Permission given to US interstate pipelines by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) allowing for the discontinuation of sales, storage or transportation service along any portion of the pipeline system. The necessity for Ferc permission derives from Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act of 1938. Permission is sought when utility companies want to replace, update or sell their facilities.
pricing an asset using reference only to its exposure to fundamental sources of risk. Most common in academia. see also relative pricing
when swaps are used to hedge specific on-balance-sheet exposures, they are often accounted for on an accrual basis. Under the accrual method, the net payment or receipt in each period is accrued and recorded as an adjustment to income or expense. see also hedge accounting, mark-to-market
forms of precipitation (such as rain, snow or sleet) containing high levels of sulphuric or nitric acids (with pH levels below 5.5–5.6). Also includes dry deposited gases and particles that fall back to earth from the atmosphere. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, approximately two-thirds of all SO2 and one-quarter of all NOx in the US come from electric power generation that burns fossil fuels such as coal. see also sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides
the day during which the greatest demand occurs in a one-year period.
the physical commodity underlying a futures contract. Also referred to as the cash commodity or the physicals.
see American Gas Association
a company that consolidates the energy requirements of a number of buyers and/or sellers in order to buy or sell power in bulk.
an acronym for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a professional association representing certified public accountants in the US.
a defined, finite set of steps, operations or procedures that will produce a particular outcome (e.g., computer programs, mathematical formulas and recipes).
another name for butterfly spread.
(Gas) independent agents, paid for by shippers, who calculate how much of the gas input at a terminal belongs to each shipper.
a measure of the difference between a fund’s actual returns and its expected returns given its risk level as measured by its beta. The alpha is a measure of risk-adjusted performance. An alpha is usually generated by regressing the security, portfolio or mutual fund’s excess return relative to a benchmark index. The beta adjusts for the systemic risk (the slope co-efficient). The alpha is the intercept and is also known as the Jensen Index.
founded in 1918, the AGA represents companies involved in all areas of the transmission and distribution of natural gas in the US.
the trade association of the US petroleum industry. The API publishes weekly information on US petroleum stock figures, refinery throughput, imports, exports and stock levels. This information is divided into five geographical areas known as Petroleum Administration for Defence Districts. The API established the system for grading crude oils by specific gravity (API gravity). see also Energy Information Administration (EIA)
an American-style option may be exercised at any time during its lifetime, up to and including on the expiration date. see also European-style option
Services are designed to maintain the reliability of power supply to end-users. Ancillary services can include regulation, spinning reserve, non-spinning reserve and replacement reserve. Independent system operators create a market for buying and selling ancillary services, which help control the flow of electricity and provide energy ‘reserves’ to maintain reliability.
in a gas buyer’s purchase agreement, there is often a limit higher than the annual contract quantity (ACQ), above which the seller is not liable to sell. This is the annual cap and is usually stated as a percentage of the ACQ. Also known as the maximum annual quantity. see also MAQ
the amount of gas specified in a buyer’s nomination purchase contract for one year. Some rights, such as make-up gas and take-or-pay, may need to be taken into account depending on the amount of gas taken versus the amount contracted for.
a long-term schedule commonly used in the liquefied natural gas industry for optimising inventory and delivery planning (may also be referred to as the annual operating plan).
see American Petroleum Institute
All Publications Index #2: a price index for coal supply cost insurance and freight Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp.
All Publications Index #4: a price index for coal shipments free-on-board Richards Bay.
one of the main quality indicators for pricing crude oil – the higher the API gravity, the lighter the crude. API gravity = 141.5/specific gravity of crude at 60° Fahrenheit – 131.5
also known as Petroleum Administration for Defence Districts (Padds). The US is divided into five Padds for administration purposes: Padd 1, eastern seaboard; Padd 2, Midwest; Padd 3, southern area (Gulf Coast); Padd 4, Rocky Mountains; and Padd 5, far west.
a company offering access to its software applications over the internet, rather than requiring software to be located on personal computers or internal servers. Often a less costly way of using software and an approach used by some technology vendors for the energy sector.
APX Group, a European energy exchange, operating markets for electricity and natural gas in the Netherlands, the UK and Belgium. In September 2008 a merger took place between APX and the European Energy Derivatives Exchange (Endex), with Endex becoming a subsidiary of APX B.V. and part of the APX Group.
Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp area – a port and refining area in the Belgian-Dutch region. A cargo or barge of a refined product traded on a cost, insurance and freight ARA basis means that ports within this area are covered in the cost. A cargo traded on a free-on-board basis means the oil can come from any of these ports.
1) A trading strategy to profit from market inefficiencies in price differences of a given commodity either in the same location or in different geographical locations. Grade arbitrage is trading the difference in the price of a commodity in the same location – e.g., the difference in the prices of two sweet crudes in north-west Europe. Geographical arbitrage is trading the difference in the price of the same grade in different locations. Often grade and geographical arbitrage are combined – e.g., in transatlantic arbitrage, which is trading the price difference between, for example, Brent crude in Europe and West Texas Intermediate in the US. This calculation will include the cost-of carry as well as the cost of the alternative crude in the US. 2) A term specific to US stock markets, where a speculative position is built up in shares in a particular company that is thought likely to become a takeover candidate.
any theoretical model that does not allow arbitrage on the underlying variable.
an acronym for autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity.
the price of electricity in one particular region within an integrated grid, such as Nord Pool. see also system price
An independent energy news and price reporting agency. www.argusmediagroup.com
compounds produced by the fractionation of petroleum above 80° Celsius. The most important aromatics are benzene and toluene, which are used as chemical feedstocks and in gasoline production.
Alaskan Systems Co-ordinating Council – a North American Electric Reliability Corporation affiliate.
Asian (or average) options have payoffs that depend on an average of prices for the underlying commodity over a period of time, rather than on the price of the commodity on a single date. The averaging period may correspond to the entire life of the option or may be shorter.
the level at which sellers are willing to sell. see also bid/ask
increasing the efficiencies of an existing plant in order to avoid the need to build new infrastructure. This strategy was pursued throughout the 1990s in the UK power sector and the oil refining and producing sector in the West.
natural gas found in a crude oil reservoir, separate from or in solution with the oil.
(UK) when gas has been brought ashore to a terminal by producers but is not yet in the national transmission system, the gas is called at-the-beach.
1) At-the-money spot – an option whose strike is the same as the prevailing market price of the underlying rate or price. 2) At-the-money forward – an option whose strike is at the same level as the prevailing market price of the underlying forward contract. see also in-the-money
the geographical region that can be considered as comprising all land masses (including islands) that lie adjacent to or within the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent waters, including the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Black Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Labrador Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Norwegian Sea, most of the Scotia Sea, Baffin Bay, Hudson Bay, Gulf of St Lawrence, the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and the Weddell Sea. As applied to the energy market, the Atlantic Basin liquefied natural gas (LNG) market encompasses LNG producers and consumers in or adjacent to the Atlantic Basin geographical area noted above. The Atlantic Basin LNG markets can be considered to specifically include the LNG producers (current and projected): Abu Dhabi, Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela and Yemen. The current and likely future LNG consuming countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the UK, the US and possibly the Bahamas and Jamaica. Note that an Atlantic Basin LNG producer might not be physically located in the Atlantic Basin itself. see also Pacific Basin
as applied to the energy sector, auctions as a pricing mechanism have been used or have been planned for liquefied natural gas storage capacity, emission allowances and transmission capacity, in order to manage congestion.
the correlation between a component of a stochastic process and itself lagged a certain period of time.
a measure of the transfer capability remaining in the physical transmission network for further commercial activity over and above already committed uses. ATC is defined as the total transfer capability, less the transmission reliability margin, less the sum of existing transmission commitments (which includes retail customer service) and the capacity benefit margin. see also capacity benefit margin
Average rate option or average price option – a form of Asian option whose payoff is linked to the average value of the underlying asset over a specified period of time. Although somewhat more complex to price relative to traditional European or American option structures, average rate options are popular since they provide a price hedge that better matches price exposures that are based on daily averages, such as purchase/consumption of energy on a daily basis. Also referred to as an APO. see Asian option
a high-octane aviation fuel used for aircraft and racing cars.
barrels per day. Used to express crude oil production, refinery throughput capacity (i.e., capacity of the crude distillation unit), liftings, forward demand projections and crude consumption rates.
back-month contracts are those exchange-traded derivatives contracts with the most distant delivery dates or expirations. For a suite of 12 monthly contracts, for example, the last three months might be back months. Also referred to as deferred months.
