U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China, Japan and South Korea, the biggest importers of the fuel, have surged to record highs in recent months as the heavily industrialised region recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Eikon trade data shows. As with the ramp-up of U.S. oil exports that …
Read More »OPEC, Allies will Gradually Increase Oil Production in the Coming Months
The OPEC and its allies have agreed to gradually increase oil production in the coming months, moving cautiously in pace with the recovery of the global economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, reports stated on Thursday. The oil cartel and its allied nations agreed to add back some 2 million barrels …
Read More »Exxon Mobil, Total to Exit Qatar LNG Joint Venture
Qatar Petroleum said on March 30 it would take full ownership of its Qatargas 1 LNG plant when its 25-year contract with international investors including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Total SE expires next year. The decision not to extend the contracts for the country’s first-ever LNG processing plan came as …
Read More »France’s Total to Build 1GW of Solar Projects in Iraq
French energy major Total has signed an agreement with Iraq’s Ministry of Oil to develop a host of energy projects in the country, including 1GW of solar PV. The agreement, which builds on discussions between Total and the Iraqi government that began in October last year, has seen the two …
Read More »China’s Refiners are an Existential Threat to Regional Competitors
China’s build-up of oil refining capacity is threatening the viability of other Asian refiners as the country is about to become the world’s largest refiner this year amid still depressed demand for fuels. Bloomberg reports that the refining capacity of the country has increased threefold over the last 20 years …
Read More »Russian Pipelayer Headed for Danish Waters to Join Nord Stream 2 Operation
A second Russian pipelaying vessel is now headed for Danish waters to join the operation to lay the almost-complete Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, the pipeline development company said March 31. The Adakemik Cherskiy — which has dynamic positioning capabilities allowing for accelerated pipelaying — will …
Read More »Aramco Up as Saudis Prioritize Spend Over Dividend
Saudi Aramco rose the most in 10 months in Riyadh trading after the government allowed it to cut dividends and redirect the cash into new investments to fulfill the crown prince’s economic plans. It would relieve some of the pressure on the world’s biggest oil company, which had to cut …
Read More »Massive Blaze in Pertamina Balongan Refinery Finally Extinguished
Fires raging Pertamina’s Balongan Oil Refinery have been successfully extinguished at 14:35 local time today, March 31. Agus Suprijanto, the state-owned oil firm’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Relations, confirmed in a written statement. Agus said that it was due to the offensive firefighting method applied intensively by …
Read More »Kuwait Cautiously Optimistic that Oil Demand will Improve
Kuwait’s Oil Minister Oil Mohammad Abdulatif Al-Fares expressed “cautious optimism” on Wednesday that the global oil demand will improve as COVID-19 vaccination programs gather pace and industrial output recovers. Speaking ahead of a joint meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other major oil producers, he said the …
Read More »Schlumberger, Microsoft Expand Partnership to Accelerate Digital Future of Energy
Schlumberger and Microsoft announced an expanded strategic partnership on March 29 to accelerate new technologies for the energy industry. The first offering, the Schlumberger Enterprise Data Management Solution for the OSDU Data Platform—a new industry standard for energy data—is available today. Energy companies will now benefit from an OSDU-compliant solution, …
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