Big Digital Energy

Hosted by collide.

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215

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Welcome to Big Digital Energy with Chuck Yates, Mark Meyer and Kirk Coburn. Weekly news in energy covering oil and gas and cleantech.

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60 recent

October 13, 2026Episode 2191 hr 0 min

Houthis Hit Riyadh, Aramco Sounds the Alarm & Trump Buys Russian Diesel | BDE 10.13.26

Houthi strikes on the Riyadh and Abha airports push the Saudi conflict into civil aviation as the WPC Congress opens next door, and Aramco's Amin Nasser warns inventories could take two years to refill. Is Saudi talking its book? Then Trump's Russian diesel deal and whose barrels it takes, whether behind-the-meter gas is really a loophole as data center moratoriums hit Texas and Memphis, and why rising Permian gas-oil ratios make Waha pricing matter more. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Texas OU Fallout 04:48 Houthis Hit Saudi Airports 07:49 Nasser's Inventory Alarm 12:22 Saudi Risk Viewer Questions 17:46 Trump Iran and the Saudis 23:23 OPEC vs US Shale 26:58 Trump's Russian Diesel Deal 32:15 Refining Capacity Crunch 33:50 Diesel Outlook From Collide 38:17 Behind the Meter Build Out 44:58 One Energy Story 46:56 Permian Gas Keeps Growing 50:49 Is BTM a Loophole 54:41 Moratoriums Trump and Waha https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

October 6, 2026Episode 21857 min

Europe Folds on Diesel, Big Oil Goes to SCOTUS & Truckers Go Broke | BDE 10.06.26

Europe blinks on diesel after the export ban threat, and the guys argue whether it was the art of the deal or a walk-back, plus why Republicans should force a vote on building refineries. Then trucking bankruptcies and why they might be a good thing, how Delta's Trainer refinery went from punchline to hedge and whether it's time to sell, Saudi Arabia's push to retake Bab al-Mandeb after a secret Camp David meeting, and the Supreme Court hearing Suncor and ExxonMobil v. Boulder. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Remembering Eddie Van Halen 02:36 Rice Stadium Sells Its Name 07:47 Diesel Ban Threat and Europe 12:37 Build More Refineries 17:26 Pump Prices and the Midterms 22:44 Energy's Storytelling Problem 23:53 Trucking Bankruptcies Mount 28:07 Why Bankruptcies Might Help 30:23 JB Hunt IPO Stories 33:49 Delta's Refinery Bet 41:48 Saudis, Houthis and Camp David 47:35 SCOTUS Takes Up Boulder 50:29 Chuck's Crocs Countersuit 53:17 Boulder Culture Check https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

September 29, 2026Episode 21755 min

Brent Hits $108, Diesel Export Ban Pushback & Behind the Meter Power Goes Big | BDE 09.29.26

Brent is back at $108 after the latest peace deal fell apart, physical traders are cashing in on the Brent to WTI spread, and the forward strip says the market still is not worried. A floated US diesel export ban draws pushback, Texas opens its highways to dyed diesel, and the case for letting the industry build refineries. Plus BP eyeing a return to US shale, 101 GW of behind the meter gas capacity, rising rates and data center finance, and viewer questions on AI economics. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Brent at 108 and Hormuz whipsaw 04:56 A new energy world order 10:08 Diesel export ban backlash 14:41 Texas opens up dyed diesel 16:16 Congress takes on college sports 18:10 Let the industry build refineries 21:29 BP comes back to shale 25:57 Behind the meter power boom 27:33 AI labs and data center money 31:28 AI debt and AI burnout 34:01 How Chuck became a cofounder 35:52 Data centers and rising rates 39:40 Touring the house remodel 44:36 Viewer questions on AI economics 51:12 Farmland versus data centers 53:00 Data center rules and energy costs https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

September 22, 2026Episode 21650 min

Saudi Cuts Europe Off, Burchett Wants a Diesel Export Ban & the Big Inch Plan | BDE 09.22.26

