Oil market concerns over Middle East hostilities became almost exclusively focused over the past week on the Strait of Hormuz and the potential for short-term disruption. That’s what analysts at Standard Chartered Bank, including the company’s commodities research head Paul Horsnell, think, a new report sent to Rigzone by the Standard Chartered Bank team on […]
While China hasn’t officially purchased Iranian barrels since June 2022, third-party data providers and traders signal flows have been resilient despite broad US sanctions. That’s because the Chinese have built a supply chain outside of western control, which includes dark fleet ships and yuan-denominated payments, supporting imports of more than 1 million barrels a day.
“By investing in one of the largest photovoltaic projects in Bulgaria, we are strengthening our presence in this neighboring market and are supporting the region’s energy transition. We believe that natural gas and renewables complement each other and play a key role in reducing emissions while ensuring energy stability”, Franck Neel, OMV Petrom Executive Board Member responsible for the Gas & Power division, said.
Now, these concerns appear to have taken the back seat in the face of a fresh dose of Middle Eastern instability and energy supply uncertainty—especially in gas. Almost a third of China’s gas imports come as LNG from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the WSJ noted in its report, citing Rystad Energy figures. Russia, in turn, is China’s third-largest supplier of LNG, after Australia and Qatar. But it is China’s biggest pipeline supplier, via the Power of Siberia 1, with flows this year set to reach 38 billion cu m, according to S&P Global.
“If Germany sinks, we all go with them,” one corporate lobbyist told Politico, pretty much summarizing the prevailing sentiment across the EU about its biggest economy, which has been teetering on the brink of recession, in large part because of high energy costs after it gave up cheap Russian pipeline gas and shut down its last operating nuclear reactors while doubling down on wind and solar—which are heavily subsidised.
Earlier this week, the Department of Energy (DoE) reported that crude oil inventories in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) climbed 200,000 barrels to 402.5 million barrels in the week ending June 13. Inventory levels in the SPR are hundreds of millions shy of the levels in inventory prior to the SPR withdrawal that took place under the Biden Administration.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune downplayed the setback, calling it part of the “process.” But Democrats, led by Senator Jeff Merkley, are sharpening their knives: “Democrats will not stand idly by while Republicans attempt to circumvent the rules of reconciliation in order to sell off public lands to fund tax breaks for billionaires.”
This year, production is set for a record annual average of 3.5 million bpd, up by 5% compared to the 2024 output, while oil sands volumes are expected to top 3.9 million bpd by 2030, per S&P Global Commodity Insights. The projection for 2030 is 500,000 bpd higher compared to the 2024 production level and is 100,000 bpd – or almost 3% — higher compared to the previous 10-year outlook.
Cheniere is planning further brownfield expansions in phases at both terminals, potentially increasing capacity to approximately 75 million tpy by the early 2030s. The company is following a capital allocation programme that calls for USD 20 billion in capital deployments by 2026.
Appointed by President John Mahama in consultation with the Council of State, the board is expected to deliver on several key priorities: operational revitalisation, accelerated green transition, human capital development, and strengthened public engagement.