Category: Oil & Petrochemicals
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Was There Insider Trading in the Oil Futures Market?
Suspicious oil trades before a major Trump announcement raised insider-trading concerns, prompting scrutiny of who knew what, and when.
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Saudi Pipeline Breakdown Puts Global Oil Supply at Risk
Saudi pipeline trouble threatens a key oil export route, raising fears of tighter global supply, higher prices and petrochemical disruption.
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EU’s Chemical Collapse Was Made in Brussels
Brussels piled regulation, energy costs and climate obligations onto chemicals, weakening competitiveness while cheaper foreign producers steadily captured Europe’s market share.
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SABIC Decides European Petrochemicals Aren’t Worth It Anymore
SABIC is selling its European petrochemicals business as weak demand, high costs and global competition pressure the region’s downstream industry.
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Europe Helped Destroy Eurasia’s Downstream
Europe helped isolate Russian refining. Now Ukrainian strikes are tightening diesel markets, exposing the strategic cost of dismantling Eurasian energy links.
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Oil Prices Triple Depending on Location
Oil prices are diverging sharply worldwide as shipping disruptions make geography increasingly important, creating huge premiums and discounts between crude grades.
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World Oil Demand Is Falling
IEA expects global oil demand to fall sharply in 2026 as high prices weaken consumption, especially across Asian petrochemical markets.
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Braskem’s Debt Crisis Deepens
Braskem’s debt restructuring depends on securing enough creditor support, leaving the Brazilian plastics giant facing renewed financial uncertainty.
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Germany’s Leuna-Polyamid Shuts Nylon Production
Leuna-Polyamid will end nylon production in Germany after failing to find an investor, amid high costs and Chinese competition.
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Evonik Shuts Two German Chemical Plants
Evonik will close two German chemical sites, shifting production elsewhere as weak demand, Asian competition and margin pressure hit operations.
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Trump Wants More Oil Refineries
The White House is considering emergency powers to expand U.S. oil refining capacity as fuel prices rise and supply concerns grow.
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Brent Is European, But It Takes Orders From Washington
How Brent became American overnight — and what it says about Europe’s disappearing geopolitical influence.
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Trump vs China: The Oil Price War
Trump’s Iran strategy may squeeze China’s oil lifelines, boost American crude, and push Beijing into an even tighter energy alliance with Russia.
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EU Blames China for the Collapse of Its Chemical and Plastics Industry
Europe blames China for its industrial decline, but Brussels may need to confront how much of the damage is self-inflicted.
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21 Energy Companies Want to Explore for More Oil in Norway
Twenty-one energy companies have applied to explore for new oil and gas resources in Norway.
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Canada Gets a New Oil Giant
Tamarack Valley and Headwater are merging in a C$10 billion deal, creating a major new Canadian crude oil producer.
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EU May Limit Cheap Chemical and Plastic Imports
EU countries are considering limits on cheap chemical and plastic imports to protect struggling European producers.
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Dow May Quit Aramco Plastics Venture
Dow may sell its 35% Sadara stake as weak demand and industry pressures intensify globally.
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Where Did the Ottoman Empire’s Oil Go?
European powers and later American oil companies competed for Ottoman petroleum. After the empire collapsed, its former oil territories became central to Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and global energy.
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EU Lost Its Seat at the Oil Poker Table
Europe regulated itself out of the oil game, leaving others to control supply, prices and geopolitical leverage.
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Canada-US Trade War Reaches Plastics
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs now extend to selected U.S. plastic products, potentially reshaping sourcing, costs and cross-border supply chains.
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Oil Shock Sends Plastic Prices Higher
Oil’s surge toward $100 is lifting Chinese plastics and petrochemical prices, raising fears of higher costs across global supply chains.
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Goldman Sachs Warns of $120 Oil
Goldman Sachs warns intensifying Middle East shipping attacks could push oil prices toward $120 per barrel amid severe supply disruption risks.
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Is China Quietly Stabilising Global Oil Prices?
China’s weaker demand and large crude inventories are helping cushion global oil prices despite Middle East disruptions.
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Diesel, Not Crude, May Be the Real Energy Crisis
Diesel supplies could tighten this winter as refining disruptions, low inventories and geopolitical tensions intensify.
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ENI Expands Oil Production in Venezuela
ENI signs new agreements in Venezuela to expand oil projects and increase future production.
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Italy Considers New Tax on ENI and Energy Firms
Italy’s proposed windfall tax could reduce ENI’s profits and returns to shareholders.
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China Turns to Russian Oil as Middle East Supplies Tighten
China’s growing purchases of Russian oil could raise costs for smaller refiners and affect plastics production.
