Plugged In: the energy news podcast

This is the fifth episode of Plugged In’s five-part CEO summer series, where Richard interviews prominent leaders in Europe’s energy sector.  In this final special episode, Richard speaks to Dr Annegret Groebel, President of the Council of European Energy Regulators and Director of International Relations at the German Regulatory Authority, BNetzA.  They talk about the challenges with energy regul...

This is the fourth episode of Plugged In’s five-part CEO summer series, where Richard interviews prominent leaders in Europe’s energy sector.  In this episode, Richard sits down with Jarand Rystad, CEO and Founder of energy research and intelligence company, Rystad Energy. They talk about the changes in China’s oil demand, the production - or lack - of hydrogen, and the challenges with battery and...

This is the third episode of Plugged In’s five-part CEO summer series, where Richard interviews prominent leaders in Europe’s energy sector.  In this episode, Richard speaks to Asta Sihvonen-Punkka, CEO of Finnish TSO, Fingrid.  They discuss the ongoing issues with balancing Finland’s power market, the oversupply of renewable energy in the Nordics, and the future of Finland’s nuclear energy progra...

This is the second episode of Plugged In’s five-part CEO summer series, where Richard interviews prominent leaders in Europe’s energy sector.  In this episode, Richard interviews Leonhard Birnbaum, CEO of Eon, about Europe’s power market.  They discuss the boom in renewable energy, the issues surrounding security of supply, and the importance of investing in Europe’s grid infrastructure.  Presente...

This is the first episode of Plugged In’s five-part CEO summer series, where Richard interviews prominent leaders in Europe’s energy sector.  In this episode, Richard speaks to Dhara Vyas, CEO of Energy UK about the state of the UK’s energy sector one year on from the Labour government coming into power.  They discuss the UK’s renewable energy targets, the UK government’s green energy policies, an...

The US, China, and now Europe are seeing a surge in data centres as big tech firms and other businesses develop their AI models. But, will these data centres cause the dramatic rise in power consumption that many are predicting?  In this episode, Richard goes deep into the subject with data centre experts from RISE and Greenscale to understand who the tenants of these data centres are, what challe...

This week, LNG prices rose to a 10-week high in Europe in response to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.   With the shadow of a threat from Iran to close its vital waterway for global LNG shipments, in this episode, we discuss the likelihood of this happening, the political power dynamics at play and the implications for global energy markets. Richard speaks to Eurasia Group’s Head of Ene...

Since spring 2025, power prices in the Nordics have been below zero, thanks to a myriad of factors, including low power demand and a glut of green power production.  Whilst this has been good news for some consumers in the region - who have been paid to use their electricity - the prevalence of sub-zero prices has created jitters for investors and many in öthe markets are feeling the impact of the...

In May, Danish energy producer, Orsted, pulled out of the UK’s Hornsea 4 project, citing "economic reasons", and earlier this week, industry leaders in The Netherlands have expressed their serious concerns about the high costs and potential delays which threaten the delivery of key offshore wind projects. In this episode, Richard speaks to the CEO of WindEurope about the state of Europe’...

Spain and Portugal will be sending joint letters to the EU energy commissioner and French energy minister, urging them to apply pressure on the current plans for interconnections, following April’s blackout in the Iberian Peninsula.  But are high costs, local resistance, and fears over the impact of cheap imports stiffening Paris’s opposition  to further power links with Spain. This week we speak...

As Europe eyes an end to Russian gas imports by 2027, fresh geopolitical tensions are reshaping energy markets once again. Could Trump’s mediation efforts result in a ceasefire in the Ukraine and could Russian gas re-enter Europe—directly or via shadow routes? In this week’s episode, Richard speaks to two policy experts about what peace versus a ceasefire could really mean for gas prices, energy s...

In recent months, the European Commission has published what it describes as “simplified rules” of the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), but is the policy still unclear and too complicated for energy and metals traders? In this episode, Richard talks to experts about the CBAM, and why some commodity trading firms  are holding off - despite the official January 2026 start date. Could some...

