In January, the US accounted for 60% of Europe's LNG imports.
Data?showed that the United States provided 60% of Europe's liquefied gas in this month. This confirms its position as Europe's leading LNG?supplier, as European officials are becoming wary of their?growing dependence?on U.S. Energy. Kpler, a data analytics company, shared that the 60% share represented an increase compared to both January 2025 and last month, when U.S. imports accounted for 53% of EU exports. Kpler stated that the 5.36 million tons of LNG the EU imported from the U.S. during January was the second highest volume ever for any month, only to be exceeded by October 2025. The increase in gas demand was partly due to the cold weather.
Exxon CEO: First LNG expected at Golden Pass in March
Exxon Mobil's CEO Darren Woods announced on Friday that production?of liquefied gas will begin at the Golden Pass export terminal in Texas in March. This marks a significant milestone for the project. The?project, a joint venture between QatarEnergy and the U.S. government, will be the newest LNG?plant in the U.S. After construction began in 2019, the $10 billion project has suffered from delays and cost increases. The project had to switch its lead contractor when it filed for bankruptcy, claiming overruns in cost. Woods stated during Exxon’s…
Poland increases air defences by $1.7 billion with a Kongsberg drone-defence purchase
Norwegian defence company, 'Kongsberg Gruppen' announced on Friday that it has won a 16 billion crown order ($1.67billion) from Poland for a?drone defense system. This is part of a larger effort to upgrade Poland's air defence network. Poland is stepping up its efforts to improve air defences following a Russian drone invasion in September that exposed the vulnerability of the country to spillover effects from the conflict? in neighbouring Ukraine. "Poland is responsible for all expenses, organizations and everything else that's supposed to be done in order to guarantee security along the eastern border of Poland…
Hokkaido Electric will build a new gas-fired power plant and LNG terminal by the mid-2030s
Hokkaido Electric Power announced on Friday that it would build a new gas fired power station in Tomakomai (northern Japan) and a terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the mid-2030s. This will be to meet the rising demand of electricity from data centres and semiconductor plants. The project is part the utility's strategy to expand their gas business. They cite significant potential in Hokkaido for a switch towards lower-carbon gas, where oil and coke still make up a large portion of energy consumption. The new plant is expected to have a 0.5-1 gigawatt capacity and will be able to use cleaner fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, along with?gas.
Bousso: ROI-Oil is not able to break through the range of its current price because it needs a shock from Iran's supply, but a tough talk.
Even though oil prices rose 15% in January on the back of fears that a new U.S. attack on Iran was imminent, they remain in a narrow range. A well-supplied crude oil market will not allow for much more price increase from either side. It would take a massive action to?have a lasting impact on the global balance of supply and demand. Brent crude futures are at their highest level since July last year. This puts the global benchmark in line for its largest monthly gain since January 20, 2022 when Russian forces prepared to invade Ukraine. A series of major disruptions has collided and escalating risk in the Middle East.
Sources say that OPEC+ will pause oil production in March due to the price increase.
Five delegates said that OPEC+ will likely pause its oil production increases in March when it meets on Sunday. This is despite crude prices rising above $70 a barrel on fears the U.S. might launch a strike against OPEC member Iran. Brent crude is at its highest level since August. The eight OPEC+ member countries, who pump half of the world's oil supply, met as Brent crude prices rose to $72 a barrel. Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates along with Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria, Oman, and Kazakhstan raised their production quotas from April to December 2025 by about 2.9 million barrels a day, or roughly 3% of world demand.
EUROPE GAS: Prices firm on LNG storage and concerns
The prices of Dutch and British gas contracts were mostly firmer on Friday. This was due to low storage levels and the cold weather that has been continuing. Also, there are concerns about Iran and its geopolitical implications for liquefied gas shipments. LSEG data show that the January contract?at TTF hub?was up 0.48 euros at 40.45 'euros?per MWh on its last trading day, or $14.12/mmBtu by 0947 GMT. However, the main focus is now on the March contract which has gained 0.47 euros to 38.85 Euro/MWh. The Dutch day-ahead contracts was down by 0.06 euros at 40.35 Euro/MWh. The British gas day-ahead price rose by 1.57 pence, to 103.57 p/therm.
