The Iran War threatens to have a long-lasting impact on global energy markets
Even if the conflict with Iran ends soon, consumers and businesses could face weeks or even months of higher fuel prices. This is because suppliers are dealing with damaged facilities, disrupted logistic, and increased risks in shipping. This outlook is a greater threat to global economic stability and a political vulnerability to U.S. president Donald Trump as we approach the midterms. Voters are sensitive to energy costs and do not like foreign involvement. In a Friday research note, JP Morgan analysts stated that the market has shifted from…
India increases cooking gas prices after Iran war affects supply
Indian 'companies' have increased the price of liquefied petrol gas, mainly used as a cooking fuel for the first time in about a?year, due to the global price surge caused by the U.S./Israel war against Iran, which has disrupted Middle East supplies. Indian Oil Corp., the country's largest refiner and LPG supplier, increased its prices for a 14.2-kg LPG in Delhi by 7%, to 913 Rupees ($9.93), as per their website. The state refiners Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, and?IOC all raised prices in tandem. India, which is the second largest importer of LPG in the world, consumed 33.15 millions metric tons last year, a mixture propane-butane.
Iran conflict increases U.S. Gulf Oil prices to their highest level since 2020
The price of U.S. Gulf Coast Heavy Grades continued to rise?on Friday, as the Iran Conflict prompted several Middle -Eastern producers to reduce production. This prompted?buyers and?sellers to grab?U.S. barrels. Brokers said that the price of Mars sour crude, a flagship crude produced by the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and preferred by refiners worldwide, traded Friday at an $11 premium over U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI). This was the highest price since April 2020 and an increase of $4 on Thursday. It was $1.50 higher just a week earlier. The West Texas Sour is a popular sour beverage. Also rose.
Peru taps its fuel reserves to fight worst energy crisis in 20 years
Denisse Miralles, the Prime Minister, said that 'the Peruvian government will use its fuel reserves to safeguard the domestic supply.' This comes after a gas pipeline rupture triggered what has been described as the worst energy crisis for 20 years. She added that the government will encourage public and private sector employees to work remotely, while converting schools to online education. Emergency measures were taken after the suspension of natural gas exports by Peru on Thursday, as it tries to control the consequences of Sunday's gas-pipeline explosion that snuffed out energy supplies and caused a power crisis.
Baker Hughes reports that US drillers have added oil and gas rigs to their fleet for the first time in four-weeks.
Energy services firm Baker Hughes reported on Friday that U.S. energy firms added oil and gas rigs this week for the first time since four weeks. Baker Hughes reported that despite this week's increase in rigs the total count is still 41 rigs or 7% lower than this time last year. Baker Hughes reported that oil rigs increased by four this week to 411, the highest since early February. Gas rigs, on the other hand, fell by two, to 132, which is their lowest level since early February. As U.S. crude oil prices fell, energy firms focused more on boosting shareholder returns, paying down debt, and reducing their debt than increasing production.
QatarEnergy leases 10 LNG tankers amid a production halt and soaring shipping costs, according to sources
QatarEnergy offers 10 liquefied 'natural gas' tankers to lease, according to two industry sources. This comes after the 'world’s second largest?LNG - exporter announced a halt in production at its 77 mtpa facility, and shipping rates soared as the U.S. - Iran conflict entered its second week. Qatari Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi told the Financial Times that it would still take weeks or months to resume normal deliveries even if the conflict ended today. The company declared force majeure for LNG shipments Wednesday. The production stoppage has increased competition between the Atlantic and Pacific basins in terms of LNG cargoes.
Novak, quoted by the media as saying that Russia is considering redirecting LNG from Europe to Asia-Pacific
Interfax and Izvestia reported that Russia's Deputy Premier Alexander Novak stated on Friday he had discussed the?possibility? of redirecting Russian LNG supplies from Europe to alternative markets. This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia can halt gas supply to Europe immediately due to the spike in energy costs triggered by the Iran Crisis. He was preempting EU plans for stopping 'Russian LNG imports until end-2026 and pipeline gas before September 30, 2027. Novak stated that Russian companies are looking at opportunities to divert shipments towards Asia-Pacific markets.
BP to perform maintenance on Central Azeri Platform in August
BP's regional president for Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Turkey, Giovanni Cristofoli, said that the company plans to perform scheduled'maintenance on the Central Azeri -platform in August 2026. He added that the shutdown would only affect the gas infrastructure of the platform, and oil production would continue. He added that maintenance usually lasts for 19 days. The shorter outage is possible because of the new technologies. BP is the largest foreign investor and operator in Azerbaijan’s oil and natural gas sector. The ?company operates Azerbaijan's largest oil and gas projects…
BP wants at least $3.7 Billion from Venture Global arbitration, a filing states
Venture Global's yearly report shows that BP wants at least $3.7billion from its arbitration victory against?Venture Global, in a case involving liquefied?gas (LNG). According to the report released this week, BP is seeking a range of'remedies', including damages ranging between $3.7 billion and potentially exceeding $6.0 billion as well as costs, interest, and attorney fees. BP declined to comment. A Venture Global spokesperson stated that the British 'oil majors' requested damages were "unserious" and "not supported by evidence or governing law".
Bangladesh restricts fuel purchases due to Middle East conflict
Bangladesh imposed daily fuel sales limits in response to a 'panic buying' and a'stockpiling of fuels, which raised concerns over supply as the Middle East war roiled the global energy markets. These'measures' follow U.S., israeli, and other airstrikes against Iran, as well as retaliatory strikes by Tehran in the Middle East, which has caused oil shipments to be disrupted through the Strait of Hormuz - a vital energy route - and driven energy prices sky-high. Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, the state-run distributor and importer, stated that the restrictions aim to restrain excess demand, calm the public, and keep national stocks stable.
