OPEC slashed oil production to the lowest level since the Persian Gulf War in 1991, as it escalated efforts to revive global markets just as a resurgence of the coronavirus is threatening demand again. Saudi Arabia delivered the extra curbs promised in June, and the laggards, though still trailing in …
Read More »China’s Era of Mega-Dams Is Ending as Solar and Wind Power Rise
It’s the beginning of the end for the era of mega-dam building in China. China Three Gorges Corp. on Monday turned on the first set of generators at the massive Wudongde hydropower plant, deep in the mountains of Yunnan province. About 170 kilometers (106 miles) downstream on the Jinsha River …
Read More »Investors Pressure Exxon, Chevron to Disclose Long-Term Oil Price Forecasts
America’s biggest oil companies are coming under increasing pressure from climate-conscious investors to disclose their long-term forecasts for crude prices as the Covid-19 pandemic injects fresh uncertainty into the demand outlook for fossil fuels. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. don’t publish such estimates, meaning that shareholders are less able …
Read More »New Oil Storage Hub in UAE to Open by End of 2020
Brooge Energy Ltd. expects new tanks at its oil-storage terminal in the United Arab Emirates to be fully operational by the end of the year, with a single customer booked to lease all the additional capacity. The US-listed storage operator is adding eight tanks at the site in the UAE …
Read More »India Oil Market Projects Faster Recovery than OPEC’s Estimates
India, the third-biggest oil consumer, expects fuel demand to return to normal earlier than projections by the International Energy Agency and OPEC. “If you look at the trend of the past few weeks, I’m confident that by the end of second quarter, demand will be as usual,” India’s Oil Minister …
Read More »Norway Sets Oil Export Records as OPEC+ Cuts Leave a Void in the Market
As OPEC and its allies make their deepest cuts yet to crude production, Norway’s giant Johan Sverdrup oil field is exporting more than ever before. Crude loadings from the field are set at a record 4.4 million barrels, or 465,000 barrels a day, in August, according to a loading program …
Read More »Iraq May Amend High-Cost Oil Output Deals
Iraq is reassessing contracts to pump crude at fields where production costs are high as it tries to contain expenses while curbing output, the oil minister said, according to a report on Sunday in Al-Sabah newspaper. OPEC’s second-biggest producer has an interest in cooperating with other global suppliers in reducing …
Read More »Coronavirus Resurgence Slows China’s Demand for U.S. Crude
A second wave of Covid-19 infections in China’s capital is threatening to depress the nation’s appetite for American oil just after a pick-up in purchases. Signs of weakening demand from the world’s largest oil consumer are now starting to weigh on export prices for American crude, according to industry participants. …
Read More »China Oil Titans Plan Joint Crude Buying to Add Bargaining Power
China’s state-owned oil refining giants are in discussions to form a purchasing group to buy crude together, increasing their bargaining power and avoiding bidding wars. Senior executives from China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., PetroChina Co., Cnooc Ltd. and Sinochem Group Co. are in advanced talks to iron out details of …
Read More »Trump’s Inaction Makes Oil Market Management Harder
The unprecedented OPEC+ deal in April, which led to drastic output cuts, is now entering its most dangerous phase, with oil demand and prices recovering. At the time, President Donald Trump claimed credit for the breakthrough, even though the U.S., the world’s biggest oil producer, wasn’t part of the agreement. …
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