ONEOK's Q3 profit rises on the back of strong demand and a narrower annual forecast
Pipeline operator ONEOK announced a 52.6% increase in its third-quarter profits on Tuesday. This was largely due to higher demand for natural gas in the Rocky Mountain Region, as well as higher volumes of natural gases and natural gas liquids. The company reported that raw feed volumes of natural gas liquids in the Rocky Mountain Region (NGLs) increased by 7%…
China's oil demand starts to decline after 2023, when it peaked.
The oil products demand in China - long the driving force behind global crude consumption - peaked in 2023. It is expected to decline by 1.1% per year between 2023-2025. This drop will accelerate in the following years, according to a China oil analyst. The decline in Chinese oil demand due to the adoption of LNG trucks and electric cars (EV)…
Nigeria Seeking Operators for State-owned Oil Refineries
Nigeria's state-owned NNPC Ltd oil company said it has started the tender process for the operation of the Warri and Kaduna refineries, which are scheduled to begin processing crude this year.The oil refineries, which are being upgraded after being shut for several years, have the capacity to process 125…
Ghana starts construction of $12 billion petroleum hub
Ghanaian president Nana Akufo Addo broke ground for the construction of an oil refinery capable of processing 300,000 barrels per day. The government hopes that this will transform the West African nation into a regional petroleum hub. However, critics claim the project has flaws. Ghana, second largest cocoa producer in the world, began producing oil in 2010.
Aramco to Acquire 40% Stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan
Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, signed definitive agreements to acquire a 40% equity stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. (“GO”).GO, a diversified downstream fuels, lubricants and convenience stores operator, is one of the largest retail and storage companies in Pakistan.
How Much Oil Does the EU Import from Russia?
The European Union has agreed to ban the bulk of imports of Russian crude and oil products in its latest round of sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.The ban on seaborne crude imports will be phased in over six months and for seaborne refined products over eight months. It excludes deliveries…
Exxon Q4 Earnings Poised to Exceed Pre-pandemic Level
Exxon Mobil Corp's fourth quarter profit should top Wall Street's consensus and surpass its pre-pandemic levels, lifted by better-than-expected earnings from oil and gas, analysts said.Credit Suisse, Scotiabank and JPMorgan have raised their fourth quarter earnings estimates following Exxon's flagging of sharply higher oil and gas operating profit last week.
India's Top Oil Refiner Plans 10,000 Electric Car Charging Stations
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) will set up 10,000 electric vehicle charging stations in the next three years and is drawing up plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its operations to aid the country's net-zero carbon target by 2070, its chairman said on Wednesday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced 2070 as the target for India to reach net zero…
Venezuelan Oil Exports Rise on Larger Sales to Asia
Venezuela’s oil exports rose in February to over 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), their highest level in 10 months, pushed by more sales of fuel oil cargoes to new clients in Asian markets, according to Refinitiv Eikon’s tanker tracking data and documents.A growing number of clients with no track record in…
Oil Prices Jump 5% on OPEC+ Output Talks, Iran Tension
Oil prices climbed nearly 5% on Tuesday after news that Saudi Arabia will make voluntary cuts to its oil output, while international political tension simmered over Iran's seizure of a South Korean vessel.Brent crude futures rose $2.51, or 4.9%, to settle at $53.60 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude ended $2.31…
Shell to Shut Its Convent, La. Refinery Amid Pandemic
Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday it will shut down its refinery in Convent, Louisiana, the largest U.S. facility to close since the coronavirus pandemic first hit and devastated economic demand worldwide.The shutdown, to occur this month, comes after Shell failed to find a buyer.The refinery is the ninth…
Offshore Oil Wells, Ports Shut as Hurricane Sally Advances on U.S. Gulf
Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports as the nation's sole offshore terminal…
Venezuela's Oil Exports Stagnant in July
Venezuela exported about 388,100 barrels per day of crude and fuel in July, almost unchanged versus the previous month, as U.S. sanctions on PDVSA continued limiting sales, according to Refinitiv Eikon and internal data from the state-run company.Washington has ramped up pressure this year on PDVSA’s customers…
China Grants Zheijang First Private Fuel Export License
China has granted Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co (ZPC) a license to export refined oil products, making it the first private oil refiner to win such permission, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.The license would allow ZPC to directly sell oil products to the international market…
New Zealand Refiner to Shrink. May Turn into Fuel Import Terminal
Refining NZ said on Thursday it is considering shutting New Zealand's only oil refinery and turning it into a fuel import terminal in the long run, but first will reduce its operations to cut costs and breakeven into 2021.Refining NZ's Marsden Point refinery has been under pressure due to competition from mega refineries in Asia and rising power and gas costs in New Zealand.
OPINION: Drowning in Oil, Regulatory Measures to Keep Prices Afloat
These days history seems to be in the making on a daily basis. On April 20, 2020, the price of the NYMEX West Texas Intermediate Sweet Crude Oil (WTI) futures contract for May delivery plunged into the negative, forcing sellers to actually pay customers for taking the crude oil off the sellers’ hands. The…
More Disruption and Uncertainty in Store for Petrochemicals
The impact of the coronavirus lockdowns on the oil, gas and chemicals industries’ integrated value chains is radically shifting relationships and profitability.It is also making planning virtually impossible, as BASF suggested last week.The environment around refining and chemical margins remains challenging…
Trafigura Takes a Bet with North Sea Oil
Commodities trader Trafigura has seized the moment and taken a rare dominant position in the North Sea crude market over the past two weeks as oil demand jumped, trading sources said.A combination of OPEC-led global production cuts, cheap freight rates, and oil stuck in floating storage sent crude markets…
Sinopec Starts Up $6B Zhanjiang Refinery Complex
Top Chinese state refiner Sinopec Corp said on Tuesday it had started up a $6 billion new refinery and petrochemical plant in south China, making it the country's third integrated complex to start operations in the past 18 months or so.The Sinopec venture, situated in coastal city of Zhanjiang, comprises a 200,000 barrel per day (bpd) crude oil refinery and an 800,000 tonne-per
Venezuelan Oil Exports Rose in April
Venezuela's oil exports ticked higher in April after falling in March to their lowest average in seven months, helped by new trading partners that were re-selling cargoes in Asia, according to documents from state-run PDVSA and vessel tracking data.Venezuela shipped 31 cargoes of crude and refined products last month carrying an average of 848…