UAE, Qatar Warily Extend Joint Oilfield Concession
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have extended a concession for an offshore oilfield that the two share—but warily, since the UAE is part of a regional blockade against Qatar, Continue Reading
Post Tillerson: Is The Iran Nuclear Deal At Risk?
President Donald Trump sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Twitter on Tuesday, replacing him with current CIA Director Mike Pompeo. The move has some grim implications for the U.S.’ Continue Reading
Kirkuk fields begin to re-start
The Bai Hassan oil field and the Avana Dome of the Kirkuk field have started initial runs of production, five months after they were shut in following a federal military Continue Reading
Kazakhstan Offers Shell Up To 20% In State Oil Firm
Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund has offered to Shell up to a 20 percent stake in KazMunayGas (KMG) in a bid raise the value of the state oil company ahead of Continue Reading
Nigeria: Refinery Overhaul Begins in Q2 – NNPC
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation hinted yesterday that overhaul projects of the nation’s ailing refineries will commence in the second quarter of 2018. According to Reuters, the chief operating officer Continue Reading
Nigeria Finally Moves To Cut Sulfur In Fuels, A Year After Deadline
West Africa’s biggest fuel consumer Nigeria will start reducing the sulfur levels allowed in fuel imports in July 2018, a year after a July 2017 deadline it had initially pledged Continue Reading
India’s Oil Imports From Venezuela Plunge To Lowest Since 2012
As crisis-stricken Venezuela is struggling with a steep decline in its oil production, India’s average oil imports from the Latin American OPEC member have slumped over the last few months Continue Reading
Venezuela’s crude oil production declines amid economic instability
Venezuela’s crude oil production has been on a downward trend for two decades, but it has experienced significant decreases over the past two years. Crude oil production in Venezuela decreased Continue Reading
China steel mills boost output despite winter curbs
China’s daily steel output rose in January and February as mills in the world’s top producer raced to take advantage of high prices, even as worries mount about a growing Continue Reading
China Now Produces More Oil Abroad Than At Home
China is among the most import-dependent large oil consumers, but imports, it seems, are not its only problem when it comes to oil. Apparently, production from assets the Chinese state Continue Reading
EPA settlement with bankrupt Philadelphia refinery roils biofuels market
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to grant a bankrupt Philadelphia refiner relief from the nation’s biofuel laws drew critics on Tuesday who say it sets a bad precedent. The Continue Reading
Will US shale give the refining industry indigestion?
In the oil market, not all barrels are created equal. By the end of this year, the US oil industry will be pumping 11m barrels a day of crude, the Continue Reading
Diesel Trucks Are Here To Stay
While alternative fuel commercial trucks are gaining interest from fleet operators, diesel is still set to dominate medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for several years. That statement came from Kary Schaefer, Continue Reading
Exxon-partnered biotech group confident of boom in algae fuel
Production of advanced biofuels made from algae could grow rapidly in the late 2020s, according to Synthetic Genomics, the biotech company that has formed a partnership with ExxonMobil to develop Continue Reading
Baltimore City Council Wants To Ban New Crude Oil Terminals
The Baltimore City Council approved on Monday a bill to ban new or expanded crude oil terminals throughout Baltimore City, and if the mayor signs the bill into law, Baltimore Continue Reading
SRI Report Independently Verifies Brillouin LENR Reactions (report included)
Researchers at SRI International ( https://www.sri.com ) have issued a Technical Progress Report covering their review and independent validation of Brillouin Energy’s on-going testing and scaling efforts of its most Continue Reading
Royal Dutch Shell doubles lubricant sales in Russia in four years
Royal Dutch Shell, which was forced to limit its presence in Russia’s upstream sector because of Western sanctions, has seen its lubricant sales in the country double since 2014, the Continue Reading
Nord Stream a critical component for OMV
The European shift away from coal means more market demand for natural gas — and the Nord Stream pipeline can help bridge the gap, Austria’s OMV said Tuesday. The European Continue Reading
BP expects strong compliance for marine sulfur emissions caps
Oil major BP Plc expects more than 90 percent of the world’s shipping fleet will comply with new regulations slashing sulfur levels ships are allowed to burn starting 2020, a Continue Reading
UK Gas Crisis: Out Of The Frying Pan Into The Fire
Late last week, as we were at the annual Windsor Energy Consultation (WEC) just outside London, British Gas Plc confirmed that the nation was facing a natural gas shortage as Continue Reading
Russia-UK energy ties face strain over poisoning scandal – Natural Gas
The Russia-UK poisoning row threatens to put renewed strain on the two countries’ deep-seated energy ties, illustrated by some of the first ever LNG shipments from Russia’s vast new Yamal Continue Reading
Oil prices dip on relentless rise in U.S. crude output
Oil prices dipped on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous session, as the inexorable rise in U.S. crude output weighed on markets. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were Continue Reading
Oil prices move lower after Friday’s rig-powered surge
Crude oil prices slipped into negative territory early Monday, following big gains last week, as broader international trade concerns spill into commodities. Oil prices shot up more than 3 percent Continue Reading
Oil Slides as Growing Shale Supply Seen Stabilizing U.S. Hub
Supply from U.S. shale basins seen rising 131,000 b/d in April WTI front spread near contango as Cushing stocks seen steadier Oil fell on speculation that growing shale production will Continue Reading
Hedge funds resume liquidating bullish oil positions: Kemp
Hedge funds have resumed liquidating their bullish long positions in crude oil and refined fuels amid more signs that the earlier rally in prices has fizzled out. Hedge funds and Continue Reading
