Plugged In: the energy news podcast

This is the second episode of Plugged In’s five-part CEO summer series, where Richard interviews prominent leaders in Europe’s energy sector. In this episode, Richard interviews Leonhard Birnbaum, CEO of Eon, about Europe’s power market. They discuss the boom in renewable energy, the issues surrounding security of supply, and the importance of investing in Europe’s grid infrastructure. Presenter: Richard Sverisson - Editor-in-Chief Guest: Leonhard Birnbaum - CEO of EonEditors: Bled Maliqi, Sarah KnowlesProducer: Sarah Knowles

Dhara Vyas, CEO of Energy UK, sheds light on the UK's energy landscape one year after the new Labour government took office. She dives into the challenges of rising energy prices and the shift from offshore wind to a stronger focus on nuclear power. The conversation also highlights the importance of community engagement in renewable projects and the need for personalized strategies to ensure energy affordability. With an eye on the future, Vyas emphasizes the urgency for strategic planning as the country moves towards its 2025 energy goals.

Tor Björn Minde, head of the ICE Datacenter Unit at RISE, and Liam Newcombe, Senior VP of Product at Greenscale, dive into the booming data center industry. They discuss how the rise of AI and cloud migration is driving energy consumption, predicting a quadrupling of demand by 2030. The conversation highlights challenges in sustainability, the critical role of data centers in daily life, and the geographical dynamics of where these centers are built. They also touch on innovative strategies to meet growing energy needs efficiently.

This week, LNG prices rose to a 10-week high in Europe in response to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.  With the shadow of a threat from Iran to close its vital waterway for global LNG shipments, in this episode, we discuss the likelihood of this happening, the political power dynamics at play and the implications for global energy markets.Richard speaks to Eurasia Group’s Head of Energy and Kpler’s Principal LNG Analyst about the changes in shipping movements that we have seen around the strait in response to Israel and Iran’s attacks, and what this tells us about how the energy markets have so far reacted.Host: Richard SverrissonContributor: Laurence Walker - Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsGuests:Laura Page - Principal LNG Analyst, KplerHenning Gloystein - Practice Head of Energy, Climate & Resources, Eurasia GroupEditor: Bled MaliqiProducer: Sarah Knowles

Joining the discussion are Priyanka Shinde, a Nordic market expert from Montel Analytics; Vesa Ahoniemi, Chief Commercial Officer at Winda Energy; Riku Merikoski, Senior Power Analyst at Axpo Solutions AG; and Suvi Paaso, Managing Director of Power Deriva. They dive into the phenomenon of negative power prices in the Nordics, detailing the effects on renewable energy investments and wind power production. The guests also unpack the evolving role of nuclear energy, market flexibility, and potential future trends in energy pricing.

Jan Vos, a former Dutch MP and chairman of Ned Zero, joins Bas Sudmeijer, Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group, and Fintan Devenney, Senior Energy Analyst at Montel, to navigate the turbulent waters of offshore wind energy. They discuss Ørsted's withdrawal from a major UK project, the impact of high costs and policy instability, and the EU's ambitious renewable energy targets. The guests emphasize the need for political stability and innovative market structures to overcome challenges and secure a sustainable future for offshore wind.

Emeric de Vigan, Managing Director at 42 Advisors, and Ana Barillas, Managing Director of Iberia and LATAM at Aurora Energy Research, dive into the tension between Spain and France over energy interconnections. They dissect the recent blackout in the Iberian Peninsula and the challenges of local resistance and high costs. The conversation also touches on Spain's renewable energy potential and France's reliance on nuclear power, exploring the political dynamics that complicate energy collaboration between the two nations.

As Europe eyes an end to Russian gas imports by 2027, fresh geopolitical tensions are reshaping energy markets once again. Could Trump’s mediation efforts result in a ceasefire in the Ukraine and could Russian gas re-enter Europe—directly or via shadow routes?In this week’s episode, Richard speaks to two policy experts about what peace versus a ceasefire could really mean for gas prices, energy security, and the green transition. How do emerging interdependencies with the US, Qatar, and Africa shift Europe’s leverage—and what happens when offshore wind, solar, and LNG become pawns in great power rivalries?Presenter: Richard Sverrisson – Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsContributor: Andrés Cala – LNG Correspondent, Montel NewsGuests: Francesco Sassi – Postdoctoral Fellow, University of OsloTobias Federico – Chief Product Officer, MontelEditor: Bled MaliqiProducer: Sarah Knowles

In recent months, the European Commission has published what it describes as “simplified rules” of the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), but is the policy still unclear and too complicated for energy and metals traders?In this episode, Richard talks to experts about the CBAM, and why some commodity trading firms  are holding off - despite the official January 2026 start date. Could some be at risk of ceasing trading temporarily?Host: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsContributor: Gabriel Power - UK Power Reporter, Montel NewsGuests:Dan Maleski - Senior Environmental Markets Advisor, Redshaw AdvisorsNick Ogilvie - Product Manager, Carbon ChainEditors: Bled MaliqiProducer: Sarah Knowles

Since parts of Spain, Portugal, and France temporarily lost power on Monday 28th April, TSOs and policy makers across Europe have been quick to try and assess how much their own networks are at risk of a similar blackout.Whilst we await conclusions from Entso-e’s investigations as to the cause of the outage, in this week’s episode Richard speaks to the Secretary General of Eurelectric and Rystad Energy about what this incident tells us about the reliability of Europe’s grid and our increasing dependency on electricity. What does the outage tell us about the need for flexibility and storage in an increasingly green power system?Presenter: Richard Sverrisson - Editor-in-Chief, Montel NewsContributor: Pablo Bronte - Editor, Montel IberiaGuests: Kristian Ruby - Secretary General, EurelectricPratheeksha Ramdas - Senior New Energies Analyst, Rystad EnergyEditor: Bled MaliqiProducer: Sarah Knowles