Ukrainian metals and mining group Metinvest recently reported a 31% decrease year on year in its crude steel production for 2023, citing Russia’s ongoing invasion of the country. On February 16, the company announced its decision to halt steel manufacturing activities at its assets in Mariupol, Avdiivka, and Zaporizhzhia. This …
Read More »Russia’s LNG Cargoes Bound for China Avoid the Red Sea
Russia has started diverting its LNG cargoes away from the Suez Canal and is using the longer route to China via the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, amid a higher risk of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters on Wednesday. The longer …
Read More »Oil Prices Inch Higher as U.S. Crude Inventories Rise, OPEC+ Considers Extending Production Cuts
Crude oil futures inched higher Wednesday as U.S. crude inventories rose while OPEC+ is considering extending its production cuts into the second quarter. U.S. crude stocks rose by 8.4 million barrels last week, according to the American Petroleum Institute. Inventories have been rising in the U.S. as the rate at …
Read More »Russia’s next Nuclear Icebreaker will be Named “Leningrad”
A cold wind of Soviet nostalgia is blowing across a Russia that uses World War II to justify its war against Ukraine. No coincidence then that laying the keel for the next nuclear-powered icebreaker will happen simultaneously as St. Petersburg celebrates the 80th anniversary of the end of the Nazi-German …
Read More »After Sweden, Denmark Ends Investigation into Nord Stream Pipeline Explosions
Denmark has ended its investigation concerning the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines that occurred in September 2022, becoming the second country to do so. Germany, Sweden and Denmark each initiated respective national investigations into the incident after four gas leaks were found on the Nord …
Read More »BP to Invest $1.5 Billion in Egypt as Country’s Gas Output Falls
BP Plc plans to invest about $1.5 billion in Egypt during the next few years as it seeks to develop gas projects and drilling in the North African country. The spending, which will be net to BP, follows the London-based major’s announcement earlier this month it will form a gas-focused …
Read More »Azerbaijan Eyes Increased Gas Exports to Europe with Support from U.S.
Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov visited Washington on February 20-21. He held meetings with senior U.S. officials and secured an agreement that could be a significant step towards boosting Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe. The sides “agreed to cooperate in the direction of US support for the expansion” of the …
Read More »Red Sea Crisis and OPEC+ Cuts Support Oil Prices
Brent Crude prices have held above $80 per barrel for most of February, with signs pointing to a tightening in the physical market as OPEC+ production cuts continue and the rerouting of cargoes away from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal drags on. European refiners are looking for Atlantic …
Read More »Qatar’s New LNG Expansion Plans to Squeeze out US, other Rivals
Qatar’s planned expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production could see it control nearly 25% share of the global market by 2030 and squeeze out rival projects including in the United States where President Biden paused new export approvals, market experts say. Qatar, one of the world’s top LNG exporters, …
Read More »India Raises its Long-Term Power Demand Forecast
India has raised by 5% its previous projection for peak electricity demand in the financial year 2031-2032, due to surging demand last year that outpaced the government’s forecasts, sources with knowledge of the latest forecast told Bloomberg on Monday. In the FY 2031-2032, between April 2031 and March 2032, India …
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