Shell has restarted a process to sell its minority 37.5% stake in the Schwedt refinery in Germany, whose majority shareholder is now-sanctioned Russian state oil giant Rosneft, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.  Shell has opened a data room this month and is seeking offers for its stake in the refinery by the end of January, according to some of Reuters’ sources.  The Schwedt refinery, the fourth-largest refinery in Germany, used to process Russian oil before Germany cut off supplies…

In this week’s newsletter, we will take a quick look at some of the critical figures and data in the energy markets this week.     We will then look at some of the key market movers early this week before providing you with the latest analysis of the top news events taking place in the global energy complex over the past few days. We hope you enjoy.India Is Buying Less Russian Oil, But Why Exactly?- Despite plentiful reports of Indian refiners halting imports of Russian oil after the US sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil on…

US and Ukrainian officials said they made substantial progress in two days of talks aimed to bring an end to Russia's invasion closer, with Washington reportedly offering Kyiv security guarantees modeled on NATO's Article 5 mutual defense pledge. While questions remained about key issues, including the fate of territory that Kyiv continues to hold in the eastern Donetsk region, US President Donald Trump said it appeared as though a deal to end Europe's largest and deadliest conflict since World War II was closer than ever. "We're trying to get…

Oil prices fell by 2% early on Tuesday as hope of a peace deal in Ukraine increased, sending Brent crude below $60 per barrel to the lowest level since May.  As of 9:47 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the front-month Brent Crude futures prices traded down by 2.10% below the $60 per barrel threshold, at $59.29.  The U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, slipped by 2.22% and traded at $55.56 per barrel by early morning ET. The U.S. oil price has plunged by 22% year to date and is on track for the worst performance since 2018. Brent, for its part, has lost 20%…

Pakistan and Russia are discussing a potential cooperation agreement in the oil sector, including in exploration, production, and refining, Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Russian news agency RIA on Tuesday.   “All of these areas are Russia’s strengths. And we would be very happy if Russia agreed on an agreement in this sector with Pakistan,” the Pakistani official was quoted as saying by RIA.   Earlier this year, Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said that Russia discussed the…

Pakistan and Russia are discussing a potential cooperation agreement in the oil sector, including in exploration, production, and refining, Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Russian news agency RIA on Tuesday.   “All of these areas are Russia’s strengths. And we would be very happy if Russia agreed on an agreement in this sector with Pakistan,” the Pakistani official was quoted as saying by RIA.   Earlier this year, Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said that Russia discussed the…

Amid major policy shifts, next year will see the first-ever decline in annual solar power capacity installations, following the weakest growth in seven years in 2025, according to BNEF’s Global PV Market Outlook.  Developers are set to add globally a total of 649 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity in 2026, which would be a slight drop compared to this year’s additions expected at 655 GW, the outlook showed on Tuesday.  “The solar industry is entering a low-growth phase after years of rapid expansion,” analysts…

Amid major policy shifts, next year will see the first-ever decline in annual solar power capacity installations, following the weakest growth in seven years in 2025, according to BNEF’s Global PV Market Outlook.  Developers are set to add globally a total of 649 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity in 2026, which would be a slight drop compared to this year’s additions expected at 655 GW, the outlook showed on Tuesday.  “The solar industry is entering a low-growth phase after years of rapid expansion,” analysts…

Amid major policy shifts, next year will see the first-ever decline in annual solar power capacity installations, following the weakest growth in seven years in 2025, according to BNEF’s Global PV Market Outlook.  Developers are set to add globally a total of 649 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity in 2026, which would be a slight drop compared to this year’s additions expected at 655 GW, the outlook showed on Tuesday.  “The solar industry is entering a low-growth phase after years of rapid expansion,” analysts…

U.S. energy investor Kimmeridge has offered to buy natural gas producer Ascent Resources for $6 billion amid a heated battle over plans of the gas driller’s private equity backer to transfer its stake from one of its funds to another, Kimmeridge’s managing partner Ben Dell told the Financial Times.  The Energy & Minerals Group, a private equity firm focused on natural resources, plans to transfer its more than 30% stake in Ascent Resources into a newly formed continuation vehicle, which is estimated to value the gas producer…

