Sunday, 11 October 2026

OMV Petrom expects the first gas from its Black Sea Neptun Deep development to enter Romania's National Transmission System in the first half of 2027, according to Offshore Magazine.

The company said the project remains on track after the installation of the Neptun Alpha production platform and other recent milestones.

Seven of the 10 development wells have been completed, per Offshore Magazine.

Upcoming work will focus on drilling the remaining wells, installing and integrating subsea infrastructure, connecting offshore facilities to the transport pipeline, and conducting testing.

Food experts and economists expect the global rise in diesel prices to make grocery shopping tougher for Canadian consumers this winter. Diesel is a key input for Canada's food supply chain, where high transportation costs feed directly into the prices consumers see on store shelves.

Statistics Canada's dashboard tracking cost hikes across the food supply chain showed diesel prices were up 75% year over year in August.

Progeco won a five-year contract for project management and technical supervision on Azule Energy's Greater PAJ offshore oil development in Angola, according to Splash247.

Saipem and a China Harbour-Cyfield joint venture rank among six contractors bidding to finish the stalled Vassiliko LNG terminal, Philenews reported, citing state infrastructure officials.

Mexico's producer prices rose 4.05% in the year to September, according to Rio Times Online.

Crude oil was the largest single contributor to that increase. Its producer price jumped 34.04% from August, Rio Times Online reported.

In global trading, crude for November delivery was last seen up by USD 0.33, or 0.4%, according to RTTNews.

Singapore needs to strengthen its energy resilience while making progress on decarbonisation, Tan See Leng said, pointing to bio-LNG as an option amid global disruptions.

Bio-LNG functions like conventional LNG but must deliver at least 65% lower emissions than regular fossil fuels under EU regulations, according to The Straits Times.

A fire broke out on Oct. 2 at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.'s Hussar gas plant near Standard, Alberta, according to westcentralonline.com.

Wheatland County ordered the evacuation of properties within three kilometres of the plant while emergency crews responded.

The company confirmed the blaze was fully extinguished at approximately 3:30 p.m., roughly 10 hours after crews were first dispatched.

A New York state appellate court rejected New York City's attempt to hold ExxonMobil, Shell and BP responsible for climate-change costs, agreeing with a lower court that climate-aware customers were not reasonably deceived by alleged greenwashing of fossil fuel products, according to Before It's News.

The appellate court upheld a trial court's finding that advertising and promotional statements by the three companies did not violate the city's consumer-protection laws, Before It's News reported. Both courts held the city took the ads out of context.

Separately, internal ExxonMobil documents disclosed through court filings in an ongoing Massachusetts lawsuit detail the company's long-running internal debate over climate-change action, according to Dim Sum Daily. The newly public records include internal memos and depositions from scientists.

Those records indicate that ExxonMobil's external climate messaging did not always reflect views held inside the company, Dim Sum Daily reported.

South Africa's petrol 95 price rose by R3.33 per litre and petrol 93 by R3.12 per litre from October 7, according to the Plainsman and Constantiaberg Bulletin.

Diesel climbed by between R2.84 and R3.24 per litre depending on the grade over the same period.

In the coastal pricing zone, which includes Cape Town, petrol 95 now costs R29.38 per litre.

South Africa's Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources said the average Brent crude price rose from $87.89 to $101 per barrel during the review period. The department attributed the increases to global supply concerns and higher shipping costs, which also pushed fuel prices higher.

State-owned thermal power stations in Andhra Pradesh generated a record 19,268 million units of electricity during April-September of the 2026-27 financial year, according to The New Indian Express.

The gain tracked a rise in plant availability. Average availability across the state's APGENCO and APPDCL thermal stations increased from 66% to 79%, the outlet reported.

Crude prices settled higher on Friday after Hurricane Isaias approaching the Gulf of Mexico prompted oil companies to halt more than 70% of production in U.S. waters, according to Ship & Bunker. That share equaled about 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of output taken offline.