when the price of nearer (typically prompt or spot) crude or another underlying commodity or instrument trades at a premium to the same commodity or instrument traded further forward. Also known as an inverse. see also contango
in an electricity grid or natural gas pipeline network, the means of ensuring that supply does not outstrip demand, or vice versa.
a membership exchange located in London for the maritime bulk freight market.
a procedure by which excess gas that one shipper cannot use is lent to another shipper to be returned at a later date.
a chartering arrangement whereby a vessel is contracted for without crew or provisions, and can have distinctions or implications in terms of legal responsibility relative to other types of charter arrangements.
motored or motorless vessel used to carry oil products, often along a river. Barges vary in capacity, usually from 1,000 to 5,000 tonnes.
standard measure of quantity for crude oil and petroleum products. Barrel, US barrel and standard barrel are all equal to 42 US gallons.
volume of natural gas expressed in terms of its energy equivalent to oil. About 6,000 cubic feet of gas equals one barrel of oil equivalent.
barrier options are exotic options that either come to life (are ‘knocked-in’) or are extinguished (‘knocked-out’) under conditions stipulated in the option contract. The conditions are usually defined in terms of a price level (barrier, knock-out or knock-in price) that may be reached at any time during the lifetime of the option. There are four major types of barrier options: up-and-out, up-and-in, down-and-out and down-and-in. The extinguishing or activating features of these options mean they are usually cheaper than ordinary options, making them attractive to buyers looking to avoid high premiums.
the minimum expected customer power requirements at a given time. Baseload power is generally supplied from larger plants, which cannot be ramped up and down as quickly as peaking generation plants. As baseload demand is generally predictable and steady, it is less expensive than peak power.
electricity-generating equipment normally operated to serve loads on an around-the-clock basis.
the differential that exists at any time between the cash – or spot – price of a given commodity and the price of the nearest futures contract for the same (or related) commodity. The basis may reflect different time periods, product forms, qualities or locations. The cash price minus the futures price equals the basis.
basis risk is the risk that the value of a futures contract (or an over-the-counter hedge) will not move in line with that of the underlying exposure. Alternatively, it is the risk that the cash-futures spread will widen or narrow between the times at which a hedge position is implemented and liquidated. There are various types of basis risk. For example, a heating oil wholesaler selling its product in Baltimore will be exposed to basis risk if it hedges using New York Harbor heating oil futures contracts listed by Nymex. This is a ‘locational’ basis risk. Other forms of basis risk include ‘product’ basis, arising from mismatches in type or quality of hedge and underlying (e.g., hedging jet fuel with heating oil); and ‘time’ or ‘calendar’ basis (e.g., hedging an exposure to physical prices in December with a January futures contract).
basis swaps are used to hedge exposure to basis risk, such as locational risk or time-exposure risk. For example, a natural gas basis swap could be used to hedge a locational price risk: the seller receives from the buyer a Nymex division settlement value (usually the average of the last three days’ closing prices) plus a negotiated fixed basis, and pays the buyer the published index value of gas sold at a specified location.
a trading strategy whereby trades are placed simultaneously in a derivative contract, normally a future, and the underlying asset. The purpose is either to cover derivatives sold or to attempt an arbitrage strategy. This arbitrage can either take advantage of an existing mispricing (in cash-and-carry arbitrage) or be based on speculation that the basis risk will change.
an option that enables the purchaser to buy or sell a basket of commodities. The value of a basket option is dependent on both the volatility of the individual commodities and the correlation between the prices of commodities in the basket.
a swap in which the floating leg is based on the returns on a basket of underlying commodities.
A crude oil produced in southern Iraq that contains approximately 2% sulphur by weight with an API gravity of about 34.
abbreviation for barrel.
billion cubic feet (of gas).
(UK) gas produced offshore and brought onshore to the shore/beach gas terminal, but not yet part of the national transmission system.
a market in which the trend is for prices to decline.
an option spread trade that reflects a bearish view on the market, usually the purchase of a put spread. see also bull spread, call spread, put spread
synonymous with reference crude or marker crude. A crude oil whose price is used as a reference against which other crudes are priced. Because of their liquidity, the Nymex West Texas Intermediate and IntercontinentalExchange/ICE Futures’ Brent crude oil futures contracts are used as global benchmarks. Dubai crude is widely used as a benchmark for Middle Eastern crudes, especially for sale to Asian markets. see also marker crudes
the beta (or beta co-efficient) of a rate or price is the extent to which that rate or price follows movements in the overall market. If the beta is greater than one, it is more volatile than the market; if the beta is less than one, it is less volatile.
