Energy

Why US Better Stay Away From Russia-Saudi Oil Price War
US President Donald Trump used to complain about the high oil prices that came as a result of the OPEC+ agreement, which saw many oil-exporting countries cut crude production. Now, however, is unhappy with the anomalously low price of black gold that is threatening to kill the American shale oil industry. Commenting on the ongoing oil price free fall, US President Donald Trump accused Russia and S [...]
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The lesson US shale refuses to learn
In 2014, shale drillers were pushed to the brink of oblivion by low oil prices, and today with prices nearing similar levels it seems the sector has not learned its lesson. It feels like 2014 for the oil industry all over again, except this time, things could get even worse. Most US shale wells have a breakeven well above today’s current oil prices. The result will be that the shale industry in [...]
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Trump says oil price war ‘devastating’ for Russia – but it’s Saudis & US shale that stand to suffer most
Plummeting oil prices have sparked another round of predictions about the economic collapse of Russia – this time from US President Donald Trump, who sounded a lot like his predecessor Barack Obama on the subject. The price of crude oil has crashed to $20 this week, due to a one-two punch of Saudi Arabia flooding the market with record output and a sharp drop in global demand owing to the corona [...]
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Russia-Saudi revenge against shale oil threatens to crush entire US financial system, Professor Wolff tells Boom Bust
Global stock markets hit bear territory this week, with oil prices experiencing their biggest plunge since the 1991 Gulf War. Boom Bust is joined by Professor Richard Wolff of the Economic Update to discuss the ongoing oil crisis. He explains that the US, which wanted "energy independence," decided 10-20 years ago to go into the fracking business simply because it was profitable. [...]
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It’s just business: US & Britain buying more and more oil from Russia
Russia more than doubled crude oil supplies to the United States and Britain in 2019, data from the Federal Customs Service (FCS) has revealed. A fall in prices for the Russian Urals oil, combined with US sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, were among the reasons for such an increase in purchases. [...]
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US Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2 ‘Unacceptable’, Austrian Foreign Minister Says
In December, US President Donald Trump signed the National Defence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which, among other things, stipulates sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The US also threatened to sanction any company or individual involved in providing services on the project. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has lashed out at the US over its push for sanct [...]
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TurkStream is a matter of ‘national & energy security’ for Turkey & EU… and US can’t derail it now
The TurkStream pipeline, supplying Russian gas to Turkey under the Black Sea, will boost energy security of entire southern Europe and the US won’t interfere with it, said Sakir Arikan, managing director of TurkAkim Gas. The much-anticipated 930km pipeline was launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a special ceremony on Wednesday. [...]
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‘Sanctions just a hiccup’: Nord Stream 2 will be completed, & US knows it but cannot bear the thought – former US diplomat
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is going to be completed despite the latest US sanctions, former US diplomat Jim Jatras told RT, adding that the last-ditch attempt to derail its launch is a gesture of despair by Washington. [...]
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Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Reflect How US, Despite $22 Trillion Debt, Prevents Others From Developing
Earlier US President Donald Trump enacted the $738 billion National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA), a military budget package for the coming year that includes sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on new US sanctions against the Nord Stream-2 and Turkish Stream pipelines, saying that the state, with its historically unpr [...]
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‘We must show US that the jokes are over’: Top German MP says Berlin shouldn’t sit idle as Washington hampers its energy projects
As the US braces to slap sanctions on European firms building the last leg of the Russia-Germany Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a senior MP in Berlin argues that formal protests don’t work anymore – but a strong response could. [...]
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No longer ‘glorious’? UK govt ‘bans’ fracking in England, admitting modern tech can’t predict earthquake threat & impact
As Prime Minister Boris Johnson gears up for a snap election, his government made a surprise U-turn on shale gas extraction, citing public concerns and technological limits on predicting the impact of fracking on the environment. [...]
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Washington’s Nord Stream 2 Sanctions May Have Boomerang Effect on US Interests – German Media Reports
The US Congress has moved forward with legislation to impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project in defiance of criticism from Washington's allies in Europe, as the joint venture brings together Russia’s Gazprom, Germany’s Uniper and Wintershall, Austria’s OMV, France’s Engie, and Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell. [...]
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US Envoy to Germany Threatens Nord Stream 2 Firms With Sanctions AGAIN
Washington has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on all parties related to or working on Nord Stream 2, with President Donald Trump accusing Germany of being a “captive” of Russia and urging Berlin to halt its cooperation on the $11-billion project. [...]
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Berlin’s ambassador in Washington attempts to defend Russian energy majors from US sanctions
The German Ambassador to the United States has asked the US Congress to hold back new sanctions against two of Russia’s biggest gas corporations, as further penalties may put energy security of the European Union in jeopardy. [...]
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US Hopes Strangling Iran’s Oil Trade Sparks Insurrection – Ex-UK Ambassador
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US government is ending sanctions waivers for Iranian oil importers to provoke a violent insurrection or establish a casus belli for an external invasion, former UK Ambassador Peter Ford told Sputnik. [...]
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The one thing that could derail the US oil boom
As US crude exports soar, an unexpected issue is plaguing domestic producers, and it could completely derail the country’s oil boom. Two South Korean refiners have canceled the delivery of US crude oil cargoes that were due to arrive in January and February this year, Bloomberg reported earlier this week. [...]
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German MEP Vows to Use ‘All Tools’ to Stop Nord Stream 2’s Construction
Earlier this week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the stopping of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which the document claimed boosts the EU's dependence on Russian gas supplies and threatens the bloc's energy security. [...]
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Pompeo seeks to recruit top world oil execs to promote US foreign policy
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has sought to recruit some of the top oil industry guns to serve as Washington's foreign policy tools to crack down on "bad actors" like Venezuela, Russia and Iran. [...]
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Russian LNG will be cheaper for Europe than US alternative – Novatek
Europe will pay half as much for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia than what US energy companies offer, according to independent Russian gas producer Novatek. [...]
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