Oil Slips, Set for 20% Annual Drop in Tumultuous 2020
Global crude prices slipped on Thursday and lost more than a fifth of their value in volatile trade in 2020, as lockdowns to combat the novel coronavirus depressed economic activity and slammed fuel demand.Still, Brent and U.S. crude benchmarks have more than doubled from April's decade lows.
Australia's Iron Ore Giant Fortescue Plans 235GW Green Energy Drive
Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest outlined ambitious plans on Wednesday to build a renewable energy business, aiming to compete with oil giants to provide low-cost green energy globally.Billionaire Forrest, who turned Fortescue Metals Group over two decades into the world's fourth-biggest iron ore miner…
Shell, Eni Lead Oil Majors' Climate Ambitions But Still Fall Short - Investors
None of the big oil companies currently meet U.N. targets to limit global warming despite the most ambitious targets set by Royal Dutch Shell and Eni , investors managing $19 trillion said on Tuesday.The Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI), which represents the investors and is co-chaired by the Church of England Pensions Board…
Exxon Posts First Loss in 30 Years on $3 Bln Writedown, Oil Plunge
Exxon Mobil Corp on Friday posted its first quarterly loss in three decades on plunging oil demand and collapsing prices, reporting a $610 million quarterly deficit after a nearly $3 billion inventory writedown.Global fuel demand has tumbled by a third on coronavirus-related lockdowns and business shutdowns.
Oil Giants Set Health Checks, Work-from-home Rules
Major energy companies in the United States imposed work-from-home rules for office staff and began health checks for remote or critical workers as coronavirus spread and threatened an industry reeling from falling demand and profits.BP, Exxon Mobil, Kinder Morgan, Motiva Enterprises…
Saudi Aramco Kick-starts IPO
Saudi Arabia's giant state oil company finally kick-started its initial public offering (IPO) on Sunday, announcing its intention to float on the domestic bourse in what could be the world's biggest listing as the kingdom seeks to diversify its economy away from oil.But in its long-awaited announcement…
Tax Breaks Approved for Russia's Largest Oilfield
Russia's finance ministry has in principle approved tax breaks for developing the Priobskoye oilfield, Russia's largest, to oil giants Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, Alexei Sazanov, head of the ministry's tax department said on Thursday.He added that tax breaks for the oil companies could last for 10 years but no start date had yet been agreed.Sazanov told r
Novatek Pact with Chinese Duo on Arctic LNG 2
Russia's second largest natural gas producer, Novatek has signed share purchase agreements with two Chinese oil giants for the sale of participation interest in the Arctic LNG 2 project.Novatek announced that it has signed the Share Purchase Agreement with China National Offshore Oil…
China Move to Drop Crude off Tariff List a Relief for Sinopec
China's decision to remove crude oil from its latest tariff list in an escalating trade war with the United States was a relief to state oil firms prompted by a strong lobbying effort by main importer the Sinopec Group, Beijing-based oil sources said.Dropping crude oil from the final tariff list on $16 billion in U.S.
[Op/Ed] Congo and OPEC: A Marriage of Mutual Need
The Republic of the Congo has suffered dearly during the oil collapse; and Congolese President Denis Nguesso has pledged that the country would no longer be sitting on the side lines — suffering the effects of global decision-making in the oil industry without a voice. In an official communiqué announcing the bid for OPEC membership…
BP, Shell Double Down on North Sea
BP, Shell plan around 10 exploration wells, even though both companies have sold many North Sea assets. Two of the most veteran oil and gas producers in the UK North Sea, Royal Dutch Shell and BP, still tie their future to the ageing offshore basin despite a broad retreat in recent years.
India to Buy $1 Billion of US Crude Oil
Following Indianan Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 2017 visit to the U.S., where President Donald Trump and PM Modi agreed to deepen the energy engagement between the two countries, India oil companies have started the process of procuring crude oil from the U.S. Now six weeks after the visit…
Big Oil turns to Big Data for Drilling Economies
In today's U.S. shale fields, tiny sensors attached to production gear harvest data on everything from pumping pressure to the heat and rotational speed of drill bits boring into the rocky earth. The sensors are leading Big Oil's mining of so-called big data, with some firms envisioning billions of dollars in savings over time by avoiding outages…
Oil-Starved India to Expedite Exploration Auction
India plans to auction some oil exploration blocks by June and will allow bidders to carve out areas where they want to drill in order to attract greater interest, a government official told Reuters on Wednesday. The move is part of a drive by New Delhi to quickly generate income from its oil and gas reserves.
For BP and Shell, North Sea Remains a Hard Sell
High costs, decommissioning hamper deals. When it comes to the North Sea, there is no such thing as an easy sale, even for oil giants Royal Dutch Shell and BP. More than any other region in the world, the North Sea has suffered greatly over the past two years as a 60 percent drop in oil prices…
Iran says Boosting Oil Exports Depends on Future Demand
A rise in Iran's crude oil exports once sanctions against it are lifted depends on future global oil demand and that should not further weaken oil prices, a senior Iranian oil official was quoted as saying. Oil prices are likely to come under further pressure this year, when international…
Sinopec Restructures Overseas Unit
BEIJING, July 31 (Reuters) - Chinese energy giant, Sinopec Group, is relocating nearly 40 percent of its staff in its global exploration and production unit back to its headquarters, in a major shakeup aimed at cutting costs and boosting efficiency, company sources said. China's state…
After Iran Deal, U.S. Firms Outside Looking In
Within hours of the announcement of an Iran nuclear deal early on Tuesday, lawyers around Washington were fielding calls from U.S. corporate clients eager to know what the 159-page deal would mean for their business prospects. In the near term, the answer for most of them is: not very much. U.S.
Oil’s Downward Spiral Stalls LNG’s Ascent
As industry embraces gas, emissions regulations loom large and bunker logistics options develop, LNG’s fortunes nevertheless get a boost. For every gleeful consumer at the pump, and stockpiling tanker anchored offshore, there’s a corresponding trail of businesses that are struggling to ride out the worst price drop in crude since the mid-1980s.
Refining Helps BP, Total Weather Price Storm
Refining paying the bills at time of low oil prices; BP, Total post strong oil production growth. BP and Total reported higher than expected profits on Tuesday thanks to steep increases in profits from refining, showing the resilience of global oil firms in the face of slumping oil prices.
