Energy Prices Jump After Iran Attacks Qatar LNG Plant
Energy prices surged on Thursday after Iran struck the world’s largest LNG complex, causing damage that Qatar said could take five years to repair, as the energy sector's worst fears about the war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Iran came true.QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters the state-owned gas company may have to declare force majeure on long-term contracts to Italy, Belgium…
Qatar Offers LNG Slots for Offloading, Storage, Regasification at Zeebrugge Terminal
QatarEnergy has offered up five slots for unloading, storage and regasification of liquefied natural gas at Belgium's Zeebrugge terminal for the month of April, three industry sources said on Wednesday, indicating its facilities could remain shut down for a longer period.Qatar, the world's second-largest exporter of LNG, announced a production halt at its 77 million ton-per-annum facility earlier this month and declared force majeure on LNG shipments because of the intensifying co
S&P warns that the surge in energy prices could affect Hungary's credit rating
S&P's top analyst warned on Wednesday that Hungary's investment grade credit rating may be threatened if energy prices continue to rise. Frank Gill, S&P’s lead sovereign analyst for EMEA, said that if gas prices were to rise as they did after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it would cause a severe deterioration of Hungary’s current account, increase inflation, and damage its currency. Gill…
Fitch warns that energy support measures may have a negative impact on France and Britain's finances.
Fitch Ratings will be watching to see if European governments are going to need to?roll out support measures to combat higher energy prices. This could increase fiscal pressures on countries like France and Britain, said a senior analyst. This week, oil and gas prices have risen as the war in the Middle East has stoked concerns among policymakers and on financial markets about inflation. Inflation, which soared after Russia invaded Ukraine, could rise again.
Seven countries warn EU against changing the energy market design
Seven EU member states, including the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium, warned the executive of the bloc 'on Thursday' against interfering in the system that determines Europe's energy price. Officials at Brussels are scrambling to reduce bills. This year, energy prices are a major political issue in Europe. Industries have warned that they can't compete with the lower-cost companies from China and the United States.
Shell and MET Group sign an MOU to supply US LNG to Europe
LONDON, February 25 - Switzerland's energy trader MET Group reportedly announced on Wednesday that it 'has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Shell, for the possible purchase of a liquefied gas (LNG), primarily from Shell’s U.S. portfolio of LNG, between 2027-2033. The companies will also 'explore cooperation on LNG and gas trade to facilitate a 'access to European markets via the so-called Vertical?Gas?Corridor.
German year-ahead increases amid U.S./Iran tensions
On Friday morning, the German power contract for the year ahead firmed slightly, continuing gains from the previous day and tracking a?higher price of gas?. This was due to concerns about tensions between the U.S. By 0922 GMT the German year-ahead contract was up by 0.90 euro, at 81.90 Euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh), while the French equivalent contract fell by 0.20 Euro to 52.60 Euros/MWh.
TotalEnergies CEO: TotalEnergies did not pay French taxes last year because of a loss in the refining business
TotalEnergies, the French oil giant, did not pay corporate tax in France in 2017 because its operations there generated a loss in excess of 300 million euros (about 356.07 million dollars), said CEO Patrick Pouyanne on Friday. Pouyanne, in an interview, was asked how Total, who on Wednesday reported a 2025 adjusted net profit of $15.6 billion escaped France's surtax on large corporations -- a measure which was supposed to be temporary…
EU meets in Belgian castle for economic rivalry with US and China
Leaders of the European Union gather at a castle in Belgium on Thursday to discuss how they can compete with a global competitor like China, and a less reliable allie like the U.S. as the rules-based order is thrown into disarray. Over the past two decades, EU growth has been consistently lower than US growth, with EU innovation and productivity, especially in AI fields, falling behind.
Maguire: China tightens its grip on clean tech with growing exports of EVs.
China's position as the world leader in clean technology is best illustrated by its EV exports. These will reach nearly $70 billion dollars in 2025, and span over 150 countries. Electric vehicles are a major part of China's manufacturing industry, and millions of people work in the various supply chains that support?clean cars? and their components. Over half of new cars in China are EVs.
Maguire: China tightens its grip on clean tech with EV export growth.
