Guyana will soon sign a oil deal with TotalEnergies led group
Energy Minister Vickram Bharrat said that Guyana is expecting to sign a production-sharing agreement soon with a French consortium led by TotalEnergies, which will allow the country to explore an off-shore area. Guyana, the fastest-growing oil producing country in the world, is on track to produce 940,000 barrels of crude oil per day this coming year. This is nearly 1% more than last year's output. All of Guyana's crude oil is produced by a consortium led the U.S. company Exxon Mobil. TotalEnergies, a consortium led by Exxon Mobil, won the block at an auction held in 2023. The government has been trying to diversify this sector.
Venture Global rises after brokerages begin coverage with bullish rating
Venture Global shares reached a weekly peak on February 18th, after several brokerages began coverage of the company with bullish ratings despite its dull market debut in January. Venture Global shares rose 5.8% to $16.87. On January 24, the liquefied gas (LNG), provider started trading at New York Stock Exchange for $24.05 per stock, valuing the company as the largest gas exporter. Its market capitalization is $58.2 Billion. Investors and analysts are concerned about the company's long-term profits and legal disputes with UK energy giants BP and Shell. After the quiet period expired, J.P.Morgan and Citigroup began covering the stock.
Officials in Malaysia have announced that they will take action against fraud in the export of used cooking oil.
Malaysia's deputy commodities minister said that it would crack down on fraud within the used cooking oil sector, while western governments investigated whether the shipments of biofuels from Asia contained virgin oil. According to Deputy Plantation and Commodities Ministry Chan Foong Hin, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board is revising its policies and standards governing palm industry waste (SPO), also known as used cooking oil. This will help to distinguish between them and prevent discrepancies when exporting. In an interview with The Star on Thursday…
Woodside and Trinidad have agreed to initial commercial terms for deepwater natural gas, an executive says
According to three sources with knowledge of the discussions, a Woodside executive and a Trinidad and Tobago government official have agreed on an initial commercial agreement for the development of Woodside's Calypso gas deepwater discoveries. This brings the project closer to the final investment decision. In order to fully utilize its gas processing capability, the Caribbean country is Latin America's biggest LNG exporter. It has pushed producers, particularly those offshore, into accelerating natural gas production. Lack of gas has hampered LNG production and exports in recent years.
Norway will now focus on floating offshore wind turbines instead of the new bottom-fixed tender
Norway said that it will not be offering acreage for the development of bottom-fixed offshore farms when it announces its next tenders. Instead, it will focus on floating wind power options. The government has previously stated that it will offer new areas along the North Sea, bordering Denmark, suitable for installing turbines on seabeds. These areas may also be connected to other countries through hybrid cables. Terje Aasland, Energy Minister Terje's statement said: "We do not believe it is the right time to plan hybrid cables at this point in time." He cited high costs and the absence of a European framework on hybrid connections.
Vietnam's surplus trade with the US will reach a record high by 2024
Data released by the U.S. on Wednesday revealed that Vietnam's surplus in trade with the U.S. reached a record-high last year. This could complicate Hanoi's attempts to avoid trade tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Analysts say Hanoi could be spared punitive measures if it pledges to increase its imports from the U.S. and takes other compensatory measures. The U.S. imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports, which prompted an immediate reaction from Beijing. Trump also threatened to impose new duties on the EU. Mexico and Canada were given a 30-day suspension of 25% new duties on Tuesday, after promising to strengthen border protection. U.S.
TotalEnergies exceeds expectations in the fourth quarter profit and signals a stronger 2025
TotalEnergies, the French oil giant, beat the expectations for its fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday. Higher trading profits on the gas market helped to offset the impact of low fuel prices and weak demand. The adjusted net income for 2024's final quarter was $4.4 billion. This is down 15% on the $5.2 billion of the previous year, but still slightly above the $4.1 billion in the third quarter. According to a LSEG analyst consensus, the results exceeded expectations of $4.2 billion. The company expects to see higher gas prices, production upstream and sales of power in early 2025. At 0842 GMT, its shares were up by 1.3%.
