California utility PG&E is studying the impacts of electrification to understand and prepare for a future grid with high levels of distributed energy resources, and significantly higher power demand.

But although PG&E expects to spend about $25 billion by 2040 on grid upgrades, the distribution portion of customers’ electric bills could decrease up to 25% over that period as added revenue from increased power usage more than covers the investment costs.

In this episode, host Dan Testa speaks with Quinn Nakayama, PG&E’s senior director of grid research, innovation and development, about this process and how the utility is deploying technology to make electrification easier for customers, particularly by lowering the cost of upgrades necessary to charge electric vehicles at home.

For several years, Iran, Venezuela, and Russia have relied on a sprawling network of aging tankers—known as the shadow fleet—to keep their oil flowing despite Western sanctions. Now, the EU is proposing its most aggressive move yet: a sweeping ban on maritime services that could cut off insurance, brokerage, and port access for vessels carrying Russian crude.

This comes at a time when the Venezuelan shadow fleet has largely been replaced by mainstream tanker operators, while the US continues to impose new restrictions on Iranian vessels. Both developments raise fresh questions about the future of these rogue tankers.

In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte explores whether the shadow fleet can survive tighter sanctions and what the consequences might be for global energy security, trade flows, and environmental safety.

Joining the conversation are Kelly Norways and Max Lin, two journalists from Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, who have been tracking the shadow fleet's evolution over the past few years. They break down the mechanics of this shipping network, explain how the EU's proposed ban differs from the price cap system, and reveal the growing risks posed by a fleet of vessels operating outside international safety standards.

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Shadow Fleet: How illicit shipping networks broke global oil trade
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The European Hydrogen Bank is meant to be Europe’s big enabler for large-scale renewable hydrogen production, so why did the EU’s second auction fail to deliver on its promise?

In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte speaks with James Burgess, senior reporter at S&P Global Energy Platts, and Matthew Hodgkinson, senior principal analyst at S&P Global Energy Horizons, who explain why so many projects withdrew from the auction process and explore what’s next for the EU’s flagship model for kick-starting the green hydrogen sector.

Our experts assess the challenges facing the nascent market and take a look at other recent developments across the region, including the latest from the H2Global import auctions and how the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is affecting hydrogen trade.

Related content:

News feature: European hydrogen industry digests failure of second EU auction

H2Global news (Subscriber content): H2Global European hydrogen import auction opens global lot with Eur353/MWh cap

Price assessments (Subscriber content): Spain Alkaline Renewable PPA Derived Hydrogen Eur/kg SARHE00