Europe’s new-generation nuclear plants stagger over the start line
Years late and massively over-budget, Europe’s first EPR nuclear plants in Finland and France are on the verge of “energizing”, as the sector jargon goes. Barring last-minute glitches, this will be the...
View ArticleIn the LOOP: US crude exports to Europe driven higher by spreads, tanker rates
Favorable freight economics have helped drive up demand for light, sweet US crude oil in Europe and an expanding list of countries, including Germany, are looking to import barrels from the US Gulf...
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Less volatile gas prices give newest US LNG plant smoother start-up
US LNG export projects, whether brownfield or greenfield, are multi-year, billion dollar projects. While construction timelines dictate their commissioning schedule, there can be inconvenient and...
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UK electricity links to Europe multiply, even as Brexit looms
This week marks the start of a new phase in London-Brussels relations. But it has nothing to do with Brexit, and it won’t be political power returning to Westminster as a result of the UK’s departure...
View ArticleKing coal retreats in Europe, but still powers global growth
Coal is having a bad time in Europe. Germany – the world’s fourth largest economy – has said it will phase out coal-fired power generation by 2038 while in the UK, the closure of another large coal...
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Is European recycling up to the plastic waste challenge?
This is the concluding article in a three-part series exploring oil, plastics demand and sustainability. European governments and corporates are setting ambitious goals on plastics recycling, but there...
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African swine flu impact spreads over Chinese economy, global commodity prices
Bacon could soon be off the fried breakfast menu. African swine flu is sweeping across South East Asia and threatening to spread even further after decimating some pig farmers in China, which consumes...
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Exchange’s IT malfunction sends jitters through European spot power markets
One week ago, European spot power exchange EPEX Spot was hit with an issue any financial platform would want to avoid. Technical problems led to a series of server crashes, forcing the exchange to...
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German LNG projects are taking shape, but does the market need them?
Germany currently imports over 80 Bcm/year of natural gas, or nearly one quarter of total European imports, primarily from Russia, Norway and the Netherlands. Now, the country is looking to add to its...
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Commodity Tracker: 4 charts to watch this week
As LME week kicks off, S&P Global Platts editors take a closer look at the current drivers of copper prices. US oil and refined products trade, UK political parties’ energy policies, and a glut of...
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The forgotten winners in a low-price global gas market
Global gas prices today are not only low, but unprecedentedly low, with little to suggest any imminent upside. Producers may be suffering, but large consumers of natural gas have an opportunity to...
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Europe’s largest gas field is winding down, but market has plenty of...
The Netherlands’ Groningen field is entering its final chapter as a major supplier of natural gas to the continent. In 2022, eight years earlier than originally planned, output from Europe’s largest...
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Italian power, gas demand slump illustrates how coronavirus has crippled...
The fast spread of coronavirus in Italy, along with measures to restrict individual movement – the harshest since World War II – has dragged down power and gas demand in the country and caused prices...
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Russia’s hydrogen bet sets up contest with Australia for Japanese market
Russia is all set to gain a foothold in the global hydrogen sector in what looks like a bid to be a key supplier for Japan, which has ambitious targets for adoption of the fuel by 2050. Japan’s plans...
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Tracking global energy transition in turbulent times: solar stutters, coal...
As the extent of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on economic activity and power demand emerges, newbuild activity in global power faces old and new sets of challenges. The short-term focus has...
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As lockdown alters food and fuel demand, is it ‘mayday’ for European sugar...
At the start of 2020 European sugar producers could have been forgiven for thinking the worst was behind them. After falling to historic lows in 2018, European sugar prices were on an upward trend,...
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Commodity Tracker: 5 charts to watch this week
The US oil production slowdown, China’s domestic gasoline pricing policy, and power market outlooks on both sides of the Atlantic feature in this week’s pick of commodity market trends from S&P...
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Bland LNG contracts need a bit of seasoning
The LNG market has clung tenaciously to traditional contracting structures, but so many of the justifications – the rationale for oil indexation, limited LNG supply, and lack of spot gas trade or...
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European steel industry looks for way forward amid coronavirus demand blow
The coronavirus has dealt the European steel sector a heavy blow. Coming on the heels of Brexit and global trade tensions, the crisis has also highlighted the region’s overcapacity problem, raising the...
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Deglobalization trend gains pace in lithium battery supply chain
The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated concerns across the lithium-ion battery industry about China’s dominance of the supply chain. The pandemic has also highlighted the need for local supply chains, in...
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