Bloomberg BP’s acquisition of a stake and lead role in a $36 billion green hydrogen development in Western Australia is casting a spotlight on a slew of ambitious projects around the world that are promising to deliver massive amounts of the clean fuel. Green hydrogen, produced using water and renewable electricity, is widely predicted to play a crucial role ...
Read More »Diesel crisis likely to stay unfixed by oil refining revival
Bloomberg A wave of new oil refining capacity that’s coming on stream won’t be enough to solve a global shortage of diesel, jet fuel and similar petroleum products. That’s the takeway from the Paris-based International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) monthly report, which shows that increased processing — as new plants come online — this year and next will fall well ...
Read More »Gazprom agrees to supply only 50% gas to Italy’s Eni
Bloomberg Eni said Gazprom will supply only 50 percent of Italy gas requested for June 17. Eni has submitted a daily gas demand for approximately 63 million cubic meters, the Italian company said on its website. Actual delivered volumes almost unchanged with respect to the amounts. Italian Energy Minister Roberto Cingolani’s office has said the country is not facing ...
Read More »Solar power floods Europe’s grids
Bloomberg Europe’s biggest economies are seeing near-record amounts of solar power as a heat wave spreads across the southwest of the continent, boosting demand for electricity to keep people cool. Solar met almost a quarter of all energy demand in five of Europe’s biggest power markets. The surge in electricity supply did little to ease rising prices that are ...
Read More »Norway gasoline prices hit $10 a gallon
Bloomberg While US drivers despair over gasoline topping $5 a gallon, spare a thought for motorists in oil-rich Norway, where prices sit at $10. Gas stations in Oslo were selling the unleaded fuel for about 27 kroner a liter, or about $10.30 a gallon, on Friday. That makes it the most expensive European country to fill up and second ...
Read More »Global energy crunch making gas too pricey for Asia
Bloomberg A breakneck rally in Asian natural gas spot prices is forcing some importers to halt plans to buy additional shipments of the power plant fuel. North Asia spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices are surging towards $40 per million British thermal units, the highest in over three months, on fears of a global supply squeeze, according to traders ...
Read More »Hong Kong was never a British colony. Who knew?
Hong Kong was never a British colony, schoolchildren in the city will soon be taught. That may come as a surprise to the many parents who remember British governors, the Queen’s head on coins and stamps, and numerous other relics of a 150-year colonial presence. Behind the apparent absurdity is a deadly serious program to inculcate youth with the Communist ...
Read More »Is there a way to save Revlon still?
The beauty industry is having its department store moment: American cosmetics giant Revlon Inc, controlled by billionaire Ron Perelman, filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company had assets of $2.3 billion as of late April and total debts of $3.7 billion, Bloomberg News reported. It’s the clearest indication yet of the impact of shifting consumer habits on the beauty ...
Read More »Australia’s electricity grid is being cornered
In commodity markets, there are few phenomena more feared than a corner. If a few traders become too dominant, they can at times set prices at will by withholding supply, driving values to ridiculous levels. That’s what happened when the Hunt brothers cornered the market in silver in 1980, sending it to prices that are still a record. In ...
Read More »Fed’s path between inflation and recession
Last week’s surprisingly bad news on inflation — prices rose 8.6% in the year to May, the highest for 40 years — and the financial markets’ anxious reaction have seriously complicated the Federal Reserve’s job. With policy makers set to announce their latest interest rate decision along with projections for the rest of this year, the Fed’s prospects for ...
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