Oil news
Why Chevron Is Scaling Back Its Permian Footprint
Chevron is approaching a production plateau in the Permian Basin—America’s top oil field—and expects this shift to generate billions in free cash flow, according to Bloomberg. The company is cutting back on drill rigs and frack crews as it nears its long-term target of 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, which it expects to sustain through 2040. “We’re going from growth to cash generation,” said Bruce Niemeyer, president of Chevron’s shale business. “We’re already in the earliest phases…
Categories: Oil news
Steel Buyers Eye Bargains Amid EU Price Drop
Via Metal Miner Sources tell MetalMiner that lower seasonal demand has continued to push hot-rolled coil prices down in northern Europe since late June. In terms of steel prices, this means that mills are now quoting €540–550 ($625–640) per metric ton ex-works for August rolling and September delivery, down from €570 ($660) reported on June 23. It is also important to note that cold-rolled coil typically carries a premium of about €100 ($115) per metric ton. Meanwhile, import prices have already dropped below €500…
Categories: Oil news
U.S. Gasoline Prices Slide as Imports Surge and Summer Demand Sputters
Gasoline prices in the U.S. are flirting with a milestone not seen since 2021: a national average below $3 per gallon. The combination of tepid summer demand, surging imports, and a bearish oil market has put downward pressure on prices—even during what’s typically peak driving season. In the runup to the July 4th holiday, the national average fell to $3.14 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. This is the lowest summer level in four years, according to AAA. Finished motor gasoline product supplied (a proxy for demand) during the July…
Categories: Oil news
U.S. Gasoline Prices Slide as Imports Surge and Summer Demand Sputters
Gasoline prices in the U.S. are flirting with a milestone not seen since 2021: a national average below $3 per gallon. The combination of tepid summer demand, surging imports, and a bearish oil market has put downward pressure on prices—even during what’s typically peak driving season. In the runup to the July 4th holiday, the national average fell to $3.14 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. This is the lowest summer level in four years, according to AAA. Finished motor gasoline product supplied (a proxy for demand) during the July…
Categories: Oil news
U.S. Gasoline Prices Slide as Imports Surge and Summer Demand Sputters
Gasoline prices in the U.S. are flirting with a milestone not seen since 2021: a national average below $3 per gallon. The combination of tepid summer demand, surging imports, and a bearish oil market has put downward pressure on prices—even during what’s typically peak driving season. In the runup to the July 4th holiday, the national average fell to $3.14 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. This is the lowest summer level in four years, according to AAA. Finished motor gasoline product supplied (a proxy for demand) during the July…
Categories: Oil news
Brent Stuck Below $70 as Trump Faces Trade Deadline Turmoil
Brent crude remains stuck below $70 per barrel as top EU officials doubt the probability of a trade deal being concluded. Diesel’s Bullish Run Continues as Gasoline Summer Boom Totters - Proving most of industry watchers wrong, diesel continues to strengthen in July, contradicting usual commodity cycles that should place the premium on more seasonal products such as gasoline and defying expectations that Donald Trump’s tariff warfare would primarily weaken middle distillates. - US diesel stocks have been below the 5-year range since…
Categories: Oil news
CNOOC Starts Heavy Crude Production at China’s Largest Shallow Oil Field
CNOOC Ltd, China’s top offshore crude oil and natural gas producer, has launched production of heavy crude from its Kenli 10-2 Oilfields Development Project, which is the largest shallow lithological oilfield offshore China, the company has said. The project in the southern Bohai Sea will see 79 development wells commissioned, including 33 cold recovery wells, 24 thermal recovery wells, 21 water injection wells, and 1 water source well. CNOOC expects the project to achieve peak production of about 19,400 barrels of oil equivalent…
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Zelensky Confirms New Peace Talks With Russia in Turkey
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a fresh round of peace talks with Moscow is set for July 23 in Turkey as the West steps up pressure on the Kremlin to agree to a cease-fire, even while Russian forces continue to launch deadly air strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. "Today, I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparation for a prisoner exchange and another meeting with the Russian side in Turkey," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on July 21, referring to the new head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense…
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Indonesia Forges $8 Billion Refinery Deal with U.S. Firm
Indonesia prepares to sign an $8-billion contract with U.S. engineering company KBR Inc to help it build 17 modular refineries, as part of the U.S.-Indonesia trade deal, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing sources with knowledge of the plans and a government presentation it has seen. Last week, Indonesia and the United States reached a trade deal, under which the U.S. tariffs on Indonesian products will be lowered to 19% from an initial levy of 32%. Indonesia was slapped with one of the highest tariffs - 32% - in the “liberation…
Categories: Oil news
Indonesia Forges $8 Billion Refinery Deal with U.S. Firm
Indonesia prepares to sign an $8-billion contract with U.S. engineering company KBR Inc to help it build 17 modular refineries, as part of the U.S.-Indonesia trade deal, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing sources with knowledge of the plans and a government presentation it has seen. Last week, Indonesia and the United States reached a trade deal, under which the U.S. tariffs on Indonesian products will be lowered to 19% from an initial levy of 32%. Indonesia was slapped with one of the highest tariffs - 32% - in the “liberation…
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Sizewell C Nuclear Project Secures £38 Billion Backing
