In this episode of the Platts Future Energy Podcast, Gary Clark hosts downstream oil news managing editor Robert Perkins and head of aviation research James Simpson as they unpack the evolving landscape of jet fuel markets amid significant geopolitical and economic shifts. From the pandemic's lingering effects on demand to the impact of the Russian-Ukraine conflict and Middle Eastern tensions, supply chains for jet fuel are under scrutiny. Talking points range from the rise of Sustainable...

With the world’s renewable energy capacity reaching record levels, attention has shifted to the risks involved in sourcing critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite, essential for sustaining these industries. China’s dominance over global critical minerals supply chains has led the US, EU, and other major consumers to diversify their foreign sources while also developing domestic resources and strengthening recycling capacity. In this podcast, S&P Global Commodity...

This is episode 3 of All Things Aviation, a special six-part series focussing on the dynamics, trends and outlooks in the aviation sector. In this episode, Sophie Byron, global director of biofuels pricing at S&P Global Commodity Insights, and Tom Washington, senior news writer covering biofuels in the EMEA region, are joined by Ina Chirita and Jamie Dorner, Europe and America leads in the biofuels research team.  They take a look at the complexities of the rapidly evolving Sustainable...

This is episode 2 of All Things Aviation, a special six-part series focusing on the dynamics, trends, and outlooks in the aviation sector. In this episode, Marie-Louise Du Bois, head of the global carbon pricing team is joined by S&P Global Commodity Insights experts Dana Agrotti, low carbon market lead analyst, Agamoni Ghosh, managing editor, global compliance carbon pricing and Eklavya Gupte, editorial lead, carbon news. They delve into the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for...

This is episode 1 of All Things Aviation, a special six-part series focusing on the dynamics, trends and outlooks in the aviation sector.  In the first episode of this Future Energy miniseries, S&P Global Commodity Insights scenarios and aviation experts Roman Kramarchuk, Paul McConnell and James Simpson set the stage, discussing the global state of aviation demand, fuel supply and Commodity Insights scenario outlooks for 2024 and beyond. What is the importance of emissions from the...

Global installed capacity of solar photovoltaics has grown at an extraordinary pace in recent years as countries strive to meet approaching decarbonisation targets, meaning that the technology is having an ever-increasing part in electricity mixes worldwide.  In this episode of the Platts Future Energy Podcast, solar market reporter Lena Dias Martins is joined by associate director for solar research Josefin Berg to discuss the growth of solar globally, installation forecasts and how this...

A first wave of subsidy auctions for green hydrogen production in Europe has revealed early price signals and could kick-start the market after a long period of policy and investment delays. The recent European Hydrogen Bank auction results were much lower than expected, but will renewable hydrogen be much cheaper than previously thought, or will consumers have to pay a large premium to secure offtake? Senior energy transition reporter James Burgess discusses these topics and more with...

Hydrogen fuel is gaining traction as a promising solution for decarbonizing the transport sector, particularly in challenging areas like aviation where electrification is limited. US government subsidies for low-carbon hydrogen production and the establishment of the Department of Energy’s seven hydrogen hubs are expected to drive low-carbon hydrogen production at scale. However, the aviation industry awaits regulatory guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration to provide clarity on...

Sulfur is a crucial input for the fertilizer market. But, this byproduct of the oil and gas industry is also increasingly in-demand for processing key metals needed for the energy transition, such as copper and nickel. In this episode of the Platts Future Energy podcast, sulfur and sulfuric acid market reporter Matt Hoisch is joined by sulfur and sulfuric acid Analyst, Yuya Pan, and senior copper analyst, Ruilin Wang, for a deep dive into how a transition to greener energy sources is...

India's energy transition strategy encompasses greater adoption of a wide range of renewable fuels to go with baseload coal for decades to come, with new policies on CCUS, carbon markets and power reforms set to play a role in the decarbonization of the third largest greenhouse gas emitter of the world. In this Platts Future Energy podcast, Consulting Executive Director, Energy Transition Gauri Jauhar, Managing Editor, Global Compliance Carbon Pricing Agamoni Ghosh, and Associate Director,...

The price of emissions in the world’s largest compliance carbon market –the EU’s Emissions Trading System– has fallen sharply so far in 2024, driven by economic uncertainty, weaker industrial activity and lower gas prices. S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts Eklavya Gupte, Coralie Laurencin, Michael Testa and Scott Chen discuss the reasons behind this decline, the outlook for EU ETS prices, and what this slump could mean for short- and long-term climate and energy policy.   Related...

