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Bloomberg China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., the world’s biggest refiner, will pay a record-high dividend as its massive fuels and chemical segments helped it post a nearly 10 percent increase in full-year profit. Net income climbed to 51.2 billion yuan ($8.1 billion), the company known as Sinopec said in a statement to the Shanghai stock exchange on Sunday. The company …

Bloomberg Alberta is looking beyond its oil industry as it works to end years of red ink. Still, a recovery to balanced budgets is a long ways off. Canada’s top oil-producing province projected a narrower budget deficit next year, despite declining revenue from non-renewable resources. Wh-ile it expects that revenue stream to rebound in future years, by the time the …

Bloomberg America’s first exporter of liquefied natural gas from shale is awaiting a federal ruling on whether it can restart storage tanks it was forced to shut after a leak. Regulators ordered Cheniere Energy Inc. to take two of the five tanks at its Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana out of service last month, citing a potentially “serious …

Bloomberg Chinese officials and state media said the country will defend itself in a trade war, warning that President Donald Trump’s tariff plans could backfire on the United States. Vice Premier Liu He told US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a phone call that Washington’s investigation into alleged Chinese infringement of US intellectual property violates international rules and will harm …

WASHINGTON / Reuters OPEC members will need to continue coordinating with Russia and other non-OPEC oil-producing countries on supply curbs in 2019 to reduce global oil inventories to desired levels, Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said. OPEC and non-OPEC countries struck a production supply agreement in January 2017 to remove 1.8 million barrels per day from global markets and …

LONDON / Reuters Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices fell for a third week as above-average temperatures softened demand across North Asia and top consumer Japan resumed output from a long-shut nuclear reactor. Spot prices for May delivery slipped to about $7.10 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), 60 cents below last week’s levels, said several trade sources surveyed …

LONDON / Reuters Oil exports from southern Iraq have fallen by 70,000 barrels per day (bpd) this month, according to shipping data and an industry source, suggesting OPEC’s second-largest producer is heading for a third month of lower shipments. Southern Iraqi exports in the first 21 days of March averaged about 3.36 million bpd, compared to 3.43 million bpd in …

LONDON / WAM UAE-based Petrofac, a leading service provider to the oil and gas production and processing industry, on Wednesday announced that it has been awarded a contract by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, HPCL, for its Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU) Block Package for the Visakh Refinery Modernisation Project at Visakhapatnam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The lump-sum EPC …

LONDON / Reuters Compliance with a global deal to cut oil supply hit a new high in February, a joint OPEC and non-OPEC committee estimated, suggesting a rise in the price of crude has not weakened commitment. Producers in the pact achieved 138 percent of pledged output reductions last month, OPEC said in a statement, a record since the deal …

Bloomberg Ready the cash-printing machines — the world’s most sophisticated refineries are about to enjoy great times thanks to what might seem like a minor tweak in rules for the type of fuel ships consume. From 2020, vessels must buy fuel with less sulfur, or alternatively be fitted with equipment to curb emissions of the pollutant. One thing is clear: …