The UK government signed on Tuesday the final investment decision to build the $51-billion Sizewell C nuclear power plant, which will help Britain generate more low-carbon electricity. The final investment decision was made possible after new investors joined the government and French energy giant EDF. The UK will have an initial 44.9% stake to become the single biggest equity shareholder in the project. The other shareholders include La Caisse with 20%, UK energy group Centrica with 15%, and Amber Infrastructure with an initial 7.6%. EDF…
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China's Teapot Refiners Stage Surprising Comeback
Small refiners in the Shandong province, home to China’s independent refineries, are restarting operations under new ownership in a move that could exacerbate China’s overcapacity and thin-margin problems. Three refineries which went bankrupt last year are on track to be revived—one is already operational and talks about the restart of the other two are ongoing, unnamed traders and analysts have told Bloomberg. Shandong Changyi Petrochemical Co, previously operated by refining and chemicals giant Sinochem, was…
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British Refinery Set to Close
Britain is set to lose a refinery that failed to attract any buyers after going into insolvency in June, leaving the country with four refineries in total. Prax Group, the owner of the Lindsey refinery, declared insolvency amid mounting losses at the facility, with several hundred jobs set to be lost if it could not sell it. The Starmer government tried to find a buyer for the refinery and energy security minister Ed Miliband even suggested financial support could be granted to refineries to avoid further insolvencies. However, with that same government…
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Energy Giants Abandon Global Net Zero Group Over Oil and Gas Clampdown
Shell and other major energy players have withdrawn from a high-profile effort to establish a global “net zero” emissions benchmark, after draft proposals effectively demanded an end to new oil and gas developments, according to documents seen by the Financial Times. The companies—Shell, Norway’s Aker BP, and Canada’s Enbridge—exited an expert advisory group convened by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a widely followed climate standard-setter whose approval is sought by global corporations ranging…
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Global Upstream M&A Drops 34% as U.S. Activity Slumps
Mergers and acquisitions in the global upstream oil and gas sector clocked in at just over $80 billion in the first half of 2025, good for a 34% year-over-year decline amid volatile oil prices and tariff concerns by the Trump administration. According to Rystad Energy, M&A was particularly weak in the first quarter, with deal value totalling just $28 billion compared to $66 billion in the first quarter of 2024. This was largely as a result of lackluster activity in North America, with the region’s share of global deal value dropping to…
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Big Oil’s Power Couple Heads to Guyana
Following the completion of Chevron’s acquisition of Hess Corporation, the U.S. supermajor will need to overcome a previously strained relationship with its biggest competitor at home, ExxonMobil, and work together as joint venture partners in the hottest oil province in the world, Guyana’s offshore oil treasure trove. Chevron’s foray into the fastest-growing exploration and production spot globally could also be a sign of what’s to come for the biggest international oil and gas majors. Big Oil may be looking to acquire…
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Big Oil Rethinks Renewable Investments
BP has sold its onshore wind power business in the United States. The news comes amid a steady flow of reports that both wind and solar companies are in major trouble, thanks to President Trump’s energy agenda and a small but meaningful Republican majority in Congress. It is the latest in a string of developments that raise questions about the financial sustainability of transition energy projects. For BP, the move represents another step away from wind and solar and back to oil and gas, as indicated by the company’s senior management…
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Biomethane Could Be the Unsung Hero of the Energy Transition
In the fast-paced world of clean energy innovation, biomethane is rarely the star of the show. It doesn’t sparkle like solar, boom like batteries, or stir geopolitical intrigue like hydrogen. But quietly, consistently, and with increasing impact, biomethane is doing exactly what many climate technologies still promise to do someday: replacing fossil fuels today. Produced from organic waste, agricultural residues, and even wastewater sludge, biomethane is essentially upgraded biogas with a methane content high enough to substitute fossil natural…
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What's Driving India's Historic Renewable Energy Expansion?
India added a record 22 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity in the first half of 2025 – a 57% jump from the 14.2 GW installed during the same period last year. The new capacity includes 18.4 GW of solar, 3.5 GW of wind and 250 megawatts (MW) of bioenergy, which is generated from plant and animal waste. This marks the country’s highest-ever addition in any six-month period. The surge was largely driven by developers moving quickly to take advantage of the government’s Interstate Transmission System charge waiver, which…
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Slovakia to Tap Up to 100% Russian Gas Under EU Exemption
Slovakia’s government is planning to increase its intake of Russian pipeline gas under a temporary EU exemption, reversing earlier commitments to phase out Russian energy supplies in a controversial move amid a growing bloc-wide crackdown on Russian fossil fuels. The exemption allows Bratislava to continue drawing from Gazprom supplies until 2027, aligning with a long-term contract that runs through 2034. The decision comes after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico lifted his veto on the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia,…
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