Iran is maintaining crude oil supply by loading tankers one at a time and repositioning floating storage closer to Asia, two vessel tracking firms told Reuters, as the country seeks to preserve a vital revenue stream while under Israeli attack. Loadings at Kharg Island reached roughly 2.2?million barrels per day in recent days, a five-week high, while up to 8?million barrels of floating storage were shifted toward waters near China and Singapore, according to Bloomberg. The logistical changes are part of a broader strategy to insulate Iran’s…

The UK government has quietly admitted that renewables and other low-carbon technologies essential to the rapid drive to net zero are more expensive than using fossil fuel, City AM can reveal, which has in turn made energy bills higher for Brits up and down the country.  Labour ministers are expected to double down on expanding the use of green technologies to lower costs as the Treasury and Department for Business and Trade are set to unveil the UK’s industrial strategy next week. The blueprint for growing the economy will outline plans…

Namibia, one of the latest exploration hotspots in the world, is weighing potential further incentives and financing options to offer to international majors preparing plans for oil production offshore the African country. Oil and gas supermajors, including Shell, TotalEnergies, and Portugal-based energy firm Galp, have already made large discoveries offshore Namibia. However, without infrastructure in place, costs are higher for production development plans. That’s why, Namibia, hoping to become the next Guyana, wants to help the…

Namibia, one of the latest exploration hotspots in the world, is weighing potential further incentives and financing options to offer to international majors preparing plans for oil production offshore the African country. Oil and gas supermajors, including Shell, TotalEnergies, and Portugal-based energy firm Galp, have already made large discoveries offshore Namibia. However, without infrastructure in place, costs are higher for production development plans. That’s why, Namibia, hoping to become the next Guyana, wants to help the…

Namibia, one of the latest exploration hotspots in the world, is weighing potential further incentives and financing options to offer to international majors preparing plans for oil production offshore the African country. Oil and gas supermajors, including Shell, TotalEnergies, and Portugal-based energy firm Galp, have already made large discoveries offshore Namibia. However, without infrastructure in place, costs are higher for production development plans. That’s why, Namibia, hoping to become the next Guyana, wants to help the…

Namibia, one of the latest exploration hotspots in the world, is weighing potential further incentives and financing options to offer to international majors preparing plans for oil production offshore the African country. Oil and gas supermajors, including Shell, TotalEnergies, and Portugal-based energy firm Galp, have already made large discoveries offshore Namibia. However, without infrastructure in place, costs are higher for production development plans. That’s why, Namibia, hoping to become the next Guyana, wants to help the…

China has eased its restrictions on exports of rare earth elements by approving “a certain number” of export licenses, its commerce ministry said on Thursday in what could be the beginning of eased access to rare earths for the global supply chains.    A certain number of applications has been approved, the ministry said, as carried by Reuters. However, China did not elaborate on whether U.S. firms have been granted licenses or how many applications have been approved.  “China will continue to strengthen the…

China has eased its restrictions on exports of rare earth elements by approving “a certain number” of export licenses, its commerce ministry said on Thursday in what could be the beginning of eased access to rare earths for the global supply chains.    A certain number of applications has been approved, the ministry said, as carried by Reuters. However, China did not elaborate on whether U.S. firms have been granted licenses or how many applications have been approved.  “China will continue to strengthen the…

India and Pakistan are weighing their options in case the Israel-Iran conflict disrupts oil supplies through key chokepoints. While many analysts are still not convinced that Iran can actually afford to close the Strait of Hormuz, as it has threatened, it’s a big gamble, and Indian refiners are making backup plans. Indian refiners are considering supplies from West African producers and other alternative energy sources as the world’s second-largest importer of crude grows wary of the unfolding situation. Meanwhile, India’s neighbor,…

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed he is ready "to find a solution" to his war with Ukraine and to potentially meet with the Ukrainian leader, even as the death toll from Russia's latest attack on Kyiv rose to 28 people. "We need to find a solution that would not only put an end to the current conflict but also create conditions that would prevent similar situations from recurring in the long term," Putin told foreign media in a televised briefing on June 18 in St. Petersburg. Putin said talks could resume at some point after June 22, the…

