The Energy Bulletin Daily is on hiatus while our dauntless co-editor, Tom Whipple, is out for health reasons. Future editions will of course depend on how soon Tom can return to this volunteer effort. Thank you for understanding. Daniel Lerch Education & Publications Director Post Carbon Institute ..read more

U.S. trade and energy policies have created a “double standard”, with Europe left paying higher prices for its natural gas, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. France, the latest—and largest–country to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, has switched from being a net exporter of energy last year, to being a net importer of energy this year, after problems with its nuclear fleet surfaced. To compensate for its declining nuclear fleet and Russia’s complete halt of natural gas shipments into the country, France has turned to the United States for LNG—only Macron is unhappy with ..read more

Oil edged higher after a volatile week of trading as concerns over a global economic slowdown continued to dun the market. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 0.6% to settle above $85, marking a weekly gain. Prices have been oscillating within a narrow band since late-September as investors juggle slowdown fears against signs of oil-market tightness, while fluctuating risk sentiment in broader markets whipsaws crude prices. Oil has a lost a third of its value since early June due to slowdown concerns and aggressive measures by central banks to tame inflation, However, the market is facing a p ..read more

 Oil prices settled up on Friday as hopes of stronger Chinese demand and a weakening U.S. dollar outweighed concern about a global economic downturn and the impact of interest rate rises on fuel use. To fight inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve is trying to slow the economy and will keep raising its short-term rate target, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Patrick Harker said on Thursday in comments that weighed on oil. But crude is gaining support from a looming European […] View full article at www.reuters.com ..read more

Oil flows from the Forcados terminal in Nigeria has been restarted following a months-long pause. Shell, the operator of the terminal, halted exports in mid-July due to a leak in a subsea mooring line. The resumption of oil flowing into Forcados for export could lead to a sharp increase in Nigeria’s oil production and exports. Shell has resumed exports from its Forcados oil terminal in Nigeria after a months-long pause, Shell Nigeria said late on Thursday night. Oil exports resumed on October 20, according to the oil company. Before production resumed, the last crude oil exports from the Forca ..read more

Diesel inventories have fallen to dangerously low levels. U.S. refineries are churning out less diesel and exporting more amidst a period of high demand. An ongoing diesel shortage would lead to higher trucking, farming and construction costs. For all the drama surrounding Biden’s latest Strategic Petroleum Reserve fiasco and his admin’s ridiculous idea to “stimulate” US energy producers to pump more oil because, you see, Biden promises to buy oil at some unknown point in the future (he may or may not, but right now he is certainly draining a million barrels of emergency US energy lifeblood ju ..read more

Venezuela’s largest refinery center stopped all operations on Tuesday following a fire and a blackout at the site. A small fire erupted at a vacuum tower at the Amuay oil refinery on Thursday morning. Reduced oil processing rates in Venezuela will exacerbate an already precarious situation with fuel supply in the country. The 955,000-barrels-per-day Paraguaná Refinery Complex, Venezuela’s largest refinery center, stopped all operations early on Thursday after a fire and a blackout at the site, multiple sources close to the facility’s operations told Reuters . A small fire erupted at a vacuum t ..read more

U.S. says Iranian drones used to attack Ukraine Drone strikes destroy Ukrainian power, water facilities Ukraine seeks to cut power use by a fifth Battle for southern city of Kherson looms KYIV, Oct 20 (Reuters) – Washington said on Thursday it believed Iranian military staff had been deployed in Crimea to provide assistance to Russian forces using Iranian-made drones to attack Ukraine, as the West slapped sanctions on Tehran in response. The drones have been used to destroy Ukrainian power plants and other utilities in strikes that appear designed to disrupt and demoralise as winter approaches ..read more

Iraqi state companies have been quietly prepping the massive Akkas gas field near the Syrian border to begin production, more than a decade after it was awarded to the Korean firm Kogas to be developed, a process that was derailed by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group and other security risks. Akkas now appears poised to commence production through a combination of wells drilled prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and repurposing equipment from the Mansuriya gas field, where development has also been delayed. View full article at www.iraqoilreport.com ..read more

Spain, Portugal and France said on Thursday they will build a sea-based pipeline to carry hydrogen and gas between Barcelona and Marseille, substituting plans to extend the so-called MidCat pipeline across the Pyrenees that France opposed. The route, dubbed BarMar, will mainly be used to pump green hydrogen and other renewable gases but will also temporarily allow for the transportation of a “limited amount” of natural gas to help alleviate Europe’s energy crisis, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said. Europe is scrambling to secure alternative energy supplies in the face of a squeeze f ..read more