthened this role through infrastructure upgrades, tariff reforms and the repurposing of the Yamal pipeline from Germany into a west...

Energy markets were jolted into crisis after war erupted in the Middle East on 28 February, abruptly ending expectations of a calm year marked by abundant oil and gas supply and falling prices. As the conflict escalated, energy infrastructure across the Gulf came under attack and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz ground to a halt amid sharply rising security risks. Oil and gas prices have sinc...

The US-Israeli led war against Iran has unleashed extreme volatility across energy markets, with natural gas prices rising as much as 70% in the first ten days of March. Traders fear that the longer the shortfall lasts the more difficult it will become to refill gas stocks. While the fog of war remains thick in Iran and the Gulf, traders are struggling to get clarity and some degree of predictabil...

Europe’s single market is widely regarded as the jewel in the crown of EU integration. However, the energy crisis of 2022 showed that its electricity and gas markets remain fragmented, exposing the bloc to economic and security risks.  Cracks are felt in the day-to-day work of producers, traders, suppliers and end consumers as they struggle with complex red tape and high costs. ICIS highlighted so...

Lithuania’s offshore Klaipeda LNG terminal had a record year in 2025, with the port’s utilisation rate soaring well above the EU average. Operator KN Energies anticipates an even better year in 2026. It has launched an open season for long-term capacity and is expecting more central and eastern European companies to use its services as they are looking for a diversity of sources and routes. Althou...

The EU’s biomethane market has been developing at speed. Since 2023, production has risen more than 30% and the fuel is fast becoming not just an instrument to reach energy transition targets but is also making a real contribution to security of supply. A number of western European countries including France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the UK are leading the way thanks to their extensive agricultura...

Greenland has been holding the headlines in recent weeks as US President Donald Trump expressed an open interest in acquiring the world’s largest island amid claims of security risks in the Arctic region. Many observers reject the argument, insisting the race to take over the resource-rich island and possibly even neighboring Canada is largely driven by economic considerations. Canada and Greenlan...

The US military operation in Venezuela at the start of 2026 resulting in the capture of president Nicolas Maduro had a modest immediate impact on oil prices.  However, questions raised by these events are highly consequential for global markets and the future geopolitical power balance. Shares in some US-listed oil companies rose sharply after the operation, but who will be the real winners and lo...

The loss of Russian gas imports, associated long-term capacity bookings and the reversal of gas flows in central and eastern Europe have led to soaring transmission tariffs and inevitably heated debates.    After decades of operating on a fairly simple business model, gas grid operators, regulators, traders and consumers are faced with multiple dilemmas on how to minimise costs while also ensuring...

The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will be moving up a gear from 2026 when EU importers are expected to purchase and surrender CBAM certificates to cover the embedded emissions of imported carbon-intensive goods. Regulations will impact Energy Community contracting parties such as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the West Balkans countries either through their exports of electricity o...

Transmission capacity on the Romanian-Moldovan border was overbid at quarterly auctions held in November as traders have been competing to sell gas to Moldova this winter.  Only five years ago such a scenario would have been unthinkable. The country was fully reliant on Russian gas and depended heavily on Russian-controlled Transnistria for electricity supplies.  After multiple energy crises trigg...

The EU is moving closer towards the development of a real-time electricity market thanks to critical tools such as the Platform for the International Coordination of Automated Frequency Restoration and Stable System Operation, (PICASSO) and, more recently, the launch of quarter hourly trading intervals.  Somewhat like Picasso’s art, the platform is a bold attempt to harmonise the EU’s diverse mark...

Ukraine has been a major buyer of natural gas on European hubs this year, scrambling to replenish heavily depleted stocks. As war-related risks persist it is still looking to secure more volumes even as it tries to protect domestic production and increase output in challenging conditions. In this interview, Artem Petrenko, secretary general of the Association of Gas Producers of Ukraine tells Aura...

Senior reporter Clare Pennington interviews ICIS senior data analyst Fei Xu and senior Asia LNG reporter Paula Xiao to unpick what is going on in Japan’s LNG market. Japan is one of the world's largest LNG buyers, surpassed only by China in recent years and still vying for top spot as the world’s largest LNG importer. But in the long term, some buyers think Japan might be overpositioned, ploughing...

High capacity booking interests for gas exports from Romania to Hungary for the next ten years indicate that regional companies may be preparing for the start of Black Sea gas production from 2027. Last year, Romania became the EU’s largest gas producer, a position that is likely to be further consolidated when output at the Neptun Deep bloc is set to start. Nevertheless, it hasn’t always been pla...

The Energy Community celebrates its 20 th anniversary this year. Established in the aftermath of the Balkans war and the accession of many central European countries to the EU, the institution faces similar challenges now, being instrumental in supporting Ukraine’s energy resilience in the face of Russian attacks and assisting contracting parties on their path towards EU energy market integration....

Europe LNG reporter Clare Pennington asks US counterpart Emily Burleson how the USTR will target Chinese vessels and how it plans to build its own LNG carrier industry

Gas grid operators on the Trans-Balkan corridor have been working to enable traders to access natural gas via Greek LNG terminals or pipelines for shipments to Ukraine at a unified discounted tariff. The bundled transmission capacity product launched in May could open opportunities for diversification and tightening security of supply. Nevertheless, many traders say the format may not be compliant...

The electricity blackout which hit the Iberian Peninsula at the end of April has triggered widespread debate about the causes of the outage and risks facing European grids.  As an investigation has now been launched, energy expert, Aura Sabadus, spoke to Volodymyr Kudrytksyi, former CEO of the Ukrainian electricity grid operator, Ukrenergo, about the challenges facing Europe’s electricity transmis...

ICIS's Gemma Blundell-Doyle, Energy Market Reporter and Eloise Radley, Deputy Crude Oil Editor, sit down to discuss the main drivers that could influence the global crude oil market in Q1 2025, including OPEC+ supply cuts and Trump's second US presidency. 

Why have charter rates for LNG vessels dropped so dramatically in recent months and what is the outlook for next year? Senior market reporter Clare Pennington and Rob Songer, LNG markets analyst speak with Americas LNG editor Fauzeya Rahman to break down what this means for the shipping market and when the outlook is likely to change. 

Wondering how the upcoming US election could impact US oil production and benchmark crude prices? Listen to Eloise Radley, Senior Market Reporter and Ignacio Sotolongo, Senior Editor at ICIS discuss this topic. 

Germany has announced a higher-than-expected increase in the German storage fee from 1 July, even though the levy is expected to be scrapped at the start of 2025.  The announced short-term rise combined with Austria’s OMV warnings about a possible gas supply curtailment amid a court case ruling lifted European gas prices in the second half of May.  The almost simultaneous news triggered volatility...