White House review of waiver plan for biofuel pits refiners against farmers
The White House is reviewing an important rule that could change the balance between oil refiners, farmers and the Renewable Fuel Standard. It will determine how to redistribute large volumes of biofuel blend obligations that have been recently exempted. The result, which is expected in the next few weeks, will determine what happens to billions of gallons U.S. demand for ethanol and biodiesel. This demand is vital for farmers who provide the corn…
Phillips 66 fined $800 Million in Biofuel Trade Secrets Case
According to a California court document, U.S. refiner Phillips 66 has been ordered to pay Propel Fuels $820 million in damages after stealing trade secrets from the company to improve its renewable fuel capabilities. On Wednesday, a state court in Alameda in California ordered Phillips 66 pay $195 in punitive damages in addition to the $604.9 in compensation that was ordered by a separate jury. "In summary, this court finds Phillips 66's conduct to be'reprehensible.' From a business standpoint.
US refiners may see Q2 profit recover on stronger diesel margins
Investors expect top U.S. refining companies to report higher profits in the second quarter, rebounding from losses experienced during the first three month of the year. This is due to unseasonably high diesel margins that boost earnings. Fuel producers have made unexpected profits in the last few months from key products. This is a welcome respite from earnings that had fallen from record levels set in 2022 when demand increased after the COVID-19 outbreak and Russia's invasion in Ukraine.
EIA reports that the US has become a net crude exporter to Nigeria for first time.
In February and March the United States became an exporter of crude to Nigeria, due to a slowdown in demand for crude on the U.S. East Coast, which was caused by refinery maintenance. The Dangote refinery also increased Nigeria's need for inputs. This is according to a Tuesday note from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It is the first instance that the U.S. exported more crude to Nigeria than they imported. Nigeria was ranked ninth in the United States' crude oil imports last year.
Elliott builds $1.5-billion stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise
A person with knowledge of the matter confirmed on Tuesday that hedge fund Elliott Investment Management had built up a stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise worth more than $1.5 Billion. Elliott, one the world's largest activist investors, is now among the biggest investors in the company and plans to engage the management, according to the person who wasn't allowed to discuss the campaign publically. It was not immediately clear what Elliott might be trying to convince HPE, a company valued at 20 billion dollars, to do.
Follow This, a group of climate activist shareholders, pauses the big oil campaign
Follow This, a climate activist shareholder group, said that a lack in investor interest has forced them to suspend their campaign to get major oil and gas companies to commit to reducing emissions. The campaign had been going on for nearly ten years. In 2016, the Dutch group began submitting climate resolutions to shareholder meetings. By 2017, it had achieved shareholder support of 80% for Phillips 66 and 60% for Chevron. The surge in oil prices caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine…
US refiners are unlikely to spend large amounts to process more domestic crude oil
It can be expensive and time-consuming to change refinery configuration. The margins and yields of refineries can be affected by using different types of crude. By Arathy S. Analysts and industry sources said that U.S. refiners do not plan to invest heavily to process more crude oil domestically and less oil imported from Canada and Mexico. This is a major obstacle to President Trump’s plan to increase oil production. Trump's pledge of unleashing U.S. production and lowering prices for consumers focused on increasing domestic drilling.
As Trump tariffs cause demand concerns, refining stocks plummet to levels not seen in two years.
Investors were rattled by fears about a slowdown in oil and fuel consumption and a decline in refining margins after President Trump announced new tariffs. According to LSEG data, the market capitalization of top refiners Marathon Petroleum and Valero Energy, as well as Phillips 66, has dropped by more than 20 billion dollars since Trump announced new tariffs Wednesday afternoon. Alan Gelder is vice president for refining chemicals and oil markets, Wood Mackenzie.
Trump hosts top US oil executives as trade wars threaten
Donald Trump, the U.S. president, will be hosting top oil executives in the White House this Wednesday to discuss plans for boosting domestic energy production amid falling crude prices and trade wars. This will be Trump's first meeting with oil and gas executives since he returned to the White House in January for his second term. According to a source familiar with planning the event, it will include members of American Petroleum Institute (API)'s executive committee.
EIA: US crude oil inventories are rising, but fuel is being drawn down due to ongoing maintenance.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA), which tracks seasonal refinery maintenance, reported on Wednesday that U.S. crude stockpiles increased and fuel inventories decreased last week. The EIA reported that crude inventories increased by 1.4million barrels, to 435.2million barrels for the week ending March 7. This was compared to analysts' expectations in an online poll of a 2million-barrel increase. The EIA reported that crude stocks at Cushing, Oklahoma's delivery hub, fell by 1.2 millions barrels in the past week.