Russia believes that Moscow, its OPEC+ ally Saudi Arabia, and the United States could work together to stabilize the oil market if necessary, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund told Reuters on Thursday. “There was an example when (Russian) President Putin, (U.S.) President Trump and (Saudi) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a key role in stabilising markets,” Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, told Reuters on the sidelines of an economic event in Russia.   “It is early…

Tanker rates for the route via the Strait of Hormuz have doubled since Israel started bombing Iran last Friday, the Financial Times has reported, citing shipowners growing reluctance to sail through the chokepoint. The daily rate for a very large crude carrier chartered from the Gulf of China, for instance, has jumped from $19,998 last Thursday to over $47,600 this week, the publication noted, citing figures from Clarksons Research, a maritime analysis provider. The insurance sector is responding to the situation as well, raising premiums for vessels…

Geopolitics could move Brent crude higher by around $10 per barrel, Goldman Sachs has estimated, from a starting point in the mid-$70s. However, the bank admitted oil could top $90 in case of Iranian supply disruption. Goldman’s analysts pointed to the disruption of oil flows via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by the Yemeni Houthis’ attacks on vessels as an example of the fragility of Middle Eastern oil export security. Its base-case scenario, the bank said, remains the same, with Brent averaging $60 per barrel in the final quarter of the…

Oil demand is set to plateau rather than drop off a cliff after it peaks, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicted this week, citing “policy settings and market trends.” But here’s the thing about policy settings and market trends: they change. That oil demand is set to peak before 2030 has been repeated ad nauseam by various forecasters, including, notably, Chinese energy majors Sinopec and CNPC. Indeed, OPEC is the only forecaster of demand that does not see it peaking anytime soon. Of course, OPEC is interested in its…

The European Union countries planning to expand their nuclear power capacities will need as much as $277 billion (241 billion euros) in investments by 2050, according to Brussels’ estimates. That’s only the investment needed for the conventional large-scale nuclear reactors currently in the plans of nearly half of the EU member states. The sum doesn’t include investment in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs), or microreactors, or investment in nuclear fusion efforts. Some EU countries are open to returning…

For years, Russian gas was seen as the bedrock of Europe’s industrial competitiveness, reliable, abundant, and above all, cheap. But as Europe transitions away from Russian energy, the true cost of that dependency is finally coming into view. This article reconsiders the myth of cheap Russian gas, showing that beyond the apparent price advantage, the continent paid a high price in terms of strategic exposure, political leverage, and security risks. Europe is now charting a more resilient energy future, and it’s a shift long overdue.…

Last Friday the world woke to the kind of news that rattles the oil markets. In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, reportedly hitting nuclear sites and killing several senior military officials, including Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guard. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “strategic action” aimed at neutralizing what he described as existential threats. The reaction in the oil markets was swift. Brent crude jumped nearly 8%, briefly topping $78.50, and West Texas Intermediate…

Via Metal Miner The Aluminum Monthly Metals Index (MMI) moved sideways as the global price of aluminum ticked modestly higher. Overall, the index rose 0.73% from May to June. Track other MetalMiner monthly indexes here, and compare how the overall industrial metal market is performing. Aluminum Midwest Premium Finds A Peak The Midwest Premium found a peak in mid-June. Following successive tariff-induced spikes throughout the year’s first half, the premium hit a new all-time high at $0.615/lb on June 9. This marked a staggering 161% rise since…

King Charles III’s property firm is to invest up to £400m of fresh capital into the UK’s offshore wind supply chain, it has been announced. The Crown Estate has earmarked £350m for investment into the construction of a new port and supply chain infrastructure it said would support “accelerated delivery of UK offshore wind projects.” The other £50m will support “early-stage project development,” delivered via a succession of funding rounds. Investment from The Crown Estate, which manages a £16bn…

Iron ore, widely seen as a real-time barometer of China's economic pulse, is flashing fresh warning signs. Prices slid for a fourth straight session in Singapore, dropping below $93 a ton and hitting their lowest level in nine months. China, the world's largest consumer of iron ore, imports more than 70% of globally traded volumes. That gives iron ore prices an outsized role as a proxy for Chinese economic momentum, and the latest trade data suggests the world's second-largest economy is still struggling to gain momentum, remaining mired in deflation.…