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As wholesale markets remain nervous and volatile, there are renewed calls for policymakers to intervene to shield large energy users from spiking prices. But are markets failing? And could ill-conceived, knee-jerk interventions disrupt the EU’s internal energy market?

Rising geopolitical tensions and disruption to key global shipping routes have pushed gas, power and oil prices sharply higher in recent weeks. While Europe’s energy system is better prepared than it was during the 2022 crisis, volatility in wholesale markets has revived concerns about the impact of rising energy costs on industry.

In this episode, Richard speaks with Montel’s EU correspondent about the options being considered in Brussels ahead of a key meeting of EU leaders, before discussing with experts from the power sector and energy-intensive industry whether Europe could be facing another energy shock, why electricity prices remain structurally high for manufacturers, and whether calls for market intervention risk undermining the EU’s internal energy market.

Host: Richard Sverrisson – Editor-in-Chief, Montel News

Guests: 

Cillian O’Donoghue – Policy Director, Eurelectric
Adina Georgescu – Energy and Climate Director, European Metals
Fatima Sadouki – EU Correspondent, Montel News

Editor: Alexandra Carlon

Producer: Alexandra Carlon

#EnergyMarkets #EuropeanEnergy #EnergyPolicy #EnergyCrisis #ElectricityMarkets #EnergyTransition #EnergyTrading #EnergySecurity #EnergyEconomics #CleanEnergy #EnergyPodcast

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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 News

Guests: 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 News

Editor: Oscar Birk

Producer: Alexandra Carlon

#EnergyMarkets #EUETS #EnergyTransition #CarbonMarkets #ClimatePolicy #EnergyPolicy #RenewableEnergy #EnergyTrading #EnergyEconomics #EuropeanEnergy #CleanEnergy #Decarbonisation #EnergyPodcast 

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Middle East escalation has put the Strait of Hormuz; the world’s key energy chokepoint, under threat. We assess the impact on Brent crude, European gas (TTF), and global LNG, with a focus on Qatar’s supply and Europe’s exposure.

Joined by Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, Dan Marks, Research Fellow for Energy Security at RUSI, and Henning Gloystein, Eurasia Group, they discuss whether Iran would truly close Hormuz, the risks to shipping and infrastructure, and what comes next for global energy markets.

Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel News

Guests: 

Hussein Ibish - Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute

Dan Marks - Research Fellow for Energy Security at RUSI

Henning Gloystein - Eurasia Group

Laurence Walker - Montel News

Editor: Alex Carlon, Oscar Birk

Producer: Alex Carlon

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#StraitOfHormuz #HormuzCrisis #OilPrices #LNG #QatarLNG #EnergyMarkets #EnergyCrisis #GasPrices #BrentCrude #TTF #EnergySecurity #MiddleEast #Geopolitics #ShippingDisruption #GlobalMarkets #RUSI

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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 News

Guests: 

Yuriy Onyshkiv from - Senior Gas Analyst, London Stock Exchange Group

Oleksiy Povolotskiy - Head of Recovery Office, DTEK

Kristian Ruby - Secretary General Eurelectric

Editor: Oscar Birk

Producer: Sarah Knowles

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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 News

Guests: 

Tom Darrell - CEO, Nord Pool

Peter Reitz - CEO, EEX

Contributor:  Julia Demirdag - Germany Reporter, Montel News

Editor: Oscar Birk

Producer: Sarah Knowles

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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 News

Guests: 

Henning Gloystein - Managing Director of Energy and Resources, Eurasia Group

Hanns Koenig - Managing Director, Aurora Energy Research EMEA

Tobias Federico - Chief Analyst, Montel

Contributor: Mai Rosner - Investigative Reporter, Montel News

Editor: Oscar Birk

Producer: Sarah Knowles

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Norway is normally an exporter of electricity to its neighbours , but experts are sounding alarm bells. They warn that the increase in demand from electrification and data centres will eclipse the country's abundant power supply. Has Norway now reached that crucial turning point? 

In this episode, Richard sits down with Nordic market experts at the Pareto Securities conference in Oslo to discuss the how government subsidies are distorting investment decisions, and why major demand drivers like data centres need faster grid reforms and connections. 

Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel News

Guests: 

Erik Strømsø - CEO and Co-Founder, BW ESS

Jørn Skaane - CEO, Lefdal Mine Datacenter

Lars Ove Skorpen - Director of Power & Renewable Energy, Pareto Securities

Contributor: Petter Udland - Norway Reporter, Montel News

Editor: Oscar Birk

Producer: Sarah Knowles

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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 News

Guests: 

Ulrik Stridbæk - Head of Global Regulatory & Public Affairs, Ørsted

Joana Stirnberg - Coordinator of EU Affairs, TenneT

Hubert Put - Senior Consultant, Montel

Contributor: Andreas Lochner - Germany Editor, Montel News

Editor: Oscar Birk

Producer: Sarah Knowles

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This week, US President Donald Trump confirmed his plans to annex Greenland, threatening European members of NATO with higher tariffs if they try to stand in his way. 

Despite European leaders expressing messages of defiance and retaliation to these threats from the US, does Europe's reliance on the US for its LNG - and the tariffs negotiated as part of the 2025 EU-US deal - leave the continent in a weak position to oppose Trump? 

In this episode, Richard speaks to geopolitical and gas experts about how the markets have responded to this week's events, and the impact that global geopolitical tensions are having on LNG and oil trade. 

Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel News

Guests: Anne-Sophie Corbeau - Global Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy

Claudio Galimberti - Chief Economist, Rystad Energy

Contributor: Laurence Walker - Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Montel News

Editor: Oscar Birk

Producer: Sarah Knowles

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In this week's episode, we take a trip to the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland to visit the Svartsengi power Station. Located only several hundred metres from several active volcanoes, the 85 MW geothermal plant has withstood 12 eruptions over the past few years - only shutting down once when power lines actually melted.  

Richard sits down with HS Orka's CEO to find out exactly how this resilient power station kept running when lava was flowing down the mountainside and the local residents were being evacuated. Not least how the company upgraded the plant on time and under budget.

 Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel News
Guest: Tómas Már Sigurðsson - CEO, HS Orka

Editor: Oscar Birk
Producer: Sarah Knowles

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