Resonance Podcasts

In this special edition Resonance podcast, energy veterans, John Hall and Jeremy Nicholson, reflect on what has been an extraordinarily turbulent year for energy, whilst also considering the future taking into account the global pandemic, Brexit and worldwide Net Zero ambitions.

This podcast was recorded in December 2021.

In this week’s UK European energy market podcast we talk to Alfa’s Dr Petra Puskarova about volatility in energy prices while gas prices remain high.

In this week’s Resonance you will learn:

• A correction in oil prices, when and on what basis that might happen
• Why high gas prices in Asia impact Europe
• When to expect the first gas flows from NS2 and how recent news, although incorrect, impacted prices
• What the combination of gas, carbon and coal market dynamics are doing to power prices. What the main drivers are and how future developments could impact power
• Is holiday season peaking adding some premium outside of main hubs?
• With lower cooling demand and for example a lack of challenges to the French nuclear fleet this year with more moderate temperatures compared to 2020, why is there a premium in the market right now?

In this episode of The Resonance podcast Sustainability Analyst Nick Fedson joins Jeremy Nicholson to discuss SECR. SECR requires qualifying companies to report on their energy and carbon use in their annual accounts, bringing carbon footprinting into it.

In this week’s Resonance energy market podcast Jeremy Nicholson talks to Alfa’s Daniel Veasey about energy prices today and ahead, with significant falls in prices of gas and electricity over the last 6 months.
Topics explored include:

• The impact on risk premiums - Storage at record highs across Europe for the time of year, demand destruction, energy efficiencies and strong LNG supplies contribute.
• European energy prices remain high in the global arena, impacting business competitiveness.
• Despite the cold snap in northern Europe and a tightness in power generation, there is little impact on power prices as we head towards the summer season.
• Carbon remains high and on the increase, testing technical levels.
• Risks for the immediate future: Asian LNG demand, the nuclear fleet in France, Russian supplies to Europe when considering LNG volumes, and the impact of hot summers on power generation with multiple risks from droughts across Europe.

This episode of the Resonance was recorded on 9th March 2023.

Gas supply challenges look more settled as we approach August, but the challenges faced by renewable power generation and the need to offset fluctuations with on-demand supplies put an upward pressure on electricity supply costs.

In this episode of the Resonance podcast, you will learn:

• NS2 expected into Europe early in 2022. Why access to gas in Europe for the U.K. matters
• Gas - A return to steady LNG supplies more likely in August, and some key maintenance for gas infrastructure coming to an end means we expect to see an improvement in supply
• Sustained period of oil bullishness coming to an end? OPEC signals increased production, compounded by market caution over economies attempting to reopen, as the UK’s Freedom Day signals an end to lockdown.
• While the Impact of decarbonisation sees the U.K. carbon market quite settled, and the Cost Containment Mechanism (CCM) within the scheme may be triggered in August for the first time. What is it, how and will it control costs?
• Fluctuations in wind power generation are still having an acute impact on power prices. What does that mean for prices and generation mix? Can we achieve what we need to without seeing the rolling blackouts familiar to businesses operating in California, where decarbonisation without a managed approach is causing challenges?
• A greater dependence on imports are proving problematic for the U.K. and power prices now we are outside of the EU, but why?