ICIS - energy podcasts

HOUSTON (ICIS)—Mexico has relied on LNG for years to make up for natural gas supply shortages, particularly in regions with poor pipeline connectivity. How will Mexico’s energy matrix shift as the pipeline buildout connecting it with abundant Permian gas enters its final years? ICIS Mexico Energy Report editor Claudia Espinosa interviews ICIS Americas LNG editor Ruth Liao on the changes.

After rollercoaster movements since the beginning of the month, the Turkish lira stabilised against the US dollar by the end of week 32. But the effect of the volatility and sharp depreciation has hit the economy hard. In this podcast, ICIS Editor Jonathan Lopez speaks to market experts Aura Sabadus and Ben Lake to assess the impact of recent events on the Turkish energy and petrochemical sectors.

The Chinese government has threatened retaliatory tariffs of 25% on US LNG imports as part of an escalating trade war between the two countries. European and Americas LNG experts Alex Thackrah and Ruth Liao discuss the possible implications of the tariff on short-term LNG trading and for the US LNG market, where a host of proposed export projects are jostling to get off the ground.

The Turkish government has aligned regulated consumer gas tariffs with the exchange rate, a move that could improve market conditions. Although welcomed by gas companies, the decision also raises some questions about its impact on electricity producers. In this podcast Aura Sabadus, editor of Turkish Energy Hub Daily and reporter Patrick Sykes discuss the implications.

Spain was in July 2018 on track to export three LNG reloads for the first time since August 2015, recalling its heyday of 2014, when the country briefly became Europe’s biggest LNG exporter. But with the arbitrage window between spot LNG prices in Asian and Europe narrows, will Spanish LNG reloads prove just to be a flash in the pan?

France’s gas market is set to merge on 1 November, creating the Trading Region France (TRF) and a single balancing PEG reference price. But how much of a premium to the benchmark TTF will the new PEG price have? And how much of the southern French TRS premium will be factored into the new PEG quotation? Market Reporter Patrick Sykes interviews lead French gas reporter Kelly Paul on this issue.

A majority of Mexico’s citizens recently elected a political outsider to the presidency. What will this mean for Mexico’s energy reform? ICIS Mexico Energy Report editor Claudia Espinosa interviews ICIS Americas senior energy analyst James Fowler on the topic.

The European Commission recently opened an investigation into alleged destination clauses in Qatar’s long-term LNG supply agreements with European importers. ICIS experts Patrick Sykes and Alex Thackrah discuss what the outcome of the case may be and what it means for LNG markets.

The expiry in 2016 of two Russian transit contracts along a key eastern European pipeline should have triggered the start of regional cross-border trading between Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. However an extensive ICIS investigation found that despite EU requirements to implement third party access at the expiry of legacy contracts, the infrastructure remains blocked amid alleged Gazprom pressure. In this week’s podcast Aura Sabadus and Tom Marzec-Manser reveal the results of the investigation.

LNG market players have been actively chartering in vessels for the upcoming winter, with prompt charter rates growing. ICIS LNG experts Ludovic Aldersley and Katya Kravtsova discuss the impact of the recent activity on the winter charter market.