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The Naphtha Crunch Behind Asia’s Plastics Crisis
Rising naphtha costs are squeezing Asian plastics producers, worsening margins and exposing the region’s dependence on volatile petrochemical feedstocks.
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Europe Created Its Own Petrochemical Crisis
Europe’s shrinking petrochemical capacity leaves it increasingly exposed as geopolitical disruptions tighten global chemical supplies.
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South Korea Protects Its Petrochemical Industry
South Korea protects domestic naphtha supplies as global competition for petrochemical feedstocks intensifies amid disruptions.
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Petrochemical Winners of the Iran War
War-driven supply disruptions reshuffled petrochemical fortunes, boosting Western producers’ margins while Middle Eastern competitors struggled with production and logistics.
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War Hits Arab Petrochemical Giants
Middle Eastern petrochemical producers took a direct hit from the regional war. Saudi Arabia’s SABIC saw operating income fall 27%, while UAE-based Borouge reported a 27% decline in net profit and 18% lower sales volumes. Saudi Kayan and Sipchem also suffered from weaker volumes and higher costs, while Yansab bucked the trend, posting its strongest…
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Japan Resonac Dumps Petrochemicals on Shareholders
Resonac separates its petrochemicals operations, handing control of Crasus to shareholders as the Japanese group shifts towards higher-value businesses.
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Saudi Arabia Abandons Europe’s Chemical Recycling Ship
SABIC’s European exit and Plastic Energy’s collapse expose growing cracks in Europe’s chemical recycling ambitions as German investors take over.
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PetroChina Bets on Petrochemicals
PetroChina accelerates its petrochemical and advanced-materials expansion as declining transport-fuel demand reshapes China’s oil refining and chemicals industry.
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Trump Strikes World’s Biggest Oil Deal
A landmark US-Venezuela oil agreement gives American interests majority control over 65 billion barrels while promising investment and increased production.
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Refinery Attacks Cut Russian Gasoline Supply by 30%
Russia’s Fuel Crisis Adds Pressure to Fragile Global Market
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US Wants 100-Year Deal on Venezuelan Oil
Washington is considering a century-long arrangement granting US companies access to Venezuelan oil fields as investment and production plans accelerate.
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Global Supply Disruptions Rescue German Chemicals
German chemical producers see improving demand and sentiment, but weak capacity utilisation and global uncertainty continue to cloud the sector’s recovery.
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15 Dead at SIBUR–Sinopec Gas Chemical Complex
A deadly fire at the massive SIBUR–Sinopec petrochemical complex highlights the human risks behind expanding global plastics production capacity.
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EU Still Needs Russian Oil & Gas
Geopolitical instability is narrowing Europe’s energy options just as winter approaches, exposing the consequences of increasingly fragile supply routes.
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Sinopec Resets Strategy Amid Petrochemical Overcapacity
China’s Sinopec is reshaping its strategy as petrochemical overcapacity, weaker fuel demand and shrinking margins challenge the traditional refining and chemicals business.
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Indonesia Plans New Refinery and Petrochemical Complex
Indonesia is moving ahead with plans for a nearly $6 billion refinery and petrochemical complex in North Kalimantan.
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How Trump Keeps America the World’s Oil Master
Trump is turning America’s oil dominance into economic and geopolitical power, challenging Europe’s perception of him as an unpredictable leader.
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Taiwan Turns to America for Its Petrochemical Feedstocks
Taiwan turns to U.S. petrochemical feedstocks as Middle Eastern disruptions expose its dependence on Gulf supplies.
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Japan Changes Its Oil Strategy
Japan is reshaping its oil strategy, diversifying crude and naphtha supplies while protecting the domestic refining and petrochemical industries from future geopolitical disruptions.
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Shell to sell European Chemicals Business
Shell considers selling its European and US chemical assets as weak margins, high costs and declining competitiveness reshape the future of its global chemicals business.
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Joe Biden Appointed EU Special Envoy for Oil and Gas
Joe Biden has been appointed EU Special Envoy for Oil and Gas
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Massive Oil Spills Spread Across the Persian Gulf
Major oil spills are spreading across waters near Iran and Oman, adding an environmental crisis to an already volatile region. Satellite imagery has revealed oil pollution near Iran’s Qeshm Island, where contamination has reached beaches and environmentally sensitive areas. The slick is believed to be linked to the Minoan Pioneer, a bulk carrier damaged near…
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Lukoil Romanian Refinery Enters Insolvency
Lukoil’s Petrotel refinery in Ploiești, Romania, is entering insolvency, as international sanctions continue to weigh on the Russian group’s European operations.
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US Refineries cash in While Europe Shuts Down
U.S. refineries are running close to full capacity and cashing in on exceptionally strong refining margins, while Europe continues to lose refining capacity.
