Congo Launches Phase 2 LNG Exports From Nguya FLNG Facility
The Republic of Congo has begun Phase 2 LNG exports from the new Nguya FLNG facility, boosting total project capacity to roughly 3 million metric tons per year. Operated by Eni, the unit was commissioned ahead of schedule and shipped its first cargo in early 2026. Phase 2 builds on the earlier Tango FLNG installation and taps gas from the offshore Nené and Litchendjili fields. The expansion coincides with heightened upstream activity from TotalEnergies and Perenco, underscoring Congo’s push to monetize its offshore gas resources.
Canada Backs Carbon Capture Buildout to Secure Oil Sands Future, Energy Minister Says
Canada’s energy minister announced a C$16.5 billion Pathways Alliance carbon‑capture buildout in Alberta’s oil sands, linking the project to a new pipeline deal and a higher industrial carbon price. Six of the country’s largest oil‑sands producers will capture and store CO₂...
BIR World Mirror: Scrap Supply Tightness Boosts Steel Prices
The Bureau of International Recycling’s World Mirror report shows U.S. recycled‑steel prices rising as winter storms forced yard closures, tightening obsolete scrap inflows and bolstering export demand. Japan’s prices also firmed amid weak scrap generation and a depreciating yen. In...
Wartsila Building Energy Storage in Support of Belgian Grid
Wärtsilä has been chosen by Gramme Storage 1 to build a 50‑MW/100‑MWh battery energy storage system in central‑eastern Belgium, with construction underway and commissioning expected by mid‑2027. The project will participate in Belgium’s Capacity Remuneration Mechanism, delivering frequency and voltage support...
Oil Prices Edge Higher Ahead of US–Iran Nuclear Talks
Oil prices nudged higher on Monday as traders priced in the upcoming US‑Iran nuclear talks, which aim to ease regional tensions. The market also factored in OPEC‑plus’s plan to increase output later in the year, tempering the risk‑off sentiment. Brent...
M&P Sees Silver Lining in Venezuela
Maurel & Prom (M&P) is lobbying Venezuelan authorities to regain access to its Urdaneta Oeste oil field after being omitted from the government’s initial roster of approved foreign operators. The Paris‑listed firm argues that the field, capable of delivering several thousand...
TotalEnergies, Oman Eye Marsa LNG Expansion
TotalEnergies and Oman’s state‑run OQ Exploration and Production are evaluating a second liquefaction train for the Marsa LNG project, which is currently under construction. The additional train would significantly raise the plant’s export capacity, positioning the facility as a major...
Dangote Drives Nigeria’s Domestic Fuel Supply Above 57% as Imports Retreat
Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery reached full 650,000 bpd capacity in January 2026, processing a record 40.1 million litres of crude per day and supplying 57 % of the nation’s fuel. Domestic output now provides 62 % of premium motor spirit, overtaking imports for the first...
Egypt’s NCIC Issues Fertilizer Sales Tender: Correction
Egyptian fertilizer producer NCIC announced a new tender for March‑loading shipments, closing on 19 February. The offer includes 1,000 t water‑soluble SOP, 20,000 t CAN26 (grade corrected), 20,000 t granular urea, 25,000 t TSP and 20,000 t DAP. Prices reference previous tender sales, with urea spot...
AOM Biodiesel Deals Hit 2-Year High in January
European biodiesel trading on Argus Open Markets surged to its strongest January level in two years, driven by the EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) and Germany’s new rule eliminating carry‑over of surplus GHG certificates. The stricter mandates, which require...
Why Chevron Is Betting Big on Venezuela’s Heavy Crude
Chevron is aggressively expanding its Venezuelan heavy‑crude production to feed its complex Gulf Coast refineries, which are optimized for dense, sulfur‑rich oil. Global supplies of such crude have tightened as Mexican exports fall, Russian barrels are sanctioned, and Canadian logistics...
Niger Stockpiled 1,000t of Yellowcake at Military Base: FT
Niger's military government moved roughly 1,000 tonnes of uranium concentrate, known as yellowcake, to Air Base 101 near Niamey after seizing the Orano‑run mine. The stockpile remains unsold, with potential buyers from Russia, China, the United States and the UAE...
Turkey Secures Barley at Prices Below Initial Tender
Turkey's state grain buyer TMO closed a February tender for 195,000 t of feed barley at $266.20‑268.20 per tonne, pricing below the initial offers. Only 50,000 t were contracted on a CFR basis, with the remainder secured ex‑works from Turkish port stocks....
Silver-Saving Efforts Ramping up in Solar Industry, Says Heraeus
Rising silver prices, now 187 % above early‑2025 levels, are pressuring solar manufacturers as silver paste can account for up to 30 % of cell costs. Heraeus forecasts a decline in photovoltaic silver demand despite stable global installations, citing ongoing substitution efforts....
China’s Carbon Market Expands Into Heavy Industry As USA Regresses
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment has extended mandatory carbon‑reporting to petrochemicals, chemicals, flat glass, copper smelting, papermaking and civil aviation, laying groundwork for future ETS inclusion. The national emissions trading system already covers power, steel, cement and aluminum—about 60‑65%...
Key Takeaways From Solaire Expo Maroc
The 14th Solaire Expo Maroc in Casablanca highlighted Morocco’s push toward an integrated renewable ecosystem, featuring electric‑vehicle pavilions and a strong Chinese presence in solar equipment. Local distributors reported a dynamic market with rising prices after China ended VAT rebates,...
EBW Warned of Faltering Gas Demand Heading Into Holiday Weekend
EBW Analytics warned that U.S. natural‑gas demand could weaken heading into the President’s Day weekend, after the front‑month NYMEX contract briefly spiked to $3.316 per MMBtu before retreating. A recent EIA report showed a 249 billion‑cubic‑foot draw, leaving storage 97 bcf below...