Saudi Aramco told at least two European term refiners they get zero crude in October, and all three Saudi export routes are impaired at once. Tim Burchett wants a diesel export ban, six EU countries want a windfall tax on oil profits, and Chuck pitches a Big Inch style plan to build Gulf Coast refineries under emergency powers. Plus Pakistan shutting markets at 9pm, Abbott freezing Texas data center permits, and an argument over behind the meter. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Chuck's New Haircut 02:28 Burchett Wants an Export Ban 05:23 Saudi Cuts Europe Off 09:53 Germany's Energy Own Goal 15:47 EU Windfall Profits Tax 18:00 Chuck's Big Inch Plan 23:57 Pakistan Rations Fuel 28:11 AI Tokens and Data Centers 32:48 DeepSeek Undercuts Everyone 34:49 Abbott Freezes Texas Permits 40:58 Winning the AI Race 44:30 Airlines and Recession Risk 47:43 Which Models Collide Uses 49:25 Taco Bell Closer https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

September 16, 2026Episode 2151 hr 4 min

Heating Oil Hits 5.50, Europe Gas Panic & The Buffers Are Gone | BDE 09.15.26

Distillate inventories are scraping bottom right as winter shows up. Maine heating oil is already past 5.30 a gallon, the Exxon Joliet refinery went down on a utility failure, and Irving's Saint John plant is out 75 days. European gas ran from 23 to nearly 30 per MMBtu while the EU quietly cut its storage target, and Chevron's Mike Wirth says the buffers are gone. Plus Ukraine keeps hitting Russian refineries, AI CEOs ask Washington for a leash, and the quietest hurricane season since 1950. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Chuckless Birthday Edition 1:10 Sark Manning And AI Slop 5:50 UT Photo Goes Viral 9:01 Diesel And Distillate Crunch 14:32 The Pipelines That Died 17:38 Nantucket Drought Loans 20:09 Europe Scrambles For Gas 22:46 Hormuz Mines And Deals 28:07 Ukraine Hits Russian Refineries 31:04 AI CEOs Want Regulation 36:07 Token Burn And AI Flaring 39:16 EPA Rescinds Power Rules 41:05 Quietest Hurricane Season 43:24 Wirth Says Buffers Gone 47:12 Where The Amateur Line Went 53:24 Listener Questions On Refining 59:58 Jacob Jumps In https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

September 8, 2026Episode 21457 min

Chevron Bets 7 Billion on Venezuela, Citadel Hunts Shale Oil & No Iran Deal | BDE 09.08.26

Chevron is the only super major stepping into Venezuela, committing 7 billion across two JVs and targeting 600,000 barrels a day by 2031, while Exxon still calls the country uninvestable. Citadel keeps bidding on physical shale oil after Paloma and losing Wildfire to Magnolia. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says a nuclear deal with Iran may never happen. Plus Paul Ryan on the Overton window, 40 trillion in debt, diesel doing the real damage and the permitting reform that died with Manchin. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Mark is back 00:55 Paul Ryan and the Overton window 03:39 Trump versus the Fed 05:48 Diesel is the real problem 08:49 Seven months and counting 10:57 Rhino politics and what comes next 15:11 Chevron bets seven billion on Venezuela 19:00 Nobody else wants Venezuela 22:31 Guyana as the better bet 25:26 What actually changed in Caracas 30:17 No nuclear deal with Iran 36:29 Safer but at what cost 39:14 The permitting reform that never came 43:05 Citadel hunts shale oil 46:51 Hedging as the real edge 50:58 Builders sell traders buy 55:27 Remembering September 11 https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

September 1, 2026Episode 21356 min

Venezuela Crude for the SPR, Bessent vs Druckenmiller & Oil Talked Down | BDE 09.01.26

Trump calls the Venezuela concession the biggest oil deal in world history, so Chuck Yates and Kirk Coburn pull it apart with Mark Meyer out of the room. Whether heavy Venezuelan crude can ever land in the SPR, why a hundred year lease looks a lot like the concession that became BP, and what PDVSA has to be paid to cooperate. Plus Druckenmiller calling out his old Soros desk mate Scott Bessent on Treasury buybacks, ranking the super majors, and 40 trillion in debt. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Houston Food Dives Without Mark 04:55 Trump's Venezuela Oil Deal 07:17 Defending Trump on the SPR 11:12 PDVSA Royalties and Ohio Shale 14:48 Would You Take the Meeting 19:14 Persia, BP and the Hundred Year Warning 24:21 National Oil Companies and Real Operators 25:49 Conoco Claims and CEO Changes 27:48 Tim Cook, Apple and AI CapEx 31:53 Ranking the Super Majors 36:34 Bessent Versus Druckenmiller 40:40 Oil Talked Down and AI Editorials 42:49 Where the First Opportunity Lands 46:03 Lightning Round 48:35 Forty Trillion in Debt 52:13 Tier Lists and Shout Outs https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