British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements – arrangements designed to draw Scotland into the British wholesale market for trading power and create a single, integrated British-wide competitive wholesale electricity market. Betta was implemented on April 1, 2005. It gives renewable generators in Scotland better access to the Anglo-French interconnector, making it easier to sell power in continental Europe. see also new electricity trading arrangements
see Brent, Forties, Oseberg
a measure of market liquidity, also known as bid/offer. The bid is the price level at which buyers are willing to buy, and the ask is the price level at which sellers are willing to sell. The thinner the spread, the higher the liquidity.
a contract directly between a consumer and a broker or supplier.
an agreement between two counterparties to offset the value of all in-the-money contracts with all out-of-the-money contracts, resulting in a single net exposure amount owed by one counterparty to the other. see also netting, multilateral netting
a shipowner’s receipt for its cargo, which includes cargo details, such as loading times.
see digital option
any model that incorporates a binomial tree, also called a binomial lattice. A binomial model describes the evolution of a random variable over a series of time steps, assigning given probabilities to a rise or fall in the variable. After the initial rise or fall, the next two branches will each have two possible outcomes, so the process will continue, building a ‘tree’ over time. The process is usually specified, so that an upward movement followed by a downward movement results in the same price, so the branches recombine. Binomial trees are of interest because they can be used to deal with American-style features; the early-exercise condition can be tested at each point in the tree.
an alternative fuel generally blended with petroleum diesel to create a cleaner-burning biodiesel blend. A typical US blend might be 20% biodiesel to 80% petroleum.
energy produced by the combustion of plants, vegetation or agricultural waste – for example, rice husks.
an option-pricing model initially derived by Fischer Black and Myron Scholes in 1973 for securities options and later refined by Black in 1976 for options on futures.
a total loss of power caused by the failure of the generation, transmission or distribution system.
(Gas) mixing gases of different specifications to produce one within the required gas specification. (Crude) sometimes crudes are blended near source when the same storage terminal or pipeline is used. An example is Brent blend – a blend of crudes from various fields in the East Shetland Basin. Also used to create components for gasoline.
an information service, news and media company that provides business and financial professionals with the tools and data on a single, all-inclusive platform. www.bloomberg.com
see barrels of oil equivalent
gas vapour that is typically produced during liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship unloading or LNG transport or storage phases as a result of heat input or pressure variations.
the temperature at which a liquid becomes a gas.
the total of all forward positions held by a trader or company.
the transfer of title of a cash commodity to the buyer without a corresponding physical movement.
caused when the flow of electricity is greater than the system capacity between two connected grids. Bottlenecks can lead to an area becoming isolated. In an exchange, this can cause attendant price imbalances between the area price and system price.
to buy/sell mispriced options and hedge the market risk using only options, unlike the conversion or the reversal, which use futures contracts. If a certain strike put is underpriced, the trader buys the put and sells a call at the same strike, creating a synthetic short futures position. To get rid of the market risk, the trader sells another put and buys another call, but at different strike prices. see also conversion, reversal
an options market arbitrage, in which both a bull spread and a bear spread are established for a riskless profit.
UK Brent blend is a blend of crude oil from various fields in the East Shetland Basin between Scotland and Norway in the North Sea. The crude is landed at the Sullom Voe terminal and is used as a benchmark for the pricing of much of the world’s crude oil production. see also dated Brent
information provider Platts’ replacement for the traditional Brent price index, intended to widen the number of crude oil grades used to determine the price of the key North Sea benchmark. It was launched in 2002 – as liquidity in Brent markets reduced, Platt’s introduced the changes to limit potential manipulation of the index.
the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1lb of water by 1° Fahrenheit (technically from 60°F to 61°F). It is used to compare the heat-producing value of different fuels.
an intermediary between traders for physical, futures and over-the-counter deals. Brokers receive a fixed commission, predetermined between the broker and his/her client.
abandoned or unused industrial and commercial sites that may be used for redevelopment or expansion. Such use, however, may be complicated by environmental contamination.
a partial loss of power caused by unexpectedly high demand or problems with the physical delivery of electricity. A brownout may result in lights dimming or electrical machinery slowing down.
