News
I have said in recent posts that the world economy is hitting resource limits of many kinds. These limits include oil, coal, and other sources of energy, including uranium, used as a fuel for nuclear power generation. Because of these limits, the world economy is being forced to shrink back. In my opinion, the direction it is headed in is toward smaller, mostly less-advanced, more independent, economies. This change is also likely to lead to various types of financial collapse for many of today’s Advanced Economies. Per-capita…
The Indian steel sector—the world’s second-largest—faces a critical challenge in 2025 as the European Union (EU) tightens its environmental standards, intensifying its focus on carbon neutrality. With Europe being key customer for Indian steel, accounting for 25% of exports, India must urgently comply with stricter carbon regulations to avoid steep financial penalties that could undermine its global position in the steel market. Rystad Energy’s research suggests that by 2034, India and Russia could face some of the highest…
After more than a decade of relentless drilling in the top U.S. oil-producing basin, the Permian, some areas have hit geological limits while others, yet to be drilled, are not expected to be as prolific as the prime Tier 1 acreage that producers have started to exhaust. Top executives at major shale firms have already expressed opinions that Permian oil production could hit its peak as early as the end of this decade. To be sure, crude oil output in the top basin continues to rise, but growth has slowed since 2022—not only because producers…
Major long-term capital investments require predictable profitability and stable capital costs. For the eight large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects proposed on the U.S. Gulf and East Coasts, both of these factors appear increasingly uncertain. Capital Cost Uncertainty and Workforce Challenges One of the biggest risks for these projects is unpredictable capital costs. The Biden administration and President Donald Trump have imposed tariffs on steel and critical energy infrastructure components, but future tariff rates remain uncertain.…
The Ukrainian government said it is still considering a draft agreement from the United States on the country's minerals amid media reports Washington has changed the terms of the deal several times. Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced at a government meeting that Kyiv is forming its position on the agreement but lawmakers would only state their stance once there was consensus. Before then, she said, public discussion would be harmful. As the United States has been engaging in shuttle diplomacy to bring peace to Ukraine, US President…
Via Metal Miner A rare earth metals report by none other than a state-backed research institute is not only likely to unsettle the Chinese authorities, it has also come as a bolt out of the blue for the rest of the world. A report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences released a few days ago said China’s dominance in the rare earths sector could be nearing the end. But the disclosure does not stop there. It also outlines how the opening of new mines in Australia, South Africa and other countries, as well as Greenland’s Kvanefjeld…
The latest round of US sanctions on Iran, which now targets Chinese so-called ‘teapot’ oil refineries—small, independently owned facilities—signals a growing determination to tighten the economic noose around the Tehran administration. With potential consequences reaching far beyond Iran itself, these moves could reshape geopolitics, disrupt the global economy and send shockwaves through energy markets. While there is not yet a "maximum pressure" situation—where Iranian oil exports could drop from 1.5 million barrels…
On 1 March 2025, after his first Cabinet meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump said the Taliban should return the equipment the U.S. abandoned in Afghanistan as it withdrew in August 2021. He added that U.S. troops should return to Bagram air base, which he claimed was occupied by Chinese troops. This isn’t the first time Trump demanded the return of U.S. equipment. On the eve of his inauguration in January 2025, Trump declared that future financial assistance to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan would depend on the return of the abandoned…
The United States and European Union have demonstrated rising interest in Central Asia’s critical minerals in recent months. They additionally have shown interest in getting involved in the construction and operation of nuclear power plants to be built in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The US quest for rare earths appears to be intensifying, underscored by a low-key tour by a US congresswoman, Carol Miller, a Republican from West Virginia, who has held meetings with high-profile Central Asian leaders. In a highly unusual protocol…
While talks to end the Ukraine war dominate headlines, a crucial foreign policy shift is unfolding much closer to home—one with major implications for working Americans. At the heart of this shift is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose neoconservative approach to Venezuela threatens to undermine US strategic interests. By contrast, President Trump’s instincts on Venezuela have been sound so far. He is said to want to move away from the failure of ‘maximum pressure’, and instead, keep Venezuelan oil flowing to lower domestic…
Europe’s largest green hydrogen facility is underway in Germany, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 72,000 metric tons annually. The uniquely designed proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer can supply the main plant it's attached to with up to one metric ton of green hydrogen per hour to serve as a chemical feedstock. Once up and running, the 54MW PEM electrolyzer will generate over 8,000 tons of green hydrogen annually. The project is a collaboration between chemical sector heavyweight BASF and Siemens…
Delivering a green future for the Grangemouth oil refinery will require around £3.5bn in private investment, a report has found. The long-awaited Project Willow study, which itself cost £1.5m, sets out nine options for the future of the industrial cluster in central Scotland. Hundreds of jobs are set to be lost this year when the oil refinery there closes – and the report has identified nine “feasible” proposals which could attract private investment. These include plastic recycling, fermenting timber into bioethanol,…