The World Oil Supply is Infinite: I Know That Because I Believe It
Earth scientists have been making the case for years that the present level of human activity is not sustainable. We’re rapidly depleting resources, degrading ecosystems, altering the atmosphere, etc. What Continue Reading
OPEC Price Fight Weighs on Oil
Oil prices fell Monday, weighed down by concerns about a rapid rise in U.S. crude output as cracks emerged in OPEC’s united front on output cuts. Light, sweet crude for Continue Reading
OPEC Deal In Jeopardy As Iran And Saudi Arabia Square Off
Iran and Saudi Arabia are at odds over what to do next with the OPEC agreement, a conflict that could sow the seeds of the agreement’s demise over the course Continue Reading
Saudis Said to Use Coercion and Abuse to Seize Billions
The Saudi government locked up hundreds of powerful businessmen and royals in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh in what it said was a crackdown on corruption. Businessmen once considered giants Continue Reading
British Government Sources: Aramco Listing Delayed Until 2019
After months of tireless assurances by Riyadh officials that the Aramco listing is going according to plan and will take place as scheduled in the second half of this year, Continue Reading
Iraq To Cut Oil Product Imports By 25% As It Revamps Refineries
Iraq aims to reduce its oil product imports by 25 percent as it is seeking to refurbish and restart oil refineries after it expelled ISIS from its territory, Iraq’s Oil Continue Reading
Saudi Aramco international listing looks increasingly difficult
Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking to just float oil giant Saudi Aramco locally as plans for an initial public offering (IPO) on an international exchange such as London or New Continue Reading
Crown Prince’s Decision-Making Power Reaches Deep Into Companies
Saudi Arabia’s young crown prince has reached into the daily affairs of some of his country’s biggest companies, yanking popular soap operas off the air and disrupting construction on the Continue Reading
Libya’s Zawiya Terminal Struck By Labor Protests
A labor strike at the Zawiya oil port in Libya delayed operations on Monday, but oil trading sources that spoke to Reuters said negotiations to end the disruptions are ongoing. Continue Reading
Nigeria: Lessons From UK Court’s Judgment On Niger Delta Oil Spills
The recent judgment by the UK Appeal Court on the dispute between Shell and two Niger Delta communities underscores the need for people of the environmentally-polluted region to seek redress Continue Reading
Nigeria: NEITI – NNPC Yet to Explain Missing Billions
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the agency tasked with cleaning up Nigeria’s murky oil industry, has said even though financial accountability has improved, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Continue Reading
Major contracts rolled out for offshore Azerbaijan
For at least $150 million, services company Subsea 7 will support BP operations off the coast of Azerbaijan in some of the largest oil and gas fields in the world. Continue Reading
Top Candidate Andres Manuel López Obrador Plots Big Shake Up for Mexico’s Oil Industry
The front-runner in July’s presidential election wants to upend Mexico’s newly-opened energy sector. Andres Manuel López Obrador, a leftist nationalist with a comfortable lead in the polls, has rattled investors Continue Reading
Oil majors’ interest in Argentina tests free-market reforms
Oil majors are evaluating bids for offshore exploration rights in Argentina, a major change in a country that sent Spanish energy giant Repsol ( REP.MC ) packing six years ago Continue Reading
India inaugurates mega solar project
French energy company ENGIE said Monday it was expanding its presence in the renewable energy sector in India, one of the world’s ffastest-growing economies. French President Emmanuel Macron met Monday Continue Reading
At $232 Billion, World’s 3rd-Largest Oil Major Looks Cheap
Consensus price target is about 27% higher than current level Reforms expected to unlock value for China’s top oil producer With its earnings outlook improving and massive pipeline assets expected Continue Reading
Woodside takes control of Australian offshore gas field
Australian energy company Woodside Petroleum said it’s cleared to take on Exxon Mobil’s 50 percent interest in the Scarborough gas field off the nation’s coast. Rival energy company BHP Billiton Continue Reading
The Latest Challenger To Lithium-Ion Batteries
The race for cheaper, better batteries has never been more intense and more interesting. The latest contender comes from Australia, from RMIT University. It is a hybrid between a chemical Continue Reading
Tesla’s electric motor shift to spur demand for rare earth neodymium
Tesla’s shift to a magnetic motor using neodymium in its Model 3 Long Range carEfforts by governments around the world to cut noxious emissions produced by fossil fuel-powered cars is Continue Reading
U.S. states slow Trump offshore oil drilling expansion plan
The Trump administration’s plan to broadly expand drilling in U.S. offshore waters is moving slowly due to opposition from coastal states and indifference from oil companies that have turned their Continue Reading
U.S. crude inventories seen up for third week, products likely down
U.S. crude inventories were forecast to have risen for the third straight week, while refined product stockpiles likely fell last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday. Six analysts Continue Reading
Drilling Productivity Report
The Drilling Productivity Report uses recent data on the total number of drilling rigs in operation along with estimates of drilling productivity and estimated changes in production from existing oil Continue Reading
Shale Boom Creates New U.S. Oil Export Hub
Soaring Permian oil production, increased pipeline takeaway capacity, and a port expansion to accommodate larger vessels position the Texas port of Corpus Christi to become the U.S. oil export hub Continue Reading
Another Oil-Backed Cryptocurrency Launches
New York-based investment and holding company Signal Capital Management said on Monday that it had launched a cryptocurrency backed by oil and gas reserves in what it says is the Continue Reading
Outages: Utilities Repeat Mistakes
So far this March, two nor’easters have pummeled New York and New England with high winds, storm surges and heavy, wet spring snow. As if on cue, large trees fell. Continue Reading