In George Orwell's novel, 1984, a totalitarian regime now rules the homeland and operates by three slogans: 1) War is peace, 2) freedom is slavery and 3) ignorance is strength. In 1984, the term "Newspeak" refers to what is essentially a mandatory style guide for using the English language under that regime by substituting Newspeak formulations for common words and phrases so as to make public discourse conform to the ruling party's orthodoxy. (For a list of Newspeak words and phrases, check here.) Not surprisingly, failure to conform to this style…

Crude oil exports from Iraq’s semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan have reached 205,000 barrels per day (bpd), but the oil flows via a pipeline to the Turkish point of Ceyhan could be under threat again. Oil exports from Iraq’s northern region of Kurdistan via the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline to Ceyhan resumed on September 27, after two and a half years of halt over disagreements between the federal Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over how export revenues should be distributed. Crude from Kurdistan is now steadily…

Crude oil exports from Iraq’s semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan have reached 205,000 barrels per day (bpd), but the oil flows via a pipeline to the Turkish point of Ceyhan could be under threat again. Oil exports from Iraq’s northern region of Kurdistan via the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline to Ceyhan resumed on September 27, after two and a half years of halt over disagreements between the federal Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over how export revenues should be distributed. Crude from Kurdistan is now steadily…

Crude oil exports from Iraq’s semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan have reached 205,000 barrels per day (bpd), but the oil flows via a pipeline to the Turkish point of Ceyhan could be under threat again. Oil exports from Iraq’s northern region of Kurdistan via the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline to Ceyhan resumed on September 27, after two and a half years of halt over disagreements between the federal Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over how export revenues should be distributed. Crude from Kurdistan is now steadily…

The volumes of oil in transit at sea continue to increase to multi-year highs as supply grows from both OPEC+ and non-OPEC+ exporters, and more long-haul voyages from the Atlantic to the Pacific basin are being made due to favorable arbitrage economics. This massive supply buildup has helped push prices down, with WTI crude falling to $56.84 (-1.22%) and Brent crude dropping to $60.55 (-1.26%). As many as 1.24 billion barrels of crude and condensate were in transit on tankers in the week to October 17, per data from energy flows analytics firm…

Venezuela is betting on coal to jumpstart its resource economy and exports amid increasing sanctions on its oil industry with few exemptions in the form of waivers.  At the end of 2024, a Venezuelan-Turkish joint venture restarted coal production at two mines in northwestern Venezuela – Paso Diablo and Mina Norte – after years of no coal output there at all, multiple sources from the Venezuelan company told Reuters.  The two mines are operated by the Carboturven joint venture, which is a partnership between Venezuela’s…

Venezuela is betting on coal to jumpstart its resource economy and exports amid increasing sanctions on its oil industry with few exemptions in the form of waivers.  At the end of 2024, a Venezuelan-Turkish joint venture restarted coal production at two mines in northwestern Venezuela – Paso Diablo and Mina Norte – after years of no coal output there at all, multiple sources from the Venezuelan company told Reuters.  The two mines are operated by the Carboturven joint venture, which is a partnership between Venezuela’s…

India has clearly stated its intention to 'go green' by decreasing its reliance on fossil fuels in the coming years and significantly increasing its non-fossil fuel energy capacity. The government has invested heavily in a range of clean energy sources in recent years, as well as encouraged foreign investors to develop energy projects in India. However, it continues to rely heavily on coal for manufacturing, which contributes significantly to the country’s economic growth. In addition, a lack of comprehensive planning means that much of India’s…

Oil prices slipped in early Asian trade on Monday, as a combination of burgeoning supply concerns and escalating U.S.–China trade tensions weighed on sentiment. At the time of writing, Brent crude futures had dropped 0.29% to $61.11 while WTI was down 0.35% at $57.34. The continued drop comes on the heels of a third consecutive weekly decline for both benchmarks, with more than a 2% fall in each last week. Concerns about demand softening and a looming supply overhang are the key factors dragging prices lower, with easing geopolitical…

Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field, the country’s largest non-associated gas field, is set to increase output by 50% to 750 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) after the field’s key stakeholders, Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas, delivered project KM250 eight months ahead of schedule. KM250 will also produce 7,000 barrels of condensate per day and 460 tonnes per day of LPG, supplementing the current production of 15,200 bbl/d of condensate and 1,070 t/d of LPG. Located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), the project will bolster…

