As the global oil market eagerly anticipates the upcoming OPEC(+) production decision—a potential shift in the current production cut strategy—most eyes are on Saudi Arabia or Aramco leaders. However, there's a new player in town, already hinting at a dramatic strategy change without OPEC's approval. Sources in Abu Dhabi suggest the Emirate is no longer convinced of the necessity of OPEC+ production cuts, given the current volatile oil markets and increased demand. Simultaneously, ADNOC sources indicate an imminent production increase ..read more

ExxonMobil continues to expect that the U.S. antitrust authority will give the green light to its proposed $60-billion all-stock acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources by the end of the second quarter, Exxon’s chief financial officer Kathy Mikells told Bloomberg in an interview on Friday. Exxon said in its Q1 earnings release today that it expects the transaction, which has been approved by Pioneer shareholders, to close in the second quarter of 2024, pending regulatory approval.    The Federal Trade Commission ..read more

Four expatriate workers lost their lives, and two others sustained injuries in a recent drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq's Kurdistan region. This attack, reported by an advisor to the Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister and a senior Kurdish political source, has also resulted in the suspension of production at the site. The ramifications of the assault extend beyond casualties, impacting electricity generation in the region. Kurdistan's electricity ministry stated that the drone attack disrupted gas supplies to power plants, leading to an ..read more

Russian oil production has remained strong despite sanctions imposed by Western countries in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The country’s gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) industries, on the other hand, have suffered due to limited pipeline infrastructure and reliance on Western companies. Rystad Energy expects Russian piped gas to China to increase due to new infrastructure, but the outlook for Russian LNG is less rosy. The Kremlin has set an ambitious plan to commission 100 million tonnes of LNG capacity by 2030 but our ..read more

TotalEnergies (NYSE: TTE) saw its first-quarter adjusted net income drop by 22% from a year ago, but the French supermajor’s adjusted earnings beat the consensus estimate. Stable oil prices and healthy refining margins failed to fully offset a decline in natural gas prices, but helped TotalEnergies beat analyst forecasts as it reported Q1 earnings on Friday. The company announced additional share buybacks and an increase in the first interim dividend for 2024. TotalEnergies posted an adjusted net income of $5.1 billion for the first ..read more

TotalEnergies CEO, Patrick Pouyanne, disclosed plans for a potential New York listing during an analyst briefing on Friday, citing the desire to attract a larger share of U.S. investors. With 47% of institutional shareholders and 39% of global investors based in the United States, TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) aims to strategically position itself within the American financial landscape. While a definitive decision awaits board deliberations, Pouyanne emphasized the importance of adapting to investor preferences, especially in light of market dynamics ..read more

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States fell this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday. The total rig count fell by 6 to 613 this week, compared to 755 rigs this same time last year. The number of oil rigs fell by 5 this week, after gaining 5 in the week prior. Oil rigs now stand at 506--down by 85 compared to this time last year. The number of gas rigs fell by 1 this week to 105, a loss of 56 active gas rigs from this time last year. Miscellaneous rigs stayed the same at 2. Meanwhile ..read more

Mining giant Anglo American has rejected BHP Group’s £31.1bn proposal after it concluded the plan would undervalue its future prospects. The talk of a potential mega-deal between BHP and London-listed miner Anglo American had the mining world’s attention this week, and it seems to have attracted the attention of activist investor Elliott Investment Management. Bloomberg has reported that the hedge fund, known for its activist campaigns, has acquired a $1bn (£800m) stake in the miner. The news ..read more

As governments focus on developing their renewable energy capacity, many are overlooking a vital element to boosting clean energy security –energy waste management. Countries worldwide must fix their existing systems to ensure that energy is not lost in transit and use and that electricity grids are prepared for the influx of new clean energy projects expected over the coming decades.  The founder and chairman of the environmental non-profit organization Solar Impulse Foundation, Bertrand Piccard, is calling for greater focus on reducing ..read more

The Hammerfest LNG export plant offshore Norway is expected to remain offline until Saturday, April 27, following a gas leak earlier this week, according to the latest data from gas infrastructure operator Gassco published on Friday.   The gas treatment plant at Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG, the only large-scale LNG export plant in Europe, was taken offline on Tuesday in an unplanned outage after a gas leak prompted evacuation at the facility. The current assessment provided by Gassco is that the LNG export plant will return online ..read more