Since parts of Spain, Portugal, and France temporarily lost power on Monday 28th April, TSOs and policy makers across Europe have been quick to try and assess how much their own networks are at risk of a similar blackout. Whilst we await conclusions from Entso-e’s investigations as to the cause of the outage, in this week’s episode Richard speaks to the Secretary General of Eurelectric and Rystad...

After a long delay, European TSOs finally released their bidding zone review this week. The report was met with much backlash from Germany’s government and industry leaders strongly opposed to the proposal to split its zone into five. In this week’s podcast episode Richard speaks to commentators for and against dividing Germany’s price zone, and explores how the industry can expect TSOs in Germany...

Norway is the largest exporter of guarantees of origin certificates. Yet last month, the country's government published guidance for industry and union leaders that supported a localised approach, opening up the possibility for double counting of GOs. After Iceland was accused of a similar move last year, we explore whether this latest move is pulling the reliability of the GO market into que...

Oil and gas prices plummeted in the immediate aftermath of the trade war between the US and China. With many expecting oil and gas prices to continue to decline as a result of Trump's tariffs, the trade war raises raises fundamental questions about the profitability of oil production. Will oil producers feel inspired to "drill baby drill", as Trump famously promised, if prices conti...

This week, Trump's staggering tariffs on Asia and Europe caused turmoil in global equity and energy markets - as they took effect and were paused - raising many concerns within the energy sector about prices, trade flows, and the future of renewables investments. With the situation changing day-by-day, even hour by hour, Richard speaks to Norges Bank Investment Management - Norway's Oil...

In this week's episode, the president of the federal network agency discusses the critical issues facing Germany's energy market as the country waits for the new government to take the reins. How will Germany - and Europe - fill gas storage ahead of the winter, given the current unattractive prices? We also talk about the pressure the country faces to split its price zone, and the outloo...

Last Friday, one of the world's largest transport hubs came to a halt for 18 hours after a fire broke out at one of its substations in North Hyde. Since the incident, National Grid's CEO responded to accusations that Heathrow bosses were forced to shut down the airport due to a lack of power, confirming that the two other substations were operational and fully capable of powering the air...

Over the past year, many countries in Europe and beyond have announced plans to expand their nuclear programmes or build new reactors. As the pressure mounts for countries to start delivering on their decarbonisation goals and have a tighter grasp on their energy security, it begs the question: has “the road to net zero” become “the road to nuclear”? In this week’s episode, Richard speaks to the D...

In this week’s episode we discuss how unprecedented global risks — from escalating trade tensions and hybrid warfare to rising populism — are reshaping Europe's energy markets. Statkraft's CEO Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal shares insights into the company's approach to project prioritisation, reveals why the green transition will inevitably continue despite near-term hurdles and discuss...

This week we explore the growing energy security challenges facing Europe amid a “seismic” shift in the global geopolitical order. In light of this, we discuss plans by the European Commission to support industry and keep energy affordable. Will these measures be enough to protect the continent from instability and price shocks? Kristian Ruby, secretary general of Eurelectric, weighs in on whether...

As Germany’s Christian Democrat alliance (CDU/CSU) is in talks about forming a new government with the Social Democrats, this week’s episode discusses the country’s role in the new global order. It comes against a backdrop where US president Donald Trump is abandoning old friends in Europe and proposing a trade war instead of aiding old allies. Not only could this have implications for US-sourced...

It was Europe’s biggest importer of Russian gas prior to the Ukraine invasion but Russia’s cutting of gas supplies to Europe pushed Uniper to the brink of collapse. It was nationalised in one of the biggest corporate bailouts in German history. Montel’s Editor-in-Chief has been speaking to Uniper’s COO, Holger Kreetz, on the firm’s recovery, Germany’s energy transition and the imminent snap electi...

Europe’s energy sector is caught in the crossfire of rising populism. With elections approaching in Norway and Germany, governments are under pressure to prioritize short-term price stability over long-term market efficiency. Norway’s decision to impose fixed electricity prices has sparked concerns about weakened price signals and energy market fragmentation. Meanwhile, in Germany, the far-right A...