Irina Slav

2 weeks ago | oilprice.com | Irina Slav

China’s coal imports slowed down markedly last month amid ample domestic supply, low prices, and rising generation from wind and solar. At 36.04 million tons, May coal imports were down from 43.82 million tons in April, customs data cited by Reuters showed. This is the third consecutive monthly decline in coal imports in the world’s largest importer of the commodity.

2 weeks ago | oilprice.com | Irina Slav

Morgan Stanley analysts report that the 411,000 barrels per day OPEC+ pledged to add in May have not materialized in real-world output data. Despite increased quotas, Saudi Arabia and other producers show little sign of ramping up production significantly. A global surplus is still expected between June and September, driven by non-OPEC+ production growth outpacing demand.

2 weeks ago | oilprice.com | Irina Slav

China’s new rare earth export restrictions are throttling global supply chains, posing a direct threat to Europe’s auto industry and its mandated EV rollout. Automakers warn of looming shutdowns due to complex and slow licensing requirements for rare earth magnets. The crisis exposes dangerous overdependence on China, sparking renewed calls in the EU and U.S. to build independent rare earth supply chains.

3 weeks ago | oilprice.com | Irina Slav

Artificial intelligence is all over the media—and so is its energy consumption, which is spurring something of a new tech race. That race, however, besides innovation, includes some simpler moves, such as a return to a kind of power generator that had been consigned to history. Single-cycle gas turbines used to be popular before combined-cycle technology emerged.

3 weeks ago | oilprice.com | Irina Slav

Brazil’s Petrobras will be focusing on Africa as its main growth region abroad, the company’s chief executive told Reuters in an interview, listing Ivory Coast, Angola, Nigeria, and Namibia as specific destinations for investment. “We are experts in the eastern margin of Brazil,” Magda Chambriard said.