Brent settled up 44 cents at USD 104.72 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) settled up 36 cents at USD 91.85 per barrel, Ship & Bunker reported.

The gains were capped by China's plan, announced Friday, to resume refined fuel exports after suspending them during its Golden Week holiday.

Nigeria recorded the world's steepest diesel price increase between February and August 2026, with prices rising 82.7%, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

UNCTAD tied the increase to disruptions in global energy supplies that intensified fuel cost pressures across developing economies.

The price of diesel fuel, which moves tractors, trains, and ships around the world, has recently surged, according to ChinaTechNews.com.

Crude shipping costs on the U.S.-China route reached USD 76 million per cargo, about ten times their pre-war level, adding tens of dollars per barrel to delivered oil prices, according to Oilprice.

The Iran war drove crude shipping costs to record highs by reshuffling trade routes and tying up tankers in longer, inefficient voyages, Oilprice reported.

Supertanker rates on the Persian Gulf-to-China route exceeded USD 1 million per day in September, a record high, according to Oilprice.

Shipping oil from the United States to China costs about USD 80 million, compared with USD 74 million for a standard launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, said Gibson, a shipbroking firm.

At least 16 U.S. transportation companies filed for bankruptcy in less than a month as the Iran war pushed diesel prices higher, according to the Daily Caller.

The national average diesel price reached a record $6.53 per gallon on Sept. 22 before easing to $6.28 on Oct. 9, according to AAA cited by the Daily Caller. The outlet tied the sector's financial strain directly to those higher fuel costs.

At the retail gasoline level, prices have been falling. The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County dropped 1 cent on Saturday, its ninth consecutive daily decline, according to Times of San Diego. That brought the county average to $6.343 per gallon.

EDF Energy chief executive Simone Rossi described new oil and gas extraction projects in the North Sea as a "no-brainer" that aligns with climate commitments rather than conflicting with them.

Rossi advocated UK government approval of the Rosebank and Jackdaw field developments, paired with faster investment in heat pumps and electric vehicles.

In a separate cooperation effort, Minarak Brantas Gas and SOCAR are considering working together on oil and gas exploration and production on Indonesia's East Java island.

Argentina formally accepted Tecpetrol's Los Toldos II Este oil project into the incentive regime for large investments, known as RIGI, according to BNamericas.

The project targets Neuquén province's section of the Vaca Muerta shale formation and is the third onshore upstream oil initiative greenlit under RIGI since a rule change opened the door for such projects to apply, BNamericas reported.

Los Toldos II Este aims to reach an oil production rate of 70,000 barrels per day, according to a resolution published in the official gazette cited by BNamericas.

RIGI provides tax, customs and foreign exchange benefits, along with legal and regulatory stability for 30 years, BNamericas reported.

The Dangote Group expects Nigeria's naira to trade at N1,330 per dollar in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to a forecast reported by Legit.ng.

The group linked the outlook to rising foreign reserves, increased foreign investment and lower fuel import costs. On Legit.ng's account, the forecast reflects improvements in Nigeria's external position, attractive real interest rates that have drawn foreign portfolio investors, and a shrinking fuel import bill as domestic refining capacity expands.

Domestic refining has reduced the country's reliance on imported petrol. According to africa.com, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery supplied roughly 50 million liters of petrol daily to the domestic market during the first half of 2026.

Nigeria's average daily petrol imports fell 26% in August 2026, africa.com reported. Imports averaged 14.6 million liters per day that month.

Oil India Limited (OIL) took first prize in the technical poster presentation category at the North East Region Gas Conclave 2026.

The conclave, held at Vivanta in Guwahati in association with Resonance Energy, centered on four pillars of natural gas: availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability.

The event spotlighted the Northeast Gas Grid operated by IGGL, which is designed to connect all eight northeastern states to India's National Gas Grid.

Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o called for urgent investigations, environmental clean-up and compensation for affected residents after a reported fuel spill from Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) infrastructure into River Nyando and surrounding areas in Muhoroni, Kenya.