China's tariff retaliation is aimed at its modest US energy imports
China is the largest energy importer in the world, but its purchases of US crude oil, LNG and coal are relatively modest. This reduces the impact of Beijing’s Tuesday move to impose retaliatory duties on the imports of U.S. natural gas, LNG, and crude oil. China's Finance Ministry announced that, on February 10, it will impose tariffs of up to 15% on the imports of U.S. crude oil, LNG, and coal, and 10% on some autos and farm equipment. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration revealed that Chinese imports of U.S. Crude Oil fell 52% in the first eleven months of 2024 compared to the same period a previous year. According to Chinese customs figures, U.S.
Senate confirms Chris Wright, a fracking executive, as Trump's Energy Secretary
The U.S. Senate confirmed Chris Wright as President Donald Trump's Energy Secretary on Monday. Wright is a fracking executive. Seven Democrats and an Independent who caucuses alongside Democrats crossed the aisle. Wright, 60 years old, has been the CEO of Liberty Energy, since 2011. He announced that he would step down as soon as the confirmation was received. In a Liberty Energy report published last year, he wrote that he believed climate change caused by humans is real but its dangers are "distant" and "uncertain." He also stated that government policies to combat climate change are doomed to failure. Wright will oversee an agency with a budget of around $50 billion.
Data shows that Europe consumed almost all US LNG exported last month.
The preliminary data of financial firm LSEG shows that U.S. LNG exports to Europe jumped by a significant amount in January, as the cold weather drove demand up and prices for super-chilled gas increased. The total exports for the month of 8.46 million metric tons (MT) to all countries reached nearly nine out of ten cargoes. According to LSEG, this is only slightly less than the monthly record of 8,6 MT set in December 2023. It's also almost the same amount as the 8.5 MT that was sold in December of 2024. LSEG data show that of the 8.46 MT in January, 7,25 MT or 86% went to Europe compared to 5.84 MT or 69% sold to Europe in December.
Baker Hughes signs supply agreement with Venture Global
Baker Hughes, a provider of oilfield services in the United States, announced on Thursday that it had signed an agreement with Venture Global for technology and equipment to support its projects involving liquefied gas (LNG). Venture Global has signed a framework agreement for services to support phases 1 and 2 in Louisiana's Plaquemines LNG Project. The demand for LNG has increased as Big Tech invests billions in AI technology. Venture Global, based in Arlington, Virginia, is the United States' second largest liquefied gas exporter. It has increased production at its second LNG facility, Plaquemines, rapidly.
Trinidad and Tobago auctions 26 deepwater oil and natural gas blocks at the largest ever auction
Official notices state that Trinidad and Tobago offered 26 offshore oil and natural gas blocks on Tuesday in its largest ever auction of deepwater exploration and production areas. In order to fully utilize its gas processing capability, the twin-island Caribbean nation, Latin America's biggest exporter of LNG, is pressing producers, particularly those offshore, to increase natural gas production. Trinidad and Tobago is trying to secure sufficient gas supplies for its LNG and Petrochemical sectors by offering new blocks bordering Venezuela and Guyana.
Japan's JERA plans on expanding US LNG purchases in order to diversify the energy supply
JERA, Japan's largest LNG buyer, is planning to increase its purchases from the United States in order to diversify their supply and meet the demand growth spurred on by data centres and AI. U.S. president Donald Trump promised to unleash the U.S. industry of energy to boost production and threatened the EU if it did not purchase more gas. This could mean that JERA would have to compete against other buyers to get more U.S. natural gas. Japan's largest utility, which handles between 30-35 millions metric tons of LNG per year, sources almost half of it from Asia Pacific, including Australia and Malaysia. This is a very high exposure.
