Crude oil inventories in the United States decreased by 3.5 million barrels during the week ending January 30, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday. The decrease brings commercial stockpiles to 420.3 million barrels according to government data, which is 4% below the five-year average for this time of year. Analysts had expected a 2 million barrel drop in inventory. The EIA’s data release follows API’s figures that were released a day earlier, which suggested that crude oil…

The current financing model for most LNG export projects, where banks require a large part of the future volumes to be contracted in advance in long-term deals, needs to change, according to Richard Holtum, chief executive at major commodity trader Trafigura. Currently, projects in the Americas, for example, need to show the banks that 80-90% of their future annual supply is already locked in long-term contracts with buyers. “I feel sorry for LNG projects in the US,” Holtum said on a panel at the LNG2026 conference in Doha, Qatar, as…

US-facilitated peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have begun in the United Arab Emirates, hours after Russian forces again struck targets across Ukraine. Direct negotiations involving Moscow and Kyiv, along with US representatives, resumed in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24. Meetings between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have been rare since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of February 2022. Ukraine's top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, confirmed on X that the negotiations had begun, saying negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States…

Russia’s flagship crude, Urals, is being offered in India at a widening discount to Brent, with the differential now at $11 per barrel and testing the appetite of Indian refiners amid the trade deal with the U.S. that calls for limited purchases of Russian oil. Sellers are offering Urals at an $11 per barrel discount this week, widened from about $9 a barrel ten days ago, anonymous traders involved in the offerings told Bloomberg on Wednesday.    Typically, such steep discounts would have Indian refiners rushing to lock in purchases.…

Contrary to forecasts of an LNG supply glut as soon as this year, Italy’s energy major Eni expects a “very finely balanced” market in 2026 as European demand is set to remain high after the winter to fill depleted inventories, and Asian consumption is expected to rebound with softer prices. “Europe has very low storages, and we need to refill it in the summer,” Cristian Signoretto, Director of the Global Gas & LNG Portfolio at Eni, told Reuters on the sidelines of the LNG2026 conference in Doha, Qatar.   …

REalloys, which is in the process of merging with Blackboxstocks Inc. (NASDAQ: BLBX), has signed non-binding agreements with AltynGroup Kazakhstan to pursue a long-term rare earth offtake and strategic investment partnership, linking Central Asian feedstock directly into North American processing at a moment when U.S. defense planners are growing increasingly uneasy about midstream supply risk. The agreements outline a 10-year offtake framework and a parallel, non-binding commitment of investment capital from AltynGroup that REalloys says…

U.S. President Donald Trump has offered to mediate a long-running dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the latter’s construction of a giant dam on the Nile. According to the experts, Trump attempted to broker a deal over the dam during his first term, but saw his efforts rebuffed by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who felt he was siding with Egypt--a strong U.S. ally. Trump has previously claimed that the dam "substantially" lowers water volumes flowing into the Nile, echoing Egypt’s sentiments. Last year, Ahmed inaugurated…

With Russia still focused on Ukraine and China on Taiwan, the U.S. and its key Western allies -- most notably, Great Britain, France, and Italy -- are continuing to secure highly strategic geopolitical gains across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Following Moscow’s loss of its key client state in the region, Syria, the allies have been quick not just to build out their influence there but also in Libya, a longtime area of interest to the Kremlin following the West’s ill-thought-through removal of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. This…

The oil price decline over the past year has started to dent Big Oil’s earnings, which have slipped from the 2022 and 2023 highs. The persistently low oil prices at about $60 per barrel in the past months, compared to $100 in 2022 and $80 in 2023 and 2024, signal that part of the shareholder returns of the European oil majors may not be sustainable going forward. Europe’s top oil firms may start sacrificing some of their payouts by announcing in the coming weeks cuts to their share buybacks amid the lower oil prices, analysts say. Stronger…

The United Nations is discussing a new international tax collection cooperation regime that, among other things, aims to extract money from the oil and gas industry for climate change. It is not the first attempt to make the industry pay, and it will not be the last. The idea’s chances of success, however, remain uncertain. The idea is part of the Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, a deal that is currently being negotiated at the UN headquarters in New York with a view to improving tax collection globally—and raising…

