Australia Should Have CBAM on some Commodities: Review
Australia’s latest carbon leakage review recommends a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), beginning with cement and clinker imports and potentially expanding to hydrogen, steel, ammonia and related products. The review, led by ANU professor Frank Jotzo, evaluated 75 trade‑exposed commodities and found declining emissions baselines could raise leakage risk for several sectors by 2030. It suggests applying fees rather than ACCU surrenders to cover scope‑1 emissions exceeding baselines, and warns against export rebates. The government will consider these recommendations in the upcoming safeguard mechanism review.
The Pivot: Unlocking the Central African Republic’s Substantial Resource Frontier
A&S Resources announced strategic contracts to develop a 20 billion‑tonne high‑grade iron ore deposit in the Central African Republic, valued at up to $2.5 trillion in‑situ. The resource, located in the Bangui Anomaly, has been validated by an independent technical report, confirming...
Correction to Rationale of Premium Hard Coking Coal, Fob Eastern Australian Ports: Pricing Notice
Fastmarkets corrected the pricing rationale for its Premium Hard Coking Coal (PHCC) index FOB eastern Australian ports on 12 Feb 2026. The index fell $2.43 per wmt that day, reflecting limited market activity and the application of fallback measures. A notable trade...
Cameroon Clamps Down on Shadow Fleet as Flag Purge Begins
Cameroon’s ship registry, now Africa’s third‑largest, surged 126% in the past year, largely due to Russian‑linked vessels adopting its flag. The fleet’s average age has risen to 32.7 years, prompting safety concerns after several high‑profile incidents. Under pressure from the EU...
Maran Dry Returns to Newbuilds with Capesize Order at Hengli
Maran Dry, the bulk carrier arm of Angelicoussis Shipping, has placed an order for four new capesize vessels at Hengli Heavy Industry’s Dalian yard, with options that could expand the deal to six ships. This marks the company’s first new‑build...
Nigeria Marginal Field Dispute Raises Investor Concerns After Dawes Island Court Ruling
A Federal High Court in Nigeria overturned the 2020 revocation of the Dawes Island marginal field licence, reinstating Eurafric Energy Limited’s rights. The ruling challenges the Ministry of Petroleum Resources’ decision not to renew the licence after a decade of...
MOL Group Enters Libya Offshore in Joint Venture with Repsol and TPAO
MOL Group has secured a 20% stake in Libya’s O7 offshore block through a joint venture with Repsol and Turkey’s TPAO. The block covers over 10,300 sq km in water deeper than 1,500 m, awarded in Libya’s first licensing round in 17 years....
North Sea’s First Methane-Certified ‘Grade A’ Gas Project Launched by ONE-Dyas
ONE‑Dyas has launched the N05‑A development in the Dutch‑German North Sea, becoming the region’s first offshore gas project to earn MiQ Grade A certification for methane emissions. The field, part of the GEMS area, holds up to 50 billion cubic metres of...
Partners Advance Vaca Muerta-Linked Argentina LNG Export Development
YPF, Eni and XRG have signed a binding joint development agreement to move the Argentina LNG project forward, leveraging gas from the Vaca Muerta shale play. The plan calls for two floating LNG units delivering a combined 12 million tonnes per year...
Patriot Lines up Global Copper-Silver Assets for the AI-Driven Surge
Patriot Resources, an ASX‑listed junior, has assembled a global copper‑silver portfolio aimed at capitalising on the AI‑driven data‑centre boom. The company recently secured the high‑grade Tassa silver‑gold project in Peru for $500,000 and is advancing drilling that has returned multiple...
GIWA Estimate for Record Crop Settles on 27.35Mt
The Grain Industry Association of Western Australia (GIWA) announced a record 2025‑26 harvest of 27.35 million tonnes, surpassing its December forecast of 26.55 Mt. Yield gains were driven by adequate July‑August rainfall, mild grain‑fill temperatures, and a 6.8% expansion of total crop...