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Sinopec Looks Beyond the Gulf for Crude Oil
China’s Sinopec is moving to diversify its crude oil supplies as conflict in the Middle East exposes the risks of depending heavily on the region.
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Is TotalEnergies Becoming Overexposed to Renewables?
TotalEnergies is increasingly exposed to renewable electricity, raising questions about whether the French energy major is allocating too much capital to a sector heavily shaped by European policy.
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Shell Sells European Renewables — and It Makes Perfect Sense
Shell has agreed to sell its European onshore renewables business to TotalEnergies as the British energy major continues to reshape its portfolio and concentrate capital on businesses offering stronger returns.
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Shell sells US chemical business
Shell is considering the sale of its US chemicals portfolio as part of a broader effort to reduce exposure to underperforming businesses and concentrate capital on higher-return activities such as oil, gas and trading.
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Norway Refuses to Run Its Energy Policy From the Berlaymont Cafeteria
Norway has delivered an inconvenient message to Brussels: it intends to keep looking for oil and gas in the Arctic, whether the European Union likes it or not. Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland said Oslo would continue developing resources in the Barents Sea regardless of the EU’s position, arguing that Europe will continue needing secure…
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US Builds the Next Oil Route While Europe Destroys the Old One
Sometimes the difference between American and European strategic thinking can be summed up in a pipeline.
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The Albanian oil scandal
Albania produces oil. So why are Albanians paying more than €2 a litre at the pump—and where does the country’s oil money actually go?
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China’s Fuel Export Strategy Gains Speed
China Reinforces Its Position as Asia’s Refining Powerhouse
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European Oil Companies Continue to Outperform Chemical Industry
European oil companies continue to thrive, while the continent’s chemical industry faces mounting challenges. A look at how different policy priorities in the US and Europe are shaping the future of the oil and chemical industries.
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Trump blasts Exxon, Chevron for making ‘too much money,’ demands lower gasoline prices
Trump Tells Big Oil to Cut Gasoline Prices, Singles Out Chevron CEO
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Germany Needs an Oil Champion
Did Germany make a strategic mistake by never building a global oil and gas champion? This article explores the history of Germany’s energy strategy and argues that Europe should rethink its approach to energy sovereignty—with a satirical twist at the end.
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Is the World’s Biggest Cartel Hiding in Plain Sight?
How Does an Oil Cartel Fit Into a Free Trade Environment?
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How China Took One for the Team to Keep Oil Markets Stable
China’s Lower Oil Imports Helped Stabilize the Global Market
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India Signals a New Era in Global Crude Procurement
India’s state-owned Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) has become the country’s first refiner to formally instruct crude oil suppliers to avoid shipments transiting the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz in a spot crude tender.
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Ursula von der Leyen Explains EU’s Relationship with OPEC
Exclusive Interview with Bioplastics News: Ursula von der Leyen Explains Europe’s Relationship with OPEC
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US and OPEC: A Relationship of Contradictions
For decades, the United States has criticized OPEC for coordinating oil production and influencing global prices, arguing that free markets—not producer cartels—should determine the price of crude. Yet Washington has never seriously sought to dismantle the organization.
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ENI acting responsibly in Mozambique
Not every story about the oil industry has to be a negative one. When an energy company promotes policies that can genuinely benefit local communities, those initiatives deserve recognition—even when the company in question is ENI.
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Chinese insights on whether oil is a fossil ressource
One of the most persistent conspiracy theories surrounding the fossil oil industry is the claim that oil isn’t a fossil resource at all. Now, China appears to be jumping on that bandwagon.
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Exxon warns for increasing oil prices
Exxon warns oil inventories will hit dangerously low levels in weeks, forcing prices to shoot higher
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An Essay in US oil Diplomacy
This essay examines U.S. oil diplomacy in the current context of tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, exploring how energy logistics, supply security, and strategic infrastructure could shape geopolitical influence in a period of maritime instability.
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Belgian Green Leader is against oil companies and wants a Trump Tax
New Belgian Green Leader is anti oil companies and wants a Trump Tax.
