China has long been building inroads into Africa, while the U.S. backs down from the region, leaving a gaping hole in the West’s influence over the “final frontier”. Now, however, we’re seeing all that soft power and oil-backed loans fizzle out as various think tanks note that China is increasingly …
Read More »Venezuela Is Close to Lose Its Most-Prized Oil Asset Citgo
The U.S. Supreme Court justices declined on Monday to review a federal court’s ruling that had allowed Canadian miner Crystallex to take over shares of U.S. refiner Citgo in compensation for US$1.4 billion for the expropriation of assets in Venezuela. U.S. refiner Citgo is the crown jewel in the holdings …
Read More »Market Uncertainty Helps Qatar to Secure Top Spot in Global LNG Market
Despite – or perhaps because of – the global overhang in liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, a weak demand profile, and ongoing uncertainty in the hydrocarbons market overall, Qatar believes that the long experience and supportive infrastructure that it has accrued in the sector since first becoming an LNG exporter …
Read More »The Miracle of BP’s Zero-Emissions Goal
When Lord Browne ran BP (formerly British Petroleum) from 1995 to 2007, those initials also stood, aspirational, for “Beyond Petroleum”. The company made renewable energy investments that complemented its green and yellow flowery trademark. But Browne’s corporate investments in renewables were early. His successor Tony Hayward abandoned renewables and resumed …
Read More »Oil Demand Could Exceed Supply by End-May
Oil demand could rebound enough to exceed supply by the end of this month, Goldman’s head of commodities Jeffrey Currie told Barron’s Market Brief, noting that this would be in no small part because of the production cuts implemented by all major producers. However, there are some 1.2 billion barrels …
Read More »Korean Scientists Develop New Stretchable Lithium-Ion Battery
Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology have developed a high-capacity lithium-ion battery that is flexible enough to be stretched. Led by senior researcher Jeong Gon Son, the team created an accordion-like micro-structure, which gives structural stretchability to non-stretchable materials, and thus constructed a micro-inwardly curved electrode framework …
Read More »The Glut of Natural Gas could Lead to more Cancelled LNG Exports
The glut of natural gas could lead to more cancelled LNG exports in the next few months. “It is clear that yes we face today people talk lot about the oil market, but the gas markets are suffering a lot,” the CEO of Total SA, Patrick Pouyanne, told investors and …
Read More »Will Aramco Cut Its Dividend?
It is becoming increasingly clear that the ongoing oil demand destruction, COVID-19 lockdowns and financial crisis are going to significantly impact Saudi Arabia. In a dramatic appearance, Saudi Minister of Finance, Mohammed Al Jadaan, stated that the Kingdom is going to take any measures necessary to counter the effects of …
Read More »Russia, China Struggle for Influence in Iraq Oil Market
With the U.S.’s patience wearing thin on its dealings with neighboring Iran, endemic corruption still prevalent in both the south of the country and in the northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, and enduring political chaos with frequently-changing prime ministers popping up whilst the real power remains with firebrand cleric Moqtada …
Read More »The Impact of COVID-19 on the Arrival of Peak Oil Demand
Until three months ago, the oil industry was pinning its hopes on aviation, alongside petrochemicals, for continued growth in oil demand for at least another decade. The aviation industry, however, was dealt a near-deadly blow by the coronavirus pandemic, which upended all plans for fleet utilization for years to come. …
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