TE Connectivity to Acquire Richards Manufacturing
TE Connectivity entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Richards Manufacturing Co. from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. and members of the Bier family, long-standing owners and leaders of the business. The transaction will strengthen TE's position in serving electrical utilities in North America by combining complementary product portfolios and adding the expertise of the Richards team, enabling TE to benefit from strong growth trends in underground electrical networks.Richards is widely recognized as a best-in-class provider of utility grid products and…
India demands that Russian oil suppliers comply with sanctions
India, the world's No.2 importer of crude oil from Russia, wants to buy Russian oil only if it is supplied by companies and ships that have not been sanctioned by the United States. India, the No. 2 importer from Russia of crude oil, will only buy Russian oil if the oil is supplied by ships and companies that are not sanctioned by America, according to the oil secretary. The escalating sanctions imposed by the west, including the United States, on Moscow have disrupted global oil markets and forced those who bought discounted Russian crude at a discount to find other ways to keep their purchases.
Woodside and Trinidad have agreed to initial commercial terms for deepwater natural gas, an executive says
According to three sources with knowledge of the discussions, a Woodside executive and a Trinidad and Tobago government official have agreed on an initial commercial agreement for the development of Woodside's Calypso gas deepwater discoveries. This brings the project closer to the final investment decision. In order to fully utilize its gas processing capability, the Caribbean country is Latin America's biggest LNG exporter. It has pushed producers, particularly those offshore, into accelerating natural gas production. Lack of gas has hampered LNG production and exports in recent years.
Texas industry asks EPA for state approval of carbon storage projects
Texas oil, gas, and industrial groups asked the new EPA Administrator on Tuesday to expedite Texas' request for the approval of carbon capture and storage project instead of the Federal Government, in order to boost private investment, and unleash capture technology. The groups, which included the Texas Oil and Gas Association and Texas Association of Manufacturers asked Environmental Protection Agency Chief Lee Zeldin "to expedite and approve" Texas' application for "primacy." The state would be able to store and capture carbon underground, instead of waiting for the EPA to approve such projects.
ChampionX executive: New U.S. tariffs on metals will increase oilfield equipment prices.
A company official told reporters on Tuesday that ChampionX anticipates the new U.S. tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum will increase equipment costs for oilfield services firms. U.S. president Donald Trump increased tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum on Monday, to a flat rate of 25% "without any exceptions or exclusions". He hopes this will help struggling industries in the United States. However, it also risks igniting a multifront trade war. Steve Davoren's Regional Business Development Director…
Macquarie, Australia's Macquarie Bank, has'very little exposure' in Trump's war on green energy
Macquarie Group, the top Australian investment bank, downplayed on Tuesday its exposure to U.S. green power sector that has been disrupted by executive orders issued by President Donald Trump. It posted a flat profit for the third quarter. The bank that makes a third its profit in Americas said it has reviewed its U.S. investments and found minimal exposure since Trump signed executive orders banning or freezing government benefits for sustainable energies. Macquarie's CEO Shemara Wikamanayake said on a conference call with analysts that the U.S. had very few investments.
Trump relaxes the enforcement of US laws that prohibit bribery by foreign officials
Donald Trump, the U.S. president, signed an executive order on Monday directing that the Justice Department halt prosecutions against Americans accused of bribing officials of foreign governments in order to gain or retain business within their countries. Trump's order suspends the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which has been around for nearly 50 years. Pam Bondi is directed to review past and current actions related to this law and to prepare new guidelines. In 1977, the law was passed prohibiting companies operating in the United States to bribe foreign officials.
Taiwan buys Alaskan Natural Gas to avoid US Tariffs
The economy ministry announced on Monday that Taiwan was "quite interested in" natural gas from Alaska, and would continue to evaluate the feasibility of purchasing it. This is as the government tries to reduce the trade surplus and avoid tariffs with the United States. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said on Friday that he planned to announce reciprocal duties on many countries by this week. This is a major step in his offensive to reshape international trade relationships to ways he believes are in America's favor. Taiwan has a large surplus in trade with the United States.
Taiwan sends officials to the US to discuss possible Trump Tariffs
Kuo Jyh Huei, the Economy Minister, said that Taiwan sent officials to Washington, D.C., to discuss potential U.S. Tariffs by President Donald Trump. The government has also made preparations in case they are imposed. The possibility exists that Trump, who accused Taiwan of stealing American semiconductor business during his campaign last year, will actually follow through with his threats to impose tariffs on imported chip imports. Trump announced on Friday that he will announce reciprocal tariffs against many countries by Monday or on Tuesday.
Total CEO: Company rejected Venture Global LNG as supplier due to lack of trust
TotalEnergies has rejected the opportunity to be a long-term client of Venture Global LNG U.S. Terminals, because it does not trust them, said CEO Patrick Pouyanne on Wednesday. Venture Global, the U.S.'s most valuable LNG company, has seen its stock price soar after a massive initial public offering (IPO) last month. However it has faced legal challenges by clients such as BP and Shell who have accused them of taking too long to honour supply contracts when commissioning their projects. "I'm not going to do business with these people because of their actions." ...
