Conversations with the Experts

We caught up with some of the experts at Flame 2018 to discuss everything from decarbonisation to political tensions and the market outlook for LNG.

We'll be uploading one interview each week, so watch this space (as well as the KNect365 Energy blog) for the next in the series!

Simon Wood from S&P Global Platts

Simon Wood is Manager of the European Gas Analysis team at commodities specialists S&P Global Platts, and formerly the Senior Economist for ConocoPhillips. In our conversation with him, we covered the development of market pricing at key North West European gas hubs, the barriers to entry for LNG imports into Europe, and the UK’s narrow escape during the Beast from the East in March 2018.

Paul Dawson from RWE

Paul Dawson is Head of Regulatory Affairs for RWE's Supply & Trading division. In our interview with him, we discussed Brexit’s possible effects on natural gas and energy trading, the importance of the market in influencing the eventual outcomes, and the level of risk posed to the United Kingdom’s energy security.

Jasper Kammeyer from Volkswagen

Jasper Kammeyer is Group Technology Strategist for CNG Mobility at Volkswagen. The German automakers have invested heavily in natural gas fueled vehicles as part of their “TOGETHER – Strategy 2025” sustainable mobility initiative. In his interview with us at Flame, Jasper explains how CNG and electric vehicles can develop alongside each other to help decarbonise the transport system, and how Volkswagen are looking to work with natural gas industry stakeholders to promote the technology.

Annie Krist from GasTerra

Annie Krist stepped in as the CEO of Dutch natural gas wholesalers GasTerra on the first of January. In our interview with her, we look ahead at how declining production from the Groningen gas field will affect the North West European market in the years to come, and explore the challenges involved with balancing a portfolio of L-Gas and H-Gas supplies.

Tor Martin Anfinnsen from Equinor

Tor Martin Anfinnsen is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Trading at Equinor (formerly Statoil). Following on from their change of name earlier this year, Equinor have placed decarbonisation at the heart of their investment strategy, and the message they relay to consumers. We spoke to Tor Martin about the need for a wider uptake of carbon capture and storage technology, the risks of an all-electric, nuclear dependent approach, and the public’s perception of green gas a viable decarbonisation pathway.

Klaus Schafer of Uniper

Klaus Schafer is CEO of the German midstream gas, LNG and power company Uniper. In our interview with him, we took stock of recent developments in the market, discussed the progress of coal-to-gas switching in Europe, and asked how he saw the gas networks’ role evolving.

Sveinung Stohle of Höegh LNG

Sveinung Stohle is the President and CEO of Höegh LNG, a NYSE listed company, and the owners of the world’s largest fleet of FSRU vessels. We spoke to him about the economic advantages of floating regasification, the geographical dispersion of LNG demand, the myth of market oversupply and the shift to shorter term LNG supply contracts.

Dumitru Dediu of McKinsey

Dimitru Dediu is an Associate Partner at McKinsey, an international management consultancy firm, and the co-author of McKinsey’s Global Gas Perspective paper. We caught up with him at Flame to discuss the prospects for the LNG market, including the challenges and opportunities involved with a supply shortage in the next decade, the impact of the Panama Canal’s expansion on LNG shipping, and the available options for an Asian LNG trading hub.

Robert Kleinberg, Ex-Schlumberger

Dr Robert Kleinberg is a former Schlumberger Fellow, a researcher for institutions including the Centre for Global Energy Policy and Boston University, a published author on the topic of energy technology, an inventor of several commercially successful geophysical instruments, and a recognised expert on the extraction of unconventional oil and gas resources. We spoke to him about the shale gas revolution, U.S. energy policy, and what the future holds for America’s unconventional resources.

Frank Konertz of Platts

Frank Konertz is the head of LNG Analytics for S&P Global Platts, a global analytics and price rating agency covering the energy and commodity markets. We spoke to him about to him about the shape of the LNG market, seasonal and regional demand distributions, the effects of renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran, and the development of the maritime sector into a major source of emerging demand.

Gregor Pett of Uniper

Gregor Pett is the Executive Vice President of Market Analytics at German midstream gas, LNG and power company Uniper SE. We caught up with him at Flame to discuss LNG market dynamics, the unpredictable political landscape, gas storage and Brexit.

Bas Eickhout of GroenLinks

Bas Eickhout is a Member of the European Parliament for the Netherlands, representing GroenLinks (the Dutch Green Party). He is an outspoken advocate for decarbonisation, and is heavily involved in European energy policy in relation to natural gas, biofuels and renewable energy. We caught up with him at Flame to discuss his attitude to the gas industry, the pathway to decarbonisation, and the risk of a fossil fuel “lock-in” due to overinvestment in natural gas infrastructure.

Andrew Walker of Cheniere

Andrew Walker is Vice President of Strategy and Communications at Cheniere Energy, the U.S. LNG company known for its Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi liquefaction facilities. We spoke to him about the company’s new deals with PetroChina and Trafigura, the outlook for long-term contracts, and the impact of rising Chinese demand.

Mark Gyetvay of Novatek

Mark Gyetvay is the Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer, Novatek. We spoke to him about the company’s plans for expansion in Yamal through the Arctic LNG 2 project, the proposed transshipment facility on the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the unhealthy effects of over-politicisation on the natural gas industry.

Marco Alvera of GasNaturally

Marco Alverà is the president of GasNaturally, a partnership of six associations representing the European natural gas value chain. In our interview with him we discussed decarbonisation, the cold war between electrons and molecules, and the need for smarter policy.