The spill contaminated River Nyando and the surrounding environment in Muhoroni Sub-County, Kisumu County.

Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) launched investigations to establish the circumstances of the spill.

Nyong'o said affected individuals, households, farmers, businesses and other parties should receive fair and appropriate compensation for verified losses in accordance with the law.

In New Mexico, more than three barrels of wastewater come out of the ground for every barrel of extracted oil, on average, according to Grist.

This produced water is extremely saline and toxic, carrying a mix of petroleum compounds and oilfield chemicals, Grist reported. It can also be radioactive.

State rules in New Mexico ban the use of produced water for anything outside the oilfield, according to Grist.

Grist reported that the volumes have spawned a parallel industry devoted to gathering, transporting, and reinjecting the water deep underground. That practice has driven a rise in seismic activity in the region. It has also produced blowouts that spew toxic water when injection wells fail.

Brent crude climbed above USD 105 per barrel this week after a series of tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Startup Fortune. The waterway still carries a meaningful share of the world's oil and LNG even with wartime restrictions in place.

Fuel-price pressure could persist even after shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal, according to a report cited by Signal SCV.

South Africa's Petrol 95 climbed R3.33 a litre and diesel rose by up to R3.24 a litre on Wednesday, The Witness reported.

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources tied the increases mainly to rising international oil prices, pointing to Brent crude moving from US$87.89 to US$101 a barrel, according to The Witness.

The Witness reported that the pricing changes could raise living costs, tighten household budgets and lift operating costs for businesses.

Ifeacho, a fuel-market expert cited by The Witness, said the country is especially exposed to fuel-price swings because goods, farm produce, workers and services all rely heavily on road transport.

Dangote Refinery raised its gantry price for diesel by NGN 100 per litre, lifting the price from NGN 1,700 to NGN 1,800 per litre, according to TheNewsGuru, citing a market survey on Saturday. The move reverses part of a price reduction introduced earlier in the week.

The higher price may increase costs for businesses and other consumers that depend on the product, according to TheNewsGuru.

The increase came three days after Dangote Refinery cut its diesel price by NGN 80 per litre, which had dropped the gantry price from NGN 1,780 to NGN 1,700, according to Ghanamma.

Despite the upward revision, Dangote Refinery's diesel remained cheaper than products sold by several independent depot operators, according to TheNewsGuru.

Save Lamu, a civil society group in Lamu County, has called on the government and the proponents of the proposed Dangote Lamu oil refinery to publish documents proving that legal requirements were met before construction proceeds further.

The group said the public has not seen documents showing that transparency, public participation, environmental protection and other constitutional obligations had been met.

Save Lamu Secretary General Mohammed Athman said no project-specific environmental and social impact assessment had been published for the refinery. Athman said there was no public record of a NEMA licence or its conditions for the project.

Save Lamu said it would give the national government and Dangote Oil Refinery 14 days to respond to the concerns of Lamu residents before pursuing legal action.

Korean officials continued to push back after President Trump announced that South Korea would invest more than USD 50 billion in an Alaska gas pipeline.

South Korea had made no decision to invest in the Alaska LNG project at that point, according to Democratic state Sen. Bill Wielechowski.

Proposed Alaska gas exports to South Korea were being evaluated as part of a broader investment package.

Idaho Governor Brad Little signed an executive order suspending state inspections of dyed diesel fuel for 30 days to lower costs for farmers and ranchers, according to the governor's office.

The measure targets dyed diesel, the fuel used in agricultural operations. The suspension runs for 30 days.

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen issued a separate directive allowing tax-free red-dyed diesel to be used for agricultural purposes on state public roads without penalty through December, according to the Nebraska Examiner. The Pillen directive was intended as relief during harvest time.

The government reduced the petrol price by Rs0.66 per litre and increased the high-speed diesel price by Rs0.52 per litre, according to Daily Times.