As the dust settles after COP28, with world leaders finally agreeing to shift energy systems away from fossil fuels, scrutiny of the climate impact of energy policy is set to intensify in 2024. The thorny issue of finance is likely to dominate the climate debate this year, and with economic and geopolitical uncertainty still dominating the headlines, energy markets are in for a bumpy ride. In this episode of the Platts Future Energy podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts Anna...

There's just over a year to go until the EU introduces its sustainable aviation fuel mandate. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Seb Lewis, associate director for biofeedstocks and biofuels consulting, speaks with Stephen Li, associate director for biofuels research and analysis, and Simone Burgin, associate editor for biofuels pricing. The team discusses the current state of the SAF market and HEFA fuels, developments in advanced biofuels and PtL pathways, feedstocks, and the current state...

Waste feedstocks in the form of Used Cooking Oil and Palm Oil Mill Effluent have been hitting headlines in the biofuels sphere – touted as the next generation of energy feedstocks. Feedstock flexibility appears to be a dominant trend over the next few years, and legislations across many countries look set to propel demand of waste-based feedstocks. In this podcast, Asia’s managing editor Takmila Shahid, markets editor Nurul Darni, together with Head of Asia agriculture and metals news team,...

The growing use of renewable energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels is creating a large flexibility gap that needs to be filled by clean technologies such as energy storage. Long-term storage technologies are critical to solar and wind power, addressing the challenge of intermittency. While lithium-ion stands as the incumbent, scaling it for extended durations proves costly. Alternative solutions poised to fill this role will need to demonstrate scalable manufacturing and large-scale...

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is seen as an essential enabler of international emissions trading, providing countries and businesses with a key pathway to meet and accelerate their climate goals. However, many key decisions and rules around the use of Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 need to be clarified at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in order to move carbon markets forward. S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts Dana Agrotti, Vandana Sebastian and Eklavya Gupte explore some of the...

In this series of podcasts, we explore and compare different battery chemistries against the dominant lithium-ion battery sector.  Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a strong competitor to lithium-ion batteries, particularly in the energy storage sector. Some have even hailed it as a game-changer in the entry-level or low-cost EV segment, and that it could threaten the long-standing dominance of lithium-ion batteries in the EV sector. In this episode, battery metals experts Euan Sadden,...

Against the backdrop of Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and a self-imposed deadline for a US Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, American steelmakers are stepping up investments in clean energy and working to ensure efforts to produce lower-emissions steel are recognized on the global stage. So how will policymakers view their initiatives, and will end-users be willing to pay more for material with a reduced-CO2 profile?  S&P Global Commodity Insights'...

Voluntary carbon markets are facing a critical moment in their short history. Questions about the integrity and effectiveness of many carbon projects have led to a sharp fall in prices and liquidity. However, a series of quality and transparency initiatives are being adopted to restore confidence in offsets. S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts Eklavya Gupte, Dana Agrotti and Silvia Favasuli discuss the road to recovery for the VCM as it seeks to rebuild credibility and trust. Related...

The hefty premiums paid by BP and TotalEnergies in Germany’s latest offshore wind auction reflect the value these companies place on diversification – but do the economics stack up? Competition for offshore concessions has been fierce, but the sector is also under extreme cost pressure from stressed supply chains and rising inflation. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ news editors Henry Edwardes-Evans, Andreas Franke and Alex Blackburne discuss these issues with S&P Global analyst...

Renewable Natural Gas – also known as RNG or biomethane — has gained attention in recent years as a lower-carbon replacement for conventional fossil natural gas. Rising demand for RNG has helped push prices for the associated environmental attributes up to anywhere from five to forty times the price of physical natural gas. As the market has grown, so has the need for transparent pricing. In response, S&P Global Commodity Insights launched first-of-kind pricing for landfill gas RNG for...

India has an ambitious target to double the steel production capacity by 2030 from current levels. While the steel industry gears up for this expansion, concerns of higher carbon emissions loom large amid India lacking a distinct roadmap for decarbonization and its carbon neutrality target set as far ahead as 2070. At the same time, Europe is gearing up to implement the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which is expected to affect the sources and prices of steel imports. How is...

The European steel industry is at the forefront of developing a market for lower CO2 emission steel. New production processes are being implemented, new products are being offered, but the green steel market is lacking standardization at the same time. Standardization of carbon-accounted products is one of many items on the European Commission’s energy transition to-do list. The next action item is going to be the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which is expected to affect the...

Amid global efforts to decarbonize, US President Joe Biden's administration has set an ambitious goal to have 50% of all new vehicle sales in the US be electric by the end of this decade. However, making this shift will be heavily reliant on securing supply of battery metals. As countries around the globe are racing to electrify, Latin America, with its rich mineral reserves, is set to play a critical role. In the second episode of this special two-part series, S&P Global news and...