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TotalEnergies CEO causes oil market crash
Watch the clip Satirical Note Relax, it’s a joke. In the middle of the ongoing energy crisis — fueled by geopolitical tensions, wars, sanctions, and the general sense that the global oil market runs on caffeine and panic — the financial world briefly believed it had just received the mother of all insider signals. The…
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BlackRock CEO warns of global recession if oil price hits $150
Personal Remarks A spike to $300 per barrel would trigger an immediate and total collapse of the EU. Europe is in a downward spiral, and Germany bears a fair share of the blame. Ursula von der Leyen’s aggressive push for the Green Deal, her crusade to cut off Russian gas, and her inability to connect…
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Oil wealth: Saudi Arabia vs Australia
How Oil-Rich Western Countries Failed Their Own Citizens
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Greenland given to Trump if oil prices rises
Let’s play a completely hypothetical (and definitely not alarming) game: what would it take for Europe to hand over Greenland to Donald Trump—for free? Simple. All we need is oil to hit $350 per barrel and stay there for six straight months. At that point, European leaders might not just reconsider energy policy—they might start…
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Japan selects US as primary oil and energy supplier
Japan recently solidified its energy security by signing $56 billion in deals with the U.S. for oil, gas, and LNG. Finalized at the Asia-Pacific Energy Security Forum on March 14, 2026, the agreement marks a strategic shift under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to reduce import risks and strengthen the U.S.-Japan economic alliance amidst global instability. Japan took a strategic decision: I have…
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Oil wealth: US vs Saudi Arabia (Video)
Unfortunately, my American friends didn’t quite get the oil wealth distribution right. I mean, even the Arabs did it better … Play the video
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Qatar’s Superior Redistribution Framework
Yes, Qatar redistributes its oil and natural gas wealth to its citizens, which has resulted in one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world. The government uses this wealth to provide substantial benefits, including high-paying public sector jobs, free electricity, and free healthcare. Key aspects of how Qatar redistributes its wealth include: While…
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Energy Secretary Addresses US–Venezuelan Oil Relationship
I appreciate the transparency of U.S. policy. They don’t wrap it in moralistic rhetoric or claims of superiority like we often hear from the EU. With the current US policies, what you see is what you get. Watch View this post on Instagram A post shared by VICE News (@vicenews)
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Streetwise Strategies in US Imperial Oil Hegemony
While the European Union is attempting to phase crude oil out of its energy equation in favor of Green Deal–aligned alternatives such as vegetable-based fuels, the United States could consolidate its position as the world’s dominant energy power almost overnight. It is important to remember that modern economies were built as carbon economies. They rely…
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Iraq (Basra) oil infrastructure destroyed (Video)
Watch View this post on Instagram A post shared by Danyal Alam (@global_military_forum)
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Major Iranian oil depots and refinery destroyed (Videos)
The attacks spark large fires as they hit four oil storage facilities and an oil production transfer centre in Tehran and Alborz. The Aghdasieh oil warehouse in northeast Tehran, the Tehran refinery in the south, the Shahran oil depot in the west of Tehran, and an oil depot in Karaj city were the facilities targeted.…
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Greenpeace protest against ENI sponsorship Olympic Games
Personal Opinion It’s better to have an oil company sponsoring the Olympic Games than a junk food producer. It was a good idea to have an Italian company sponsoring the Olympic Games in Italy. What I disliked more was to have Snoop Dogg as an Olympic Games ambassador. What an immoral choice. Watch the video…
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The ENI-Ambrosiano Scandal
I have long been intrigued by the geopolitical influence of oil companies. While I once assumed that nationalization was superior to privatization, I have since realized that ‘national’ oil companies are not inherently better managed than their private counterparts.
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Which oil companies are the least responsible?
Dear ChatGPT, Which oil companies are the least responsible? i’ve copy pasted the answer wthout edit.
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The Rockefeller ‘Fossil’ Oil Conspiracy (Video)
The Rockefeller lie perdured until today and still the lie hasn’t been corrected officially. It’s remarkable that our society has been built on lies. Free 3 minutes video.
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California may file more plastics recycling lawsuits
https://www.reuters.com/world/california-looking-more-trump-plastics-lawsuits-attorney-general-bonta-says-2025-09-24
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Did ENI write the speech of Italian PM Meloni?
Greenpeace replied to my emails and from what I understood: ENI wrote the speech of Italian Prime Minister Meloni at the COP 29. This is a FREE article
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Will ENI profiteer from the Gaza conflict?
The following particular sensitive information was brought to my attention. This is a FREE article.
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ENI to increase collaboration with the US
Google translation (ANSA) – ROME, SEPTEMBER 12 – During a series of meetings, U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta, U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Chairman of the National Energy Dominance Council Doug Burgum, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright met with Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi for an update on Eni’s activities with U.S. partners and…
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Systematic attribution of heatwaves to the emissions of oil and gas majors
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09450-9
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ENI launched a new company to manage its oilfield chemicals business
ENI is preparing to get rid of Versalis by peeling off profitable assets
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Most Countries in the World Were Ready for a Historic Plastic Agreement. Oil Giants Killed It
https://www.zmescience.com/science/most-countries-in-the-world-were-ready-for-a-historic-plastic-agreement-oil-giants-killed-it
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