Iran vs Russia: The Next Natural Gas War
Not everybody attending the Iranian natural gas summit last week in Frankfurt was there for the same reason. While most were gauging the prospects for an opening of major natural Continue Reading
Iraq, Angola Signal Willingness to Extend OPEC Oil Output Cuts
Two OPEC members signaled a willingness to extend the group’s production curbs into the second half of the year as the global rally in prices shows signs of stalling. “We Continue Reading
Libya Oil Output Falls as Fresh Clashes Force Ports to Shut
Libya’s crude output dropped after clashes forced two of the country’s biggest oil ports to shut down, threatening the OPEC member’s efforts to revive the production of its most important Continue Reading
Libya militias who seized oil terminals aim to take Benghazi
Libyan militias that occupied two key oil terminals last week said Monday they intend to take the eastern city of Benghazi and unseat Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, who controls the Continue Reading
Fund Managers Value Aramco Below $1.5 Trillion
International fund managers and institutional investors largely expect Saudi Aramco to be valued at up to USD$1.5 trillion in the IPO expected next year, according to a survey by investment Continue Reading
Nigeria: Senate Investigates Widespread Fraud in Oil & Gas Industry
The Joint Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream, Upstream) and Gas at the weekend said it had uncovered a large-scale fraud of about N10 trillion allegedly perpetrated by officials of the Continue Reading
Saudi Aramco to Pay Shell $2.2 Billion in Refinery Breakup
Saudi Arabian Oil Co. will pay Royal Dutch Shell Plc $2.2 billion including debt to finalize the breakup of a 19-year refining partnership known as Motiva Enterprises LLC. Saudi Aramco’s Continue Reading
Fighting for Libya’s Oil Raises Questions Over Eastern Strongman
Libya’s slow-burn conflict swept into two of its most important oil facilities late last week, shutting ports and triggering a drop in crude output in the OPEC nation. The attacks Continue Reading
PUK faction seizes more Kirkuk energy infrastructure
“Black Force” special police took over the North Gas Company headquarters Sunday, and continue to occupy the IT-1 station, as tensions over Kirkuk energy resources escalate. Aso Almany, the leader Continue Reading
Ghana Mulls Doubling Capacity of Planned Second Oil Refinery
The operator of Ghana’s sole oil refinery said the planned capacity of a proposed second plant could be doubled as the West African nation targets exports to neighboring countries. Tema Continue Reading
China will not force big coal output cuts if prices reasonable: NDRC
China will not force coal mines to cut output on a large scale if prices remain within a reasonable range, the country’s state planner said on Tuesday, the latest comments Continue Reading
Australia Gas Firms Locked in Legal Battles After $200 Billion Spree Sours
After splurging $200 billion building the world’s biggest gas export plants, producers in Australia are now locked in legal battles with contractors over who should shoulder billions of dollars in Continue Reading
Exxon to invest $20 billion on U.S. Gulf refining projects
Exxon Mobil Corp ( XOM.N ), the world’s largest publicly traded oil producer, said on Monday it would invest $20 billion through 2022 to expand chemical and refining plants on Continue Reading
Exxon Is Steering Its Construction Dollars Back to U.S.
Exxon Mobil Corp. is spending $20 billion through 2022 to expand its chemicals and fuel-making capacity in Texas and Louisiana to transform U.S. shale oil and natural gas into products Continue Reading
U.S. Oil Industry Becomes Refiner to the World as Exports Boom
When PBF Energy Inc . scooped up a refinery from Exxon Mobil Corp. on the Mississippi River in 2015, it wasted no time sprucing up the plant with an eye Continue Reading
Rains Expose a New Water Problem in California: Storage
Since the beginning of the year, enough water has spilled out of California’s rain-swollen Lake Oroville to meet the demands of roughly 14 million people for a year. With no Continue Reading
The Cheap Resource That Worries Oil Shale Drillers
Most Silicon Valley companies would kill for the sorts of gains made by sellers of plain old silicon. Even after a recent selloff, leading producers of sand used by oil Continue Reading
Electricity Consumption Continues To Fall
Electricity sales in 2016 fell, the sixth year in the past ten in which America’s electricity users managed to do with less. Industrial firms made the sharpest cuts in their Continue Reading
Coal exports from Hampton Roads, Virginia, continue to climb in February
Coal exports from terminals in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region totaled 2.8 million st in February, up 8.2% from the prior month and up 50.7% from the year-ago month, according to Continue Reading
The Future of US Light Tight Oil (LTO)
The future output from the light tight oil (LTO) sector of the US oil industry is the subject of much speculation. Above I present some possible future output scenarios based Continue Reading
The Most Dangerous Bill You’ve Never Heard Of Just Passed The House
Last, week, under the cover of a media bliss-out except among Koch funded right-wing channels, the House of Representatives passed a bill which would effectively repeal future standard setting under Continue Reading
Trump To Undo Fuel Efficiency Standards
The Trump administration is set to undo one of former President Obama’s signature achievements. On Tuesday, the EPA and the Transportation Department are expected to jointly announce the rollback of Continue Reading
Did This Geologist Just Pinpoint This Decade’s Biggest Natural Gas Discovery?
