Upstream In Perspective

Australia has long relied on resource-extraction industries to grow its economy. Recent policies now look to leverage the country’s geology to store CO2 via Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects.  Technical Research Director Frankie Hulbert joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss Australia’s recent efforts to prioritize CCS exploration and development, and consider the country’s opportunity to emerge as a regional hub for emissions mitigation.  Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights Upstream coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/industry/oil-gas.html   Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Nuclear energy plants emit no carbon and can run twenty-four hours per day without relying on wind or sunlight. Recently big-name investors have put their celebrity – and money – behind innovations in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and fusion. North America Power Expert Steve Piper joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the changing views on nuclear electricity as the world embraces net-zero goals, and whether the renewed enthusiasm represents a nuclear renaissance.    Learn more about S&P Market Intelligence at: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en   Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Shell (Graff-1) and TotalEnergies (Venus 1-X) in 2022 each announced successful offshore exploration wells in Namibia’s Orange Sub-basin. Enthusiasm is high enough to warrant discussion that Venus has perhaps identified Africa’s 6th Super Giant oilfield.  Upstream expert Justin Cochrane joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss Namibia’s recent deepwater exploration success, and consider the timelines and hurdles that must be overcome in reaching commercial goals.  Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights here: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Government policy and, in many cases, consumer preferences are accelerating new sales of electric vehicles. Automotive expert Devin Lindsay joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the rise of electric vehicles, and consider how this shift in mobility may affect automotive and energy industries going forward.    Learn more about S&P Global Mobility here: https://www.spglobal.com/mobility/en/index.html   Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

#Copper is often spoken of as having a phd because its price can be used to quickly diagnose global economic health. The #metal will also be key in realizing ambitions of an electrified, low-carbon future. Metals and Mining experts Ronnie Cecil and Kevin Murphy join EnergyCents with host Hill Vaden to discuss the role of copper in #electrification, and consider some of the challenges and opportunities for industry as it seeks supply.    Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights Metals and Mining coverage here: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/campaigns/metals-mining   Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

China’s reopened economy, sidelined shale, and Russian sanctions all add fresh uncertainties to the supply and demand balances shaping global oil-price expectations. Oil Markets expert Karim Fawaz joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to consider the important variables ahead of the recent OPEC+ meeting in June, and discuss the drivers behind our outlook for the second half of 2023. Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), a byproduct of natural gas production and refined oil, is primarily used in cooking, transportation, and as a petrochemical feedstock. It burns cleaner than diesel and gasoline in transportation, and still competes with firewood for market share in developing economies. Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) expert Fernando Covas joins EnergyCents with host Hill Vaden to consider the status and perception of LPG amid a global energy transition and discuss why investors are looking to Africa as a growth market for the fuel. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights coverage of NGL markets: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/natural-gas-liquids-market-forecast.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Western sanctions have attempted to limit the market opportunity for Russian oil following the country’s invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago. Barrels continue to access markets in, perhaps, unexpected ways. Shipping expert Rahul Kapoor joins EnergyCents with host Hill Vaden to discuss how Russian oil continues to access markets post-sanctions, and consider the implications for shippers and consumers. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights coverage of Commodities at Sea: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/commodities-at-sea.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Almost 20% of the world’s population lives in India, which remains heavily reliant on higher emitting fuels for its energy supply. The potential opportunity for cleantech and decarbonization technologies is huge as the country work towards a 2070 net-zero target. India energy expert Sahil Ali joins EnergyCents with host Hill Vaden to outline India’s current energy balances, and consider technologies that the country may embrace – and challenges that must be overcome – as it embarks on a path to net-zero. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights coverage of Indian energy markets: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/asia-pacific-regional-integrated.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Carbon, Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is increasingly viewed as a key to the world meeting its climate goals. The multi-step technology, or technologies, somewhat uniquely leverages the upstream sector’s experience and expertise in geophysics, molecule management, and large-scale projects. CCUS expert Derek Gonsuron joins EnergyCents with host Hill Vaden to discuss recent advances in CCUS, and consider how traditional upstream companies may realize relative advantage in developing the projects and business models that puts carbon back in the ground. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights work on CCUS here: https://view.highspot.com/viewer/6410e2efb37768b5626b2332 Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

