US and allies clash over Iran nuclear program with Russia and China
On Thursday, the U.S. and its allies faced off against Russia and China over Iran's intentions to develop nuclear weapons. Washington was attempting to justify at the United Nations the war that it started two weeks ago on Iran. Russia and China tried to block the discussion of a committee that would oversee and enforce U.N. Sanctions against Iran at a meeting this month of the 15 member U.N. Security Council. The motion was overruled by a vote of 11-2, with two abstentions. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, accused Moscow and Beijing that they were trying to?protect Tehran by blocking work of the 1737 Committee. He said that the U.N.
TotalEnergies production down 15% due US-Iran War; confirms UAE Outages
The French oil giant said that TotalEnergies has lost 15% of its 'oil and 'gas production as the U.S. Israel war against Iran closes down fields in the Middle East including the UAE, Qatar, and Iraq. Total said that this output represents about 10% of its?upstream cash flows. This was the first official confirmation of widespread production outages in the UAE caused by the crisis. Qatar and Iraq had announced earlier production cuts. The UAE, however, has not released any official information. Total has announced that its offshore production in the UAE has been shut down. Around half of the UAE's oil production comes from offshore fields.
Equinor CEO: We Have No Spare Capacity for Oil and Gas
The CEO of Norway's state-controlled company Equinor said that the company does not have any spare capacity to increase its oil and gas output due to Middle East supply shortages."Our focus today is on making sure we are seen as a reliable supplier of oil and natural gas in the markets that we operate in, and ensuring we have the highest possible production because it's needed in these times," Equinor CEO Anders Opedal said at an industry conference held in Oslo.U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran, and their retaliatory strikes in the Middle East, have disrupted a fifth of the global oil and liquefied gas supply on the Strait of Hormuz.
Norway's Prime Minister says Europe shouldn't cap gas prices
The Norwegian prime minister said that Europe should not cap the price of natural gas, even though costs are rising due to the conflict in the Middle East. The benchmark TTF front-month gas contract on the continent has increased by around 60% since the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, as well as the attacks of?Tehran on ships in Strait of Hormuz. On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the European Union is considering measures to reduce energy prices. This includes setting a cap on gas prices. While capping the price might be tempting…
Gas shortage worries in India spark panic buying for Induction stoves
Indians are buying electric induction cookers at a rapid rate, causing stocks to be depleted online and in stores. This is due to fears that there could be a shortage of cooking gas linked?to the Middle East conflict. India, which is the second largest importer of LPG in the world, has invoked emergency powers in order to 'boost supply for household users, even though availability is tightening? for commercial users such as canteens, hotels and restaurants. Some households are worried about higher prices and refill delays, so they buy electric appliances.
Helium prices rise as Qatar LNG shutdown exposes fragile supply chains
The Iran war has caused disruptions in Qatar's natural-gas processing, which have pushed helium prices up sharply. This exposes the fragility of this small but important market that supports industries ranging from semiconductors to imaging. According to Phil Kornbluth of Kornbluth Helium Consulting's president, the spot price for helium has?doubled in recent months as buyers scrambled to secure supplies. QatarEnergy - the second largest LNG exporter in the world - announced a production stop at its 77 million ton per annum (mtpa),?facility, last week. It also declared force majeure for LNG shipments due to the conflict.
Minister: Czechs discuss 1.5 billion cubic meters of LNG with US
Hospodarske Noviny reported that the Czech Republic was 'in talks' with the United States for the supply of 1.5 billion cubic metres of liquefied natural gas. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in '2022, the Czech Republic, like other countries in Central and Eastern Europe has diversified its energy sources. S&P Global reports that this has helped to cushion the impact of the Middle East war. Czech Industry Minister Karel Havlicek has been quoted as saying he met with U.S. Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick in order to discuss this deal. This would include utility CEZ.
Iranian strikes burn oil tankers, despite Trump's claims to have won war
Two oil tankers caught fire in an Iraqi harbor on Thursday, after being hit by a boat suspected to be laden with explosives. This was a new attack that has cut off Middle East oil and defied Donald Trump’s claim of having?won' the war launched two weeks earlier. Images that were verified as having "been filmed" from the shores of Basra port showed massive orange fireballs lighting up the night skies, following the attacks Iraqi authorities had blamed on Iranian vessels. One crew member died. Three other ships were also struck by missiles in the Gulf a few hours earlier. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have claimed responsibility for one of these attacks.
Sources say that Beijing has rejected Sinopec's request for tapping commercial reserves
Two sources confirmed this week that China rejected a request by Sinopec, a major refinery company in China, to 'access 13,000,000 metric tons (95,000,000 barrels) of national commercial reserves to 'offset an expected supply gap due to the U.S./Israeli war against Iran which threatens Middle East Exports. According to industry estimates, Sinopec is the world's largest refiner in terms of?capacity and imports roughly?4million barrels of crude oil per day from the Middle East. Sinopec's volume of crude oil is equivalent to 19 days?of processing or 40 days?of imports, including regular shipments coming from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as part of annual supply agreements.
Shell Board proposes to raise CEO pay package
Shell's annual reports shows that the board will ask shareholders at its May 19 meeting to "increase the maximum compensation package for the CEO" in order to align incentives with peers who operate in similar industries and geographies. Shell's annual report revealed that CEO Wael Sawan will receive a pay package of 13.8 million pounds (18.47 million dollars) in 2025, compared to 8.6 million pounds the previous year. This is because he can now access the full CEO policy after taking over the reins in 2023. Shell's recent total shareholder return was higher than that of its peers.
