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Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
Disruptions in the Middle East Reinforce China’s Aim for Greater Self-Sufficiency in Refining and Petrochemicals
Many analyses of what the conflict in the Middle East means for China's energy security have rightly focused on China's oil and natural gas imports from the region.
Podcasts
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
Speed to Power: Christian Bruch on Siemens Energy’s Turnaround
For years, the energy transition was discussed as a shift that would happen in steady, predictable increments. But the last 24 months have shattered that illusion. Energy providers...
In the wake of the war in Iran, oil prices have shot up for everyone. But not all oil is exactly equal. And, obviously, a lot of Iranian oil goes to China specifically.
In the wake of the war in Iran, oil prices have shot up for everyone. But not all oil is exactly equal. And, obviously, a lot of Iranian oil goes to China specifically. Furthermore, because Iran’s oil is sanctioned, a lot of it winds up at China’s so-called “teapot” refineries, which tend to be smaller and owned by independent companies. On the other hand, China has famously been building up its strategic petroleum stockpiles for years, and due to the rise of electric vehicles, they may have less economic sensitivity to the price of crude directly. On this episode, we speak with Erica Downs, senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. Erica has a long background studying Chinese energy policy and she talks to us about the potential cost that the war is imposing on China’s economy, why the country has built up such a big buffer stock in the first place, and how this global oil shock could ultimately play to its advantage.
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Takeaways from the US-China summit
Experts and politicians offer Semafor their assessment of how this high-stakes meeting went from a US perspective.
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If OPEC Falls Apart, It’ll Cost Us All
The White House declared last week that President Trump finally "broke OPEC" after the United Arab Emirates withdrew from the cartel.
