Ada Taib and Laura Huchzermeyer
Editors, Americas crude oil markets 
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April 9, 2019 11:11 UTC 
(1)
North Asian refiners are set to test a new US crude oil grade that some have touted could be a replacement for Iranian barrels, traders said. Samples of US West Texas Light crude or WTL, which has an API of between 45 and 55, were heard to have been sent out to North Asian refiners, they added. Depending on results, and global appetite, the US Gulf Coast will be exporting many more cargoes of WTL in the future. |
Andrew Critchlow
Head of news, EMEA
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April 8, 2019 08:44 UTC
(0)
Saudi Aramco is by far the most profitable company on the planet and produces more oil than any other single entity, but there are still doubts about the viability of its stalled initial public offering. The problem for Aramco is that its weaknesses are as obvious as its strengths. |
Emma Slawinski
Editor, Platts Insight
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April 5, 2019 12:54 UTC
(2)
Oil markets had their eyes trained on North African politics this week, and developments in Libya and Algeria in particular. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation on April 2 threw the state’s long-delayed oil and gas reforms into doubt. Bouteflika had just a few days earlier appointed Algeria’s fourth energy minister in three years. In Libya, eastern military leader General Khalifa Haftar looked to be pushing for greater control over the country, adding to other supply-side concerns that have recently driven sentiment in crude oil markets. › Continue Reading |
Steve Piper
Director, S&P Global Market Intelligence 
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April 5, 2019 08:50 UTC
(1)
Ahead of the S&P Global Platts Global Power Markets conference in Las Vegas, April 8-10, 2019, The Barrel presents a series of articles on the global and US electricity sectors. In this last post of the series, Steve Piper analyzes S&P Global Market Intelligence data to show that renewables are increasingly able to compete with conventional generation. Wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) electric facilities only account for an estimated 11% of US generation, but they are fast closing on a tipping point where they may outperform conventional generation as an asset class. Several factors have come together to drive this result, starting with a rapid decline in costs for new renewable facilities, both wind and solar, that has offset the advantage to natural gas generation brought about by abundant and economical supply. › Continue Reading |
Siobhan Hall
Senior editor, EU energy policy 
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April 4, 2019 12:41 UTC
(0)
Russia’s planned 55 Bcm/year Nord Stream 2 gas link to Germany has prompted heated political debates, changes in EU law and threats of US sanctions, but its fate in the end may be decided by Danish civil servants enforcing local planning rules. The latest development is that the Danish Energy Agency has asked the Nord Stream 2 project company to provide information on a third possible route for the Danish section of the two 1,200 km parallel pipelines, while it is still assessing two pending permit requests for other routes. › Continue Reading |
Marcela Duenas
Market Engagement Manager, Mexico
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April 3, 2019 13:37 UTC
(8)
Mexico’s new president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, popularly known as AMLO, has said there will be no fracking during his six-year term, igniting a debate about Mexico’s energy security amid rising gas consumption. But mixed signals on the issue have emerged from elsewhere in the government. So what is all the fuss about? Saying no to fracking will mean leaving more than half of Mexico’s total natural gas reserves in the ground. This could be risky for Mexico, since the country’s natural gas production has fallen dramatically in recent years, descending to 2.6-2.7 Bcf/d in 2018 from a historical high of 5.1 Bcf/d in 2010, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics. › Continue Reading |
Laura Huchzermeyer
Managing editor, Americas crude
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April 2, 2019 11:51 UTC
(0)
Deliveries of LOOP sour crude dropped in March, one month after flows reached their highest level in half a year, a Louisiana Offshore Oil Port report showed Monday. LOOP delivered more than 845,000 barrels of the sour crude from its storage in March. That is compared with the six-month record high of 1.135 million barrels of LOOP sour crude that was delivered in February. › Continue Reading |
Morris Greenberg
Senior manager, S&P Global Platts Analytics
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April 2, 2019 09:40 UTC
(1)
Ahead of the S&P Global Platts Global Power Markets conference in Las Vegas, April 8-10, 2019, The Barrel presents a series of articles on the global and US electricity sectors. Here, Morris Greenberg explores the drivers behind US coal generation retirements in recent years. The aging US coal fleet is being squeezed from all sides, with policy, cheap domestic gas supply and developments in clean energy generation all contributing to fast-paced closures. S&P Global Platts Analytics data show that since peaking at 317 GW at the end of 2011, US generating capacity with coal as the primary fuel fell by 73 GW, or 23%, due to retirement of 61 GW and primary fuel conversion – mainly to natural gas – of 16 GW. This was offset by additions of 4 GW. › Continue Reading |
Jack Jordan and Paul Hickin
Editors, EMEA 
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April 1, 2019 08:53 UTC
(2)
Fuel quality is the great unknown for the shipping and oil refining industry. The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) January 2020 deadline could see the majority of vessel owners switching to cleaner marine fuels incompatible with each other. Other solutions look similarly haphazard. The IMO’s global sulfur limit for marine fuels drops to 0.5% next January from 3.5%, and the industry is developing a wide range of very low sulfur fuel oils, which may be compliant but also vary in other qualities. › Continue Reading |
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Emma Slawinski
Editor, Platts Insight 
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March 29, 2019 13:30 UTC
(0)
Metals are playing a starring role in the transition towards renewables and electric vehicles, and the past week saw plenty of activity in the sector. There were also positive indicators pointing to strong demand ahead for a number of products. In China, the announcement of a cut in subsidies for EVs signalled a further milestone in the industry’s development. › Continue Reading |
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