EMET ETF: Question & Answer>
Metals essential to electrification are seeing demand outpace supply, with copper at the core of grid, transportation, and industrial upgrades. VanEck’s Copper and Green Metals ETF (EMET) offers investors a liquid, diversified way to capture exposure to copper miners, refiners...
CNOOC Targets 40% Offshore Wind Capacity Ramp up in 2026
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced a 40% increase in offshore wind capacity for 2026, targeting 3.5 GW of installed power. The expansion, executed with turbine maker Ming Yang Smart Energy, will roll out advanced turbines across southern provinces. Falling costs...
Spot Prices Wrap: Midwest Strength Fails to Offset Broad Spot Gas Weakness
Natural‑gas spot prices surged as freezing temperatures drove heating demand, but the rally was tempered by broader market weakness. Midwest hub prices posted gains, yet they were insufficient to lift the overall bias, which slipped lower across most regions. Forecasts...
Futures Settle: Natural Gas Pops, Then Drops After Storage Data
Natural‑gas futures surged early Thursday after the Energy Information Administration reported a 249 Bcf net withdrawal for the week ending Feb. 6, marking a second consecutive week of above‑average draws. The data lifted front‑month prices as traders priced in tighter supplies, but...
Canadian Farm Milk Price Changes to Reflect Growing Protein Demand
Canadian dairy farmer organizations are overhauling milk pricing to reflect a surge in protein‑rich product demand, with cottage cheese volumes up 32% and yogurt up 7% in 2025. The Western Milk Pool will pay 70% for butterfat, 25% for protein...
TotalEnergies Expects Mexico’s Energía Costa Azul LNG Terminal to Enter Service This Year
TotalEnergies announced that Mexico’s Energía Costa Azul LNG terminal is expected to enter service later this year, adding a new export hub on the Pacific coast. The company projects a total LNG output of 44 Mt per year from its combined...
MidDay Snapshot: Natural Gas Cash Prices Diverge by Region
Natural gas cash prices showed regional divergence on Thursday, with the Henry Hub benchmark rising to $3.425 per MMBtu, up 18 cents, while the NGI Spot Gas National Average slipped 2 cents to $2.955 per MMBtu. The overall market trend...
Vista Energy Increases Reserves by 57% and Production by 59% in 2025
Vista Energy reported a 57% jump in proved and probable reserves to 588 MMboe at the end of 2025, driven largely by the acquisition of Petronas assets. The reserve replacement ratio surged to 605% overall and 260% on a organic basis....
Natural Gas Forwards Soften Again, But Basis Strength Signals Risk of Regional Volatility
U.S. natural‑gas forward prices slipped again this week as the market eases from the January cold snap. Prompt‑month contracts fell 26.7 cents, while regional basis spreads showed mixed movement. SoCal Citygate basis peaked near $1.90/MMBtu for 2028 deliveries, whereas Malin remained...
As U.S. Companies Return to Venezuela's Oilfields — One Canadian Driller Has a Head Start
Canadian oilfield services firm Ensign Energy Services is currently the sole operator of drilling rigs in Venezuela, maintaining two rigs in the Orinoco heavy‑oil region after two decades of continuous presence. A recent Trump administration general licence has opened the...
Final Decision on Open Consultation on Proposed Changes to RBD Palm Olein, Cfr South China and Crude Coconut Oil, Fob...
Fastmarkets concluded an open consultation on its palm and lauric oil benchmarks with no objections, so it is implementing methodological changes. The roll date for Refined Bleached Deodorised (RBD) palm olein CFR South China shifts from the 16th to the...
IEA Lowers 2026 Oil Demand Forecast on Economic Uncertainty, Higher Prices
The International Energy Agency (IEA) lowered its 2026 global oil demand growth forecast to 850,000 barrels per day, down from a previous estimate amid heightened economic uncertainty and rising crude prices. Demand gains will come entirely from non‑OECD economies, with...
Chinese Zinc and Lead Smelters Rely on Byproducts in 2026
Chinese zinc and lead smelters are increasingly dependent on by‑product revenues as tight imported concentrate supplies compress primary treatment charge margins. Silver, sulfuric acid, copper and gold now provide critical income streams, offsetting low zinc and lead TCs projected for...