Local residents and anti-nuclear activists in Japan oppose the restart of one of the world’s biggest nuclear power plants and its operator’s plan to invest money in revitalizing the regional economy. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which also operated the nuclear power plant in Fukushima prior to the 2011 disaster, has planned for years to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant in the Niigata prefecture. But the company faces backlash over its restart plans and proposal from August this year to “contribute monetarily…

Wireless charging for electric vehicles (EVs) is quickly becoming a serious commercial option, backed by global safety standards, proven technology, and major funding from governments.  This "park and charge" technology is now an official part of the growing EV market, aiming to make owning an electric car much simpler for consumers. The core idea is simple: charge a car just by parking it over a special pad. Industry experts view this hands-free approach as a key way to boost EV adoption because it solves the hassle of plugging in cables.…

For over a decade, the shale patch has been the engine behind U.S. oil production growth. Now, the pattern is shifting to offshore oil amid tech advances and maturing shale reservoirs—with the help of a pro-oil federal government. Earlier this year, the Energy Information Administration said it expected oil output from Gulf of Mexico fields to rise from 1.8 million barrels daily at the moment to 2.4 million barrels daily as early as 2027. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had the same estimate. The two cited federal support in the form…

The world’s power grids need a major upgrade to keep pace with growing rates of electrification and the ever-increasing energy demands of big data. A cleaner energy landscape means a whole lot more electricity demand, as we switch from gas-powered vehicles and appliances to newer, cleaner models that need to plug into the grid to charge. This means that expanding grid capacity and making our aging grids smarter and more flexible will be essential to maintaining energy security for the future – but grid infrastructure remains woefully…

Microgrids are becoming an increasingly attractive means of supplying rural areas with energy, particularly as renewable energy sources can be used to power small grids in unconventional energy-producing regions. These small grids can be developed alongside a comprehensive transmission network or in parts of the world where electricity access is limited, to boost access. A microgrid is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect…

For years, I have followed the rise of heat pumps as one of the central technologies for decarbonising heating. The numbers have been impressive, the policy support has been strong, and the narrative has been almost unstoppable. But as with so many technologies that capture political and public imagination, there comes a moment when promises have to turn into results. For heat pumps, that moment is now. After several years of double-digit growth, the global market is showing signs of fatigue. Sales have dropped sharply in some of the key European…

China’s incredible pace of clean energy spending has made the world’s second-largest economy the single-largest producer of clean energy by a long shot. This dominant position in global energy markets doesn’t just stem from domestic production capacity, but from increasingly significant control of global supply chains for clean energy technologies and materials, as well as investing in the production potential of emerging economies from Latin America to Southeast Asia to Africa and beyond.  Since the inception of China’s…

Citigroup’s latest call for Brent crude to tumble toward $50 on a Russia-Ukraine de-escalation feels more like an echo chamber than a fresh forecast. Senior commodities strategist Eric Lee told Bloomberg Friday that easing geopolitical tensions could “precipitate a faster move” toward the bank’s bear-case scenario — never mind that Brent is already down roughly 18% this year to near $61, thanks to what some call a slow-building supply glut. But Citi’s tone has swung wildly over the past ten months. Back in January,…

Citigroup’s latest call for Brent crude to tumble toward $50 on a Russia-Ukraine de-escalation feels more like an echo chamber than a fresh forecast. Senior commodities strategist Eric Lee told Bloomberg Friday that easing geopolitical tensions could “precipitate a faster move” toward the bank’s bear-case scenario — never mind that Brent is already down roughly 18% this year to near $61, thanks to what some call a slow-building supply glut. But Citi’s tone has swung wildly over the past ten months. Back in January,…

Citigroup’s latest call for Brent crude to tumble toward $50 on a Russia-Ukraine de-escalation feels more like an echo chamber than a fresh forecast. Senior commodities strategist Eric Lee told Bloomberg Friday that easing geopolitical tensions could “precipitate a faster move” toward the bank’s bear-case scenario — never mind that Brent is already down roughly 18% this year to near $61, thanks to what some call a slow-building supply glut. But Citi’s tone has swung wildly over the past ten months. Back in January,…