Petroleum Economist Podcast

Welcome to another episode of ‘What’s up with gas?’, a podcast series by Petroleum Economist covering key developments happening in the natural gas space.

The global energy crisis is deepening, with no tangible progress in US-Iran peace talks that could end the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. We examine how key import markets in Europe and Asia are faring, and whether the EU can still deliver on its pledge to phase out Russian gas as competition for alternative supplies intensifies.

In this episode, Charles McConnell, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy, discusses the evolution of carbon capture, utilization,and storage (CCUS), its market dynamics in the U.S. and Europe, and the future of energy transition investments. Insights include the importance of monetizing CO2, industry decarbonization strategies, and technological innovations in monitoring and reporting.

In this podcast, Petroleum Economist is joined by Matthew McManus to discuss how energy sanctions have become one of Washington’s most powerful diplomatic tools. Matthew is a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics and a former senior US State Department official with more than three decades of experience working on international energy and economic policy.

In 2026, what will define success in the oil and gas industry? In this podcast, industry experts Jorge Herrera and Aneel Bhandari examine the need to master cost control, risk visibility and operational discipline in a year that will squeeze margins and push asset productivity to the foreground. On the technology side, AI and digital twins are moving beyond back-office support to drive real-time decisions, predict failures and improve processes. They also look at how methane abatement and carbon capture are being integrated into day-to-day operations, bringing them closer to the oil and gas business model.

Denise Hamilton joins Rachel McGhie, conference director, WGLC to follow up from her electric keynote at WGLC 2025 in October. In this podcast they discuss why connection, communication and community are the skills leaders need most right now.