Nuclear Power Group Alva Energy Launches with $33 Million in Funding
Alva Energy, a Massachusetts‑based nuclear startup, closed a $33 million Series A round led by Playground Global to fund retrofits of existing U.S. reactors. The company will replace steam generators and add a second turbine, boosting each plant’s output by 200‑300 MWe and...
US Natural Gas Storage
The Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. natural gas inventories rose by 2.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in the week ending November 1, bringing total working‑day stocks to 3.22 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). This level sits about 5 percent above the five‑year average for...
Ukraine Strikes 2nd Lukoil Refinery in Russia This Week
Ukrainian drones struck Lukoil’s Ukhta refinery in the Komi region, igniting a blaze in the primary unit and a visbreaker. The attack follows a high‑precision strike on Lukoil’s larger Volgograd refinery earlier this week. Ukhta processes about 60,000 barrels of...
Ghana’s Unpaid Cocoa Farmers Are Forced to Go Hungry
Ghana’s cocoa regulator Cocobod owes farmers for tens of thousands of tons of beans as global cocoa prices have halved to about $4,000 per metric ton. The payment backlog forces smallholders like Joseph Dautey and Jacob Tetteh to skip meals,...
IEC-Based Technical Specifications Needed for Second-Life PV Module Market
The IEA‑PVPS Task 13 report warns that the second‑life photovoltaic module market remains fragmented due to missing IEC‑based qualification standards, costly manual repairs, and absent policy support. It recommends fast‑tracking IEC specifications, investing in automated testing hubs, and creating financial instruments...
USA Crude Oil Stocks Rise More Than 8MM Barrels WoW
U.S. commercial crude inventories rose by 8.5 million barrels in the week ending Feb 6, reaching 428.8 million barrels—about three percent below the five‑year seasonal average. Total petroleum stocks slipped 1.7 million barrels week‑on‑week but remain up 81.9 million barrels year‑on‑year. Refinery runs edged lower...
Spain Hits 50 GW Solar Milestone
Spain’s installed solar capacity hit the 50 GW milestone in early 2026, after adding roughly 8.7 GW in 2025. Solar now represents 33.9% of the country’s total installed power capacity and supplied 18.4% of electricity last year. The expansion was led by...
The New Rationale of the EU PV Market
Solar photovoltaic installations continued strong growth in 2025, with Europe reaching a record 70 GW and global cumulative installations surpassing 700 GW, led primarily by China’s over‑half share. The market is increasingly bifurcated: mature regions stagnate while emerging economies accelerate, and battery...
USA Labor Market Report Underpins Energy Demand
Rystad Energy highlighted that January U.S. non‑farm payrolls increased by 130,000, pushing the unemployment rate down to 4.3% and surpassing consensus expectations. The stronger labor market is viewed as a modest tailwind for demand for transport fuels, petrochemicals and power...
OGJ Crack Spread
The Oil & Gas Journal (OGJ) offers a daily OGJ Crack Spread metric that quantifies the margin between crude oil input costs and refined product sales. This spread serves as a real‑time gauge of refinery profitability and market tightness. OGJ’s...
Crude Imports by Country of Origin
The Oil & Gas Journal released a data set detailing U.S. crude oil imports broken down by country of origin. The report highlights the top supplying nations, shifts in import volumes over the past year, and emerging trends such as...
This TSX Gold Producer Tipped as Top M&A Target in Scorching Metals Market
A TD Cowen survey of 58 institutional investors and mining executives identified Toronto‑listed Iamgold Corp. as the leading M&A candidate for 2026, with 20 % of respondents flagging the company. The poll also showed near‑universal expectations of heightened gold and silver...
European Investment Bank Launching Financing Platform for Energy Efficiency
The European Investment Bank is injecting €60 million into Solas Capital’s Sustainable Energy Fund II to launch a new financing platform that will support energy‑efficiency projects for SMEs across the EU. The platform is designed to mobilize nearly €400 million of total capital,...
What Does Malaysia’s Complete Ban on E-Waste Imports Mean for Battery, Aluminium, Copper Recyclers?
