PFC Energy put together a succinct list of key trends in oil markets in 2013, along with associated charts. These include US oil production growing faster than in any other year, cheaper crude inputs at refineries driving the US to become the world’s largest exporter of refined petroleum products, and the rising disconnect between international… Keep reading →
The global oil market is a strange place indeed and the surge in US crude production coupled with outdated regulations are creating counterintuitive trade dynamics. A majority of US crude imports come from Canada – 2.5 million barrels per day in September according to EIA data – but now the US also exports more crude… Keep reading →
Continuing this week’s coverage of the ethanol blending battle raging in Washington, we’re bringing attention to a letter the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers recently penned to President Obama in support of the US EPA’s indication that it may partially waive the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard over blending requirement concerns. The letter serves as one… Keep reading →
Just as the debate over mandated ethanol blending in the US was heating up, the Associated Press published an investigative report focused on the US ethanol industry’s negative environmental impacts. Ethanol supporters are up in arms, claiming the piece is inaccurate, lazy journalism that uses “disproven myths, skewed data, and outright fabrications.” Not surprisingly, US… Keep reading →
The battle over the Renewable Fuel Standard and how much ethanol should be blended into the US fuel system next year is heating up again, with trade groups exchanging punches and lawsuits being filed. The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers are involved in a war of words with the Renewable Fuels Association and the American… Keep reading →
The equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, typhoon Haiyan, aka Yolanda, barreled through the Philippines and is expected to make landfall in Vietnam Sunday. “The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System, jointly run by the United Nations and the European Commission, said nearly 16 million people, including more than 12 million from the Philippines, were… Keep reading →
TransCanada’s CEO Russ Girling says they are not giving up on the Keystone XL Pipeline project and neither are producers seeking to ship their product through the line. The economic rationale of transporting oil via pipe rather than rail underpins the project and Girling is confident “the oil market transcends politics.” [The Hill] Eike Batista’s… Keep reading →
The spread between benchmark crude oil prices for WTI and Brent recently widened to over $10 per barrel after reaching parity this past summer, and signals indicate this is partially due to an oversupplied US Gulf Coast refining center. It also suggests that equity investors might want to be wary of US Exploration & Production… Keep reading →
The US became a net-exporter of oil products like gasoline and diesel fuel in 2011 for the first time since 1949 and oil product exports have steadily increased since that point. US refiners found a new lease on life – after several East Coast refinery closures – by purchasing Bakken crude at a discount to… Keep reading →
Europe will require considerable volumes of Russian natural gas for the foreseeable future, but EU members are increasingly unhappy with paying oil-linked prices for the fuel. In the latest attempt at loosening the old Soviet energy yolk from Central and Eastern Europe, EU regulators yesterday filed an antitrust suit against Gazprom that could total $15… Keep reading →
