Articles by Richard Soultanian
Articles, updates, and energy industry insights written by Richard Soultanian
Industry Insights
The Difference Between Energy Brokers and Consultants
A question that we get asked frequently is - what is the difference between an energy consultant and a broker?
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Market Updates
OPEC Kicks the Can (Again)
This weekend, OPEC convened its 37th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meetings (ONOMM). In truth, OPEC meetings have become a bit of a non-event lately, largely because the group has extended existing cuts for the past several meetings, awaiting global demand to firm.
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Market Updates
2024 US Elections and the Global Energy Market
United States elections are now approximately six months away, and time has an interesting way of passing quickly, particularly when some of the months include a summer holiday period. So, it is not too early to start thinking about the impact of the upcoming US presidential election on the global energy markets.
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Market Updates
Price Depends on Growth
With the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East remaining relatively calm for the time being, we can shift our focus to global energy market fundamentals.
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Market Updates
Israel Strikes Iran
Late last week, the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran took an unusual turn.
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Market Updates
Iran Responds
It has been two weeks since Israel's airstrike against Iran's embassy in Syria that killed several senior members of the country's Revolutionary Guard.
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Market Updates
Israel Attacks Iran in Syria
Today, several senior members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard were killed in an air strike on Iran's embassy compound in Damascus, Syria. One of those killed was Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Zahedi, a prominent commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
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Market Updates
Crude Oil Gains Momentum on Geopolitical Risk
Crude oil markets have been gaining momentum. Since the start of the year, crude prices have increased by approximately 15 percent. Several factors seem to be driving crude oil prices, but the principal one is geopolitical risk.
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Industry Insights
UK Energy Bill Relief Scheme
The United Kingdom has published a fairly detailed plan to provide businesses and other non-domestic consumers relief from high energy prices this winter under the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.
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Market Updates
Complacency In EU Energy Markets
European electricity and natural gas prices have steadily declined over the past several weeks. We generally attribute this recent phenomenon to several factors including weather, inventory, and the situation with Ukraine.
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Market Updates
Pipeline Sabotage
The recent news regarding explosions damaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines is a concerning escalation of the weaponization of energy in Europe.
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Market Updates
Nord Stream Flows Stopped
Gazprom has issued a press release stating that oil had been detected in the Portovaya station's only operating compressor.
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Market Updates
Whistling Past the Graveyard
With most of Europe deep into the holiday season, few are focused on the current energy crisis. Undoubtedly once corporate procurement managers and commodities traders return from their holidays, reality will quickly set in.
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EU Council Regulations - Gas Demand Reduction
The next step in the EU's response to Russia's use of natural gas as a political weapon - the Regulations represent the 'best' compromise the EU could construct to prepare for the looming threat of natural gas supply disruptions.
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Market Updates
Big Week for Energy Markets
This week is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in the global energy markets for a long time. Energy prices in Europe (and around the globe) have increased sharply on the fear that the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will not reopen.
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Market Updates
Will He, or Won't He?
Will Putin restart the Nord Stream 1 (NS1) pipeline after its scheduled maintenance is supposed to conclude? There is a multitude of variables to consider in assessing this question.
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Market Updates
Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't
With Europe energy pricing rising from the extreme to the ludicrous in the past few weeks – commercial and industrial consumers with open positions in the second half of 2022 (H2/2022) and calendar 2023 (CAL23) have to make some difficult decisions.
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Market Updates
Ukraine Endgame
With Russia making (slow and grinding) progress in the Donbas region, the war looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. Like most military conflicts, this one will end with a negotiated settlement, but when?
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Ukraine War - Corporate Energy Risk Analysis & Considerations
Russia supplies over 30 percent of the European Union's natural gas requirements, setting up for extraordinary disruption events. In this follow up to our previous Ukraine scenario analysis we'll take a deeper look at the ongoing crisis and how NUS is approaching the energy market during these unprecedented times.
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Market Updates
Ukraine Crisis - EU Energy Purchasing Strategy
During the past several months, we saw gas prices in Europe reach a peak of €180 MWh. In the event of a Russian invasion and takeover of Ukraine, we most likely will eclipse this level – significantly elevated prices could remain in place for several weeks/months.
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Industry Insights
French Government Announces Exceptional Measures, Changes to ARENH Mechanism
Last Thursday, the French Government announced several significant changes concerning the country's domestic electricity market.
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EU Energy Prices - The Perfect Storm
Over the past several months, electricity and natural gas prices across Europe have spiked. The recent increase has placed incredible pressure on governments, regulators, suppliers, and consumers. While there have been many justifications for the recent price rise, in truth, it is a confluence of several different factors creating the perfect storm.
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Crude Oil Market Is it a Bubble Yet?
Over the past two months, oil prices have risen sharply along with most other financial assets. This rising tide appears to be driven principally by the narrative that the COVID-19 pandemic will subside midyear, and the global economy will rebound sharply. The recent dramatic runup in prices inevitably leads to the simple but important question – have prices risen too far too fast?
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