Malaysia upgraded its e‑waste import prohibition from a conditional to an absolute ban, ending all shipments of end‑of‑life batteries and related waste. The move creates immediate supply uncertainty for battery recyclers that rely on imported black mass, likely driving up...
Govt Urges Refiners to Prioritise US, Venezuelan Crude Amid Evolving Trade Ties: Report
India has urged its state‑owned refiners to give priority to crude from the United States and Venezuela as part of a broader effort to diversify supplies and reduce reliance on Russian oil. The government’s suggestion applies to spot‑market tenders for...
Nickel Price Jumps as Indonesia’s Top Mine Cuts Output
Indonesia ordered the world’s largest nickel mine, PT Weda Bay, to cut its ore quota from 42 million tonnes to 12 million tonnes for 2024, aiming to tighten global supply. The LME nickel price rose 2 percent to $17,835 a tonne, extending a rally of...
What's Driving Northern Ireland's Falling Fuel Prices?
Petrol prices in Northern Ireland have fallen to 124.2 pence per litre, the lowest level in five years, while diesel holds steady at 131.9 pence. The decline follows a global oil oversupply and easing geopolitical tensions after the 2022 price spike triggered...
TotalEnergies Cuts Buybacks as Low Oil, Gas Prices Weigh on Profits
TotalEnergies announced a 62% reduction in its Q1 share buyback, lowering the program to $750 million after a fourth‑quarter adjusted net income of $3.8 billion fell 13% year‑on‑year. The cut reflects weaker oil and gas prices that offset a 215% surge in...
An FTA No One Is Talking About Can Give India a Strategic Edge
The India‑Chile free trade negotiations are moving toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that explicitly includes critical minerals such as lithium, copper, and cobalt. Chile’s abundant reserves could supply India’s “Make in India” and clean‑energy ambitions, while recent moves by...
India’s Solar Boom Hits Module Glut, Upstream Gaps Persist: Report
India's solar module capacity has surged to about 144 GW and is projected to reach 180 GW by FY30. However, upstream segments lag, with cell capacity stuck near 23.4 GW, creating a supply‑demand mismatch as installations are expected at only 45‑50 GW annually. The...
HMM Stays in the Black in Q4
South Korean carrier HMM posted a Q4 2025 net profit of KRW 364 billion, a 59.9% plunge from the prior period, while revenues fell 14.2% to KRW 2.71 trillion. The full‑year results showed a 50.3% profit drop to KRW 1.88 trillion as container freight rates slumped 49%...
China State Gold Miner Zijin Eyes Global Top 3 as Geopolitical Risks Grow
China's state‑owned Zijin Mining Group announced an aggressive push to rank among the world’s top three gold and copper producers, primarily through overseas acquisitions. The strategy emphasizes gold and copper as core minerals for future growth while acknowledging heightened geopolitical...
Uranium Market Gathers Momentum in 2026: Sprott
Uranium spot prices surged above $100 per pound in January 2026, the first breach of that level in two years, signaling renewed market vigor. Sprott Asset Management, a major buyer, added 4 million lb to its fund this year, bringing total holdings...
US Antimony, Americas Gold to Jointly Build Idaho Plant
United States Antimony and Americas Gold have formed a 51-49 joint venture to construct a hydrometallurgical processing plant in Idaho’s Silver Valley. The facility will treat antimony feed from Americas Gold’s Galena complex and could handle additional sources, aiming to...
First Quantum Credit Outlook Improves on Cobre Panama Progress
S&P Global Ratings upgraded First Quantum Minerals' credit outlook to positive, citing tangible progress toward restarting the Cobre Panama copper mine. The agency now expects the mine to resume operations in the first half of 2026, with a production ramp‑up later...
Mountain Province Pauses Tuzo Phase 3
Mountain Province Diamonds announced a pause on the Tuzo Phase 3 development at its Gahcho Kué mine, citing weak diamond prices and rising costs. The joint‑venture partners are refocusing capital on higher‑grade feed from the NEX pipe to safeguard liquidity. The decision...