Trump's complaint about the trade deficit with EU and what could come next
Donald Trump, President of the United StatesTrump has pledged to reduce a long-standing trade deficit between the United States and the European Union. He says he will do this by imposing tariffs, or forcing the EU to buy more U.S. gas and oil. In a memo entitled "America First Trade Policy", issued by Trump on his first day in the White House, he directed the Commerce and Treasury Departments and the U.S. Trade Rep to investigate the goods trade deficit and recommend measures before April. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the EU is willing to engage in negotiations with the United States.
Trump lifts the freeze on LNG export permits
The U.S. President Donald Trump ordered on Monday that the U.S. resume processing applications for export permits for new liquefied gas (LNG). This is part of his effort to increase U.S. energy production and to dismantle climate policies from his predecessor. The Republican executive order was expected and reverses the pause that Joe Biden, former president, had put in place for permits to be issued for new projects in early 2024. Biden, a Democrat from the United States, halted the approvals to allow U.S. National Laboratories to study the economic and environmental effects of the booming industry. The United States will be the largest LNG exporter in the world by 2023.
TSX reaches 5-week highs as US trade tariffs are held back
Investors expressed relief at the news that President Donald Trump would not impose immediate U.S. tariffs on Canada. The Toronto Stock Exchange S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 103.66, or 0.4% at 25,171.58, marking its fifth consecutive day of gains, and highest closing level since December 13. A Trump administration official confirmed that Trump would issue a general trade memo on his first day of office. The memo will not impose new tariffs but will direct federal agencies to evaluate U.S. trading relationships with China Canada and Mexico. Trump had threatened to impose a 25% immediate tariff on Canadian goods.
Argentina negotiates gas imports with Bolivia and Chile after heatwave increases demand
Bolivia and Chile have begun talks to resume gas exports to Argentina, amid a spike in demand sparked by a heatwave this summer. This highlights the challenges facing the government of Buenos Aires in its quest to become self-sufficient in energy. Armin Dorgathen Taia, the head of Bolivia's state energy company YPFB told me by phone on Friday that "we are in a negotiations with Argentina to create a contract spot". These talks were previously unknown. In a Friday statement, Chilean authorities also stated that they expected to reach a new deal with Argentina for the supply of gas to Chile's remote northern region.
Executive: Bolivia and Argentina in talks to restart gas supply due to spike in demand
Bolivia's state energy company YPFB has begun talks with Argentina to resume gas exports, amid a spike in demand sparked by a heatwave this summer. This highlights the challenges facing the government of Buenos Aires in its quest to become self-sufficient in energy. Armin Dorgathen Tapiea, the YPFB's chief, told a reporter by phone on Friday that "we are in a discussion with Argentina about creating a spot contract." These talks were previously unknown. In September, after nearly two decades of exports to Argentina from Bolivia, the country increased its domestic production using its vast Vaca Muerta shale and began shifting toward becoming a net exporter of energy.
The US sanctions against Russia have caused a spike in global diesel prices
Analysts and LSEG data indicate that global diesel prices and refinery margins increased following the latest round U.S. sanctions against Russia's oil market on the expectation of tightening supplies. On Jan. 10, the United States imposed their toughest sanctions yet against Russian producers and tanks to reduce the revenue of the No. 2 oil exporter in world. The United States used the revenue of Russia's No. 2 oil exporter to fund its war in Ukraine. Many of the newly targeted vessels, which are part of a shadow fleet, were used to transport oil to India and China.
China's lead in coal imports over India is the largest it has been in more than 10 years
China, the largest coal importer in the world, has extended its lead over India, No. The gap between China and India, the world's No. 2 coal buyer last year, was the largest since at least 2013. Customs data show. This helped cement its grip on global markets while also helping to stem a price slide. According to the International Energy Agency, global thermal coal prices are still 50% higher than average for the period 2017-19, despite a decline from the record highs reached after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. China's appetite for commodities is keeping prices in their current range.
