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S&P Global Commodity Insights

Interviews, analysis and reporting from S&P Global Commodity Insights on energy and commodities' transition to a cleaner future. Hosts Taylor Kuykendall and Eklavya Gupte speak with policymakers, industry professionals and SPGCI in-house experts worldwide on topics related to decarbonization, climate, emerging fuels and energy sources, and the outlook for commodity markets from oil to power to metals. The Energy Evolution podcast has merged with the Platts Future Energy podcast as of January 2025.

Platts Future Energy

In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte explores the seismic shift transforming America's electricity landscape as artificial intelligence drives unprecedented power demand after years of flat growth.
 

 The discussion features Benjamin Levitt, associate director of research and analysis for gas power and energy futures, and Christopher Wilfong, director of North America power and renewables consulting, both at S&P Global Energy CERA. They talk about the infrastructure challenges facing the power sector while addressing concerns about grid reliability, impact on electricity prices and the potential for an AI bubble reminiscent of the dot-com era.
 

 Eklavya also speaks with Tom Falcone, CEO of the Large Public Power Council, who reveals how utilities handle gigawatt-scale requests from tech giants and explains the critical challenge of ensuring rapid load growth doesn't compromise affordability for existing customers.
 

 The conversations examine how utilities, caught off guard by the AI boom, are grappling with the stark reality of needing to double grid capacity in some regions within a decade, while navigating supply chain bottlenecks, permitting delays, and the critical question of who pays for this massive infrastructure expansion.

The race to rebuild the US power grid in the age of AI

In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte explores how energy traders are turning to sophisticated weather analytics for a competitive edge.
 
From weather derivatives to advanced AI-enhanced weather models, these tools are becoming more sophisticated by the day.
 
The discussion features insights from two of Munich Re's weather derivatives specialists, Theresa Kammel and Pierre Buisson, who shed light on how the energy industry is increasingly using this market to hedge against weather-related financial risks, especially in the renewables space.
 
Eklavya also speaks with Sean Kelly, CEO of energy forecasting company Amperon, about how AI is transforming weather analytics and reshaping how traders anticipate electricity demand, renewable generation and power prices.

How weather analytics is powering modern energy trading

The European hydrogen industry has experienced a turbulent 2025, with project delays and cancellations dominating the headlines. But the data tells a more nuanced story, with large volumes of projects starting construction.
 
 In this episode, senior energy transition reporter James Burgess speaks to Christian Stuckmann, Uniper's head of hydrogen business development, and Shell president for hydrogen Andy Beard to discuss the complexities of the nascent energy transition sector.
 
 They examine the challenges facing the industry and explain how they have been able to progress projects despite headwinds from policy delays and demand uncertainty, with the refining industry emerging as a leader in the green hydrogen space.

Breaking down the hydrogen hype

Nuclear power is back in vogue, with shuttered reactors being restarted, existing plants having their operating lives extended and a growing market of new companies racing to build advanced reactor designs. But questions persist about whether the nuclear industry can execute to deliver these generation projects on schedule and on budget in an era of rapidly rising power demand. 
 
In this episode, Dan Testa discusses these trends with Platts reporter Abbie Bennett and Bill Freebairn, Platts associate director of price reporting for nuclear fuels. Also joining the episode are Adam Stein, a nuclear analyst at the Breakthrough Institute, as well as Drew Marsh, CEO of Entergy Corp. and the new chair of the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Nuclear power enjoys growing interest, but can it deliver?

The gas turbine industry has staged one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent years, fueled by artificial intelligence's insatiable appetite for power.
 
In this episode, host Eklavya Gupte sits down with Javier Cavada, president and CEO for EMEA at Mitsubishi Power, to examine how AI's demand for 24/7 power has created multi-year waiting times for new gas turbines.
 
The conversation explores the far-reaching implications of this boom: tech giants are building dedicated gas-fired plants for data centers, developing nations face turbine shortages, and manufacturers struggle to meet unprecedented demand. Cavada reveals that his company is already discussing projects for 2031-2032, highlighting the unprecedented scale of current demand.

The AI-driven gas turbine renaissance

India's energy transition story can be vividly seen through the lens of one of its most established utilities, Tata Power, which has shifted from a long-standing reliance on coal to become an integrated renewable energy company aiming for a 70% clean power capacity mix by 2030.
 
