Lukoil declares Force Majeure in Iraqi oilfield following US sanctions
Four sources familiar with the situation said that Lukoil declared force majeure on Iraq's West Qurna-2 giant oilfield on Monday after Western sanctions against the Russian oil major hindered its operations. Lukoil didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.
Why are rare earths important and what are they?
The U.S. Keep Chinese rare earths exports flowing. What are they? Rare earths is a grouping of 17 elements, including 15 metals that are silvery white, called lanthanides or lanthanoids. They also include scandium and yttrium. What are they used for? Rare earths, or the magnets that they can sometimes be made into…
Glencore's memo shows that the head of LNG is promoted to be in charge of oil and gas trading.
According to a memo sent to Glencore staff, Maxim Kolupaev has been promoted to head the entire oil and gas division of the company when Alex Sanna leaves at the end 2025. Trading houses often make as much money from gas and LNG as they do in their oil and fuel business…
Glencore's memo shows that the head of LNG is promoted to be in charge of oil and gas trading.
According to a memo sent to Glencore staff, Maxim Kolupaev has been promoted to head the entire oil and gas division of the company when Alex Sanna leaves at the end 2025. Trading houses often make as much money from gas and LNG as they do in their oil and fuel business…
Germany's LEAG suspends H2UB green hydrogen plan
Energy firm LEAG announced on Friday that plans to build Europe's biggest green energy hub on the site disused coal-fired plant units in east Germany had been put on hold indefinitely. The announcement comes just a week after ArcelorMittal canceled plans to convert to carbon-neutral steel production two German steel mills…
Egypt In Talks to Buy LNG Cargoes Amidst Energy Crunch
Egypt is in talks with energy firms and trading houses to buy 40-60 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) amid a worsening energy crunch ahead of peak summer demand, three sources aware of the matter told Reuters.The country faces spending up to $3 billion at current prices to secure the LNG…
BP announces a lower-than-expected $1.4 billion profit
BP missed expectations on Tuesday, with a underlying replacement costs profit of $1.38bn for the first three months. This was below the $1.53bn expected by analysts according to a poll conducted by the company. BP announced that it would buy back another $750,000,000 in shares this quarter.
Ukraine purchases US LNG from Poland's Orlen
Naftogaz, the state-owned energy company in Ukraine, announced on Tuesday that it had purchased 100 million cubic meters (mcm), of U.S. LNG. This month, a senior Ukrainian energy official said that Ukraine could import large volumes U.S. Gas this year via terminals located in Germany, Greece and Lithuania.
Why are rare earths in high demand?
Rare earth metals have been making headlines due to the demand for smartphones, wind turbines and other products. Governments also want to secure their supply. What are the basic facts? What are they? Rare earths is a grouping of 17 elements, including 15 metals that are silvery white, called lanthanides or lanthanoids.
Orban: Hungary will block EU Russia sanctions the next time, unless Ukraine gas is transited again.
Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orban warned on Friday that he would block the next rollover in EU sanctions against Russia, unless Brussels helped achieve a restart of Russian Gas Transit via Ukraine which was stopped on January 1. Orban said on state radio that Ukraine's decision to stop Russian gas transit into Central Europe…
Kazakhstan wants better terms for oil production sharing agreements
Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev ordered the government on Tuesday to intensify talks with international oil giants about an extension existing Production Sharing Agreements (PSA) at "better conditions". Central Asia is one of the top 10 oil producing countries in the world.
Zelenskiy wants Europe and the US to be involved in any Ukraine Peace Talks
Reporters heard the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy say that he hopes Europe and America will be included in any discussions about ending Ukraine's war against Russia. Zelenskiy, at a press conference held with the President of Moldova Maia Sandu said that Ukraine…
Freeport LNG plant in Texas will remain closed until the power supply stabilises
Freeport LNG, a U.S. company that exports liquefied gas, said Wednesday it had closed its Texas plant on Jan. 21, due to an electrical problem caused by a winter storm. It will remain shut until the power supply is stabilized. CenterPoint Energy officials in the United States were not immediately available to comment.
CNPC: China's crude imports could grow by 1% in 2025
According to a report released by the state-owned energy giant China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), China's crude imports are expected to rise just 1% in 2019. The country's reliance upon oil imports, however, is projected to stay at 70% between 2026-2030. The Economics…
Orsted plunges 17% following US impairments, Trump adds uncertainty
Orsted shares fell 17% Tuesday, after the company posted an impairment charge for delays in a U.S. off-shore project. The sector is now facing uncertainty following President Donald Trump's withdrawal of government support for wind energy. Orsted announced a fourth quarter…
Indonesia suspends subsidies on palm oil biodiesel, replanting and replanting
An official announced on Thursday that Indonesia has temporarily frozen the distribution of subsidies to its mandatory biodiesel programmes and palm oil replanting programs due to a restructuring at its palm fund agency. Achmad Maulizal, an official at BPDPKS said that…
TotalEnergies reports a slight improvement in the fourth-quarter refining profit margins
TotalEnergies said that it expects the fourth quarter 2024 results downstream to benefit from a slight improvement in refining profit margins. The French oil major made this announcement in its trading update. The European refining mark-up was $25.90 per ton of metric weight in the fourth quarter last year.
Centrica: Britain's gas reserves are "concerningly small"
Centrica, the operator of Britain's largest storage facility, stated on Friday that Britain's gas levels were "concerningly" low, with less than one week's worth of gas left to be consumed following a recent cold snap. Britain relies heavily on gas to heat its homes and generate electricity.
OPEC cuts oil demand forecasts for 2024 and 2025
OPEC reduced its estimates for the growth of oil demand this year and in 2019. The producer group has now revised their forecasts downward five times in a row. The weakened outlook shows the challenges facing OPEC+ which includes the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, such as Russia.
Russia's oil production in 2024 is expected to decline from 518-521 million T
Interfax news agency reported that Deputy Prime minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday that Russia will produce between 518-521 millions metric tons of oil (10.36-10.42million barrels per day). This amount is also expected in 2025. In September, he had predicted a production of 515-521 millions tons.