August 26, 2026Episode 2121 hr 5 min

U.S. Energy In A Changing Global Market with Sean Maher

Energy markets are shaped by more than a headline price. In this Community Call, Sean Maher, VP of IR and Chief Economist at Phillips 66, joins us for a macro-level conversation on the forces moving today’s energy landscape. They’ll cover the uncertainty in the market, where refined products fit in, why American infrastructure matters, and how the U.S. connects to the rest of the world. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Sean Maher and Phillips 66 0:02:15 Diesel Cracks and Margin Outlook 0:05:12 Damage to Russian Refining 0:09:15 Demand Resilience and Turnarounds 0:13:10 AI Inside the Plants 0:19:37 Gasoline Versus Diesel Demand 0:24:36 El Nino and Distillate Inventories 0:26:19 Global Demand and Record Exports 0:30:16 Value of US Infrastructure 0:33:17 Cost of Building New Capacity 0:36:00 Global South Priced Out 0:38:58 Fractionation and Permian NGLs 0:43:55 Export Dock Capacity 0:46:03 Canadian Egress and WCS Diffs 0:50:17 Venezuela Versus Canadian Heavy 0:53:35 Energy Sector Rerating 1:02:10 Why Energy Education Matters 1:04:39 Bonnies Basketball Sign Off https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

August 25, 2026Episode 21159 min

Diesel Cracks Hit $102, Hormuz Day 176 & Token Burn Is Just AI Flaring | BDE 08.24.26

Diesel cracks just hit 102 dollars a barrel while the Treasury Secretary says he does not understand why oil spiked, which tells you everything about a products led market. Hormuz sits at day 176 with transits down 86 percent, Buc-ee's makes more on beaver nuggets than it does on diesel, and the SPR is now a strategic suggestion. Then there is AI flaring, the case that token burn on drifting bots is the same waste as burning gas you already paid to produce. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 0:00:00 Bessent doesn't understand the oil spike 0:02:34 Macro guys versus the physical traders 0:05:26 The 102 dollar crack spread 0:08:29 What it actually costs at the pump 0:10:25 A strategic suggestion, not a reserve 0:15:48 Hormuz, day 176 0:20:05 Who runs short on diesel this winter 0:22:55 Australia emptied the whole clip 0:29:55 Phillips 66, Elliott, and Streamline 66 0:33:27 Structural or cyclical 0:38:24 AI flaring and the token burn problem 0:46:52 Bots, drift, and Grok running all night 0:49:05 Amazon builds an island in Pennsylvania 0:53:44 ERCOT's December audit math 0:57:18 A weekend in Telluride 0:58:43 Remembering Frank Beard https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

August 19, 2026Episode 21048 min

Hormuz Deadline Expires, Diesel Crack Tops $102, Meta Wants 10 Gas Plants | BDE 08.18.26

The sixty day clock on the Islamabad MOU ran out and nobody blinked, so Hormuz is still a coin flip and the diesel crack just printed 102 dollars, bigger than the price of crude itself. Kirk, Chuck, and Mark get into why nobody will build a refinery, how FedEx surcharges quietly lock in higher prices, and whether Meta and Entergy are about to hand Louisiana ratepayers a very long bill. Plus live questions from the Collide audience and a heartfelt sendoff for OJ Brigance. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Flock of Seagulls and concert stories 04:31 Hormuz deadline passes with no deal 08:43 Blaming the IEA for tight refining 12:16 Diesel crack spread hits a record 18:02 Fuel surcharges and the inflation ratchet 24:21 Meta, Entergy, and ten new gas plants 29:06 The case for behind the meter power 31:42 Capacity offline and the water question 37:29 Why nobody is building a refinery 41:50 OPEC unwind and closing tributes https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai