Plugged In: the energy news podcast

Priyanka Shinde, Nordic market expert at Montel, explains Nordic bidding zones and hydro pressure. Fintan Devenney, GB and Irish market specialist, digs into batteries, market reform and political risks. Jean-Paul Harreman, Director of Analytics, covers liquidity, margins and spike drivers. They discuss regional vulnerability, battery revenue boosts, market design strains and where Europe is most exposed right now.

Ole Hvalbye, commodities analyst at SEB Research, gives trading-floor perspective on gas, LNG prices and storage risks. Saul Kavanagh, Head of Energy Research at MST Marquee, maps global gas scenarios and geopolitical shock impacts. They discuss Europe's thin refill season, intensifying LNG competition with Asia, vulnerability to Middle East disruptions, and price scenarios if supplies tighten.

Cillian O’Donoghue, Policy Director at Eurelectric, a specialist in electricity market design and decarbonisation policy. He explains why recent price volatility differs from 2022. Short takes cover Brussels’ policy options, risks to industry from high electricity costs, whether market interventions would harm the internal market, and how electrification and stable regulation shape investment.

Italy has launched one of the most controversial proposals in the European energy market in years.In a bid to lower electricity prices and boost the competitiveness of Italian industry, the government has proposed shifting the cost of carbon emissions from gas-fired power plants to consumers. Supporters say the move could reduce wholesale power prices and ease pressure on businesses facing high energy costs.But critics warn it could undermine the foundations of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS); the cornerstone of Europe’s climate policy.In this episode, Richard speaks with international experts about why carbon prices have been falling, what Italy’s proposed reforms could mean for the power market, and the potential impact on renewable investment and corporate PPAs. They also discuss whether the proposal could distort electricity markets across Europe and the legal challenges the European Commission may raise.Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsGuests: Hæge Fjellheim - Head of Carbon Analysis at Veyt               Gaia Stigliani - Senior Principal at AFRY Management Consulting               Lorenzo Parola - Managing Partner at Parola Associati               Enza Tedesco - Montel NewsEditor: Oscar BirkProducer: Alexandra Carlon#EnergyMarkets #EUETS #EnergyTransition #CarbonMarkets #ClimatePolicy #EnergyPolicy #RenewableEnergy #EnergyTrading #EnergyEconomics #EuropeanEnergy #CleanEnergy #Decarbonisation #EnergyPodcast  

Henning Gloystein, Eurasia Group analyst on energy markets; Dan Marks, RUSI energy security specialist; Hussein Ibish, Arab Gulf States Institute scholar on Middle East strategy. They discuss threats to the Strait of Hormuz, shipping disruption methods, risks to Qatar’s LNG and European gas exposure. Short-term market shocks, worst-case supply losses, and political escalation scenarios are explored in multiple fast-paced segments.

This week marks the four-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine - a war which has unearthed new hybrid warfare tactics and the targeting of crucial gas and electricity infrastructure  in the country. What has changed this winter for the people of Ukraine, and will Putin's mission to "freeze Ukraine”  and brutally destroy its energy work? In this episode, Richard speaks to guests in Kyiv about the daily realities that the people of Ukraine have experienced this winter without access to heat and power, and the scale of the repair and recovery that energy workers are doing on the ground every day. Listen also to the broader implications of ongoing war on Europe's energy security, and why energy infrastructure has become a prominent war target. Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsGuests: Yuriy Onyshkiv from - Senior Gas Analyst, London Stock Exchange GroupOleksiy Povolotskiy - Head of Recovery Office, DTEKKristian Ruby - Secretary General EurelectricEditor: Oscar BirkProducer: Sarah KnowlesSubscribe to the podcast on our website, via Apple Podcasts or Spotify

With Nord Pool set to offer electricity futures contracts from March, competition for liquidity on the Nordic power curve will heat up this year. Who will come out on top?Also, the European Commission, along with the energy  regulators, wants to create a new, centralised unit to operate day-ahead market coupling in the EU. Whilst market participants agree with the need for increased regulatory oversight, there is concern from exchange bosses that this would promote a single point of failure and hamper healthy competition.Would this proposal fix the part of the system that isn't broken? In this episode, Richard sits down with the CEOs of Nord Pool and EEX in Essen to discuss this, as well as the issues concerning liquidity in certain markets in Europe, and how the market needs to adapt to aggregators and the flexibility that the investment into renewables demands. Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsGuests: Tom Darrell - CEO, Nord PoolPeter Reitz - CEO, EEXContributor:  Julia Demirdag - Germany Reporter, Montel NewsEditor: Oscar BirkProducer: Sarah KnowlesSubscribe to the podcast on our website, via Apple Podcasts or Spotify

As tensions between Iran and the US intensify, Russian mounts fresh attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and  President Trump softens his stance on the US  grab for Greenland, France´s President Macron has warned Europe about a false sense of security, even a state of emergency.In this episode, Richard speaks to our guests in front of a live audience at E-world in Essen, Germany, about the outlook for Europe's supply and demand under these ongoing geopolitical rumblings: Listen to a discussion on the most important threats to Europe's energy security. Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsGuests: Henning Gloystein - Managing Director of Energy and Resources, Eurasia GroupHanns Koenig - Managing Director, Aurora Energy Research EMEATobias Federico - Chief Analyst, MontelContributor: Mai Rosner - Investigative Reporter, Montel NewsEditor: Oscar BirkProducer: Sarah Knowles

Jørn Skaane, CEO of Lefdal Mine Datacenter, explains data centre power needs and grid connection hurdles. Erik Strømsø, CEO of BW ESS, outlines where storage can pay off across the Nordics and Europe. Lars Ove Skorpen, Pareto Securities director, analyzes subsidies, supply outlook and investment signals. They debate grid queues, distorted price signals, and how faster connections and clearer priorities could unlock projects.

Ten European countries in Europe came together in Hamburg earlier this week to sign a commitment to deliver 100GW of offshore wind in the North Sea - a move the German energy minister labelled as "a historic moment for Europe." After a year of failed auctions and cancelled wind projects across some countries in Europe, does this "pact" reveal Europe's commitment to energy independence following President Trump's abuse directed at "loser windmills"?In this episode, Richard speaks to offshore wind developer Orsted and TSO TenneT about some of the grid integration challenges that the sector needs to overcome, and how proposed interconnectors and bidding zones could work in practice.Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsGuests: Ulrik Stridbæk - Head of Global Regulatory & Public Affairs, ØrstedJoana Stirnberg - Coordinator of EU Affairs, TenneTHubert Put - Senior Consultant, MontelContributor: Andreas Lochner - Germany Editor, Montel NewsEditor: Oscar BirkProducer: Sarah KnowlesSubscribe to the podcast on our website, via Apple Podcasts or Spotify