Plugged In: the energy news podcast

Afleveringen

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  Keeping pace with power hungry data centres 30.07.2026 30min

  Artificial intelligence is transforming the global economy at extraordinary speed, but it's also creating one of the biggest new sources of electricity demand Europe has faced in decades. As hyperscale data centres continue to expand, are Europe's power systems, grids and energy markets ready to keep pace? In this episode of the Plugged In Summer Series, we explore what the AI boom means for the energy transition. The discussion centres around power supply and how grid constraints could shape...
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  Market design: Driving or derailing the transition? 23.07.2026 30min

  Europe's electricity system is changing fast. As renewables continue to reshape the power mix, new challenges are emerging; from negative pricing and falling pofitability to the increased need for flexibility, storage, long-term investment signals and the growing demands of AI-driven data centres. In this episode of the Plugged In Summer Series, host Richard speaks with market experts Cillian O'Donoghue of Eurelectric and Fabian Huneke of Agora to explore whether Europe's electricity ma...
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  Grids: Easing bottlenecks 16.07.2026 33min

  Europe has made remarkable progress in developing renewable energy, but grids – both at distribution and transmission level, are struggling to keep up. Congestion, long connection queues and ageing infrastructure are holding back the energy transition. So, is the answer simply building more grid infrastructure; or making better use of the network we already have? In this third episode of the Plugged In Summer Series, host Richard is joined by experts from across the electricity sector to expl...
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  Renewables Roll-Out: Saturation Reached? 09.07.2026 38min

  Europe is developing green energy at lighting speed. But as solar and wind generation reaches record levels, new challenges are emerging across the electricity system. Negative prices, grid congestion, curtailment and falling capture prices are raising a fundamental question: has renewable deployment reached its limits, or is the rest of the energy system failing to keep pace? In this episode of the Plugged In Summer Series, we explore whether Europe's next challenge is no longer buildi...
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  State of Play: Where Are We Now? 02.07.2026 32min

  Europe's energy transition has delivered record renewable deployment and significant emissions reductions, but a new wave of geopolitical instability is once again putting the resilience of the energy system to the test. This episode launches the Plugged In Summer Series, where we'll be asking one overarching question throughout: is the energy transition slowing down, or speeding up? Across six episodes, we'll explore the market, policy and technology trends shaping the answer. To kick off th...
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  Can Britain Still Deliver Net Zero? Chris Stark on “ungumming the system” and the UK's Energy Future 25.06.2026 33min

  The UK has set one of the most ambitious energy targets in Europe: a fully clean power system by 2030. But achieving it will require a transformation of the country's electricity network, unprecedented levels of renewable investment, and difficult political and regulatory decisions. Recorded in Whitehall, Richard Sverrisson sits down with Chris Stark, Head of UK’s Mission for Clean Power, UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to discuss whether the country is on track to meet its ta...
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  Data Centre Boom: catalysts and constraints 18.06.2026 41min

  Europe is experiencing a rush of investment into data centres as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services drive a new wave of electricity demand. From Finland to Spain, developers are searching for locations with abundant clean power, available grid connections and supportive policy frameworks. But as data centres grow larger and more power-hungry, questions are emerging about whether Europe's electricity infrastructure can keep pace. Grid operators are facing mounting co...
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  Finland - a power success story? 11.06.2026 32min

  As Europe grapples with energy security concerns, expectations of rising electricity demand, and the rapid growth of AI-driven data centres, Finland is emerging as one of the continent's most compelling energy success stories. In this episode of Plugged In, Richard Sverrisson is joined first by Elias Huuhtanen, Finland Correspondent at Montel News, who explains why Finland's long-term approach to energy planning, infrastructure investment and security preparedness has positioned the country a...
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  Sweden’s energy spat with Brussels 05.06.2026 33min

  Sweden's dispute with Brussels over electricity market rules is quickly becoming one of the biggest political energy stories in Europe. At the centre of the debate is a huge stockpile of congestion revenues; billions of euros generated from price differences across Sweden's own grid and its interconnectors with neighbouring countries. Stockholm argues the money should stay in Sweden to fix domestic bottlenecks and protect consumers, while the EU wants greater flexibility to use some of those ...
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  Feeling the heat: Preparing Europe's grids for summer 04.06.2026 36min

  Europe's power systems are facing a new reality. As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, electricity networks are coming under growing pressure. Rising cooling demand, aging infrastructure and the rapid expansion of renewable energy are all changing how grids operate during periods of extreme weather. The recent Iberian blackout also highlighted how important resilience, flexibility and interconnection have become in maintaining system security. So is Europe's electricity system ready ...
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  How many wake up calls does Europe need? 21.05.2026 48min