Fitch warns that energy support measures may have a negative impact on France and Britain's finances.
Fitch Ratings will be watching to see if European governments are going to need to?roll out support measures to combat higher energy prices. This could increase fiscal pressures on countries like France and Britain, said a senior analyst. This week, oil and gas prices have risen as the war in the Middle East has stoked concerns among policymakers and on financial markets about inflation. Inflation, which soared after Russia invaded Ukraine, could rise again. They will decide whether to provide assistance based on the length of the war and if energy prices continue to rise.
Indian refiners seeking legal opinion to purchase sanctioned Russian oil through US waiver
Two government sources confirmed that Indian refiners were seeking legal advice on how to purchase Russian oil sanctioned by Washington after New Delhi was granted a waiver for buying crude at sea in order to reduce pressure on the global markets. On Thursday, the U.S. granted Indian refiners an exemption from sanctions for 30 days to buy Russian oil that was loaded onto vessels starting March 5. Indian state refiners purchased at least 20 million barrels (or a little more) of Russian crude oil that was loaded onto vessels that were floating in international water to help ease the oil supply crunch caused by the Middle East Crisis, according to Reuters.
Former Shell CFO to leave, BP Chairman Manifold trims the board
BP Chairman 'Albert Manifold' announced on Friday plans for a slimmer board, as a s part of the resetting strategy by the british oil major. Former Shell Chief Financial Officer Simon Henry was among those leaving. Manifold has made other changes since he became chairman in October. Murray Auchincloss, who was appointed CEO in October, abruptly left the position in December. Woodside Energy's Meg O'Neill will take on that role from April. O'Neill was BP's?first external hire... for the post in more than a century. According to BP's annual report, she will receive a base salary of 1.6million pounds.
IEA chief warns of return to Russian gas despite global LNG boom
Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of International Energy Agency (IEA), said that looking to Russia for gas supplies would be economically and politically wrong. This is because LNG will soon become a global source. Birol said to?reporters that the current Middle East crisis has led some to question whether or not to return to Russia. This was after a meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU commissioners regarding global energy markets. The EU faces increasing pressure from governments and industries to intervene to reduce high energy prices.
Qatar's energy minister warns that war will force Gulf countries to stop exporting energy within weeks.
In an interview published by the Financial Times on Friday, Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said that the country expects all Gulf energy producers to stop exports in a few weeks and drive oil prices up to $150 per barrel. We expect that everyone who hasn't called force majeure will do so in the next few days if this situation continues. Kaabi told FT that all exporters from the Gulf region would have to declare force majeure. Kaabi stated that even if the war ended immediately, it would still take Qatar "weeks or months" to get back to normal deliveries.
The price of gas in Europe is more volatile due to the growing competition from LNG
Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas have slowed the huge gains they made this week, but remain volatile due to increased competition worldwide among buyers for replacements of lost Qatari LNG cargoes. Data from the Intercontinental Exchange showed that the benchmark 'Dutch front month contract' at the TTF hub had increased by 1.02 euros to 51.75 euros a megawatt hour (MWh), as of 1026 GMT. After initially trading at 6.00 lower, the British contract for April rose 2.25 pence to 133.75 cents per therm. The European gas price has risen this week due to the Iran conflict, which has shut down?exports from Qatar. Qatar provides around 20% of global LNG supply.
After Qatar's LNG supply was halted, Bangladesh saw a steep increase in LNG prices
After Qatar suspended LNG deliveries amid the escalating Iran/Israel conflict, Bangladesh will be forced to pay much higher prices on the spot market. This has led the authorities in Bangladesh to ration gas and close several fertiliser factories. Officials said that the state-run Petrobangla had arranged for two LNG spot cargoes to be delivered in March, to ensure supplies are not interrupted. A shipment from Gunvor is priced at $28,28 per million British Thermal Units (mmBtu), and is scheduled to arrive between March 15-16. Another shipment from Vitol is priced at $23,08 per mmBtu. Both are due for delivery on March 18-19.
Bangladesh closes its fertiliser factories due to Middle East gas shortage
Officials said that Bangladesh closed four of its five fertilizer factories on Thursday, amid a worsening shortage of gas triggered by the escalating tensions across the Middle East. A government order aimed to conserve dwindling supplies of gas has halted production at several state-run 'plants, including Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited and Chittagong urea Fertilizer Limited. Uttam Chowdhury is CUFL's Chief Chemist and Head of Production. He said that the two facilities were receiving between 70-80 millions cubic feet of natural gas each day prior to the shutdown. Qatar stopped LNG production earlier this week.
Sources: Uniper talks LNG with Canada to reduce US dependence
Three 'people who are familiar with the matter' said that Uniper, a state-owned German energy company, is in 'talks' with Canada about expanding liquefied gas purchases. This is part of Berlin’s plans to establish a broad economic relationship and reduce reliance on U.S. suppliers. Sources say that the discussions are on a political and corporate level. They are also taking place as Germany prepares to bid for a Canadian sub tender, which is likely going to include deals in rare earths and batteries, and energy. Uniper refused to comment on any specific talks.
Equinor, a Norwegian company, wants to keep gas and oil exports high despite the rising prices
The Norwegian energy company Equinor is focusing on maintaining high levels of regularity when it comes to its exports of crude oil and natural gases to Europe. This is because the Iran conflict has a significant impact on global energy supplies. The U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran, and its retaliatory strikes across the Gulf Region have paralyzed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a crucial route for oil and liquefied gas (LNG), producers in the Gulf. This week, oil and gas prices have risen due to disruptions. He refused to comment on current production levels. Brent crude oil prices have risen 16% in the last week, to $84 per barrel.