ICIS - energy podcasts

Recent developments in the Spanish LNG market have reverberated across the wider energy sector. ICIS experts Thomas Rodgers and Rob Songer discuss the activity of Spanish buyers and their potential future implications.

French nuclear authority ASN’s decision to order utility EDF to audit all the nuclear components from manufacturer Areva is still causing power traders concern and building risk premium into Q4 ’17 and Q1’ 17 electricity contracts. In this podcast, ICIS experts Herman Moestue and Matthew Jones give us an update on the situation.

A change in price spreads between the Dutch TTF and US Henry Hub natural gas markets has increased the chance that US LNG will head to the Netherlands later this year. ICIS experts Jake Horslen and Ben Samuel discuss this possibility.

European front-year power contracts surged on Wednesday after French nuclear safety authority ASN ordered incumbent EDF to review all its nuclear reactors manufactured by Areva’s Creusot forge before a scheduled return to service. ICIS experts Ellie Chambers and Herman Moestue discuss the impact of the announcement.

Annual maintenance has pushed output from British domestic gas fields down in August. While not remarkable in itself, the lack of UKCS supply has made the impact of issues with Norwegian production and waning LNG deliveries more acute, lifting prices on the NBP gas hub. ICIS reporters Ellie Chambers and Thomas Rodgers discuss the ongoing and future implications of the maintenance.

Regulator CRE has announced measures to tackle congestion on the natural gas grid in France. ICIS experts Alex Thackrah and Ben Lee discuss how these changes could provide some short-term relief, but that upcoming infrastructure projects as part of a hub merger in 2018 will offer a more long-term solution.

ICIS energy experts Marcello Kolax and Ben Lee discuss what impact additional capacity auctions on the German OPAL pipeline will have on the region's natural gas hubs.

The NBP front-month natural gas contract jumped in price this week after Norwegian operator Gassco extended a supply outage until the end of summer. ICIS experts Ben Samuel and Ben Lee discuss how the curtailment might affect supply to Europe and whether the price move was justified.

Japanese LNG buyers are looking to remove destination clauses when renegotiating their long-term contracts. ICIS looks at what this new destination flexibility would mean for supply to Japan and elsewhere in the world.

The jet stream can be a key driver of wind power strength in Europe – and by extension wholesale electricity prices. ICIS looks at recent low wind generation and what expectations are for the rest of summer.

Hungarian power spot prices have been delivering above expectations in July which recently boosted the August forward contract to a five-year high. ICIS energy experts Alice Casagni and Irina Peltegova talk about the fundamentals behind the bullish momentum. Will the trend continue as the summer progresses?

The NBP front-month natural gas contract hit a 2017 price low in week 28. ICIS takes stock of where the market is at mid-summer and whether further downside is likely in the warmer months.

Coal prices – which had seemed to be in permanent decline – made a surprise bull run in 2016, and recently rose further to reach a 31-month high. ICIS experts William Peck and Ben Lee explain what drove the price increase, what it means for European power generators and what to expect for coal markets going forward.

The first US LNG cargo into the UK is due in early July. ICIS experts Ed Cox and Ben Lee talk about the significance of the event and whether more US arrivals can be expected into Europe.

Plans to merge Germany’s two natural gas hubs are gaining momentum, while the country is also adapting to an expected drop in low-calorific gas imports from the Netherlands and an increase in Russian throughput. ICIS experts Marcello Kolax and Jake Horslen discuss the outlook for the German gas market.

By the end of June, Spain will have received eight LNG cargoes from Nigeria – the highest number in a single month since at least 2012, according to ICIS shipping tool LNG Edge. Reporters Ben Lee and Rob Songer discuss what’s driving this increase.

This week Centrica Storage announced the permanent closure of the Rough natural gas storage site in Britain, which accounts for around 70% of the country’s reserve capacity. The market impact and likely effect on British supply in the coming years is discussed by market experts Ben Samuel and Thomas Rodgers.

The Italian economic development ministry is working to slash the price premium between Italian and Dutch natural gas contracts through a project called the liquidity corridor. ICIS experts Alice Casagni and Riccardo Patrian discuss what the project is about, the impact it would have on the Italian gas market and its timeline.

Natural gas prices at the British NBP market have plummeted following the start of maintenance on the Interconnector pipeline, which links Britain to mainland Europe. Market experts Thomas Rodgers and Jack Elliott discuss how the market has reacted and why the impact of the outage has been particularly acute this year.

The change in direction of two Qatari LNG vessels away from the Suez Canal this week pushed up British NBP prices. But with shipping sources downplaying the impact of the political action against Qatar on the LNG market, ICIS Global LNG Editor Ed Cox and Innovation Deputy Editor Ben Lee discuss the latest events.

Infrastructure operators BBL Company and GTS plan to merge the Dutch/British BBL pipeline with the TTF market area in the Netherlands. Ahead of the close of a consultation on 9 June, ICIS gas reporters Thomas Rodgers and Jake Horslen discuss the plan and the potential impacts on trading and capacity bookings.

The Stockholm Court of Arbitration has made a preliminary decision in the natural gas supply dispute between Ukrainian gas supplier Naftogaz and Russian producer Gazprom. ICIS gas market experts Katya Zapletnyuk and Jake Horslen discuss this court case, which will have major implications on Ukraine’s future role in the European gas sector.

Storage and production issues in Britain and Belgium and the launch of a new LNG terminal in France are changing gas market fundamentals in Belgium - a key transit market in northwest Europe. ICIS energy reporter Alex Thackrah and European Gas Markets Deputy Editor Jake Horslen discuss the factors driving the recent change in flows through Belgium and the impact on liquidity at the Zeebrugge and Z...

A new administration in South Korea could bring about changes in energy policy. ICIS experts Joachim Moxon and Ben Lee discuss the implications for LNG demand from the Asian nation.

The Romanian parliament has taken a step towards restricting natural gas trading to a single exchange, raising concerns among some stakeholders about competition and regional security of supply. ICIS gas experts Tom Marzec-Manser and Aura Sabadus discuss the implications of this potential change.