Harry Weber, Platts senior natural gas writer in Houston, and Stuart Elliott, editorial lead, Generating Fuels News, in London, discuss with Platts senior digital editor Jason Lindquist themes from the recently completed Gastech virtual conference and the outlook for gas, LNG and the integration of renewables in the energy transition occurring in parts of the world heading into 2021.
Sep 23, 2020•19 min
Ira Joseph, head of gas and power for S&P Global Platts Analytics, and Ryan Ouwerkerk, manager of Americas natural gas pricing for S&P Global Platts, are back to discuss key uncertainties in the global natural gas and LNG market as winter approaches. With stagnating US production meeting robust storage inventories in US and Europe, will the arrival of winter demand provide further bullish momentum to global gas and LNG prices?
Sep 18, 2020•16 min
Amid a rally in the global vegetable oils markets, Robert Beaman talks to vegetable oils editor George Duke and biodiesel editor Huw Shortland about the latest developments in the market for virgin and used vegetable oils. As supply and demand in these markets changes, the team also look at the impact on biodiesel and the emerging markets for renewable diesel (HVO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Sep 15, 2020•18 min
Oil markets have experienced a quiet revolution for over the last decade as proprietary trading houses have gradually replaced the participation of banks. Andy Critchlow, head of news in EMEA for S&P Global Platts, recently caught up with Greg Newman, CEO of London-based prop trader Onyx Capital Group, to discuss the latest developments in oil and the outlook for more participants entering the market.
Sep 08, 2020•17 min
S&P Global Platts dry bulk market experts Shriram Sivaramakrishnan, Carina Li, and Isaac Eio examine how the Capesize, Panamax and Supramax markets have fared in this pandemic-stricken trading environment, and what's in store for shipowners and freight rates in the coming months.
Sep 08, 2020•18 min
The CIS steel industry has emerged from pandemic demand slumps relatively quickly thanks to Chinese demand and government incentives in Russia. Although further challenges lie ahead, production cuts at steel mills appear to be less severe than at their European peers. Platts Managing Editor Laura Varriale is joined by Platts Metals Editors Katya Bouckley and Wojtek Laskowski to discuss the current shape of Russia and Ukraine's steel industry.
Sep 02, 2020•19 min
Ira Joseph, head of gas and power for S&P Global Platts Analytics, and Ryan Ouwerkerk, manager of Americas natural gas pricing for S&P Global Platts, are joined by Samer Mosis, Platts team lead, EMEA LNG, to discuss a range of short- and long-term dynamics impacting the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern gas markets, from Tuna-1 to the future of Leviathan, Egyptian LNG and Cypriot markets.
Sep 01, 2020•26 min
Meg Gentle, CEO of Tellurian, joins S&P Global Platts senior natural gas writer Harry Weber to discuss the global LNG market, the trajectory for prices and what lies ahead for US commercial development. She is a former marketing chief at Cheniere who is now developing an up to 27.6 million mt/year export facility in Louisiana called Driftwood LNG. Related story: Asian prices boost Driftwood LNG commercial efforts: Tellurian CEO...
Aug 28, 2020•16 min
There is a lot going on with offshore wind development -- particularly on the US East Coast, where S&P Global Platts Analytics estimates there could be over 37 GW of capacity installed by 2050 –- with Orsted involved in many of those projects. In this edition of the Platts Commodities Focus podcast, Jared Anderson, senior writer with S&P Global Platts, speaks with David Hardy, Orsted president and chief operating officer for North America offshore, about offshore wind contract pricing, t...
Aug 26, 2020•18 min
Amy Gasca, Manan Ahjua and Mark Watson of S&P Global Platts talk with Brett Perlman, CEO of the Center for Houston's Future and ex-Public Utility Commissioner of Texas, about the state's energy policies and the energy transition. * Is ERCOT's market functioning as it was intended? * How can Houston's role as "Energy Capital of the World" shape North America's energy transition?
Aug 21, 2020•31 min
S&P Global Platts senior natural gas writer Harry Weber and S&P Global Market Intelligence midstream finance reporter Allison Good wrap up the recently completed second-quarter earnings reporting season by companies in the midstream sector. While some companies looked for expansion opportunities, others outlined additional capital spending cuts and project deferrals as operators of pipelines, processing facilities and liquefaction terminals looked for signs of a rebound in volumes....
Aug 19, 2020•12 min
Gasoline volumes from Northern Europe to West Africa are expected to continue to grow, and new hedging tools may be needed for medium range clean tankers in the West of Suez market. Platts Shipping Editors Sam Eckett, George Griffiths, and Chris To discuss emerging benchmark opportunities into West Africa, while probing the unprecedented state of trans-Pacific container rates.
Aug 19, 2020•13 min
Ira Joseph, head of gas and power for Platts Analytics, and Ryan Ouwerkerk, manager of Americas natural gas pricing for S&P Global Platts, take a look at how US natural gas prices have jumped and the turnaround in global gas benchmarks.
Aug 14, 2020•20 min
The outlook for hydrogen Asia-Pacific has become a lot more positive over the last six to 12 months, with companies from Australia to Japan stepping up efforts to formulate policies and plan projects in the hope that the clean fuel can play a big role in the energy transition process. But at this point there are probably more questions than answers. How quickly new hydrogen projects can come up? How fast governments can formulate polices? And how soon trade flows and a transparent market place c...