European energy markets largely dodged a crisis during the 2022-23 winter months thanks to the combination of functioning markets, policy influences, and warm weather. Energy expert Laurent Ruseckas joins EnergyCents with host Hill Vaden to recount Europe’s successful gas-market balancing act in 2022, and consider how the continent is preparing for 2023 as conflict in Ukraine continues to disrupt traditional energy supplies. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights’ European Gas, Power and Renewables coverage here: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/eu-energy-forecasts-strategic-analysis-insights-by-fuel.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Petrobras emerged a leader in offshore oil in gas on the back of exploration success throughout the early 2000s, which also coincided with the first presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010). Lula won re-election in 2022, and promises to prioritize the development of low-carbon energy through its state-owned oil company. Energy Supply Chain expert Carlos Rocha joins EnergyCents with host Hill Vaden to discuss the evolving role of Petrobras within the Brazilian energy sector, and what to watch for under the new Lula-led government. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Costs and Supply Chain coverage here: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/cost-solution-oil-gas.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Buoyed by high commodity prices in 2022, the global upstream sector enters 2023 with a high-class cash-flow problem: what to do with all this money. Among other ideas, governments suggest windfall-profits taxes, investors want dividends and buybacks, and environmentalists seek climate-directed investment. Upstream experts Raoul LeBlanc and Kevin Birn rejoin EnergyCents with host Hill Vaden to discuss the operating environment for Upstream players in 2023, and how executives may balance competing pressures to reinvest in fossil fuels, diversify into new technologies, and/or share profits with stakeholders. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Upstream Emissions coverage here: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/upstream-emissions.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Battery and automobile makers often look at the relationship between service stations and internal combustion engines as business-model analogues to solve electric vehicles’ duration and distance challenges. But are these the right analogues? Cleantech experts Sam Wilkinson and George Hilton rejoin EnergyCents this week to discuss business-model alternatives to road-side recharging, as well as the role of recycling in addressing EV supply-chain challenges. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Clean Energy Technology coverage here: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/clean-energy-technology.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) investment themes fell out of favor in 2022 as concerns around things like energy security and Wall Street’s motivation captured the attention of investors and governments. Peter Gardett rejoins EnergyCents this week to discuss the changing narratives of ESG and consider how those shifts may (or may not) affect cleantech-directed capital in 2023. Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

The success of cleantech innovation is, in many ways, dependent on the world’s mining sector delivering an adequate supply of one or more of the following metals: copper, cobalt, nickel, and lithium. Mark Ferguson, a Commodity Insights metals and mining expert for S&P Global's Capital IQ, joins EnergyCents this week to discuss the convergence of energy with the metals and mining sector, and how ESG-oriented investors balance the environmental impact of mining with the low-carbon promise of cleantech. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights Metals and Mining coverage here: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/campaigns/metals-mining Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

In what has become an annual EnergyCents tradition, we welcome back experts Reed Olmstead and David Vaucher for our annual year-in-review and resolutions episode. We check in to see how well we performed against 2022 expectations, consider the year’s biggest surprises, and share predictions on how the energy sector may evolve in the coming year. Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Russia’s Ukraine invasion led to gas supply constraints to Europe that rerouted global gas flows throughout the summer and fall. Gas market expert Johan Utama joins EnergyCents this week to review the role of natural gas in Southeast Asian markets, and how a spike in European demand influenced local balances half a world away. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights’ petroleum-sector risk coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/asia-pacific-regional-integrated.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Global oil prices avoided hitting new highs over past months as policy choices from consuming countries helped balanced markets, and Russian supply found new outlets. Global oil expert Karim Fawaz joins EnergyCents this week to review shifts in oil markets since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and share expectations for winter as global economies slow and anticipated sanctions dislocate supply. Learn more about Karim’s analysis with S&P Global Commodity Insights at: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/s1/products/energy-advisory-service.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

The world has seen an impressive emergence of the Guyana Basin through the discovery of more than 16 billion boe of recoverable resources in less than seven years. Accelerated development of the most prolific discoveries may perhaps lead to the basin delivering 2 MMb/d by middle of next decade. The scene has radically changed since 2015 when ExxonMobil made the Liza discovery in the Stabroek Block, with a resurgence in Guyana Basin exploration giving rise to 81 NFW wells drilled offshore mainly in deeper waters to date. The competitive landscape in the Guyana Basin is populated by a mix of global international oil companies (GIOCs), independents, and foreign national oil companies (NOCs). The largest resource holders in the Guyana Basin are ExxonMobil in partnership with Hess and CNOOC yielding more than 13 billion boe of recoverable resources.