Canada and Australia LNG cargoes headed to the Atlantic after Arctic storm in a rare move
Ship tracking data revealed that at least three LNG cargoes, loaded in Australia and Canada, are headed to Europe and the Americas, instead of Asia, their usual destination. This is because an Arctic storm has curtailed?exports out of the U.S. The diverting of "supply" away from Asia could lead to a tightening in supply and support the spot LNG price in that region. The price of gas has risen globally due to the increased demand. "Pacific cargoes could be brought into the Atlantic to backfill lost?U.S. Alex Froley is a senior LNG analyst with energy consultancy ICIS. He said that the drop in feedgas flowing to U.S.
US crude production still down by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from winter storm, according to consultancy estimates
According to Energy Aspects consultancy, around half a million barrels of crude oil per day or 0.5% of the global supply was offline in the United States on Thursday as an Arctic blast gripped large areas of the country in the aftermath of a weekend winter storm. This week, production outages in the U.S. as well as in Kazakhstan have led to an increase in U.S. benchmark oil futures to a five month high. On Thursday, oil prices rose by 3% due to fears that the U.S. would attack Iran. Since Wednesday, production of around 100,000 bpd has been restored. The weekend saw a peak of around 2,000,000 bpd in outages. The Energy Information Administration forecast that U.S.
US natgas prices soar by 140% in the Arctic storm, increasing consumer costs
U.S. Natural Gas?Futures have jumped 140% in the last seven trading days. Cash gas and power prices also hit record highs this week, as an Arctic blast sent heating demands soaring, and frozen?oil?and?gas wells cut gas production to a 2-year low. Power prices are expected to rise sharply, putting pressure on consumers already paying higher bills due to the demand for power, particularly from data centers. Retail electricity prices are on the rise, rising faster than inflation since 2022. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has predicted that retail residential power prices will increase by another 4% this year, to a new record high.
Source: US shale producers Coterra and Devon are in advanced merger talks.
Sources familiar with the matter said that Coterra Energy and Devon Energy, two U.S. producers of shale gas, could announce a merger agreement as soon as next week. The combination of U.S. energy companies would be?among?the largest in recent years. Both companies are active in multiple shale formations. They have both operations in the Delaware portion in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma’s?Anadarko Basin. The potential deal is set against the backdrop of Thursday's spike in crude prices, which was attributed to fears that the U.S. might take military action against Iran. Oil prices were previously under pressure because of concerns over a global glut in the near future.
US lawmaker asks Vitol, Trafigura about Venezuela oil deals
The top Democrat of a U.S. House investigation committee asked Vitol 'and Trafigura on Thursday about any correspondence they had with the Trump Administration before?the U.S. captured Venezuela's leader. He wanted to?determine who benefited from this action, he said. Robert Garcia, a Representative, asked Russell Hardy and Richard Holtum of Trafigura to provide all communication between their companies, and members of the Trump Administration, from January last year up until today. The U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the early part of this month.
Over the objections of the government, French Senate approves a proposal to allow oil exploration in overseas territories
The French Senate approved by a large majority a proposal on Thursday to allow oil and gas exploration within its overseas territories. This followed a heated debate which pitted the country's decade old climate commitments with growing concerns about energy sovereignty and supply security. French Guiana, a South American territory located east of Venezuela and sandwiched between Brazil and Suriname, won the decision. They had been pushing to re-examine their domestic resources following recent discoveries of oil & gas in nearby waters. "I'd like to thank my colleagues for voting for this... but I regret that the Government did not follow suit.
