DHAHRAN / Reuters State oil giant Saudi Aramco and petrochemical producer Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday to build a $20 billion complex converting crude oil to chemicals in the kingdom. The project, which the partners said would be the largest crude-to-chemicals facility in the world, is a sign that the Saudi government plans ...

Bloomberg Sasol Ltd. said it will steer clear of big new investments as the world’s largest maker of fuel from coal reviews existing assets and focusses on completing its $11.13 billion US chemicals plant. Sasol won’t invest in further new gas-to-liquids or crude-oil refining capacity, according to a statement on its website ahead of an investor day being held in ...

Bloomberg Australia’s proposed National Energy Guarantee program could slash investment in large-scale wind and solar projects if the government fails to boost its 2030 emissions-reduction target, according to a report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull government’s goal of redu- cing emissions by 28 percent by 2030 only requires an additional 1.5 gigawatts of new large-scale renewables, ...

BEIJING / Reuters China has issued crude oil import quotas for 2017 of 1.5 million tonnes to three independent refiners, three sources familiar with the situation said, a sign Beijing is easing its policy towards these companies sometimes known as teapots. Shandong Qingyishan Petrochemical Technology Co was granted a quota of 800,000 tonnes, Zibo Xintai Petrochemical Co was given 500,000 ...

Bloomberg Forecasts for a warm start to December are raising the specter of a third straight mild winter, sending US natural gas futures sliding the most since February. A midday update to the government’s Global Forecast System weather model maintained a “much too warm” pattern through December 6, despite a couple of cool shots across the northern tier of the ...

Bloomberg Indians grappling with the risk of stroke, heart disease and lung cancer from pollution have to contend with an unlikely adversary: The taxman. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rollout of the country’s biggest tax overhaul in decades is encouraging the use of petroleum coke, a fuel that spews more emissions than others. That’s because it’s being taxed at a rate ...

Bloomberg State-run Steel Authority of India Ltd. is heading for a turnaround this year as the government orders belt-tightening and asset disposals at the loss-making 63-year-old mill. “This year we’re expecting some cash profit to come into SAIL,” Aruna Sharma, secretary at the steel ministry, said in an interview in New Delhi. The ministry has directed the company to better ...

Bloomberg Alipay, China’s leading internet payments platform, will enforce a cap of 24 percent on interest rates charged by lenders on its site as Chinese authorities are said to be preparing to crack down on so-called online microlenders. The platform, part of the Ant Financial business controlled by billionaire Jack Ma, said in an emailed statement that it recently discovered ...

Bloomberg China is making another attempt at keeping Shanghai at the cutting edge of economic reforms after its latest try in 2013 floundered. The State Council, the nation’s cabinet, will soon unveil plans for a “free-trade port” in the world’s biggest shipping hub, according to Chen Bo, an adviser on the proposal who researches free trade zones at the Huazhong ...

Bloomberg Masami Takahashi, president of Uber Technologies Inc. in Japan, is leaving the ride-hailing company to join WeWork Cos. in the country, people with knowledge of the matter said. Takahashi will join the co-working space provider as it prepares to start operations in Japan, the people said, asking to not be identified because the details are private. SoftBank Group Corp. ...