The revised fuel prices take effect from October 10 through October 12, according to the Petroleum Division as cited by Daily Times.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that IT Minister Shaza Fatima will receive a Tamgha on March 23 in connection with the government's digital petrol subsidy scheme, according to techjuice.

The US Census Bureau has corrected a trade record, saying 597,027 barrels of US crude first logged as a June export to Mexico actually went to Singapore, according to Rio Times.

The correction moves the recorded destination of the June shipment off Mexico's import tally and onto Singapore's, reshaping how the cargo appears in official US export statistics.

Azerbaijan has gained a strategic advantage by investing in critical oil and gas infrastructure that enables exports from the Caspian Sea to international markets, according to an analytical review by Wood Mackenzie.

The construction of major export pipelines opened the Southern Corridor, linking Azerbaijan's oil and gas supplies to markets beyond the Caspian.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, commissioned in 2005, carries 1.2 million barrels per day and primarily transports Azerbaijani crude to Ceyhan in Türkiye, according to Wood Mackenzie.

On the gas side, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) move Azerbaijani gas through Georgia and Türkiye before connecting to European gas networks via Greece and Italy.

WTI crude fell 1.2% on October 9, 2026, after Trump said there would be no attack on Iran before the November 3 midterms, easing supply fears, according to riotimesonline.com.

WTI closed at USD 90.40, down USD 1.09, and Brent settled at USD 102.91, down USD 1.37, according to La República of Colombia. Brent fell 1.3% on the day.

Wall Street closed higher as the prospect of an immediate escalation with Iran receded, according to riotimesonline.com.

Mexico is weighing a fracking expansion into its northern Burgos and Sabina basins as part of a government initiative to lift domestic gas production and reduce dependence on US energy imports.

The country imports 75% of the natural gas it consumes.

Activists and residents have questioned claims of minimal environmental impact, arguing that the extraction method threatens water supplies and causes irreversible environmental harm.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney designated the Pacific Link oil pipeline, formerly known as the West Coast Oil Pipeline, as a project of national interest.

The designation enables a faster regulatory review that could allow pipeline design and construction to begin by next fall.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he was disappointed by the decision because the resources needed to respond to a major oil spill are insufficient today.

Nine out of 10 decided respondents in an ATB survey believe Pacific Link and the associated Pathways carbon capture network will proceed.

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has asked the Federal Government to allocate independent marketers at least 30% of the discounted petrol supply currently going to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), according to Naija News.

The association wants its members to buy the product from NNPC at the discounted rate and sell it through their own filling stations, TheNewsGuru reported.

PETROAN said extending the initiative to more fuel stations would widen access to cheaper petrol, ease pressure on NNPC retail outlets and help reduce queues formed by motorists seeking discounted fuel, according to TheNewsGuru.

The association said it had submitted the proposal to the government and was awaiting a response.

BP is actively considering bids for oil and gas blocks under India's new exploration policy, chief executive Meg O'Neill said, according to the Economic Times.

O'Neill said the company is examining India's current exploration rounds, telling the Economic Times, "We are actively looking at the current exploration rounds". She described the policy as having the provisions needed to attract large energy explorers.

India's Samudra Manthan policy is intended to accelerate deep-water oil exploration, according to the Economic Times.

The South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) has gone to market for an integrated terrain reconnaissance to reduce the risks of a 2D seismic survey in the Jonglei Sub-Basin's Block B2 in South Sudan, according to the Sunday Times. The company now houses the country's oil assets, including the Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF).

The Strategic Fuel Fund holds 90% of the Block B2 project, with the remaining 10% held by South Sudan's Nile Petroleum Corp, the Sunday Times reported.

The underlying agreement provided for the construction of a 60,000 barrels-per-day oil refinery in Pagak, in northeastern South Sudan.

Acquiring seismic data in Jonglei faces several obstacles, according to the Sunday Times. These include poor or non-existent infrastructure, severe seasonal flooding, and environmental sensitivities tied to the Sudd wetlands. The report also cited logistical constraints such as remote access and surface noise, along with insecurity and conflict.