see British thermal unit
the infrastructure and generating plant that generates power for a region’s wholesale power supply.
a market in which the trend is for prices to increase.
an option spread trade that reflects a bullish view on the market, usually the purchase of a call spread. see also bear spread, call spread
the German Federal Cartel Office. Enforcing the ban on cartels is one of the prime functions of the Bundeskartellamt, including combating such practices as agreements between companies on the setting of prices or sales quotas and market sharing. www.bundeskartellamt.de
the German Federal Network Agency for electricity, gas, telecommunications, post and railway, headquartered in Bonn, provides for the further development of the electricity, gas, telecommunications and postal markets and, since 2006, also of the railway infrastructure market. In order to implement effective regulations, the agency has the authority to obtain information and conduct investigations, as well as the right to impose graded sanctions: www.bundesnetzagentur.de
a derivative contract that combines two or more commodities to manage a number of related risks. For example, coal for power linked to pollution credits, where the contract compensates the coal user for any extra charges arising from the coal containing more than a certain level of sulphur. The counterparties to a deal agree to settle any differences between the delivered sulphur content of the coal and an agreed benchmark in emission allowances. The coal user is paid when the sulphur content is above the benchmark and pays out when it is below.
a combined charge for the provision of two or more services – e.g., gas transportation and storage, or electricity generation and transmission.
two or more electricity or gas services provided at a combined charge – e.g., gas transportation and storage; electricity generation and transmission.
a heavy fuel oil used to power ships, for electricity generation and for large-scale industrial use. It is often the residue from vacuum distillation blended with lighter components.
(US) for electricity utilities, as determined by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (Nerc), the business day typically begins at 6:00am for a 24-hour period. Holidays are also determined by Nerc and may be separate from US-designated holidays.
the simultaneous purchase of an out-of-the-money strangle and sale of an at-the-money straddle. The buyer profits if the underlying remains stable, and has limited risk in the event of a large move in either direction.
a gas contract where the buyer has the option to nominate the delivery requirements up to the predefined delivery capacity. The seller is obliged, under this type of contract, to deliver as requested, although limits are often built into the contract.
cost and freight. The price includes the cost of the cargo and the freight/vessel hiring costs, but not the insurance. Also referred to as CAF.
calendar, or time, spreads describe the price differential – or spread – that may arise between differently dated futures contracts. For example, the price difference between contracts for first- and second-month light, sweet crude offered on Nymex. Time spreads can be mitigated by purchasing options on the difference between average annual prices. In effect, such options provide protection against a reshaping of the forward price curve. The term is also used for trading in which the parties buy a certain number of futures contracts for a specific month and simultaneously sell the same number of futures contracts for a different month.
area where the utilities of the north-west US connect to those of California, and an electric power price index point.
an option that gives the buyer (holder) the right, but not the obligation, to buy a futures contract (enter into a long futures position) or physical commodity for a specified price within a specified period of time in exchange for a one-time premium payment. It obligates the seller (writer) of the option to sell the underlying futures contract (enter into a short futures position) or commodity at the designated price, should the option be exercised at that price. see also put option
an options position formed by the purchase of a call option at one level and the sale of a call option at some higher level. The premium received by selling one option reduces the cost of buying the other, but participation is limited if the underlying goes up. H see also bear spread, bull spread, put spread, vertical spread
a swap in which the fixed-rate payer has the right to terminate the swap after a certain time if rates fall. Often done in conjunction with callable debt issues, where an issuer is more concerned with the cost of debt than the maturity. In some definitions of a callable swap, the fixed-rate receiver has the right to terminate the swap. Also known as a cancellable swap.
a measure of the energy released as heat when a fuel is burned. It may be measured wet (with water vapour) or dry (after the water vapour has been removed). It may also be measured gross or net – gross includes the heat produced when the water vapour is condensed into a liquid, and net does not. Generally, CV is measured gross and dry.
see callable swap
a supply contract between a buyer and seller, whereby the buyer is assured that he or she will not have to pay more than a given maximum price. This type of contract and a call option are analogous.
