Officials from Pacific island nations will meet Japan’s prime minister in March in an effort to halt the planned release of water from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, a regional leader said. Plans to dispose of Fukushima water over four decades are a source of …
Read More »Russian Oil Price Cap Accelerates Global Economic Decoupling
The oil “price cap” of $60 per barrel for Russian oil is a controversial move by the European Union and G7. The price cap prohibits Western insurers and shipping companies, which account for more than 90 percent of the marine insurance industry, from servicing vessels that carry Russian oil above …
Read More »Oil Prices Fall on Profit Taking, Strong Russian Supply
Oil prices reversed earlier gains on Friday as indications of strong Russian oil supply offset better than expected U.S. economic growth data, strong middle distillate refining margins and hopes of a rapid recovery in Chinese demand. Brent futures were down 51 cents, or 0.6%, at $86.96 a barrel by 11:29 …
Read More »Europe Gas Drops as Mild Weather Forecast Eases Supply Concerns
European natural gas dropped with fuller-than-normal stockpiles countering higher demand, while an ongoing icy spell was forecast to end next week. Benchmark futures fell as much as 11%, extending Monday’s decline. The frigid weather has raised gas usage for heating, but high storage levels and strong deliveries of liquefied natural …
Read More »Italy to Wean itself off Russian Gas Within Two Years
Italy is expected to eliminate imports of Russian natural gas by the winter of 2024/2025, Claudio Descalzi, the chief executive of energy major Eni, said on Monday during a visit to Algeria. Italy, one of the biggest buyers of Russian gas in Europe before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, will …
Read More »Extremely Tight Market could Push Copper Prices to Record Highs
Retail and professional investors expect copper to be the top-performing commodity this year, outperforming gold, corn, and crude oil, according to Bloomberg’s MLIV Pulse survey published on Monday. A total of 45% of retail investors and 36% of professional investors see copper as the best-performing commodity asset this year, compared …
Read More »Gas Price Cap Risks Curbing Market Liquidity, EU Regulators Warn
The European Union’s gas price cap, which launches next month, could impact financial stability and potentially curb liquidity in Europe’s exchange-traded gas markets, the bloc’s financial and energy market regulators said on Monday (23 January). EU countries agreed in December to a gas price cap that, from 15 February, will …
Read More »Offshore Rigs Set for very Busy Year in 2023
Rig activity stood out in several regions in 2022 and there is no reason to expect anything different in 2023, Westwood Energy believes. In 2022, offshore rig activity for both jack-ups and floating rigs was robust in several key regions of the world. Global marketed jack-up utilization increased from 87% …
Read More »US Plans to Test Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft by 2027
The United States plans to test a spacecraft engine powered by nuclear fission by 2027 as part of a long-term NASA effort to demonstrate more efficient methods of propelling astronauts to Mars in the future, the space agency’s chief said on Tuesday. NASA will partner with the US military’s research …
Read More »Qatar in Negotiations to Invest in TotalEnergies’ Iraqi Projects
According to sources cited by Reuters, Qatar is in negotiations to acquire a share in the $27 billion cluster of energy projects in Iraq owned by the French multi-energy business TotalEnergies. The Qatari investment is anticipated to help Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani, who was elected last year following a …
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