The upward pressure on prices was back, however, as European pressure on Russia increases, with reports over the weekend of Russian aircraft entering Estonian airspace and neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea, plus airstrikes on western Ukraine that were close to the border with Poland.
These contracts would be part of a broader commitment that the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen made to President Trump for the EU to buy $750 billion worth of U.S. oil and gas until 2028.
STR operates globally with technology and service facilities in Aberdeen, Great Yarmouth, Houston, Perth, Singapore and invested £5m in a new Norway facility earlier this year which Christie will oversee. The company has doubled headcount in the last three years and now has 120 people with further growth to be delivered through strategic acquisitions, market expansion and a diversified technology and solutions offering, with plans to have a dedicated Middle East facility next year.
Although the U.S. has left the door open for a resumption of talks with Iran, Europe is deadly serious about reimposing the full weight of pre-2015 sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a very senior security source who works with the European Union’s security complex exclusively told OilPrice.com last week.
Last year, Norway delivered 91.1 bcm of gas to the EU, up 15 percent from 2021, which represented 33.4 percent of the EU’s total imports. U.S. gas shipments increased by 139 percent over the same period, reaching 45.1 bcm, or 16.5 percent of the total. Other important partners last year included Algeria (39.2 bcm), Qatar (11.8 bcm), Azerbaijan (11.7 bcm) and the United Kingdom (11.7 bcm). Despite these shifts, overall EU gas imports in 2024 were still 61.4 bcm lower than in 2021.
Brazil’s crude oil exports to the U.S. are facing an uncertain future as Washington prepares to impose sweeping 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports starting August 1—up from the current 10%. While it remains unclear whether crude oil will be included in the list, analysts and industry groups are already warning of major disruptions.
The U.S.-EU trade deal calls for the European Union buying $250 billion worth of American energy every year over the next three years. While additional U.S. energy supply would further help the bloc on its path to ditch Russian energy imports within a couple of years, the volumes needed to meet the goal in the trade deal are so high that they are unrealistic, according to analysts.
Saudi energy developer and investor ACWA Power has signed multiple agreements and MoUs with European companies to establish a green hydrogen and renewable energy export corridor from Saudi Arabia to Europe, the company announced on Sunday.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union has been working to decrease its dependence on Russian energy. The EU responded to Russia’s invasion by introducing sanctions on a range of energy products, including oil and gas, which it has gradually strengthened over the last three years as the region has reduced its reliance on Russian energy.
Oil and the security of its supply have stolen the media spotlight in the context of the new Middle East war, and with good reason. Ever since Israel first bombed Iran, diesel prices have soared, jet fuel prices have soared, and importers have been troubled. For Europe, the situation is even worse due to natural gas.