  The US-Israeli led war in Iran and the prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is once again exposing Europe’s vulnerability to global energy shocks; raising urgent questions about gas storage, LNG dependency and whether governments have learned anything from previous crises. In this episode of PluggedIn, Montel’s Richard speaks with Henning Gloystein from Eurasia Group and Saul Kavonic from MST Marquee about the escalating conflict and growing risks facing energy markets and global supp...
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  Celebrating curtailment: Are negative prices really that bad? 14.05.2026 37min

  Negative power prices are becoming increasingly commonplace in Europe’s electricity markets. With solar generation soaring and renewable buildout accelerating, Europe’s power systems are increasingly producing more electricity than consumers need during certain hours of the day. The result? Wholesale electricity prices falling below zero, with generators effectively paying the market to take their power. But are negative prices actually a problem — or a sign that the energy trans...
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  Snorkelling for negative prices 07.05.2026 34min

  Norway - and the Nordic power system more generally - have seen fewer instances of negative prices than their continental counterparts in recent weeks. Why has the region been “snorkelling” while others have been plumbing the depths of negative prices. Norway’s hydropower system is under pressure after one of the coldest winters in 16 years and a prolonged period of low precipitation. Reservoir levels in southern Norway remain well below normal, raising questions about energy security, winte...
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  Gas storage: Complacency or Crunch? 30.04.2026 31min

  Europe may have emerged from winter without a full-scale gas crisis; but with storage levels unusually low, geopolitical tensions rising, and summer-winter price spreads offering little commercial incentive, the real challenge may only just be beginning. Germany, home to Europe's largest gas storage capacity, is facing mounting pressure to refill ahead of winter while the war in the Middle East, uncertainty around LNG transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and fragile industrial demand all clo...
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  Reshaping French energy 23.04.2026 36min

  From the streets of Paris to the heart of Europe’s energy regulation, this episode explores how geopolitics, market design and infrastructure are reshaping France’s - and the continent’s - energy future. As tensions in the Gulf ripple through global gas prices and Europe’s energy markets, France finds itself in a uniquely resilient position, buoyed by nuclear power, growing renewables and strong export capacity. But beneath that stability lie complex questions about pricing, inter...
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  “Strange” prices rattle Europe's power markets 16.04.2026 37min

  Across Europe, power prices are behaving in ways that are leaving even seasoned market participants questioning what they’re seeing. From negative prices to seemingly counterintuitive flows between some price zones, the electricity system is becoming harder to interpret, and certainly more complex. On April 6, negative prices of EUR -15,000/MWh in Belgium's balancing market highlighted just how volatile and weather-driven Europe's power system has become. But are these signals a sign of dysfu...
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  Gulf Ceasefire: fragile or firm? 09.04.2026 33min

  A fragile ceasefire in the Gulf offers a moment of relief; but is it already beginning to unravel and will it have lasting implications for gas supply in the region and far beyond? Recorded on the morning of April 9, amid fast-moving geopolitical developments, this special episode examines what the latest developments mean for global energy markets, LNG flows, and Europe’s energy security. Is this ceasefire a genuine turning point, or simply a pause before further escalation? Host...
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  PPA slowdown – temporary or permanent? 09.04.2026 42min

  In this episode of Plugged In, we return to Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and their role in Europe’s energy transition. After years of rapid expansion, the PPA market hit a slowdown in 2025. Falling capture rates, rising negative prices and increasing volatility have made deals harder to structure and price, forcing both buyers and sellers to rethink how risk is shared. At the same time, renewable capacity continues to grow, reshaping price dynamics and pushing the market into a more compl...
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  Coal makes a comeback 02.04.2026 31min

  In this episode of Plugged In, we turn to a topic we haven’t covered often; but one that’s rapidly moving back into the spotlight: coal. As war in the Middle East disrupts LNG supply chains and drives gas prices sharply higher, European power markets are being forced to adapt. With gas-fired generation becoming increasingly expensive, coal is, at least temporarily, regaining economic relevance. We’re now seeing early signs of increased coal imports, particularly in key markets like Germany, a...
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  Another Power Squeeze? 26.03.2026 44min

  In the third episode of our energy crisis miniseries, we turn to Europe’s power markets, where rising gas prices, renewed volatility and political uncertainty are once again putting the electricity system under pressure. Although the current crisis is not a repeat of 2022, it is exposing fresh vulnerabilities; from low hydro levels in the Nordics and gas storage concerns in western Europe, to growing questions over market design, interconnectors and the pace of the energy transition. So how r...