South Korea’s electric vehicle (EV) sales fell by 0.1% last year for the first annual decline since 2017, as drivers cite fears of batteries catching fire and insufficient number of chargers as key obstacles alongside higher interest rates and high prices. South Korean drivers are concerned that their future EVs …
Read More »Red Sea Danger is Spurring Global Oil Buyers to Go Local
The global oil market is looking increasingly local as militant attacks in the Red Sea and surging freight rates make supplies from closer to home more attractive. A slump in tanker traffic through the Suez Canal is spurring the beginnings of a split, with one trading region centered around the …
Read More »India Bets on Carbon Capture to Keep its Coal Sector Viable
India is set to launch a carbon capture policy that it says will allow it to keep exploiting its vast coal resources and deal with its growing emissions, according to to a top government energy adviser. The policy is expected to be unveiled later this year – should Prime Minister …
Read More »Japan’s Gas Imports Plummet as Nuclear Reactors Restart
Japan’s liquefied natural gas imports for January fell to the lowest level for that month in over a decade, as nuclear reactor restarts, higher renewables output, and energy-savings efforts curb fossil-fuel needs. Deliveries fell to just shy of 6 million tons last month, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. …
Read More »Europe Moves into a New World after a Crippling Energy Crisis
This month, a cold front swept across much of Europe and giant tankers that carry fuel through the Red Sea were rerouted to avoid escalating violence. That should have pushed gas prices higher. Instead, they just kept falling. Even if it’s a step too far to give Europe the all-clear, …
Read More »Chevron CEO Warns of Serious Risks to Oil Flows from Red Sea Crisis
As the world’s eyes are keenly focused on the escalating crisis in the Red Sea, Chevron’s CEO, Michael Wirth, has voiced his concern over the potential disruption to oil flows. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wirth painted a worrisome picture of the current situation, expressing surprise …
Read More »Qatar Pauses LNG Shipments via Red Sea after US-led Airstrikes
Qatar appears to have paused sending liquefied natural gas tankers through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after US-led airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen raised risks in the vital waterway. At least five LNG vessels operated by Qatar that were heading toward the passage at the southern end of the Red …
Read More »Oil Declines as Tough Outlook Overshadows Middle East Tensions
Oil edged higher as the risk that airstrikes by the US and allies against the Houthis would ignite a wider conflict and disrupt crude flows from the Middle East was balanced by soft fundamentals. Brent crude rose toward $79 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate was near $73 after the …
Read More »Russia’s Oil Drilling Boom Proves Moscow’s Resilience to Western Sanctions
Russia was on pace for a second year of record oil drilling in 2023, further evidence of the nation’s resilience to Western sanctions. The boom in activity came alongside a recovery in the both volume and value of Russia’s oil exports, a stark illustration of how the country’s fossil fuel …
Read More »India’s Crude Oil Imports from Russia Plunge on Payment Issues
India’s crude oil imports from its largest supplier Russia plunged in December to their lowest since January 2023, as six tankers carrying Sokol grade oil could not deliver due to payment issues amid tightening sanctions, according to data intelligence company Kpler. After rising to an all time record of 2.15 …
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