Donald Trump’s second presidency has unquestionably upended the energy world—and the energy investment world. With the IRA in deep freeze and rollbacks of various climate change-related regulation, some of the biggest players in financial markets are feeling the heat. Hedge funds with a focus on energy have found themselves in a juggling act on a tightrope. Bloomberg wrote this week that a lot of money managers were scrambling to strike the right balance between investors who were still insistent that emission-cutting commitments were…
As the number of depleted and abandoned oil wells in the West Texas Permian Basin continues to grow in the long shadow of the United States shale revolution, associated environmental and public health hazards are ballooning in tandem. “From sinkholes to blowouts to persistent leaks, more than a century of oil drilling in the region has left a daunting array of environmental hazards,” the Texas Tribune wrote in a collaborative report with InsideClimate News earlier this week. This is not a new issue in the United States. Back in December…
Energy storage solutions are at the heart of a successful clean energy transition. As more wind and solar energy are integrated into global power grids, energy supplies become more variable and energy supply and demand rates are therefore frequently misaligned. Energy storage is a critical solution for stabilizing energy inflows and outflows to and from the grid for greater energy security. It’s heating up to be a major market sector in the coming years, but it’s still not clear what energy storage technology will emerge as the frontrunner. …
The United States clean energy revolution is tangled up in a sea of red tape and litigation woes. Complex bureaucratic processes, long wait times to connect to the grid, and local-level opposition has severely slowed down the buildout of utility-scale renewable energy projects across the country, dampening projections for the sector’s growth. In 2024, the International Energy Agency issued a call to action for developed nations, urging them to simplify permitting processes for new renewable energy projects. ““It often takes as…
Over the past decade, the global energy sector has turned its attention to Latin America thanks to the region’s critical role in the ongoing electrification drive. Latin America produces nearly 40% of the world’s lithium supply, and is home to over 65% of global reserves. Unfortunately, LATAM hardly gets a passing mention in another booming industry: Liquified Natural Gas or LNG. Currently, only Peru and Trinidad & Tobago export LNG. Interestingly, Brazil remains one of the largest LNG importers in the region despite having more…
The Renewables MMI (Monthly Metals Index) moved sideways month over month, increasing a slight 1.86%. Meanwhile, renewable energy projects could face some challenges from a combination of tariffs and changing Federal policies. Trump Administration’s Energy Policies Reshape the Renewable Sector Since taking power in January, the Trump administration has reshaped the U.S. renewable energy landscape by introducing some significant policy changes. So far, the White House has declared a national energy emergency, imposed tariffs on critical metals…
Armenia and Azerbaijan appear to have resolved their differences on two negotiating points, clearing the way for the signing of a peace agreement that would end more than 35 years of conflict. Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced March 13 that “the text of the Peace Agreement has been agreed upon.” The statement added that Yerevan had accepted Azerbaijani proposals on the two sticking points that had delayed finalization of the draft treaty for months. The statement did not provide further details concerning the…
Whitecap Resources, (OTCPK: SPGYF), and Veren Inc, (NYSE:VRN) agreed to a no-cash, all-stock merger the other day, finalizing a long-rumored notion making the rounds in chatrooms. Both companies have previously been active in Canadian M&A, with Whitecap acquiring XTO Canada in 2022 for $1.9 bn. Formerly known as Crescent Point, Veren Inc. made a similar move with its $1.7 bn pickup of Spartan Delta’s Montney acreage in 2023 and followed that quickly with another multi-billion dollar deal taking out Hammerhead Energy later the same year.…
Argentina’s controversial president Javier Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, on taking office enacted strict austerity measures to rein in rampant triple-digit inflation, kick-start the economy and slash a massive fiscal deficit. While it is too early to tell if Milei has reversed decades of economic mismanagement there are promising signs of a miracle emerging. Inflation has plummeted while Argentina’s strife-torn economy is returning to growth boosting the country’s appeal to foreign investors. This, in turn,…
President Donald Trump’s newly imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and a 10% tariff on energy products from Canada have the potential to send ripples through the U.S. oil and gas market. These tariffs, effective March 4, come after last-minute negotiations failed, raising concerns about higher costs for refiners and potential disruptions to North America’s tightly integrated energy supply chains. How Canadian Oil Tariffs Could Disrupt U.S. Refiners The U.S. imports approximately 4.4 million barrels per day (MMb/d) of crude…
The tightened U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil flows under the Trump Administration’s renewed maximum pressure campaign have created chaos in Iran’s oil exports to its single biggest buyer, China. However, Iranian exports to China, which buys around 90% of the Islamic Republic’s oil, continue as traders and middlemen rearrange tanker flows and increase ship-to-ship transfers, especially offshore Malaysia, vessel-tracking analysts say. The latest U.S. sanctions have managed to disrupt trade as the number of non-sanctioned tankers…
When the Labour Party of Keir Starmer won the latest UK elections, it vowed to stop new oil and gas exploration. The Starmer cabinet has stayed true to its word on that—but it is looking for ways to boost production through other means. In early February, a Scottish court ruled the previous government’s approval of two new oil and gas projects in the North Sea unlawful. The ruling was the result of climate activism that challenged the approval of the Jackdow and Rosebank projects. The court sided with the activists. Only the Starmer…