The Islamic Republic of Iran has announced a fuel price hike for the first time since 2019, with the increase coming at a time when the authorities are struggling with economic pressures and environmental disasters. The new pricing system, which took effect at midnight on December 13, will see motorists pay 15,000 rials per litre (~4.7 U.S. cents per gallon) for the first 60 liters consumed in a month; 30,000 rials a litre (~9.4 cents per gallon) for the next 100 liters and  50,000 rials per litre (~15.7 cents per gallon) for anything beyond…

It has been an eventful year for U.S. shale oil and gas. Low prices—at least in oil—a double down on capital discipline, and drilling efficiency gains that pushed the U.S. total to a record high again were the hallmarks of 2025. The next frontier? Recovery rates.  Recovery rates for shale oil wells are much lower than the rates for conventional wells. The average is around and below 10%, compared with 30% to 35% for conventional wells. Given the prominence of shale basins in the United States’ total oil production, it was…

Chevron has quietly cut the price of Venezuelan crude sold to U.S. refiners after American forces seized a tanker off the country’s coast, tightening an already-fragile export channel and adding fresh volatility to Gulf Coast markets. Traders familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Chevron sold a batch of Venezuelan crude on December 11 at weaker levels than a similar offer just two days earlier. The timing was impossible to miss: the discount came immediately after U.S. forces boarded and seized the Skipper, a sanctioned crude carrier…

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) has invented a type of graphite that can extend the life of electric-vehicle batteries by as much as 30%, pushing the oil major further into advanced battery materials as automakers look for longer-lasting cells and supply chains less reliant on China.  “We’ve invented a new carbon molecule that will extend the life of the battery by 30%,” Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods, adding that it’s a “revolutionary step change in battery performance.” According to Woods, several EV…

What looked at first like a bizarre local accident in western Norway should have set off every alarm bell in Europe.   In April 2025, someone remotely seized control of a hydroelectric dam in Bremanger, opened its floodgates, and let millions of cubic meters of water roar downstream for hours. Only months later did Norway’s intelligence service quietly confirm that the culprits were linked to Moscow. And this act wasn’t meant to destroy the dam — it was a calling card. Most Europeans still think the war stops at…

China’s LNG demand is disappointing in 2025 for a second year in a row, just as new U.S. export projects ramp up and Qatar is nearing start-up of the first new facilities in its huge capacity expansion. The wave of new LNG supply that will come online by the end of the decade, mostly from the top exporters, the United States and Qatar, has prompted many analysts to expect an oversupplied LNG market by 2030 that would weigh on prices. Lower prices could incentivize additional demand from price-sensitive buyers in south and Southeast Asia,…

Copper prices are surging toward the $12,000 mark, fueled by a perfect storm of supply disruptions, frantic artificial intelligence (AI) demand, and what analysts are calling a "highly irregular" market distortion triggered by U.S. trade policy fears. With the metal currently trading near record highs, touching $11,952 per ton on the London Metal Exchange (LME) last Friday, major financial institutions are aggressively revising their forecasts upward. Citi analysts now predict copper could hit $13,000 per ton in early 2026 and skyrocket to $15,000…

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has revealed plans to extend trading hours for its European gas and power futures to match the 22-hour trading cycles of the United States’ Henry Hub and JKM (Japan Korea Marker) markets. ICE aims to streamline trading flows between Europe, the United States and Asia, giving traders more ways to manage risk amid volatile gas markets. ICE is also helping traders hedge risks by pricing these contracts in USD/MMBtu.More than 103 million Dutch TTF gas contracts have changed hands on ICE in the current year,…

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has revealed plans to extend trading hours for its European gas and power futures to match the 22-hour trading cycles of the United States’ Henry Hub and JKM (Japan Korea Marker) markets. ICE aims to streamline trading flows between Europe, the United States and Asia, giving traders more ways to manage risk amid volatile gas markets. ICE is also helping traders hedge risks by pricing these contracts in USD/MMBtu.More than 103 million Dutch TTF gas contracts have changed hands on ICE in the current year,…

The race to secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals intensified last week following the announcement of a significant geological discovery in the western United States. A Utah-based mining firm has identified a deposit that mirrors the specific geological characteristics responsible for much of China’s rare earth dominance, potentially offering the U.S. a strategic counterweight in the escalating trade war over materials vital to national defense and the energy transition. Ionic Mineral Technologies, based in Provo, Utah, reported…