Aug 14, 2020•24 min
April was the nadir of the global demand slump from COVID-19 lockdowns while swinging output cuts from OPEC+ and a slump in US drilling hit production volumes across the board. Oil and gas producers have also been grappling with more pessimism over long term oil demand, have written down asset values and some have stepped up their energy transition game. S&P Global Platts senior writer Robert Perkins is joined by colleagues Nick Coleman, Starr Spencer and S&P Global Market Intelligence's...
Aug 12, 2020•18 min
Brazil has shifted to become a net importer of primary aluminum since 2014, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the market outlook. Is the increase in Brazilian P1020 exports here to stay? How does this situation impact domestic supply? Adriana Carvalho and Henrique Riberiro of S&P Global Platts look at those issues and more.
Aug 05, 2020•18 min
Amy Gasca, Daryna Kotenko and Veda Chowdhury of S&P Global Platts discuss West power and natural gas markets and how current market fundamentals are shaping spot and forwards pricing for the remainder of the summer.
Jul 31, 2020•13 min
Ira Joseph, head of gas and power for Platts Analytics, and Ryan Ouwerkerk, manager of Americas natural gas pricing for S&P Global Platts, look at the other side of the supply-demand equation, ranging from LNG cargoes pricing out pipeline deliveries to the prospects for further demand growth in the oversupplied and depressed pricing environment.
Jul 30, 2020•17 min
Over a decade after the first flight using sustainable aviation fuel took off, SAF has gained prominence in airlines' sustainability tool boxes as the industry tackles its collective carbon footprint. Growing consumer awareness around the environmental impact of the transportation industry has added to this global dialogue. SAF has made inroads into the US via California however producers and airlines alike must navigate fragmented environmental policies that this nascent market. Sophie Byron, a...
Jul 22, 2020•20 min
China appears to be almost singlehandedly supporting global metals prices on the back of a return to high levels of industrial activity. But other Asian markets are still slowly emerging from Covid-19 related lockdowns. How is this impacting iron ore, steel, coking coal, scrap and alumina demand and prices? Julien Hall, director of Metals for APAC, S&P Global Platts, and Paul Bartholomew, head of metals news and insight, APAC, Platts, discuss key findings from the latest quarterly spot marke...
Jul 22, 2020•9 min
S&P Global Platts senior natural gas writer Harry Weber and S&P Global Market Intelligence midstream finance reporter Allison Good preview with senior digital editor Jason Lindquist the upcoming release of second-quarter earnings results by companies in the North American midstream sector. The April-June period covered the peak of the impact on demand from the coronavirus pandemic, so this will be an opportunity for the market to see how deeply that impact was felt and what the outlook i...
Jul 21, 2020•15 min
Brian Gilvary spent almost a decade as chief financial officer of supermajor BP until he stepped down in June 2020. In an interview with Andy Critchlow and Robert Perkins from S&P Global Platts, Gilvary discusses a broad range of subjects including his career at BP; the challenges of reducing carbon emissions for hydrocarbons producers; living with $40/b crude and how hydrogen can transform the energy system.
Jul 21, 2020•27 min
Ira Joseph, head of gas and power for Platts Analytics, and Ryan Ouwerkerk, manager of Americas natural gas pricing for S&P Global Platts, take a look at oversupply in global natural gas markets.
Jul 17, 2020•18 min
What might the US shale investor risk-reward equation look like as the market shows some signs of rebalancing and as lockdowns begin to ease? How long will it take the US shale sector to repair soured investor confidence? Tim Perry, managing director at Credit Suisse, digs into those topics and more with Jeff Mower, director of Americas oil news at S&P Global Platts.
Jul 16, 2020•15 min
Jared Anderson, Kassia Micek and Manan Ahuja of S&P Global Platts delve into changing power market dynamics as coronavirus-related lockdowns ease in many areas and look ahead to see where market conditions might be headed for the remainder of 2020 and into next year.
Jul 15, 2020•18 min
Labour shortages have been one of the key problems caused by the coronavirus crisis in the rice market. Robert Beaman talks to senior rice editors Rebecca Li and Peter Storey about how the Indian rice industry and its competitors have coped with access to labour during lockdown and the consequent market disruptions, while Piero Carello considers some of the lessons learnt by the agriculture sector as a result of the crisis.
Jul 14, 2020•15 min
US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette joins Chris Newkumet, Washington bureau chief for S&P Global Platts, to discuss the state of America's energy markets -- what we know, where we are, and what's ahead. Topic for discussion include US oil production and exports, new oil price benchmarks, LNG trade flows, the future for US coal, and the ongoing energy transition.
Jul 09, 2020•23 min
S&P Global Platts journalists discuss European gas, power and carbon market trends going into the third quarter of 2020. The markets saw price support in June as economies began to emerge from coronavirus lockdowns – but any faltering in demand or rebound in gas flows could undermine these trends, as could a modest uptick in French nuclear availability.
Jul 09, 2020•20 min
The annual acreage report from the US Department of Agriculture saw a 5 million acre drop in corn planting from the Prospective Plantings report at the end of March. The resultant rise in corn prices coupled with low ethanol stocks lifted ethanol prices, the S&P Global Platts benchmark Chicago Argo terminal ethanol price reached its highest level in eight months seven on July 7. Join Sophie Byron, associate pricing director for agriculture in the Americas; Pete Meyer, director of agriculture...
Jul 08, 2020•23 min
The death of George Floyd in the US on May 25 significantly raised global awareness of racial and cultural issues. Within this environment, giant resources company Rio Tinto attracted opprobrium for the destruction of an indigenous sacred site in Western Australia during the expansion of an iron ore mine. In light of this, how might ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) play a bigger role in resources? Could it impact iron ore supply? What might it mean for the way mining companie...
Jul 03, 2020•10 min