The HC Commodities Podcast

Today,  we return to US domestic energy supply and private equity. The vibrancy of private capital markets launched the shale revolution and is now unlocking key bottlenecks in infrastructure as the US looks to meet the world’s demand for LNG and domestic AI. Where is shale production today?  Are rumors of its demise overstated? Where is demand headed, particularly for natural gas? And how is private equity faring more broadly in a world of higher interest rates and other macro-economic headwinds? And what are the opportunities within energy and its infrastructure? Our guest is Jason Downie, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Tailwater Capital, a private equity firm with over 6 billion in capital and a core focus on energy infrastructure. 

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

Nick Kumleben, Director of the Geopolitical Risk Consultancy founded by Niall Ferguson, Greenmantle, rejoins us to discuss the latest events in Middle East. What are the short, medium and long-term consequences of Israel and the US's joint attack on global trade and commodities. What are some non-linear effects and why ultimately duration is key.

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

Today, we discuss how volatility and battery energy storage systems are reshaping clean energy and repairing power markets. What does the domination of clean power do to markets? What are the consequences both for power purchase agreements, battery storage and traders? What are the nuances in different regulatory regimes? How is Europe diverging from the US, and what has happened to the green premium? Our guest to discuss all of this and more is Luca Pedretti, CEO and founder of Pexapark, a pricing intelligence firm for clean energy.

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

Today, we review energy supply and demand and some of the key sentiments coming out of International Energy Week, not only about where both those curves are headed, but also key associated risks to each. Are our assumptions correct about energy demand in the world of AI? Are our assumptions correct around development curves, especially in the Global South? Is there a hydrocarbon glut out there? And what about the long term? All this comes to us from Claudio Galimberti, Chief Economist at Rystad Energy, and their recently published House View. Rystad is an energy consulting and market analytics firm with over 40 offices around the world and headquartered in Oslo.

The House View is available for download here. https://www.rystadenergy.com/house-view-report

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

AI is already changing commodity trading operating models. And unlocking adjacent technologies such as digital assets and DeFI? That itself is changing the competitive landscape and attracting new participants from outside the sector. Where is that investment going? And how profound is this change going to be? And how quickly is it going to be upon us? Our guest is Eren Zekioglu. Eren has spent a career at hedge funds and at trading houses and at the intersection of trading, operations and technology, including at Glencore and Gunvor.

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

Food, fuel, geopolitics, great power competition and trade - Soybeans sit at the heart of it all. What are the big macro trends with the commodity? How has trade and geopolitics impacted it? How has new drugs like GLPs impacted it? And what is the outlook? Joining us once again is Walter Cronin, President and Co-Founder of White River Nutrition, a US soy processing company based in Nebraska, which alongside meal and soybean oil produces high -quality soy ingredients.

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

Today, we discuss the importance of energy, what the growing demand for energy means, and how hard it can be to deliver that energy. To demonstrate that, we are using Texas as a microcosm. Texas produces the greatest amount of energy in the US.  Its mix of energy spans renewables, nuclear, natural gas, coal, and yet its citizens pay some of the highest prices in the Southern States. At the same time, it's ground zero for hyper-scalers and is the epicenter of fracking yielding epochal volumes of hydrocarbon. To discuss all this and more is one of the leading lights in the Texas energy sector, Mike Howard, Founder and CEO of Howard Energy Partners, the largest privately owned mid-streamer in the US. Beyond his business ventures, Mike is a key advocate for energy's role in society and the importance of getting it right, in technology, in physics, in legislation and in investment. 

www.hcgroup.global

www.hyperionsearch.com

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

Gold, copper and silver have gone parabolic. The dollar is falling. And yet, hydrocarbons remain at an inflation adjusted all-time lows. Is the world being complacent due to the narrative of the oil glut, food glut, and natural gas glut. However, as our guest Jeff Currie says "if you have to scrape the data for evidence of a glut, perhaps there isn't one" Are we headed for a great repricing? Are we on the precipice of inflation and macro-economic turmoil. As tech companies plow their free cash flow into assets, will the investors return to hydrocarbons?

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

https://interactive.hcgroup.global/annual-review-2025-26/full-view.html

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

What drives global natural gas prices more: power politics or supply and demand? In this episode, we discuss the geo-politicization of natural gas and the challenge that presents to traders and investors alike. Why was 2025 such a difficult year for traders? And what are the most consequential stories in natural gas for 2026? H Returning to the show is Anne-Sophie Corbeau, Global Research Scholar at the Center for Global Energy Policy.

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