Columnists

Robin Mills
Robin Mills

CEO

Qamar Energy
Lorenzo Totaro
Lorenzo Totaro

Senior Contributor, Europe
Gaurav Sharma
Gaurav Sharma

Senior Contributor
Vandana Hari
Vandana Hari

Founder

Vanda Insights
Thought Leadership

A new era at bp: will Meg O’Neill lead a high-stakes pivot to oil and gas?

Coming in with a mandate to maximise value for shareholders, bp’s first female CEO is expected to redouble the supermajor’s efforts towards investing in traditional oil and gas plays. In his latest column for Energy Connects, Gaurav Sharma explores how far she will go.

Gaurav Sharma
Robin Mills

Beyond the barrel: new strategies for coping with the energy crisis

For now, every day that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the world continues to lose about 11 million barrels per day of oil supply out of about 105 million bpd of demand. Also cut off are 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas, some 40% of nitrogen-based fertiliser exports, 45% of sulphur exports, nearly 39% of helium, about 34% of methanol exports, from 9-15% of polymers, and 22% of non-Chinese aluminium production. Production of these energy-intensive commodities elsewhere will also be slashed by the loss of oil and gas feedstock. The best way to make this into a short-lived crisis is to plan for a long one, writes Robin Mills in his latest column for Energy Connects.

EC Clean Energy
Thought Leadership
Vandana Hari

Middle East conflict: oil markets misread a fragile truce

Oil markets have reacted with textbook relief to the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran — and have likely overreached. Brent’s sharp sell-off — shedding more than $15/barrel within hours of the announcement — reflects a market eager to price out risk before the underlying conditions have meaningfully changed, Vandana Hari explains in her latest column for Energy Connects.

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Thought Leadership
Vandana Hari

Iran strikes: off-ramp holds the key to preserving the global energy system

The war unfolding in the Middle East for a fourth day has spiralled far beyond a US-Israel-Iran confrontation. Gulf states are now directly exposed. The global economy is entangled. And the longer oil flows from the Middle East remain under threat, the greater the risk that crude surges into triple digits, inflation resurges and recession fears harden, writes Vandana Hari in her latest column.

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Thought Leadership
Robin Mills

All eyes on Hormuz as Iran strikes put energy markets in uncharted waters

The Ayatollah is dead, but the danger to Gulf energy supplies has intensified. While the US and Israel pummel Iran, Iranian drones and missiles hit not just Israel, but its Gulf neighbours. So far, energy facilities are not in the cross-hairs – but how long can that last? Robin M. Mills analyses in his latest column for Energy Connects.

Oil Barrels
Thought Leadership
Lorenzo Totaro

Navigating 2026: energy majors focus on discipline and bottom lines

Despite record results, the industry’s stance for 2026 is more considered than expected, with discipline being the real growth strategy amid surging demand, shifting trade regimes and the uneasy balance between climate ambitions and the “energy addition” pragmatism.

Energy Milestones (2)
Thought Leadership
Gaurav Sharma

US shale production may prove more resilient in 2026 than many imagine

Every time oil prices see a period of extended volatility and Brent threatens to slide below $60 per barrel, an all-too-familiar debate ensues about the impact of such market conditions on US shale production.

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Thought Leadership
Robin Mills

The year in commodities: shiny metals, steady crude and a tale of two gas markets

Commodities had a good year in 2025. Despite the steady slide in oil, the broad asset class that includes everything from gold to grain and crude to copper overcame tariffs and wars to end more than 15 per cent up in the Bloomberg Commodity Index. One month in, and this year has already delivered plenty of news flow: metals should stay shiny, crude sludgy, while natural gas diverges, writes Robin Mills in his monthly column.

Lng Liquified Natural Gas Tanker Anchored In Gas 2023 11 27 05 37 21 Utc
Thought Leadership
Vandana Hari

Oil markets into early 2026: geopolitics back in the driving seat

The first three weeks of 2026 have delivered a sharp reminder that geopolitics, not balances alone, will set the tone for oil markets this year. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump’s explicit threat of military action against Iran, and Washington’s revived push to acquire Greenland - now spilling into trade tensions with Europe - have together reinforced a core reality for traders and policymakers alike: supply uncertainty is back front-and-centre, even as prices appear deceptively calm.

Oil Markets (1)
Thought Leadership
Robin Mills

2026 outlook: how reliability and renewables can co-exist in the new energy map

There can be no energy security without climate security. Wild weather will hit offshore oil platforms and wind turbines, electricity cables and hydroelectric dams. Rising seas will flood petroleum refineries and nuclear power plants. Merciless heat waves will bring blackouts. But those who acknowledge the severity of the climate crisis still have genuine, well-founded concerns over the costs and risks of a very rapid shift to a low-carbon energy system, writes Robin M. Mills in his latest monthly column.

Sustainable and safe methods to improve predictive maintenance & reliability in plant and machinery with multimodal AI and IoT .jpg
Thought Leadership

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