Shell Board proposes to raise CEO pay package
Shell's annual reports revealed that the board will ask shareholders to increase the maximum pay package for the CEO during its annual meeting on May 19, in order to align incentives with other companies operating in similar industries and geographies. Shell spokesperson said that Wael Sawan, CEO of Shell, received a pay package worth 13.8 million pounds ($18.47million) in 2025, compared to 8.6 million pounds the previous year. This was the first time in three years he had been able to tap into the full CEO policy, after taking over the company in 2023. Shell's total shareholder return has also outpaced its peers in recent years.
Prices for EUROPE GAS rise due to concerns about LNG supply and oil strength
LONDON, 12th March - British and Dutch gas wholesale prices rose Thursday morning, as reports of tanker attacks raised fears of a prolonged disruption of regional liquefied gas supplies from the region. Meanwhile, higher oil prices added further support. ICE data shows that the benchmark Dutch front-month contract was 52.40 euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh), or about $17.73/mmBtu at 0848 GMT. This is an increase of 2.41 euros. According to ICE data, the British front-month contract rose 5.86 pence and now stands at 133.12 cents per therm. Around 20% of all LNG transits the Strait?of Hormuz, but since the?U.S.
IEA chief says release of oil reserves had a'strong impact on markets'
Fatih Bibil, the IEA Executive Director, said that the IEA has released 400 million barrels of 'oil from its global strategic reserves, and this decision already had a "strong effect" on the energy markets, which are now in an "extremely critical period" following the closure of Strait of Hormuz. Birol stated at a press conference in Istanbul that the coordinated action taken by the International Energy Agency to counter the Iran War was designed?to stabilize oil markets. He declined to answer a question about the pace of releasing stockpiles each day.
Mike Dolan: ECB hawks want a rematch in 2021/22 after the Iran oil shock
Hawks at the European Central Bank are eager to change history. The energy price shock this month may not be as severe as the fallout of Russia's invasion in Ukraine, but officials seem to be wary of repeating their'slow' post-pandemic tightening policy that left them scrambling back in 2022. There will be intense debate in the ECB Governing Council about how and when to react to this potential inflationary spike in oil and gas prices. Few will be able to make a decision as soon as the next policy meeting due to the uncertainty surrounding the Iran conflict. The financial markets don't wait to see who will win.
RWE's US expansion plan of $20 billion includes gas-fired power stations
RWE, Germany’s largest power producer, announced on Thursday that it would invest in new gas-fired plants to expand more aggressively in the United States, a market where data centres are a major factor in power demand. The move is a major push from Germany's largest utility into a market where rapid construction of data centers,?as?well as the need for modernising ageing power infrastructure, has fueled a boom in the generation assets and network equipment. The 'hyperscalers', or big tech companies, are primarily responsible for this trend. They plan to spend $600 billion on artificial intelligence in 2018, a technology which requires a lot of power.
As the Middle East conflict increases costs, Bangladesh secures LNG spot cargoes
Energy officials reported that Bangladesh purchased three LNG cargoes at higher prices on the spot markets, as it scrambled to maintain supplies in the face of disruptions caused by the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. Energy officials in South Asia said that Petrobangla, the state-run energy company, has increasingly turned to the volatile market to fill the gap after certain suppliers had to stop shipments. An anonymous official from the energy ministry said that if the disruption continues, we will have to rely more on expensive spot?LNG. This will increase our import burden, and tighten supply for power and industry.
TGS, a subsidiary of Argentina's TGS, to invest $3 billion in a natural gas liquids project
The Argentine energy company Transportadora de Gaz del Sur (TGS), announced on Wednesday that it 'will invest $3 billion 'in a new natural-gas liquids project within the Vaca Muerta shale. Exports of approximately $1.2 billion per year are expected from the project over a period of almost four years. The company intends to submit 'the project to a large scale investment incentive scheme known as RIGI. This was introduced by the administration of President Javier Milei. Marcelo Mindlin said, "The project is crucial; it's essential if Vaca Muerta is to reach its target of 1.5m barrels per day by 2031-2032," at a New York press conference.
India is ready to support the oil markets after IEA releases record-breaking release
India announced 'on Wednesday that it is ready to support the global oil'markets, in line with the International Energy Agency releasing a record 400,000,000 barrels - of oil in an effort to tame the prices which have risen following the U.S./Israeli war against Iran. India has not provided any details about how it will support the IEA. An official source said on Monday that India has no plans to join IEA's initiative before a G7 summit to discuss possible releases of strategic oil reserves. Since the U.S./Israeli war against Iran, crude prices have increased by 25% as a result of supply shocks. The IEA released the oil to prevent a further increase in oil prices.
BP and Chevron top the list of bidders at a small US Gulf of Mexico gas and oil auction
According to a U.S. government livestreamed auction, BP's single bid accounted for almost half of the total. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management conducted the sale. It was a far less successful one than the previous auction three months earlier. Donald Trump's administration prioritizes regular lease sales and plans to have 30 in the area by 2040. The auction was won by a $21 million bid from BP on a block located in Green Canyon. Chevron was also a high bidder, as were Shell, LLOG Exploration, Anadarko, Woodside Energy and Anadarko. Chevron won the high bid for three blocks at $11.5 million. Livestreaming was available on BOEM's website.
Enverus reports that global dealmaking for oil and gas upstream in 2025 was muted.
Enverus, a firm that provides analytics, said Wednesday that the upstream oil and natural gas market in the world will remain?subdued' for the second consecutive year, with only $18 billion in deals. The firm stated in a recent report that fewer 'high-quality resources' and lower oil prices have limited the value of mergers and acquisitions well below the historical norm of $60 billion. Andrew Dittmar is the principal analyst of Enverus. He said that international M&A deals are shaped by availability, not appetite. Majors have retreated from the M&A sector and are focusing on organic growth.