(Electricity) the rated load-carrying capability of electrical equipment such as generators or transmission lines, typically expressed in megawatts or megavoltamperes. (Gas) the rated transportation volume of natural gas pipelines, typically expressed in millions of cubic feet per day.
the amount of transmission transfer capability reserved by load-serving entities to ensure access to generation from interconnected systems to meet generation reliability requirements. Reservation of CBM by a load-serving entity allows that entity to reduce its installed generating capacity below a level that may otherwise have been necessary without interconnections to meet its generation reliability requirements. see also available transfer capability
in gas or electricity markets, a price based on reserved capacity or measured demand and irrespective of energy delivered. Also known as demand charge.
the amount of energy that a power generation plant actually generates compared to its maximum rated output, expressed as a percentage.
the right to access the output of a plant, whose generation is specifically earmarked.
a legal document for transferring transmission capacity for a defined period.
where a gas shipper with spare capacity in a transportation system – e.g., the UK’s national transmission system – sells or leases its rights to transport gas in a pipeline. (US) trading of transportation rights that has been facilitated through the use of electronic bulletin boards or electronic data interchange.
an estimate of the capital required to maintain a business.
a commodity swap in which the floating payments of the swap are capped at a certain level. A floating-rate payer can thereby limit its exposure to rising commodity prices.
one who has no practical means of buying power or gas from a source other than the local utility, even if in theory the customer is based in a competitive energy market.
a gas produced by the burning of fuel. Many scientists believe it to be a major contributor to the greenhouse effect.
capturing carbon dioxide in carbon sinks, thus limiting its presence in the atmosphere.
forests, soils or oceans that store more carbon dioxide than they release, thereby limiting the gas’ contribution to the greenhouse effect. Carbon sinks can be used as part of an emissions trading system.
the accepted measurement unit for greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol.
(Gas) if, in a given contract period (often a year), a buyer has taken more than the annual contact quantity then, if there is no accumulated make-up gas, the buyer can carry forward this excess for future use. The buyer may use the carry-forward to offset the take-or-pay obligation, although there may be a limit to the amount of carry-forward allowed in any given contract period.
the total cost of storing a physical commodity, including storage, insurance, interest and opportunity cost.
the conversion of a forward contract into a series of shorter-term contracts on maturity.
see spot market
a strategy whereby a trader generates a riskless profit by selling a futures contract and buying the underlying to deliver into it. The futures contract must be theoretically expensive relative to the underlying. If the futures are theoretically cheap compared to cash, the trader could sell the underlying and buy the futures – in reverse cash-and-carry arbitrage.
in US accounting terminology, a hedge of a forecasted asset and liability acquisition, for which the gain or loss on the hedging instrument will remain in equity when the asset or liability is acquired. That gain or loss will subsequently be included in net profit or loss in the same period as the asset or liability affects net profit or loss. H See also FAS 133
value-at-risk (VaR) calculated in terms of earnings or cashflow, giving a probability that business targets will be met. A useful VaR tool for non-financial institutions.
catalytic cracking is a refining process that breaks down heavier crude oil fractions into motor spirit and gasoil/heating oil blending components by passing them over a suitable catalyst.
a substance that accelerates or facilitates a chemical reaction without changing the substance itself – e.g., the use of platinum in reformers to convert naphtha into gasoline.
see combined-cycle gas turbine
see Clean Development Mechanism
one of the many ways of expressing the viscosity of fuel oil.
the right to emit 650,000 tonnes of CO2. CER is the technical term for the output of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, as defined by the Kyoto Protocol. A unit of greenhouse gas reductions that has been generated and certified under the provisions of Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol, the CDM.
the right to emit 650,000 tonnes of CO2.
see contract for differences
a forward contract for the delivery of a commodity that has been traded many times by several parties, thereby forming a chain between the final buyer and the initial seller.
a contract by which the owner of a vessel (aircraft or ship) leases his craft to or hires a charterer for a fixed period of time or a set number of voyages. Normally, the vessel owner retains rights of possession and control while the charterer has the right to choose the ports of call. It also goes under the name of charter agreement or charter contract.
the shipping rate agreed between the owner of a vessel and the person or firm wanting to use the vessel in a charter party agreement.
A person or firm who enters into a charter party agreement with the owner of a vessel for the transportation of cargo for a set period of time or number or voyages.
a market participant who uses technical analysis to chart the price patterns of commodities, stocks and bonds to make buy and sell decisions based on this analysis. Chartists believe recurring patterns of trading can help them forecast price movements.
