The HC Commodities Podcast

In 2023, Renewables have struggled with rising costs and higher interest rates. Alongside, there is a growing palpable shift in the perceptions, and expectations of nuclear power’s role in the energy transition. Is this a structural shift? Natural gas remains the bridge fuel but can shale production keep up with growing US exports and if not, what will that mean? in this episode, Adam Rozencwajg, Managing Partner of Natural Resource investor Goehring and Rozencwajg rejoins us to discuss the structural shifts and shifting sentiments in energy in 2023 and what 2024 may hold in store.

You can view Goehring & Rozencwajg's research here:https://www.gorozen.com

You can visit HC Group here: www.hcgroup.global

For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

In this episode we return to Lithium – the critical metal of the electron age. The supply chain is both constrained and concentrated, leading to a rush to find suitable deposits worldwide. However, its not just quality of deposit that matters but type, geography and the political and social environment in which it sits. In this episode, we review the Lithium Triangle, the rich swath of brines that cover Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. How and why has the Lithium Triangle acquired its name? What role will it play in the energy transition and which of those three countries provide the best opportunities? Our guests are Gabriel Rubacha and Taj Singh. Gabriel is now the CEO and Chairman of NOA Lithium Brines, a Lithium exploration company focused on the Triangle. Gabriel was previously on the board of directors at Lithium Americas Corp. Taj is the former CEO of NOA and now President & CEO at Gold Line Resources Ltd.

Visit NOA Lithium Brines https://www.noalithium.com//

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For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

Hydrogen made in a steam reformer, grey hydrogen, is responsible for 3% of global greenhouse emissions yet it is embedded in many industrial applications. More broadly industry accounts for some 10% of emission. Switching industry to green hydrogen would make a huge difference. Yet, green hydrogen remains rare. The costs in both the operating expenses and capital expenditure means implementation is extraordinarily difficult, especially in a high interest rate environment. What are the challenges, what does the future hold and how could the costs be lowered? Our guest is Chad Mason, CEO and founder of Advanced Ionics,  a company focused on the  clean future of industrial hydrogen.

Visit Advanced Ionics here: https://advanced-ionics.com/

For HC Group visit www.hcgroup.global

For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

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For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

Cotton is a commodity that is familiar to all of us. However, the market for cotton is not. How and where is it produced and traded? How is the cotton market being impacted by de-globalization, digitization and the energy transition? Who are the players and what can the cotton market tell us about the broader economic cycle? Our guest is Crawford Tatum, veteran cotton trader at some of the largest houses and now Director of Economic Research and Market Risk at the Staple Cotton Cooperative Association. 

HC Group is a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities commodities sector with 8 offices around the world. For more information visit www.hcgroup.global

For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

Combining energy storage and renewables tackles intermittency and synchronicity  (the famous duck curve) and unlocks the economics and trading opportunities. However, implementation is challenging. The technical and engineering challenges around which battery and the transformers required to connect to the grid (currently on extended back log). The contracts and commercials are challenging? How will manage and profit from the trade? And both of these depend on location and regulatory environment. Joining us to discuss the complexities and opportunities around combining energy storage and renewables is Brian Knowles, Director of Energy Storage and Flexibility at Pexapark, the PPA pricing and consulting firm. Brian has a unique background pioneering the deployment and commercialization of energy storage with wind and solar projects in Europe and the US.

HC Group is a global search firm dedicated to energy & commodities markets. Visit www.hcgroup.global for more information and contacts for Paul Chapman 

For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

Who really prices oil? Traders? OPEC? Financial Flows and hedge funds? The oil markets are far different than two decades ago. They are increasingly financialized opening trading to a far greater number and variety of participants. Now, as in equities, sentiment can drive markets in the short term irrespective of the physical flows. On September 14 in London, HC Group and Onyx Capital hosted a live podcast event to address just this. Kurt Chapman, Director of Levmet, Saad Rahim, Chief Economist of Trafigura, Tor Svelland, CEO and Founder of Svelland Capital, Savvas Manoussos and Greg Newman, CEO & Founder of Onyx Capital joined Paul Chapman to discuss. We also celebrated Greg's new book - "The World of Oil Derivatives". A fantastic primer for financial trading in the oil markets. 

HC Group is a search firm dedicated to energy & commodities sector. For more information visit www.hcgroup.global.

For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

Taiwan’s energy security is on a knife edge. Energy Transition policies have increased reliance on fossil imports while also increasing CO2 emissions. At the same time, China’s growing belligerence poses an existential threat. Taiwan is crucial to the global economy given its centrality in semi-conductors, itself an ever power-hungry industry. How did Taiwan end up in this state? What were the policies and why have they had limited success? What would a blockade mean for Taiwan? Is the upcoming election likely to change anything? And what lessons can the world take from Taiwan? Our guest is energy journalist and Taiwan expert Angelica Oung, Founding Editor at Taiwan Offshore Wind Unredacted. HC Group delivers retained search, intelligence and advisory for energy and commodities markets. Learn more: hcgroup.global/”

For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise & Staggering Fall with Zeke Faux

On the day of publication, Bloomberg investigative reporter Zeke Faux, joins us to discuss his new book Number Go Up. Zeke followed Crypto’s wild ride with a ring-side seat including being inside SBF’s penthouse as the fallen crypto king faces his imminent arrest. In 2021, all the numbers went up. Billionaires were minted overnight. Crypto would change the world; former presidents and prime ministers lauded SBF as the next Steve Jobs, and stable coins would forever change banking. Commodity traders set up crypto desks. And then it all crashed. Will history view crypto as the world’s biggest ever bubble -  the mother of all madness of crowds - fueled by low-interest rates and bored investors stuck in lockdown? And what about those stable coins like Tether… has the real crash yet to come? Zeke Faux is an investigative reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek and Bloomberg News. He’s a winner of the Gerald Loeb Award and the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award and a National Magazine Award finalist.

For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

Chip War: How semiconductors became the new oil with Chris Miller

Semi-conductors, microchips, are the new oil - the scarce resource on which the modern world depends. Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips. This has only accelerated with the emergence of AI. Yet, the supply chain is incredibly concentrated with just a handful of countries and companies dominating.  As with oil in the previous century, chips sit at the center of geopolitics, great-power rivalry and trade, especially between the US and China. How did chips become some crucial and their supply chains so concentrated and what does it mean for all our futures? Our guest is economic historian Chris Miller, author of Chip War - The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology, the New York Times best seller.

For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global