Source: Elliott wants operational changes at Phillips 66 after acquiring a stake of over $2 billion dollars
A person with knowledge of the matter said that Elliott Investment Management, an activist firm, has acquired a stake worth over $2.5 billion in Phillips 66. The company plans to make changes to its operations to increase its stock price. The person who spoke to Elliott said that he plans to encourage Phillips 66's midstream division to be sold or spun off. Elliott, an activist who disclosed a $1 Billion stake in Phillips 66, accepted Phillips 66's performance improvement plan to increase shareholder returns and the share price.
Phillips 66 sells stake in Texas pipeline to $865 million
Phillips 66 announced on Monday that it will sell its 25% stake of the Gulf Coast Express pipeline, located in Texas, to an ArcLight Capital Partners affiliate for $865 millions. This puts the U.S. refiner in a position to surpass its asset sale goal. Phillips 66, despite a decline in refinery profits, has chosen to maintain stable payouts for investors by reducing costs and setting a target of $3 billion via non-core assets sales. Before Monday's announcement…
In 2025, the global diesel price will be supported by refinery closures
Analysts and traders said that the global diesel market would likely see a price boost in 2025 due to the closing of around 1% of the refining capacity. This will offset the current weakness of the market and the structural downward pressure caused by the shift towards cleaner fuels. Markets end 2024 in a shaky state, despite the peak season demand. Margins in key energy hubs around the world, such as Singapore, Northwest Europe, and the Gulf of the United States…
Phillips 66 and NextEra team up to power California refinerys with solar energy
The refiner announced on Tuesday that Phillips 66 would power its Rodeo refinery with a solar facility operated and owned by NextEra Energy. In a press statement, Phillips 66 said that the solar plant will be constructed on 88 acres of land (36 hectares), adjacent to the renewable fuels facility located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The solar plant will be composed of over 70,000 modules that will produce around 60,000 Megawatt Hours of electricity per year.
Phillips 66 Indicted for Clean Water Act Violation
A grand jury has indicted Phillips 66 PSX.N for violating the Clean Water Act by illegally discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater into Los Angeles County's sewer system and failing to report the violations to authorities, the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles said on Thursday.Phillips 66 is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks in Los Angeles federal court. It faces a maximum sentence of five years probation on each count and up to $2.4 million in fines.
US Steelworkers Union looks at clean energy to replace lost jobs at oil refineries
A union official stated that the United Steelworkers union will rely on clean energy projects in order to boost membership growth and offset losses at oil refineries and petrochemical facilities, even if Donald Trump is elected president on November 5. The USW, a union that represents 30,000 workers at crude oil refineries and petrochemical plants in North America, has predicted a major expansion as the Inflation Reduction Act of the Biden Administration is implemented and new provisions to support union jobs are deployed.
Phillips 66, the refiner, reports a Q3 profit increase on the strength of midstream and chemicals
Phillips 66 surpassed quarterly profit expectations on Tuesday, as its chemical and midstream segments were able to more than compensate for a decline in refinery margins due to a lackluster fuel demand. This year, the company has increased its market share for natural gas liquids by expanding its pipelines. It owns more than 72,000 miles in U.S. The super-chilled fuel volumes that passed through the pipelines in the first nine month of 2024 increased to 2,79 million barrels a day, up from 2.70 million bpd.
US fuelmakers report lower profits in Q3 due to weaker margins and fuel demand
Energy analysts predict that the third quarter profits of U.S. refiners will be lower than last year due to a decline in margins, as fuel demand has slowed and more refining capacity is coming online. After the pandemic, and Russia's invasion in Ukraine, which boosted margins at record levels, refiners are now reversing their favorable pricing and high demand. The difference between the product price and the crude oil price for U.S. gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel declined in the third quarter.
Valero Seeks US Approval to Import Venezuelan Oil
Valero Energy Corp, the second-largest U.S. oil refiner, is seeking Washington's permission to import Venezuelan crude, according to four people close to the matter, hoping for a repeat of the approval granted to Chevron Corp in November after a four-year ban.President Joe Biden's administration has eased some U.S. sanctions on the OPEC-member nation in an effort to encourage a political dialogue with the country's opposition. That has led to further pressure from U.S.…
Phillips 66 is hit with a $604.9 mln US judgment in fuel trade secrets case
A California state court jury ruled on Wednesday that energy company Phillips 66 owes Propel Fuels 604.9 million dollars in damages after stealing Propel’s trade secrets in order to improve its renewable fuel capabilities. The jury in Oakland agreed that Phillips, based in Houston, stole Propel's secrets to gather information for an acquisition. They then used the information to create a rival business. A spokesperson from Propel confirmed that the award had been given. Phillips 66 spokespersons did not respond immediately to a comment request.