UNICA: Brazil sugar production up 1.25 percent in the first half of April
UNICA, a group representing the industry, announced on Wednesday that sugar production in Brazil’s center-south region reached 731,000 tons during the first six months of April. This is up 1.25 percent from a year ago and beats analyst expectations. UNICA reported that sugarcane crushing increased by 3% during the period to 16,59 million tonnes.
Petrobras reports slight decline in oil and gas production for the first quarter
Petrobras, the state-owned oil company in Brazil, reported Tuesday that it produced 2.77 million barrels equivalents of oil per day (boed), down 0.2% compared to a year ago. Petrobras said that its oil production in Brazil dropped by 1% on an annual basis, reaching 2.21 million barrels of oil per day (bpd). The firm also added that the Almirante Tamandare FPSO began producing at Brazil's Buzios Field in February.
Conab: Brazil's sugar output will reach record levels in 2025/26
Conab, the state-owned agricultural agency, said that Brazil's sugar production will reach a record in 2025/26, despite a drop in sugarcane production. The agency cited favorable market conditions. The agency estimates sugar production at 45.9 millions metric tons. This is up 4% compared to the previous season. Brazil's sugarcane harvest, however, will be 663.4 tons.
CNOOC Q1 profits down 7.9% due to lower oil prices but production grows
CNOOC Ltd, the Chinese offshore oil company, saw its first-quarter profit fall 7.9% due to lower oil prices. However, higher production helped offset this decline. According to the filing made by the company on Tuesday at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the net income for the period January-March was 36.56 billion Yuan ($5.03billion), down from 39.7 billion Yuan during the same time last year.
Research shows that China continues to support overseas coal plants, despite its 2021 commitment
According to a Tuesday analysis of energy investment in BRICS nations, Chinese companies are still building coal-fired electricity plants in Indonesia. This is despite their pledge to stop funding coal projects abroad by 2021. Global Energy Monitor, a U.S. think-tank, said that China was involved in the construction of 7.7 gigawatts in new coal-fired electricity…
Sources say that Brazil will offer tax incentives to attract data center investment.
Four sources with knowledge of the matter said that the Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad is planning to start a trip this week to Silicon Valley with a plan designed to attract data centers into his country through the exemption of federal taxes on technology investments. Haddad's visit to California includes a breakfast on May 6 with tech executives in Palo Alto.
Strategie Grains trims sunseed to keep EU rapeseed forecast.
Strategie Grains, a consultancy in the United Kingdom, has kept its forecast for 2025/26 European Union Rapeseed Production unchanged for the third consecutive month. However it has reduced its outlook for next EU Sunflower Seed Crop. The consultant still expects rapeseed production, the EU's major oilseed crop to reach 19.0 million metric tonnes next season, which is 13% more than the volume of 2024/25.
Chilean regulator approves Codelco and SQM joint venture
Codelco announced in a Thursday statement that Chile's competition regulator had approved the deal between Codelco and SQM, the state-run copper company, to create a joint venture for the expansion of lithium production on the Atacama Salt Flats. In a statement, the FNE regulator in China has yet to approve the deal. This approval is expected to be incorporated into the decisions made by the European Union…
Xi said that China's climate action will not be slowed down despite the global political changes.
According to the official Xinhua News Agency, President Xi Jinping stated on Wednesday that China's efforts to combat climate change would not be slowed down despite political developments around the world. Xinhua reports that Xi spoke at a video conference organized by the United Nations, Brazil and other countries to discuss climate changes and "just energy transformation".
Raoni, the indigenous leader of Brazil, says he opposes drilling for oil in Amazonia
Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo tribe, an indigenous leader, said that Brazil should not explore for oil reserves in the Amazon because it could have a dangerous impact on the local communities. Raoni made his comments at Acampamento Terro Livre as the debate intensifies over Petrobras's bid to drill off the coast of Amapa in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, a sensitive area of the Amazonian State.
Consultancy: Low sugar stocks in Brazil encourage mills to increase early production
Sugar stocks in Brazil’s center-south were 70% lower than the average historical level in the first quarter. This led mills to allocate more cane early in the season, resulting in a higher sugar production. Stocks dropped after a record 2024 export and a lower 2024/25 crop (April/March), said Mauricio Muuci, a consultant at Safras & Mercado.
Brazil prepares a new oil auction amid trade war threats to budget, sources claim
Four people with knowledge of the situation said that Brazil is planning to auction off stakes in offshore oil fields this year as a way to increase revenue. The plan has gained momentum amid declining oil prices and increasing global trade uncertainty. Two sources who spoke under condition of anonymity said that the auction would involve smaller and uncontracted portions of the Tupi, Mero, and Atapu pre-salt fields.
Bolivians tighten their belts after a new reality of inflation bites
Angelica Zapata, a Bolivian homemaker in La Paz's highland, is learning to accept a new reality of inflation. Prices are rising at their fastest rate in nearly two decades due to the shortages in fuel and dollars. Landlocked gas and grain producers are facing their most severe economic crisis since the global financial crises. Foreign currency reserves have been dwindling due to stalled exports and energy production…
Petrobras has completed the animal care center needed for offshore license
Petrobras, Brazil's state-run oil firm, has finished the work required to get an environmental permit in order to drill offshore. The company announced this on Saturday. The Animal Care Center in Oiapoque in Amapa State is designed to help animals in case of an oil spill. Ibama, the Brazilian environmental agency, made this demand in response to Petrobras’ proposal to drill offshore near Foz do Amazonas.
Africa's top climate negotiator insists on 'no backwards' in commitments
According to the chair of Africa's group of negotiators, given the threat of global warming and progress made so far, there is no other choice than to continue with climate commitments, despite the United States withdrawing from a key international agreement. The Trump administration withdrew for the second year in a row from the historic…
Brazil's Eike Batista eyes new $500 mln Gulf investment in 'supercane' project
Eike Batista was once Brazil's richest businessman. He said that a Gulf investor would soon announce a $500-million investment in his project to use modified sugarcane for the production of sustainable fuels. Batista said that the project had already received $500 million in funding from Sao Paolo's private development bank Brazilinvest…
Shell cancels onshore and solar wind projects in Brazil
Shell has announced that it will discontinue its solar and wind energy generation projects in Brazil as part of "portfolio adjustments", the company stated on Thursday. The move is made in an unfavorable climate for renewable energy investments in Brazil. Projects have been unable to be implemented because of a lack of demand, slow growth in supply, and regulatory issues.
Brazil's sugar crushing fell by 18% during the first half of March.
Unica, a Brazilian industry group, said that the amount of sugar cane crushed in the center-south region in Brazil during the first six months of March was down almost 18% compared to the same period last year. Unica reported that the sugar production in the area during the same time period fell by 19%, to 52,000 tonnes, while the ethanol production increased by around 20%, at 442 millions liters.
The deadline for Petrobras' deal with the vessel puts pressure on Foz do Amazonas
According to a government document, Petrobras must receive an environmental permit to drill in the Foz do Amazonas sensitive region before the end of April. Otherwise it will not have enough time to complete the contract for a drilling vessel in October. The document, made public on Tuesday, sets a deadline for Petrobras. It has been waiting for the Brazilian environmental agency Ibama…
Russian central bank expects low oil prices to continue for a while
The Russian central bank warned Kremlin policymakers that the United States and OPEC could flood the oil markets and cause a similar price collapse to what occurred in the 1980s, which led to the fall of the Soviet Union. The warning was issued weeks before Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump began negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine.