In this episode, S&P Global Commodity Insights editor Ruchira Singh interviews Tata Power CEO and managing director Praveer Sinha on India's ambitious plan to install 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based power capacity by the end of the decade.
 
In a wide-ranging conversation, Sinha discusses critical infrastructure challenges — from land acquisition hurdles to transmission bottlenecks — and explains how Tata Power plans to deliver 24/7 renewable energy through integrated solar, wind, pumped hydro and battery storage solutions.

India's race to 500 GW of renewable power by 2030

The energy policy of Europe's largest economy, Germany, is the focus of this week's episode.
 
The coalition government's energy ministry recently published a monitoring report highlighting the need for a reality check on electricity demand forecasts and the implications for renewable energy expansion.
 
Andreas Franke, editorial lead at S&P Global Commodity Insights, and Henning Gloystein, managing director of energy, climate & resources at Eurasia Group, examine how revised projections could alter Berlin's solar and wind expansion targets, and reshape the country's path to 80% renewable power by 2030.
 
The conversation delves into the challenges facing German industry amid high energy costs and questions whether the country's 2045 climate targets remain realistic, given its planned reliance on gas-fired power generation.
 
Franke and Gloystein also discuss how this recalibrated approach signals broader challenges facing the global energy transition, and they debate whether similar "reality checks" may be needed across other European nations.

Explaining Germany's energy transition 'reality check'

In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte explores the growing divergence between European and US climate policies nearly a year into Donald Trump's second presidential term.
 
As the US pivots toward fossil fuel expansion and rolls back clean energy initiatives, Europe is recalibrating its energy transition pace amid mounting concerns about economic competitiveness and affordability.
 
The discussion features Laurent Ruseckas, executive director of gas, geopolitics and finance, and Coralie Laurencin, director of European gas, power and carbon policy, both at S&P Global Commodity Insights.
 
They examine Europe's pushback on climate regulations, implementation challenges facing the EU's methane rules and the carbon border adjustment mechanism, and how surging US LNG supplies could strengthen transatlantic energy ties.

Transatlantic divide: US and EU chart different energy transition paths

In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte examines the rising concerns among EU member states about the upcoming Emissions Trading System 2 (ETS2), set to launch in 2027.
 
Worries are growing that ETS2 -- encompassing road transport, buildings, and small businesses -- could lead to substantial increases in energy prices, highlighting the complex interplay between ambitious climate objectives and economic realities.
 
Eklavya also interviews Jason Ying, Commodity Desk Strategist at BNP Paribas, who provides insights into how this new carbon market may influence inflation rates and residential gas prices across the EU. 
 
Links:
 
EU Emission Allowance Nearest-December EADMP00
 Dutch TTF Eur/MWh Month Ahead GTFTM01

How will the EU's new carbon market affect energy costs and inflation?

While 2025's energy headlines have focused on trade wars and geopolitical turmoil, the market for International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-RECs) has seen a dramatic surge in demand, signaling a fundamental shift in corporate sustainability strategies.
 
In this episode, host Eklavya Gupte sits down with Vittoria Morini, global I-RECs lead at S&P Global, and Fatemeh Zahedi, senior price reporter, to discuss some of the big trends behind the recent expansion of this voluntary market.
 
The conversation also explores seasonal price dynamics, the growing appetite in emerging economies, and how supply chain issues and 24/7 carbon-free energy matching could define the future of clean energy procurement.
 
Links:
 
I-REC Turkey Wind Current Year ATKYE00
 I-REC Brazil Hydro Current Year ACERH00

What's driving the rush for I-RECs?

The PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest electricity grid operator, is working to alleviate a logjam of renewable projects waiting to be connected to its system, while also warning in a recent analysis that thermal generation retirements could outpace these new intermittent resource replacements. Darren Sweeney, a senior reporter at S&P Global Commodity Insights, joined Energy Evolution for this episode to share interviews with James Wilson, an economist who has critiqued PJM's energy transition analysis, along with Sierra Club senior attorney Casey Roberts and Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association. 
 
Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the energy and mining sectors. In addition, Camellia Moors and Camilla Naschert, reporters who write about mining and power issues, are correspondents for Energy Evolution and regularly contribute to the show. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes!
 
We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

Grid operator PJM navigates surge in renewables and rapid fossil retirements in the US

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