Saudi Arabia has not yet decided its position on OPEC+ oil production quotas, a Saudi Arabian source told S&P Global Platts on March 30, two days ahead of the bloc’s meeting to decide on May output levels. The source denied a report that the kingdom was prepared to support extending …
Read More »Iraq Signs 4 Major Energy Deals with Total
Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has signs an agreement of principles with the French company Total for four major energy projects in the country: 1. Plants to collect and refine associated natural gas at the fields of Artawi [Ratawi], West Qurna 2, Majnoon, Tuba [Subba] and Lahais [Luhais]. This will include …
Read More »Russia Aims to Raise Production, Backs OPEC+ Cut Rollover
Russia, the leader of the non-OPEC group in OPEC+, favors a rollover of the alliance’s oil production cuts while seeking a slight increase for itself to meet higher seasonal demand, a source with knowledge of Moscow’s plans told Reuters on Monday. Russia has sought and obtained small increases for its …
Read More »Indonesia’s Balongan Refinery Shut Due to Fire
Indonesia’s Pertamina said March 29 that an incident has caused a fire at its Balongan refinery in the province of West Java, but the national oil company said its fuel supply was not affected. The fire occurred at Balongan refinery’s T-301G tank and the incident occurred at 12.45 am local …
Read More »Sinopec Aims for Carbon Neutrality by 2050, Plans Pivot to Hydrogen
China’s Sinopec Corp, Asia’s largest oil refiner aims to be carbon neutral by 2050, with its near-term strategy focused on natural gas development and a long-term pivot to hydrogen, top executives said on Monday. As China’s largest hydrogen producer, Sinopec will focus on fossil fuel-based hydrogen production over the next …
Read More »Venezuela’s Maduro Mulls Paying for Vaccines with Oil
Nicolas Maduro speculated that Venezuela could pay for coronavirus vaccines with oil. “Venezuela has oil tankers, it has clients who buy its oil. Our country will allocate a portion of our produce to ensure the shipment of the required vaccines. Oil for vaccines,” the head of state said on TV …
Read More »US Oil Firms Lag far Behind Greener Europe Rivals
Europe’s largest oil and gas companies are leaving US rivals further and further behind in the race to cut their reliance on fossil-fuel sales. Total SE, Galp Energia SGPS SA, Equinor ASA, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Eni SpA are leading the pack, while Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp …
Read More »Solar Power “Remains a Mirage” in Iraq
Iraq has suffered from a lack of electricity generation capacity following the US-led invasion of 2003 as well as the rise and fall of the Islamic State group (IS) over 2014-17. Successive governments have thus far failed to rehabilitate Iraq’s electricity sector, despite spending some 50B USD on it in …
Read More »Suez Canal Blockage to have Minimal Long-Term Impacts
The impact of the blockage of the Suez Canal by a giant container ship will be minimal, while oil prices may increase in the short run, Managing Director of Branko Terzic & Associates LLC, who used to serve as a commissioner on the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said on …
Read More »Nord Stream 2 Becoming Divisive Issue ‘Unfortunate’
The United States just wants its allies to understand its position on Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is set to carry gas from Russia to Europe, and it’s “unfortunate” that the project became a contentious point, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN. Washington has repeatedly shown its displeasure …
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