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Plugged In: the energy news podcast

Latest episodes

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Sep 14, 2023 • 23min

Powering through extreme weather

Floods, wildfires, heatwaves, drought and hurricanes. Extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent in Europe and across the globe. But what does this mean for the way energy is produced, consumed and transported? Listen to a discussion on how the energy market will cope with shifting weather patterns like El Nino as the planet heats up. And, what's the outlook for winter in Europe? Host: Snjólfur Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, MontelGuest: Robin Girmes, Managing Partner at Energy Weather
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Sep 7, 2023 • 31min

France bets big on nuclear (again)

France has announced ambitious plans to build new nuclear plants, with up to 14 reactors potentially online by 2050. Yet its much vaunted new generation reactor at Flamanville is massively overbudget and more than a decade behind schedule. Listen to a discussion on why the grandiose plans by president Emmanuel Macron may not be realised, along with analysis of the main issues affecting the country's renewables objectives. Will it meet its 2030 targets?Host: Snjólfur Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, MontelGuest: Franck Gbaguidi, Director, Energy, Climate and Resources, Eurasia Group
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Aug 31, 2023 • 28min

Gas faces triple whammy?

Wholesale gas prices have been very volatile in August, largely over concerns of a reduction in supply due to strikes at Australian LNG facilities. The market has softened in recent days but risks of further spikes remain. Listen to a discussion on the price impact of the strike, maintenance on the Norwegian continental shelf and a potential cold snap. Also, how safe is northern Europe’s gas infrastructure from attack?Host: Snjólfur Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, MontelGuest: Ole Hvalbye, Commodities Analyst, SEB
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Aug 25, 2023 • 26min

Curbing surplus solar power

Europe is scaling up solar power capacity like never before and could exceed the 46 GW installed last year. But what happens when there is too much feeding the grid? Listen to a discussion on output curtailments, negative prices, and dealing with network constraints. Host: Snjólfur Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, MontelGuest: Naomi Chevillard, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Solar Power Europe
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Aug 18, 2023 • 25min

UK green issues take political centre stage

By pledging to “max out” oil and gas reserves and criticising “loony” green policies, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak appears to be driving a wedge between his government and the opposition Labour party. Listen to a discussion on the country’s faltering climate goals, why offshore wind farms are proving challenging and the fierce debate around urban low-emission zones (Ulez). And, will Britons really be cooking their turkeys on new nuclear power in 2028 (11 years later than originally planned)?Host: Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, MontelGuest: Antony Froggatt, Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House
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5 snips
Aug 11, 2023 • 26min

Slaves to the algorithm

Algorithmic trading has rapidly developed in Europe’s short-term power markets with about 85% of transactions now performed by robots. Listen to a discussion on how machines react to challenging market conditions and why it is important to keep them in check via human oversight. We also touch on the issues of data transparency and how some of Europe’s short-term markets may be prone to insider trading.Host: Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, MontelGuest: Amani Joas, Managing Director, CF Flex Power
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Aug 4, 2023 • 19min

Iceland GO ban stirs market

A temporary EU ban on Icelandic GOs stirred the guarantees of origin market, raising questions about the credibility of the system amid double counting concerns. Listen to a discussion about why the EU renewables watchdog, the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB), rattled the GO market and what the utility on the island did to lift the suspension.Host: Snjólfur Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, MontelGuest: Tinna Traustadóttir, Executive Vice President Sales and Customer Service, Landsvirkjun
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Jun 28, 2023 • 38min

CFD controversy, coal subsidy spat

In the final episode before the summer break, we look at policy developments in Brussels and Berlin. As the energy crisis appears to be easing, we discuss the main policy issues of the past six months from the European Commission and Germany. Why is a spat brewing over plans to issue contracts for difference to existing nuclear plants and why is there opposition to Poland’s proposal to subsidise its coal plants? In addition, has Germany managed to secure gas supply ahead of the winter?Host: Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, MontelGuests: Siobhan Hall, Correspondent Brussels, Montel;                   Nathan Witkop, Correspondent Germany, Montel.
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Jun 22, 2023 • 24min

Filling reservoirs, cooling reactors

This week’s episode discusses the hydrological situation in the Nordic and Alpine regions. Reservoir levels in Norway, Sweden and Finland are lower than average, but do not currently pose concerns for winter supply. Listen to a discussion with Mr Hydrology about power exports from Norway, and the outlook for river flows and temperatures in central Europe. Will cooling issues plague France’s nuclear fleet again this summer?Host: Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, Montel Guest: Eylert Ellefsen, Analyst, Energy Quantified
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Jun 16, 2023 • 23min

Finland's success story

Finland's Olkiluoto 3 reactor – Europe's largest power plant – came online in April boosting capacity in the country by 1.6 GW. In addition, record wind power additions mean the country is currently oversupplied with power, for the first time in decades. But consumption has not kept pace, meaning the country needs a rise in demand to avoid sustained low, and even negative prices. Listen to a discussion on the transformation in Finland's power system.  Host: Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief, Montel  Guests: Marko Nieminen, Senior Expert, Fingrid; Riku Merikoski, Senior Power Analyst, Axpo; Heidi Paalatie, Director of Operations, Finnish Wind Power Association.

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