Amidst global efforts to phase out coal power by 2040, China’s coal consumption is unlikely to decrease significantly by that time, according to a new report by Norwegian consultancy DNV. The report indicates that China’s coal usage, currently the world’s largest, will experience a minor reduction in the next two …
Read More »IMF Praises UK’s Digital Infrastructure for AI Readiness
Amid a slew of warnings about slow growth and rising national debt, it was easy to miss that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had some good news for the UK economy last week. Modelling the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on both UK productivity and output, it suggested that …
Read More »Venezuela Looks to Crypto for Oil Sales as Sanctions Return
With Venezuelan oil sanctions set to be reimposed and state-run PDVSA oil company buyers and suppliers under orders to close out transactions in line with sanctions by the end of May, the country is now working to shift its oil sales to digital currency. Using Tether, pegged to the U.S. …
Read More »Turkey to Drill Oil off Somali Coast Starting in 2025
Somalia says Turkey will begin drilling oil off the country’s massive coastline from next year, according to the Director General of the Somali Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Mohamed Hashi Abdi ‘Arabey’. Talking to the BBC Somali Service, Abdi affirmed the recent assertion by a Turkish official on a …
Read More »Saudi Aramco Eyes Stake in Chinese Petrochemical Firm
Saudi oil giant Aramco is proceeding with plans to boost its downstream presence in its most important export market, China, with discussions to buy a minority stake in a Chinese petrochemical company. Aramco has entered into discussions with Hengli Group Co., Ltd. regarding the potential acquisition of a 10% stake …
Read More »Slump in Coal Production Drags down Poland’s Economic Recovery
A 26% plunge in coal mining weighed on Poland’s industrial output in March 2024, casting a shadow over the expectations that the biggest emerging-market economy in Europe would grow by the expected 3% this year. Coal mining output slumped by 25.9% year-over-year in March, contributing to a 6% decline in …
Read More »Gazprom Shut down Dozens of Natural Gas Wells ahead of Spring Floods
Russia’s natural gas giant Gazprom had to shut down more than two dozen producing wells during the spring floods in the Orenburg region to keep the gas-producing wells from flooding, the local Gazprom unit said. River and floodwaters rose early this month in the Orenburg region in southwestern Russia near …
Read More »Global Climate Goals still Unreachable despite Record Renewable Growth
Renewable energy installations reached record highs in 2023, growing at their fastest pace in decades. 510 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy were added worldwide, representing a 50% increase from 2022, according to figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s annual flagship report on the global status of renewable energy. Projections …
Read More »Carbon Price Crash Threatens EU Transition Funds
The price of carbon dioxide on the European Union’s emissions trading markets, ETS, has taken a bad tumble. On the face of it, this is good news—it means industries covered by the scheme are emitting less. But in this case, fewer emissions mean less money for the transition. Earlier this …
Read More »China’s New Energy Sector Far from ‘Overcapacity’ against Massive Market Demand
With rapid growth and continuous upgrading in its industrial structure, China has made remarkable progress in the new energy industries in recent years, such as electric vehicles (EVs), solar products and lithium batteries, which has not only met the domestic needs for high-quality development but also cater to the global …
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