This is a wild and fun discussion with Hugo Kruger about the international Energy Markets. I mean we covered oil, gas, coal, nuclear and even geopolitical. Hugo has a great Substack HERE: https://substack.com/@hkrugertjie. He has quite a following, and even Robert Bryce is in the mix of followers. (One of my heroes). I recommend following him.

Hugo has vast experience in geopolitics, contemporary politics, and climate science and is truly an international thought leader. When we recorded this episode, he was in Paris and was taking a bit of a holiday from South Africa.

Thank you, Hugo, for taking the time to stop by my podcast! - Stu

Highlights of the Podcast

00:00 - Intro

2:12 - Introduction of Hugo Kruger and his background in civil engineering, cement manufacturing, nuclear engineering, and insights into the oil and gas industry.

6:03 - Discussion on the impact of political decisions on nuclear energy in France, leading to delays in maintenance, skills gaps, increased costs, and the complex interplay of politics and energy issues.

9:34 - Overview of seven energy sources, including wind, solar, hydropower, nuclear, oil, LNG, and coal, with considerations of constraints, geopolitical issues, and economic factors.

15:07 - Exploration of corruption and cronyism in South Africa's renewable energy projects, emphasizing the moral argument for African countries to consider a balanced energy mix, including wind, solar, and coal.

17:23 - Comparison of current energy policies to historical colonialism, criticizing restrictions on developing nations, advocating for a balanced approach in Africa, and discussing the challenges and benefits of nuclear energy.

19:33 - Discussion on the economics of nuclear energy, comparing capital and operational costs to coal, advocating for a mix of coal and nuclear in a country's energy portfolio, and highlighting the challenges and benefits of small modular reactors.

23:14 - Analysis of challenges in the uranium market, emphasizing low prices, Russian control in processing, and the cost competitiveness of nuclear energy after capital expenditure.

27:39 - Advocacy for a revised electricity pricing model, emphasizing fixed charges to cover grid services and infrastructure costs, and skepticism about the viability of a distributed grid.

29:42 - Discussion on the financial challenges of wind farms, highlighting abandoned turbines and the costs of removal, questioning fiscal sustainability without tax subsidies.

31:52 - Proposal for a restructuring of the pricing model in the energy sector, advocating for fixed tariffs to cover services like backup, grid stability, and synchronous power.

34:38 - Emphasis on the need for a revised pricing model, citing California's Diablo Canyon as an example and advocating for fixed tariffs to reflect the true value of different energy sources.

37:36 - Highlighting systemic issues in the energy sector, emphasizing the need to address problems like corruption and colonialism, suggesting solutions such as eliminating subsidies and improving regulations.

41:17 - Conclusion and information on finding Hugo Kruger on Substack.

41:54 - Outro

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