China’s president Xi Jinping mentioned on his trip to Riyadh last week that the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange would be “fully utilized in RMB settlement in oil and gas trade.” Most commodities including crude oil are traded in US dollars. The renminbi trade was part of several “priority …
Read More »Colder Winter Forecast in South Korea Raises Concerns over Gas Supply for Power
The forecast for a colder-than-usual winter in South Korea is set to intensify the concerns over gas supply for power generation, industry sources told S&P Global Commodity Insights over the week of Sept. 29. The country has predicted a colder winter this year amid La Nina that has stretched into …
Read More »OPEC+ Meets amid Oil Price Complaints, Concerns over Russian, Kazakh Supply
OPEC and its allies remain in firm control of the oil market, key members Saudi Arabia and the UAE said March 29, as the group prepares to meet to decide on May production levels amid an outcry from crude importing countries over tight supplies and rising fuel prices. Market balances …
Read More »Iran Ready to Supply Global Market with as much Oil as It Needs
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) voices the country’s readiness to supply oil to the global market “at a maximum level,” saying Iran’s potential return to the market could effectively help stabilize soaring crude prices. NIOC Managing Director Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr told IRNA on Friday that the new Iranian administration has …
Read More »German Officials Reevaluate SWIFT Ban for Russia; Energy Impact Uncertain
German officials said Feb. 26 they were looking for a “targeted and functional” way to ban Russia from the international financial payment system SWIFT, but it remains unclear what impact such a move could have on oil and gas flows. Any actions by the US or EU to cut Russia …
Read More »Cyberattacks on Energy Infrastructure are on the Rise
As many as 35 major cyberattacks on energy and oil infrastructure have taken place since 2017, making up one-third of all cyberattack incidents of the past five years, data from the S&P Global Platts Oil Security Sentinel research project showed on Friday. Since 2017, the U.S. has been the most …
Read More »IEA’s Birol Calls on OPEC+ to Narrow Supply Gap, Markets to be Freed from Geopolitics
High energy prices are jeopardizing the world’s pandemic recovery, the International Energy Agency’s executive director said Feb. 16, calling on OPEC and its allies to hit their oil production targets and for countries not to wield energy as a geopolitical weapon. “Today, very high oil and gas prices are putting …
Read More »Nord Stream 2 Gas Link should not be Seen in Isolation: OMV CEO
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should not be singled out and viewed “in isolation” given Europe’s continued need for all sources of gas supply, the head of Austria’s OMV said Feb. 3. Speaking after OMV released its fourth quarter results, CEO Alfred Stern said European gas demand would remain …
Read More »IEA: Global LNG Trade Growth Expected to Slow to 4% in 2022
Global LNG trade growth is expected to slow to 4% in 2022, following year-on-year growth of 6% last year on the back of strong economic recovery in Asia, the International Energy Agency said Jan. 31. In its latest quarterly gas market report, the IEA said the LNG demand expansion in …
Read More »Iran’s 2022 LPG Exports Seen around 6 mil mt, China Main Market
Iran’s LPG exports are projected at around 6 million mt in 2022, with China poised to remain the main buyer, and the volume could be higher if the US lifted sanctions imposed by former President Trump on the country’s energy sector since 2018, sources familiar with the matter said. “The …
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