Nearly a decade ago, I got interested in finding oil and gas fields from space. That odd-sounding strategy came to me while I was living in Canada’s petro-center, Calgary. And Continue Reading
France Plans Loans for Companies Wanting to Invest in Iran
France is working on plans to issue direct loans to companies that want to invest in Iran, Finance Minister Michel Sapin said in a press conference in Tehran. “We are Continue Reading
French, Spanish companies set for more wind power off coast of France
French and Spanish energy companies said Monday they were setting their sights on building up the wind energy potential off the coast of France. French energy company ENGIE counts an Continue Reading
Norwegian transport sector tapped for fast-charging EV stations
A German utility company said it was launching a collaborative effort to develop ultra-fast charging stations for electric vehicles across Norway. German company E.ON said it was working through partnership Continue Reading
Oil Price, Sanctions Weigh on Russian Stocks, Moscow Unfazed
When Donald Trump won the presidential vote last year there was an outcry from his opponents due to his alleged close ties with the Russian government. Many believed that Trump Continue Reading
IHS CERAWeek: Russia to achieve 300,000 b/d in agreed cut by end April: minister
Russia will achieve by late April the 300,000 b/d cut it agreed to in the coordinated supply cut agreement reached with OPEC and 11 non-OPEC countries last year, Russian energy Continue Reading
Russia Is Running on More Than Just the Black Stuff
The world’s largest energy producer is out of its longest recession in two decades Russia has exited recession, with a little help from the boys in uniform, a major statistical Continue Reading
U.K. Oil, Gas Output Set for Longest Expansion in Two Decades
U.K. oil and gas production will continue to grow through 2018, putting it on course for the longest expansion in almost two decades, amid project startups and productivity gains, an Continue Reading
Russia Committed to Oil Production Cut
Russia’s energy minister said Monday the nation is gradually reducing its oil production in line with an agreement reached with OPEC late last year and should be fully compliant by Continue Reading
Oil prices fall on doubts over Russian output curbs
Oil prices slipped in Asian trade on Monday, wiping out some of the gains of the previous session amid ongoing concern over Russia’s compliance with a global deal to cut Continue Reading
Oil Seen Stuck in Mid-$50s Range
Oil prices may have found their new normal, for now. Analysts forecast that crude will remain stuck in its current tight-trading range in the mid-$50s a barrel until at least Continue Reading
Investors Start Doubting Oil Rally After Failure to Top $55
The oil market’s failure to break out of the tightest range in more than a decade is sapping investor interest. After hitting a record high last week, hedge funds reduced Continue Reading
Inventories are responding to OPEC cuts: secretary general
Oil inventories onshore and offshore are responding to production cuts implemented by OPEC, the secretary general of the organization, Mohammad Barkindo, said on Sunday. OPEC-led production cuts have helped raise Continue Reading
Is A Second OPEC Cut On The Cards?
OPEC’s coordinated effort to curtail global supply has so far managed to put a floor under oil prices, which have been sitting modestly above US$50 since the deal was announced Continue Reading
Libya’s Biggest Oil Port Seized in Blow to Production Surge
Libya’s biggest oil port was seized by an armed group, dealing a blow to the North African country as it seeks to revive production of its most important commodity. Brent Continue Reading
Libya Oil Output Falls as Fresh Clashes Force Ports to Shut
Libya’s crude output dropped after clashes forced two of the country’s biggest oil ports to shut down, threatening the OPEC member’s efforts to revive the production of its most important Continue Reading
China Softens Coal Focus in Bid to Clean Up Its Skies
China’s government pledged to dramatically slow a coal-power building binge that is threatening its environment, saying Sunday it would shut down dozens of coal-power plants and stop some new construction. Continue Reading
Electric cars: China’s battle for the battery market
The headquarters of CATL, China’s fastest growing battery maker, lie on the edge of the city of Ningde, a stone’s throw from ponds where farmers raise carp and a street Continue Reading
U.S. Oil Industry Becomes Refiner to the World as Exports Boom
When PBF Energy Inc . scooped up a refinery from Exxon Mobil Corp. on the Mississippi River in 2015, it wasted no time sprucing up the plant with an eye Continue Reading
Titans of oil world meet in Houston after two-year price war
The biggest names in the oil world come together this week for the largest industry gathering since the end of a two-year price war that pitted Middle East exporters against Continue Reading
WHO attributes more than 1 in 4 deaths annually of children under 5 years to unhealthy environment
In 2015, 5.9 million children under age five died. The major causes of child deaths globally are pneumonia, prematurity, intrapartum-related complications, neonatal sepsis, congenital anomalies, diarrhea, injuries and malaria. Most Continue Reading
Oil’s Friday Rebound Can’t Cancel Out Weekly Loss
Crude oil prices ended the week back in the middle of the range they have been mired in for two months as a rebound Friday couldn’t overcome big losses from Continue Reading
Oil ticks up on weaker dollar, stalled Russian output cuts
Oil markets rose on Friday as the dollar edged away from a multi-week high, but prices are being held in check by unchanged Russian output for February, a sign of Continue Reading
Oil Prices Rise On OPEC Compliance Data And Plunging Dollar
Crude prices are getting up off the canvas after being knocked down yesterday, helped up by a falling dollar ahead of lots of Fedspeak. Nonetheless, prices are holding in their Continue Reading
Oil Prices Find Support As OPEC Compliance Nears 100%
Oil prices fell to three week lows before recovering slightly on Friday morning, as early reports of OPEC’s compliance in February look promising. (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click Continue Reading
As oil industry perks up, worries grow over future staffing
Doug Lucas stood outside a Houston energy conference early one morning last month handing out resumes and hoping to catch the eye of oil executives with a hand-written sign advertising Continue Reading
Oil and gas industry notches win with EPA emissions ruling
An oil and trade group said steps by the Trump administration to ease regulatory burdens on emissions would help ensure American leadership on the energy stage. The Environmental Protection Agency Continue Reading
Should Israel Fear The Peak Oil Crisis?
Conventional wisdom suggests that the world economy is in a slow but steady recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. Some economists, however, including Nafeez Ahmed , author of several books Continue Reading