Exxon Mobil Corp said on Thursday it could cut its global workforce by about 15%, including deep white-collar staff reductions in the United States, as the COVID-19 pandemic batters energy demand and prices. Exxon and other oil producers have been slashing costs due to a collapse in oil demand and …
Read More »Iraq’s Crumbling Economy is Becoming a Threat to OPEC
From his third-floor office in eastern Baghdad, Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar can see the rowdy protesters below as they march toward Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of Iraq’s latest uprising. On Sunday, thousands of Iraqis again gathered with national flags at the square, across the Tigris river from …
Read More »China Starts Building $20 Billion Mega Petchem Complex in Shandong Oil Hub
China started this week building a mega petrochemical and refining complex in east China’s Shandong province, local state media reported, four months after the $20 billion project received state approval. The Yulong project to be built in Yantai, Shandong, China’s hub for independent oil refineries, consists of a 400,000-barrel-per-day oil …
Read More »China to Ban New Gas-Powered Car Sales by 2035 to Meet 2060 Pledge
China announced it will shut out new sales of conventional gas-powered vehicles and allow only electric and hybrid versions from 2035, forcing automakers around the world to rethink their strategies in the world’s largest auto market. The policy, announced Oct. 27 by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, goes …
Read More »Oil Prices Edge Lower as US Inventories Rise
Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday as a jump in US crude inventories and surging Covid-19 cases raised fears of an oversupply of oil and weak fuel demand amid rising coronavirus cases in the US and Europe. Brent, the international benchmark for more than half of the world’s crude, slipped …
Read More »Barkindo: Rising Infections may Delay Oil Market Recovery
OPEC’s secretary general said an oil market recovery may take longer than hoped as coronavirus inflections rise around the world, and OPEC and its allies would “stay the course” in balancing the market. OPEC and allies including Russia made a record oil output cut in April as the pandemic hit …
Read More »Oil Rises 2% on U.S. Gulf Shut Downs, Outlook Weak
Crude settled higher on Tuesday as companies shut down some U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production ahead of an approaching storm, although surging coronavirus infections and rising Libyan supply limited gains, Trend reports with reference to Reuters. Companies including BP, Chevron, Shell and Equinor ASA evacuated rigs or closed facilities. …
Read More »Japan Likely Needs New Reactors to Meet Carbon Goal
Japan must consider building new nuclear reactors to meet the government’s lofty goal of going carbon-neutral by 2050, according to the nation’s former economy and energy minister. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s net-zero emissions pledge announced Monday is “very ambitious” and presents a number of difficulties, said Hiroshige Seko, broadcaster NHK …
Read More »Brazil Becomes One of China’s Top Oil Suppliers
Brazil climbed to № 3 among China’s crude oil suppliers last month thanks to continued purchases by independent refiners, whose quotas for imported crude oil are running out, Oilprice analysed. Imports of Brazilian crude oil stood at 4.49 million tons in September, according to a Reuters report. This translates into …
Read More »Norway’s Oil, Gas Exploration Drops Sharply
Oil firms are now expected to drill just 30 exploration wells off the cost of Norway in 2020, down from 57 last year and sharply lagging original projections of around 50 wells, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said on Tuesday. “The decline in demand for oil and lower prices have …
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