US crude production returns to normal after winter storm's massive impact
U.S. crude oil production recovered on Thursday, after a winter storm ravaged the production. Losses peaked over the weekend at 2'million barrels of crude oil per day. Analysts revised their output forecasts for the month of January as a result. Justin Kringstad of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority stated?on Thursday that nearly all of North Dakota’s production is back online. North Dakota, according to the latest data from the Industrial Commission, is the third largest oil producing state in the United States. JPMorgan analysts wrote in a Thursday note that the average U.S. crude oil and condensate output is expected to drop by 340,000 barrels per day (bpd) this month.
Geopolitics loom large over Big Oil earnings as investors seek Venezuela details
Exxon Mobil executives and Chevron executives will likely face more questions about their investment opportunities in Venezuela when they speak with analysts this Friday. After President Trump announced that he wanted to invest $100 billion to increase and control Venezuelan production, the U.S. captured and removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The dramatic shift in geopolitics that occurred after renewed U.S. - China trade tensions, and Russia - Ukraine peace talks in the fourth quarter 2025 led to fluctuating oil price. Investors also have been focused on the widespread anti-government demonstrations in Iran, and a potential U.S. reaction in recent days.
Carlyle's energy investment list as it targets Lukoil assets valued at $22 billion
Analysts initially estimated that the Carlyle Group would acquire most of Lukoil’s foreign assets at $22 billion. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (the U.S. agency responsible for sanctions) has yet to approve the sale. The?U.S. The?U.S. Treasury had given Lukoil a deadline of February 28th to divest their global portfolio. Carlyle has recently expanded its energy holdings to include stakes in U.S. proven developed producing (PDP), oil and gas assets as well as midstream infrastructure and renewable energy platforms. Here is a list of Carlyle’s energy assets, including its clean energy and fossil fuels footprint.
EWE CEO: Germany's EWE will not participate in the first round of power plant tendering
The CEO of German utility EWE said that the company has no intention to participate in a upcoming tender in Europe's largest economy for new power plant capacities. However, this could change if additional rounds are scheduled later in this decade. Germany announced earlier this month that it had reached an accord with the European Commission regarding a plan to construct new power plants. It added it would tender 12 Gigawatts of capacity by 2026 with a particular focus on gas-fired sites. Plans are being developed to ensure the security of the supply by constructing baseload power stations. This reflects the phase-out of coal and the intermittent nature renewable energy.
Mozambique and TotalEnergies launch $20 billion LNG project
TotalEnergies and Mozambique agreed to restart construction of the French energy giant's $20 billion "liquefied natural gas" project in the country on Thursday, even though they are still negotiating over the additional costs associated with delays. Construction on the project was stopped in 2021 after a series of jihadist attacks in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique. TotalEnergies has added equity to its partners' projects after some investors pulled out. It announced late last year that it was ready for work to resume. TotalEnergies CEO Patrick…
Geopolitics loom large over Big Oil earnings as investors seek Venezuela details
Exxon Mobil executives and Chevron executives will likely face more questions on their investment opportunities in Venezuela when they speak with analysts this Friday. After President Donald Trump announced that he wanted to invest $100 billion to increase and control Venezuelan crude oil production, the U.S. captured and removed?Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in early this month. The dramatic shift in geopolitics that occurred after renewed U.S. - China trade tensions, and Russia - Ukraine peace talks during the 4th quarter of 2025 led to fluctuating oil price. Investors also have been focused on the widespread anti-government demonstrations in Iran, and a potential U.S.
Malaysia's Petronas wants to increase its exploration and production over the next three months
Petronas, Malaysia's state-owned energy company, said it would increase exploration and production over the next three year to improve domestic energy security. Petronas stated that it will maintain its domestic production?at??close to?two million barrels of equivalent oil per day? between 2026-2028. It will also continue to invest in exploration, deepwater developments, enhanced oil recovery, and new production-sharing contracts awarded in the Malaysia bid round 2024. In its 'activity outlook report for 2026-2028, it stated that this includes "intensifying" exploration in new areas and maturing ones…