Regional News

Bloomberg Europe’s strategic energy reserves shouldn’t be all about oil. As natural gas gains ground in the global energy transition, the cleanest fossil fuel should be allowed to replace some compulsory crude and oil product storage, according to Thierry Bros, a senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES). That would help the region use some of …

Bloomberg PVR Ltd., India’s largest movie exhibitor, is seeking growth opportunities overseas after sealing a deal to acquire a local cinema chain. The company’s “big focus” is to look at Saudi Arabia, while it’s also planning projects in Dubai, Chief Financial Officer Nitin Sood said in a telephone interview. PVR also expects to open a nine-screen multiplex in Sri Lanka’s …

Bloomberg South Africa’s Solidarity labour union plans to escalate a strike at energy and chemicals company Sasol Ltd. from September 6 over the exclusion of white staff from an employee-shareholding plan, deputy General-Secretary Deon Reyneke said. Members of the union began protests including a so-called go-slow at the company on September 3, Reyneke said. The full strike later this week …

Bloomberg The latest threat to the dominance of Britain’s six biggest energy suppliers is coming from small technology companies that automatically switch consumers to the cheapest deal. Their emergence couldn’t come at a worse time for the industry, which is already beset by lawmakers capping rates and suffering from perennial mistrust by consumers. On top of that, utilities are getting …

Bloomberg Oil in London traded near a two-month high as Iranian crude and condensate exports fell to their lowest level in more than two years, showcasing concerns over a potential supply shortfall once US sanctions on the Middle East nation’s shipments start in November. Brent futures gained as much as 0.7 percent. Iran shipped just under 2.1 million barrels a …

Bloomberg Ghana signed eight cooperation agreements with China following talks between the two nations’ leaders in Beijing ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that started on Monday. The package of agreements included the $2 billion infrastructure deal Ghana reached in July with Sinohydro Corp. to improve its roads and develop railways in exchange for bauxite, according to a statement …

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund appointed former Dow Chemical Co. Chief Executive Officer Andrew Liveris as a special adviser. Liveris will work closely with the Public Investment Fund “in several areas and assist the fund in efforts to increase the value of the portfolio, and ensure the important contribution of PIF companies to the achievement of Vision 2030 goals” …

Bloomberg Mercuria Energy Group Ltd. revealed how much each of its top executives and founders control of its parent company offering a rare glimpse into the ownership structure of one of the world’s largest energy traders. In an application seeking permission for a US subsidiary to export electricity to Mexico, Mercuria included a detailed list of its shareholders. The obscure …

Bloomberg UK investment firm Wren House Infrastructure Management is considering buying the remaining 70 percent of Spain’s Global Power Generation SA that it doesn’t already own, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The potential deal could be valued at more than $1 billion, the people said, declining to be identified as the deliberations are confidential. London-based Wren House …

Bloomberg Ghana is postponing plans to protect itself from higher oil prices as the country reviews how its currency is affecting what consumers pay at the pump. Foreign exchange movements are probably having a bigger impact on volatile fuel costs than changes in the international price of crude, Deputy Minister of Finance Charles Adu Boahen said in an interview in …