China’s cooling demand is continuing to wreak havoc on the physical oil market in Asia, with Iraq’s prized Basrah Light crude sold at a discount to its official selling price for the first time since 2017. BP Plc and China National United Oil Corp. both sold prompt cargoes of the …
Read More »Oil Stable as Signs of Easing Virus Offset U.S.-China Tensions
Oil was little changed in Asia as signs of an easing in coronavirus cases across the U.S. south were countered by ongoing diplomatic tensions between the Trump administration and China. Futures in New York slipped 0.3%, after rising 0.5% on Friday. Reported cases and fatalities fell in many states hit …
Read More »Solar Surge Is Making Coal Plants Unprofitable in Top Exporter
Australia’s coal power plants, which make up more than half of the nation’s generation mix, are facing increased pressure as rooftop solar hollows out daytime demand. That could mean early closures among the country’s aging fleet, giving energy planners the tricky task of ensuring energy security while replacing the steady, …
Read More »The Next Move in Oil Prices May Be Down, Not Up
Benchmark Brent crude prices have risen by 128% from their April low, remaining above $40 a barrel since the middle of June. But rising supply and faltering demand bode ill for those who want oil prices to keep climbing. The OPEC+ group of oil producers, who have implemented unprecedented output …
Read More »Halliburton Looks beyond Shale as Fracking Remains Unprofitable
Way back in January (it’s been a long year) Hallburton was already souring on shale. Way before the novel coronavirus put the final nail in the coffin of the West Texas shale revolution, the multinational corporation and one of the largest oil field service companies in the world had very …
Read More »OPEC Cuts, Oil Price Drop Delay South Sudan Plans to Lift Output
South Sudan is banking on a better year in 2021 after efforts to rebuild its oil industry were knocked by the coronavirus and a collapse in crude prices.“We experienced prices that had never been there before and we are running at a loss” along with private operators, Awow Daniel Chuang, …
Read More »Iran’s Petropars to Double Capacity of Oil Field Shared with Iraq
Iran’s Petropars Ltd. signed a contract to more than double output at the South Azadegan oil field, the second deal this month to boost production at a deposit shared with Iraq. Petropars agreed to raise the field’s output to 320,000 barrels a day over 30 months from 140,000 currently. The …
Read More »OPEC has New Competitor as China Ships Oil from Swelling Storage
Some oil from China’s swelling storage tanks is finding its way back into the international market as traders jump at the opportunity to source cheap crude for resale to regional refiners. The shipments in question, so far just 1 million barrels, have been procured by trading houses via the Shanghai …
Read More »Iraq Slashes Oil Sales to Some Buyers as OPEC Eyes Laggards
Iraq will supply less oil to some refiners in Asia and Europe as it seeks to meet its production-cut target under the OPEC+ output agreement. SOMO, the state-run oil marketing company in OPEC’s second-biggest producer, notified at least six customers in Asia that it won’t fulfill their requests for contractual …
Read More »OPEC+ may Force Extra Cuts on Cheaters as Supplies Increase in August
OPEC+ is seeking extra production cuts from members that haven’t missed their targets again in June, potentially tempering the impact of the supply resumption planned by the wider coalition next month. A technical committee that met online on Tuesday outlined plans for countries including Iraq, Nigeria and Kazakhstan to make …
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