Ukraine has the potential to store and buy LNG from US
Ukraine's foreign minister stated on Wednesday that Ukraine and other European countries have the ability to purchase and store liquefied gas (LNG), which is produced by the United States, in Ukraine. This could increase Europe's energy independence as transit routes from Russia are ending. The Ukraine, which was invaded three years ago by Moscow, was once an important pipeline transit route for Russian Gas until this year when the transit agreement between the two nations expired. There are also large underground gas storages in the west.
India reviews tariff surcharges on luxury goods, renewables and chemicals amid US pressure
India will review the import tariffs for over 30 items, including luxury cars and photovoltaic cells. This could lead to a rise in imports from America, according to a senior official at the finance ministry. To counteract President Donald Trump's increasing tariff actions, the Government has already reduced the tariffs on several products, including high-end cars, bikes, and chemicals, in the latest Budget. However, it has imposed an additional Agriculture Infrastructure Development Cess, which is an alternative tariff on many items.
Russell: China's impact on US energy trade is minimal at first.
China responded to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump with its own measures, effectively killing off trade between the United States in crude oil and liquefied gas as well as coal. China, which is the largest importer of these three commodities in the world, imposed import duties on Tuesday of 15% for U.S. coal and LNG, and 10% for crude oil and farm machinery. Beijing made its move after the Trump Administration imposed an extra 10% tariff on all Chinese imports into the United States. The 10% tariff was less than the 60% Trump had threatened during his last-year campaign to reclaim U.S.
Thailand will import more U.S. Ethane in order to reduce its trade surplus
A Thai official announced on Tuesday that Thailand would increase its U.S. imports of ethane by at least one million tons, starting in the second quarter this year, to reduce the trade surplus it has with the United States. Pongsarun, deputy secretary-general of the prime minister, stated that one million tons of ethane is worth $200 million. The government is working with petrochemical firms to increase U.S. imports of ethane, which will help in trade negotiations with the United States," said he. He added that Commerce Minister Pichai Nairapthaphan would be visiting the country between February 4-8.
Petrobras Q4 total production down 10.5%; sales and exports are also down
Petrobras, the state-owned oil company in Brazil, reported a 10.5% drop in its fourth-quarter total oil and gas production compared to a year ago. Sales and exports were also down. Petrobras, Latin America’s largest oil company, reported a total oil and natural gas production of 2,63 million barrels equivalents per day (boed), for the three months ending in December. Total sales of oil and gas, as well as derivatives, were down around 8% compared to a year ago, with 2.83 million barrels a day (bpd). In the same time period, oil production by the firm in Brazil dropped 11.5% to 2,09 bpd.
Engie continues to see a strong US demand for renewables
Edouard Neviaski, executive vice president of French power company Engie, said that the U.S. is still a major market for the company in terms of renewable energy projects. The U.S. president Donald Trump ordered a stop to spending on the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These climate and infrastructure laws were signed into law in 2009 by his predecessor Joe Biden. Engie signed 4.3 gigawatts in power purchase agreements globally in 2024. This is up from 2.7 gigawatts in 2023. Neviaski stated that there is a high demand for such contracts in the United States.
Data shows that Europe consumed almost all US LNG exported last month.
The preliminary data of financial firm LSEG shows that U.S. LNG exports to Europe jumped by a significant amount in January, as the cold weather drove demand up and prices for super-chilled gas increased. The total exports for the month of 8.46 million metric tons (MT) to all countries reached nearly nine out of ten cargoes. According to LSEG, this is only slightly less than the monthly record of 8,6 MT set in December 2023. It's also almost the same amount as the 8.5 MT that was sold in December of 2024.
OPEC+ rolls over oil policy, ditches US government data
OPEC+ decided to continue its policy of increasing oil production gradually from April and removed U.S. Energy Information Administration as a source to monitor their production and adherence with supply pacts. OPEC+ & Donald Trump clashed frequently during Donald Trump's first administration from 2016 to 2020 when the U.S. president demanded that it increase production in order to compensate for the fall in Iranian supply due U.S. sanction. Trump, who returned to the White House after his election, has already called for OPEC's release of more oil in order to lower prices.
Sources say that OPEC+ is likely to stick with its plan to increase oil production.
Despite Donald Trump's pleas to lower oil prices, delegates of the producer group said that OPEC+ would likely stick to its current plan to increase output gradually starting in April. Four OPEC+ source said that the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee meeting, scheduled to start at 1300 GMT on Monday, is unlikely to recommend an increase in output beyond what OPEC+ has already planned. Sources declined to give their names. The meeting follows the announcement by U.S. president Donald Trump of sweeping tariffs against Mexico, Canada, and China, America’s top trading partners.
Goldman Sachs: Trump's tariffs will have a limited impact on oil and gas prices
Goldman Sachs stated in a Sunday note that the new tariffs placed by U.S. president Donald Trump on imports coming from Canada, Mexico and China will likely have a limited impact on oil and gas prices globally. The bank stated that the potential tariff-driven decrease in U.S. Natural Gas imports from Canada was too small to have a significant impact on U.S. Natural Gas prices. Prices of oil and gas jumped Monday following Trump's tariffs. Tariffs will be implemented on February 4, including a 25% tax on goods imported from Mexico and Canada.
