MenuCentral Asia’s economies have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with demand for the region’s prolific oil and gas supplies down substantially over the course of 2020. Relative to last year, global oil demand is expected to contract by 9 million barrels (about 10 percent) and crude prices remain at an anemic $48/bbl. International natural
Category Archives: Articles & Blogs
COVID, Cheap Batteries, And EV Adoption Put Peak Oil Demand In Sight
In September, British oil conglomerate BP made a stunning prediction: the use of oil as a fuel in transport may peak in the mid-to-late 2020s. This means that we are either fast approaching peak oil demand — the zenith of oil consumption growth — or we are already there. Continued
America’s Global Retreat and the Ensuing Strategic Vacuum
Shortly after President Donald Trump ordered a U.S. retreat from Syria and Afghanistan in October 2019, events in the region drew U.S. forces right back in. The administration’s decision to target Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, triggered tit-for-tat retaliation between Washington and Tehran at the opening
Why OPEC+ may welcome the Biden administration
By most accounts, OPEC, the global oil exporting cartel and their allies led by Russia — known as OPEC Plus — should be wary of the incoming U.S. administration’s rhetoric. President-elect Biden campaigned on an historically pro-environment agenda: He intends to rejoin the UNFCCC Paris Agreement on climate change, achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, and
Artificial Intelligence Will Revolutionize Energy, Earning Billions For Investors
As the world is anticipating the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, energy consumption in industry and services is likely to grow. In the longer term, the developing world will increase its energy utilization, leading to growth of global primary energy demand by of 0.4% – 0.6% per year, or a 25% increase by 2050. According
RCEP: The World’s Largest Trade Deal May Be Bad News For US Energy Exporters
On November 15th the world’s largest trade agreement was signed in a virtual meeting room, bringing an end to eight years of negotiations. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) links 15 Asia-Pacific economies, including the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), plus Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. This is
Goldman Sachs: Renewable Power Will Become The Largest Area Of Spending In The Energy Industry In 2021
With Joe Biden’s presidential election victory last week, climate change is set to be a top priority for the incoming administration, second only to the Covid-19 recovery. As discussed in my recent article, the president-elect has laid out an ambitious roadmap for decarbonizing the US economy, which includes a carbon-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero carbon
Federal Reserve Warns Of Climate Risks, In Historic First
Days after Joe Biden’s contentious presidential win, the U.S. Federal Reserve – known as one of America’s most conservative institutions – acknowledged for the first time the financial risks of climate change in its biannual financial stability report. In comments attached to the publication, Fed Governor Lael Brainard said the following: “Acute hazards, such as storms, floods,
Biden’s Energy Policy Outlook
The historic win of the Presidency by Joe Biden will massively change U.S. policies, foreign and domestic. It is too early to project the scope of that transformation. Without a doubt, Biden’s energy policy will differ from that of his predecessor. Continued
The Future Of Small Modular Reactors: Department Of Energy Awards $1.35 Billion To NuScale Power For SMR Development
The U.S. Department of Energy just awarded $1.35 billion to the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) for the development of an experimental small modular reactor (SMR) plant. The CFPP – a subsidiary of the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) – will work with private partner NuScale Power, LLC to construct this plant at the Idaho National Laboratory, beginning in 2025.