Kazakhstan is considering new procurement standards to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of state spending while aiming to minimize the environmental harm of public works and services. Government contracts for goods, works and services totaled about $19.7 billion in 2023. In the past, environmental concerns didn’t figure much in state …

The China National Offshore Oil Co, or CNOOC, has signed an exploration and production deal for five oil and gas blocks in Mozambique, Reuters reported, citing a CNOOC statement. The five blocks are offshore the African country, in depths ranging between 500 meters and 2,500 meters, the Chinese state-owned company …

European benchmark natural gas prices rallied on Wednesday and early Thursday amid growing supply concerns and forecasts of lower wind power generation later this week. The Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures, the benchmark for Europe’s gas trading, hit on Wednesday their highest level since January after Austria’s OMV warned the …

China is making further inroads into Iraqi oil and gas by inking an initial agreement with Iraq’s state-owned Midland Oil Company to develop the Mansuriya gas field with a Chinese-Iraqi consortium. The already-producing Mansuriya field foresees production of 100 million standard cubic feet of gas over a period of 18 …

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top crude oil exporter, saw its crude shipments rise in March to the highest level in 9 months, the latest data by the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI) showed on Monday. Saudi crude exports rose by 96,000 barrels per day (bpd) in March compared to February, …

The United States’ largest pension fund, CalPERS, will vote against the ExxonMobil board at the upcoming May 29 board meeting, in a move designed to block the supermajor’s attempt to sue activist investors who are pressuring it to move more quickly on lowering emissions, Reuters reported on Monday. Activist investors …

An oil products export terminal at Russia’s biggest port on the Black Sea, Novorossiysk, has resumed loadings of tankers for exports following a Ukrainian drone attack at the facility last week, Reuters reported on Monday, citing data from LSEG and industry sources. The terminal, Importpischeprom, suspended operations on Friday following …

When it comes to gold, Uzbekistan has bought low and large. Now it is selling high.World Gold Council data shows that Uzbekistan was the world’s top gold-selling country in March with 11 tons sold, with only Thailand’s 10 tons coming anywhere near in terms of volume. Most other central banks …

Russia became China’s top oil supplier in April for the 12th month, with volumes rising 30 per cent from a year earlier, official data showed, as refiners continued to cash in discounted shipments, while supplies from Saudi Arabia fell a quarter on higher prices. China’s crude oil imports from Russia, …

While solar and wind power installations and power generation are booming in Europe, policymakers need to address the growing gap between baseload capacity and soaring intermittent renewable electricity. Europe still has a lot of work to do in providing flexible and reliable grids to handle the soaring share of renewables …