The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the United States decreased by 11.1 million barrels in the week ending January 30. Crude oil inventories decreased by 247,000 barrels in the week prior. Inventories in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) keep climbing week after week. The Department of Energy (DoE) reported that crude oil inventories in the SPR rose by 200,000 barrels to 415.2 million barrels in the week ending January 30. This is 310.3 million barrels shy of maximum capacity. US production fell…

The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the United States decreased by 11.1 million barrels in the week ending January 30. Crude oil inventories decreased by 247,000 barrels in the week prior. Inventories in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) keep climbing week after week. The Department of Energy (DoE) reported that crude oil inventories in the SPR rose by 200,000 barrels to 415.2 million barrels in the week ending January 30. This is 310.3 million barrels shy of maximum capacity. US production fell…

Washington is preparing to take another step deeper into Venezuela’s oil sector, with plans to issue a broad license that would allow companies to pump crude in the country for the first time in years. According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg, the U.S. Treasury could issue the general license as soon as this week. If it happens, it would follow last week’s authorization allowing companies to buy, sell, ship, and refine Venezuelan crude—provided the activity runs through established U.S.-linked entities.…

Washington is preparing to take another step deeper into Venezuela’s oil sector, with plans to issue a broad license that would allow companies to pump crude in the country for the first time in years. According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg, the U.S. Treasury could issue the general license as soon as this week. If it happens, it would follow last week’s authorization allowing companies to buy, sell, ship, and refine Venezuelan crude—provided the activity runs through established U.S.-linked entities.…

Rising energy demand, inflation, grid investment, extreme weather and volatile fuel costs are increasing the cost of electricity faster than many households can keep up, and there are no easy fixes, experts say. Mitigating the problem would require threading a needle of policy alternatives, but even with the right policies, it will take time to reduce customer energy burdens. The U.S. Energy Information Administration puts the national average residential price per kilowatt hour in 2026 at 18 cents, up approximately 37% from 2020. “I…

When Israel and the United States conducted an intensive bombing campaign in Iran last year, Tehran's regional network of armed proxies and partners largely stood on the sidelines. But the so-called axis of resistance is expected to enter the fray and back Iran if US President Donald Trump follows through on his threats and authorizes military action against the Islamic Republic, experts say. Iran views a potential conflict with the United States as an existential threat, unlike the war in June, said Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute…

Siemens Energy on Tuesday announced it is scaling up its capabilities in the United States with a $1-billion investment in grid and gas turbine equipment to support the strong growth of the U.S. electricity market. Siemens Energy has committed to investing $1 billion to ramp up manufacturing in the United States and will also significantly expand its workforce. “The United States is experiencing an unparalleled surge in electricity demand,” mostly due to AI infrastructure, data centers, and next generation industrial electrification,…

Iranian gunboats made a pointed move in the Strait of Hormuz this week, approaching a U.S.-flagged oil tanker in what U.S. and British maritime security sources describe as a failed attempt to interfere with the vessel’s transit. No shots were fired, the tanker continued on its way, and no damage was reported—but the message was unmistakable. The incident comes as tensions between Iran and the United States simmer just below the boiling point, with Washington continuing to reinforce its military presence in the region and Tehran looking…

Iranian gunboats made a pointed move in the Strait of Hormuz this week, approaching a U.S.-flagged oil tanker in what U.S. and British maritime security sources describe as a failed attempt to interfere with the vessel’s transit. No shots were fired, the tanker continued on its way, and no damage was reported—but the message was unmistakable. The incident comes as tensions between Iran and the United States simmer just below the boiling point, with Washington continuing to reinforce its military presence in the region and Tehran looking…

The global power sector is at a turning point in 2026. Electricity demand growth continues to accelerate, driven by an electrification push across all sectors and booming demand from data centers and transportation. At the same time, renewable energy capacity growth is decelerating due to regulatory hurdles and saturation in some markets, which make the financing of new projects more challenging. Still, these renewable sources, when combined, will become the largest source of power supply globally. Additionally, booming storage capacity and renewed…