Greenhouse gas emissions trading exchange; designed for voluntary emissions reductions and trading for all six greenhouse gases. The CCX administers the first multinational and multisector market for reducing and trading greenhouse gas emissions. CCX is a self-regulatory, rules-based exchange designed and governed by CCX members that have made a voluntary, legally binding commitment to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases.
established in 1898 as the Chicago Butter and Egg Board, it became incorporated as the CME in 1919. The CME offers futures and options on futures based on indexes of heating degree days (HDDs) and cooling degree days (CDDs) for selected population centres and energy hubs with significant weather-related risks throughout the US. Cities are chosen based on population, the variability in their seasonal temperatures and the activity seen in over-the-counter trade in HDD/CDD derivatives. These are the first exchange-traded, temperature-related weather derivatives. These contracts are designed to help businesses protect their revenues during times of depressed demand or excessive costs because of unexpected or unfavourable weather conditions.
the holder of a chooser option can choose, after a predetermined period, between a put and a call option. Similar to a straddle, but cheaper, because the holder must choose between the put or the call before the instrument expires. see also forward start option
see combined heat and power
see cost, insurance and freight
methods of burning coal with reduced emissions.
refers to the profit realised by a power generator after paying for the cost of coal fuel and carbon allowances.
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), defined in Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol, allows a country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to implement an emission-reduction project in developing countries. Such projects can earn saleable Certified Emission Reduction credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting Kyoto targets.
the spread equal to the regular (or ‘dirty’) spark spread minus the CO2 emissions cost for gas-fired power plants. This spread then represents the net revenue on power sales after gas costs and emissions allowance costs. An analogous spread for coal-fired generation plants is typically referred to as a clean dark spread or a dark green spread. see also spark spread, dark spark spread
a mechanism by which transactions are settled through an organisation that assures settlement.
members of an exchange who accept responsibility for all trades cleared through them.
an acronym for compressed natural gas – natural gas that has been compressed under high pressure (typically 2,000–3,600psi). see compressed natural gas
Central North Sea.
see Comisión Nacional de Sistema Eléctrico
a measure of the proportion of variance in y which can be explained by x. H See also r2
burning natural gas as well as another fuel type (usually coal) in order to decrease the amount of air pollutants and/or use the most competitively priced fuels available. see also dual-firing
a generating facility that produces electricity and another form of useful thermal energy (such as heat or steam), used for industrial, commercial, heating or cooling purposes.
when a gas or crude oil outside contract specifications has been mixed with another gas in order to bring it within the required quality specifications.
(US) a group organised under law into a utility company that will generate, transmit or distribute supplies of electricity to a specified area not being served by another utility. Typically, a co-operative is a not-for-profit organisation where the customers are also owners.
these are short-term transactions undertaken chiefly to maintain the integrity of an electricity system.
used to express coal transportation cost. Usually listed as dollars/tonne or dollars/tonne-mile.
a process for converting coal partially or completely into combustible gases, for use as fuels or chemical feedstocks.
a supply contract between a buyer and a seller of a commodity, whereby the buyer is assured that he will not have to pay more than some maximum price and whereby the seller is assured of receiving some minimum price.
an obligation or security linked to another obligation or security to secure its performance.
the production of two forms of energy, such as high-temperature heat and electricity, from the same process. For example, the steam produced from boiling water could be used for industrial heating. In the US, the term typically used for this process is co-generation.
an energy-efficient gas turbine system, where the first turbine generates electricity from the gas produced during fuel combustion. The hot gases pass through a boiler and then into the atmosphere. The steam from the boiler drives the second electricity-generating turbine.
An electricity generator that uses a jet engine as the prime mover. Often fuelled by natural gas or petroleum products and used as peaking generation.
a regulatory commission for the Spanish power industry. Attached to the ministry of industry and energy, the Madrid-based CNSE has regulatory and executive powers to regulate operation of the industry and supervise industry practices.
the French regulatory agency for energy. Acts as the guarantor of the right of access to public electricity grids and to natural gas facilities and systems. www.cre.fr
gas produced when a new field starts up, or the gas needed during the start-up of a power station. In both cases, the amount and timing of the requirements are not exact.
1) a physical good, typically produced in agriculture or mining, that can be the object of a commercial transaction. 2) any index, rate, security or physical commodity that is or could be the underlying instrument or price determinant of a futures contract or other financial instrument.
a futures contract on a commodity. Unlike financial futures, the prices of commodity futures are determined by supply and demand rather than the cost-of-carry of the underlying. Comm