The EU is moving closer towards the development of a real-time electricity market thanks to critical tools such as the Platform for the International Coordination of Automated Frequency Restoration and Stable System Operation, (PICASSO) and, more recently, the launch of quarter hourly trading intervals.

Somewhat like Picasso’s art, the platform is a bold attempt to harmonise the EU’s diverse markets and bring efficiency in an ecosystem increasingly dominated by renewable generation, which will require more real-time responses as this capacity expands.

However, in recent months, it has raised many concerns because of price volatility, with some countries delaying its adoption. Italy, however, seems to be moving in opposite direction, preparing to rejoin after pulling out.

In this podcast, energy market specialists Giovanni Musella and Tatjana Jovanovic talk to Aura Sabadus about the problems that have been flagged by participants and the solutions proposed to smooth out operations.

Ukraine has been a major buyer of natural gas on European hubs this year, scrambling to replenish heavily depleted stocks. As war-related risks persist it is still looking to secure more volumes even as it tries to protect domestic production and increase output in challenging conditions. In this interview, Artem Petrenko, secretary general of the Association of Gas Producers of Ukraine tells Aura Sabadus about the country’s preparations ahead of winter and the first steps taken as part of a US-Ukraine mineral deal that could attract investments in its upstream sector over the upcoming years.

Senior reporter Clare Pennington interviews ICIS senior data analyst Fei Xu and senior Asia LNG reporter Paula Xiao to unpick what is going on in Japan’s LNG market.

Japan is one of the world's largest LNG buyers, surpassed only by China in recent years and still vying for top spot as the world’s largest LNG importer. But in the long term, some buyers think Japan might be overpositioned, ploughing too much money into its LNG purchase power.

Both China and Japan are firmly over-contracted at the moment, but Japan’s expiring contracts will place the latter in an under-contracted position by 2028. ICIS expects Japanese companies to sign more long-term contracts in the coming 2 years to fill this gap. But with wider energy investment plans, including in nuclear, how should Japan approach this changing market?