Podcast appearances and mentions of patrick sykes

Tensions between the US and Iran are again dominating headlines after the US’s assassination of Qasem Soleimani and Iranian retaliatory action. Market experts Ed Cox and Patrick Sykes discuss the impact on oil and LNG markets.

With less than a month until a 10-year contract for the transit of Russian gas to Europe and Turkey via Ukraine expires, it is still unclear whether Ukraine and Russia would agree to sign a new agreement from 1 January. In this podcast, Aura Sabadus, Ben Samuel and Patrick Sykes discuss the latest developments, their impact on gas prices and the gas and LNG outlook for January 2020.

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) bringing gas volumes sourced from Azerbaijan to Italy is expected to go-live during the fourth quarter of 2020. Energy reporters Patrick Sykes and Dalila Ouerghi discuss the market impact on gas prices at the Italian PSV natural gas hub.

Production from the giant Groningen gas field in the Netherlands is rapidly declining, and ICIS analysis indicates that overall production for the gas year will be considerably lower than the government’s 19.4bcm production cap. Market reporters Daniel Stemler and Patrick Sykes discuss the reasons for the decline, and the outlook.

The Greek gas market was one of Europe’s last to liberalise, but is catching up fast, as a growing list of LNG and pipeline projects promise to turn the country into a regional hub. Market reporters Chetan Patel and Patrick Sykes discuss the latest developments and outlook for the years ahead.

Japan is the world’s biggest importer of LNG but demand has fallen recently after a strong increase following the 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima that took the country’s nuclear fleet offline. Nuclear capacity has been gradually returning, but new regulations now threaten to derail that progress, potentially boosting gas’s place in the power mix once again. Senior market reporters Joachim Moxon and Patrick Sykes discuss the outlook.

The EUA carbon price has surged in the past week, approaching a multi-year high. ICIS senior reporters Patrick Sykes and William Peck discuss Brexit-driven volatility in the market and the price outlook.

The UK is expected to exit the EU on 29 March. Uncertainly surrounds the country’s global trading future, but what does it mean for gas markets? In the event of a no-deal Brexit, companies based in the UK would lose their supply licences to France. How are suppliers adapting to this scenario in order to avoid a disruption in gas supply? Market experts Kelly Paul and Patrick Sykes discuss the impact on the French gas market.

Record-high volumes of LNG delivered to Europe and mild temperatures keeping a lid on domestic demand have meant a much lower reliance on Dutch storage reserves in winter so far. Market experts Alice Casagni and Patrick Sykes discuss how these fundamentals have led to an unusually high spread between the two front seasons on the Dutch gas market.

Small-scale LNG projects are increasingly in the news, but what does small-scale actually mean and what is driving demand? Market experts Rob Songer and Patrick Sykes discuss the market’s main drivers and consider the potential for demand growth in the sector.

Croatia’s proposed Krk LNG terminal has moved one step closer to realisation after a positive final investment decision last week, but the risk of saturating the market means that importers will have to find additional destinations for volumes. Market experts David Simon and Patrick Sykes discuss the project and what it means for regional flows and prices.

Just four years after Polish gas company PGNiG received its first LNG shipment, the company last week celebrated its 50th, underlining Poland’s rising status as a key source of demand in Europe. Market experts Daniel Stemler and Patrick Sykes discuss PGNiG’s import strategy for the years ahead.

Spain’s energy transition will pick up pace this year, with renewable installations expected to soar and the timeline for phasing out coal to be set. Market experts Dalila Ouerghi and Patrick Sykes discuss the upcoming changes in the Spanish energy landscape and how wholesale electricity prices in the country will react.

The early closure of the Groningen gas field presents challenges for the Dutch gas market, not only in terms of security of supply but also in infrastructure. Patrick Sykes and Tom Rodgers discuss the challenges facing the Dutch gas industry.

Next year could be the busiest ever for final investment decisions in LNG export projects, according to some analysts. ICIS experts Ed Cox and Patrick Sykes discuss the state of the investment environment and which projects are best placed to go ahead.

On 1 November France’s natural gas market merged to create the Trading Region France (TRF). What has changed in terms of physical pipeline flows and has there been any impact on liquidity or prices? ICIS’ Patrick Sykes and Kelly Paul discuss the merger’s impact and ask whether key supply issues have been resolved.

PODCAST: Groningen bill goes to vote in Dutch senate Plans to close the Dutch Groningen gas field will face a key test on 16 October as the government’s bill to minimise production goes to a vote in the Senate. Market experts Patrick Sykes and Kelly Paul discuss what the bill means for regional gas markets. 

Long-term capacity contracts on the Interconnector gas pipeline that connects Britain to Belgium are set to end on 1 October 2018, opening up the whole pipe to the market. ICIS experts Ben Samuel and Patrick Sykes discuss what to expect next from gas flows and prices.

Qatargas and Petrochina recently signed a major, long-term LNG supply contract through to 2040. ICIS experts Alex Thackrah and Patrick Sykes discuss the implications of this deal in the context of the US-China trade war and Qatar’s LNG expansion plans.

Following the recent bull run in carbon allowances, notional clean UK baseload dark and spark spreads suggest that coal-fired power generation has become more profitable to run that of gas-fired plants for Winter ’18 delivery. While higher-priced EUAs would typically favour gas-fired generation over coal, a corresponding hike in the NBP price has had the opposite effect. ICIS experts Patrick Sykes and Tom Marzec-Manser talk about the coal-switching price and the outlook for the upcoming winter.

The Turkish government has aligned regulated consumer gas tariffs with the exchange rate, a move that could improve market conditions. Although welcomed by gas companies, the decision also raises some questions about its impact on electricity producers. In this podcast Aura Sabadus, editor of Turkish Energy Hub Daily and reporter Patrick Sykes discuss the implications.

The European Commission recently opened an investigation into alleged destination clauses in Qatar’s long-term LNG supply agreements with European importers. ICIS experts Patrick Sykes and Alex Thackrah discuss what the outcome of the case may be and what it means for LNG markets.

While most of Europe has ramped up gas storage injections after the unusually cold winter, stock levels in the Netherlands are lagging behind. ICIS reporters Patrick Sykes and Alice Casagni discuss the price impact of low stocks on the TTF far curve.

Analysis of the Winter ’18 clean spark and dark spreads has indicated that coal plants are set to be in the money in the coming winter. ICIS experts Arun Toora and Patrick Sykes discuss how this and the wider fuels mix may affect European gas markets.

This week US President Donald Trump pulled out of the landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. ICIS experts Aura Sabadus and Patrick Sykes talk through the impact of the decision on oil and gas markets, and the consequences for investment in Iran’s energy sector.

Europe’s storage sites have entered the gas summer with historically low levels of gas in store, meaning market participants are having to inject into storage even when prices are disadvantageous. ICIS experts Patrick Sykes and Julie Fisher discuss what this means for hub pricing and injections this summer.

The Dutch government’s decision to close Europe’s largest gas field, Groningen, by 2030 will have repercussions accross gas markets. Falling domestic production will pressure exports and require huge investment to connect customers to new sources of supply. ICIS experts Alex Thackrah and Patrick Sykes discuss the latest developments and what to expect next.

A panel of Foreign Affairs experts, Sebastian Mallaby, Péter Krekó, Tara Zahra, Sebastian Elischer, and Patrick Sykes, discuss the issues surrounding the ongoing global refugee crisis.