China's position as a global leader in clean technology is best illustrated by its massive EV exports. These will reach nearly $70 billion dollars in 2025, and span well?over 150 different countries and territories. Electric vehicles are a major part of China's manufacturing industry, and millions of people work in the various supply chains that support clean cars. Over half of new cars in China are EVs.
Germany's Uniper stresses diversification and downplays the increasing reliance on US Liquefied Natural Gas
DOHA, February 4 - The top executive of a German utility Uniper played down European concerns about the growing dependence on liquefied gas from?the United States while he emphasized the need for diversification in supply sources. The pursuit by President Donald Trump of "energy dominance", has increased European concerns over the heavy reliance on U.S. LNG. This has replaced volumes previously provided by Russia. Data from analytics firm Kpler revealed that U.S.
Germany's Uniper stresses diversification and downplays the increasing reliance on US Liquefied Natural Gas
DOHA, February 4 - A top executive of German utility Uniper played down European concerns about increasing reliance on liquefied gas (LNG), which is imported from the United States. He said that companies sign contracts with 'firms, not governments', and stressed the importance of diversification. The transactional diplomacy of U.S. president Donald Trump and his pursuit to "energy dominate" have heightened European concerns over their heavy dependence on U.S. LNG.
Germany's gas production in numbers
Katherina Reiche, Germany's Economy minister is in Saudi Arabia seeking closer ties with the country on energy. Berlin is looking to diversify this sector as its dependence on U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas grows. Why is?GAS Supply a Problem in Germany? Germany was dependent on Russia to supply most of its natural gas for decades. This provided Europe's largest economy with a relatively cheap source, which was a major advantage for industry.
Draft shows that Europe is committed to expanding wind energy despite Trump's criticism
A draft declaration that is due to be signed by the leaders of European governments, including Germany, Britain, and Denmark, showed they will continue to expand their wind power projects despite Donald Trump's escalating criticism. Trump has openly criticized the European countries' efforts at switching to low-carbon energies. He said that wind turbines are "losers". Without providing any evidence, he claimed that the more wind turbines that a country owns, the more it loses.
EUROPE GAS prices range bound on warmer weather and Ukraine peace talks
The Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas traded in a narrow band on Tuesday. This was due to a strong supply coming from Norway, liquefied gas (LNG), softer demand because of warmer temperatures and ongoing discussions to end the conflict in Ukraine. LSEG data shows that the benchmark Dutch front-month contract was 29.45 euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh) or $9.50/mmBtu at 0920 GMT. This is a decrease of 0.32 Euro.
French and Benelux stocks: Factors to watch
Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. ALSTOM: French rail maker Alstom has raised its organic sales forecast for 2025 to over 5%, up from 3%-5% in the past. This is due to strong demand for Alstom's trains and signalling system. COFINIMMO: Belgian property investment company Cofinimmo has acquired three development assets in Finland.
Swiss trader MET Group triples 2025 LNG cargoes, eyes global expansion, executive says
A Swiss energy trader, MET Group, has nearly tripled its liquefied gas cargo import volume so far this season. It expects even greater growth in the years to come as it prepares for expansion outside Europe and capitalises on global LNG demand. MET delivered LNG in 16 countries during the past year. Its most active markets were Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In Asia, MET delivered LNG to China (India), Japan, and South Korea. "We have already transacted 82 loads this year.
German Spot Falls on Stronger Wind Output
German spot electricity prices for Thursday dropped as the wind forecasts are lower, and the demand is expected to be lower. The French price increased on higher demand after Tuesday's holiday. German baseload for the day ahead fell 10.3%, to 70.40 Euros ($82.10) per megawatt-hour (MWh), by 0956 GMT. The French baseload for the day ahead was up by 38.9% to 31.25 Euro/MWh. LSEG data indicated…
EU pools companies' requests to buy more non Russian gas
In the coming weeks the European Union will begin pooling the demand for gas from European companies, said its energy commissioner, as it attempts to accelerate its efforts to phase-out Russian energy. The EU is currently negotiating proposals that would ban all Russian gas and oil imports by the end of January 2028. Last week, sanctions were adopted to ban Russian gas liquefied earlier, in January 2027.