Last week’s banning by the Baghdad-based Federal Government of Iraq (FGI) of oil sales made independently by the government of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan (KRG) in northern Iraq should be seen in the context of the Saudi Arabia-Iran relationship resumption deal done on 10 March. And that context is …
Read More »New Ceramic Battery could Replace Lithium-Ion Batteries
Scientists at Vienna University of Technology have invented a new oxygen ion battery chemistry based on ceramic materials. If it degrades, it can be regenerated, therefore it potentially has an extremely long lifespan. Also, it does not require any rare elements and it is incombustible. For large energy storage systems, …
Read More »US President Downplays OPEC+ Output Cuts
US President Joe Biden attempted on Monday to downplay the latest output cuts by the OPEC+ group of oil-producing nations. “It’s not going to be as bad as you think,” Biden said during a trip to Minnesota in response to a reporter’s question on the decision by some OPEC+ countries …
Read More »Oil Prices Rise as Investors Move Focus from OPEC+ Cuts to Demand Outlook
Oil prices posted gains in Asian trade on Tuesday after OPEC+ plans to cut more production jolted markets the previous day, with investors’ attention shifting to demand trends and the impact of higher prices on the global economy. Brent crude futures were up 41 cents, or 0.5 per cent, to …
Read More »Europe Launches New LNG Benchmark to Help Contain Price Spikes
Europe has a new benchmark for liquefied natural gas which regulators hope will disentangle the market from the kind of price surges witnessed last year. The European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators launched the new price gauge on Friday, indicating that LNG was trading at a discount …
Read More »U.S. Offshore Rig Count Comes to a Standstill
Following slow and consistent growth for two weeks in a row, the number of offshore rigs in the U.S. lost its upward momentum and remained flat at 18 units last week, based on Baker Hughes’ weekly rig count report. On the other hand, the total number of rigs operating in …
Read More »German Gas Reserves for next Winter already Well Stocked
President of the Federal Network Agency Klaus Müller has announced that Germany’s gas reserves are already well on their way to being full for next winter. Nevertheless, Müller explains that Germany should maintain caution when it comes to using supplies. German gas reserves filling up for winter “We are now …
Read More »Kazakhstan Looks to Ramp up Oil Exports to Europe
After almost a two-month delay, on February 23, Kazakhstani company KazTransOil finally began exporting oil to Germany, sending the first shipment of 20,000 tons of Kazakhstani oil. In enabling this supply, Kazakhstan reached an agreement with Russian energy company Transneft to use the Druzhba pipeline to export oil via Russia …
Read More »Lower Natural Gas Price is not all Good News for Europe
Europe successfully avoided a gas shortage crisis this winter thanks to high LNG imports, reduced demand, and milder weather. As a result, European natural gas prices have fallen to the levels from January 2022, just before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This week, the front-month futures at the TTF hub, …
Read More »Oil Prices Soar as OPEC+ Shocks the Market
OPEC+ on Sunday surprised oil markets with an announcement that it will reduce its output further, by some 1.16 million barrels daily. Reuters noted in a report that with the new cut, the total output reduction amount from OPEC+ will come in at 3.66 million barrels daily, or 3.7% of …
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