French Startup Launches ‘Universal’ Home Energy Management System
French startup PvPilot has launched a fourth‑generation home energy management system (HEMS) that claims universal compatibility with all major solar inverters, batteries and EV chargers. The solution, delivered via a USB‑connected relay device, measures real‑time generation and demand to orchestrate...
Refinery Petrochemical Integration, Feedstock Certainty to Define India’s Next Chemical Growth Cycle: Ramya Bharathram, MD, Thirumalai Chemicals
India’s chemical industry faces a structural shift as it seeks to move up the value chain by reducing reliance on imported feedstocks. Ramya Bharathram of Thirumalai Chemicals emphasizes refinery‑petrochemical integration, flexible cracker designs, and transparent, index‑linked pricing as keys to...
North America Drops 6 Rigs Week on Week
North America’s weekly rig count slipped by six to 773, with the U.S. remaining steady at 551 rigs and Canada falling to 222. In the United States, oil rigs decreased by three while gas rigs rose by three, shifting the...
Analyst Highlights Focus of IEW Event
The International Energy Week (IEW) in London highlighted the clash between geopolitics and a projected global oil surplus for 2026. SEB commodities analyst Bjarne Schieldrop warned that OPEC+ will likely trim production by roughly three million barrels per day to...
China's Russian Oil Imports to Hit New Record in February as India Cuts Back
China’s independent refiners boosted Russian oil imports to a record roughly 2.08 million barrels per day in February, overtaking the 1.7 million bpd seen in January. The surge follows India’s sharp cutback to about 1.16 million bpd, leaving China as Moscow’s top seaborne...
Singapore's Bunker Sales Rise on Strong Demand in Jan
Singapore’s bunker sales jumped 17% year‑on‑year to 5.23 million tonnes in January, driven by a 12% rise in vessel arrivals and strong demand for conventional marine fuels. High‑sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) reached a post‑2020 record of 2.16 million tonnes, while very‑low‑sulphur fuel...
Non-Tariff Measures Costing Industry Billions: GA
Grains Australia’s new report quantifies non‑tariff measures (NTMs) as a 20.4% tariff‑equivalent on Australian grain exports, costing the sector about $4.6 billion in forgone revenue each year. The analysis, built on ABARES research and ANU‑led econometric modelling, is the most detailed...
WA Grain Feeds Into Aurizon’s Record HY26 Bulk Earnings
Aurizon announced record bulk earnings for the half ending 31 December, driven primarily by a surge in Western Australian grain volumes. Bulk EBITDA reached $117 million, a 39 percent increase year‑on‑year, while total bulk rail volumes rose 4 percent to 28.4 Mt. The company also...
Saskatchewan’s Rook I Mine Could Make Canada the World’s Largest Uranium Exporter
Canada is on the brink of becoming the world’s largest uranium exporter as NexGen Energy’s Rook I mine in Saskatchewan moves toward final approval by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The project, located in the Athabasca Basin, is designed to...
Australian Firms Raise Gasoil Stocks to Meet Obligation
Australian fuel companies have boosted their gasoil inventories to satisfy the government‑mandated Minimum Stockholding Obligation (MSO). The MSO now requires importers to hold 32 days of gasoil and refiners 20 days, tightening the previous rules. All ten gasoil‑reporting firms met...
The End of the Boozy Chinese Banquet Hits Australia’s Largest Winemaker
Treasury Wine Estates’ push back into China has been derailed by a government crackdown on extravagant banquets and tighter grey‑market controls. The winemaker announced it will pull 400,000 cases from China and 500,000 from the United States to regain pricing...
Australia Exports 2.29Mt Wheat in Dec in New-Crop Surge
Australia’s wheat exports jumped to 2,288,487 tonnes in December 2025, more than double November’s volume and slightly above the 2.13 Mt shipped a year earlier. The surge reflects the arrival of new‑crop wheat from southern ports, marking the start of the...
Rio Tinto Pauses Simandou Iron Ore Mine in Guinea
Rio Tinto has suspended production at its Simandou iron ore mine in Guinea following the death of a contractor on February 14. The company announced a thorough investigation, though details on the cause remain undisclosed. Simandou, which began shipments in...
Daily Market Wire 16 February 2026
US headline CPI rose 0.2% month‑over‑month, bringing annual inflation down to 2.4% year‑over‑year and bolstering expectations of further Federal Reserve rate cuts. Wheat futures slipped in Chicago, Kansas and European markets as record spread volumes forced an inverted curve, even...
China to Continue Dominance of Global Ammonia Supply
China is projected to supply roughly one‑third of the world’s ammonia by 2030, cementing its role as the dominant producer and consumer. Strong agricultural demand for nitrogen‑based fertilizers and a broad industrial base, from steel to plastics, underpin this growth....
Taiwan Commits to $69 Billion US Energy Trade Pact
Taiwan's state-owned enterprises have signed a trade agreement with the United States committing to purchase $44 billion in liquefied natural gas and crude oil and $25.2 billion in power‑generation equipment by 2029. The deal, announced on Feb. 12, creates a $69 billion energy trade...
Oil Prices Level Out Despite Possible Opec-Plus Supply Growth
Oil prices closed Friday largely unchanged after a session marked by sharp swings between macro‑economic headwinds and geopolitical support. Traders weighed the prospect of OPEC‑plus expanding output against lingering demand concerns. The market’s equilibrium suggests that supply‑side expectations have not...
Are AI Data Centers a Scapegoat for Rising US Energy Costs?
US retail electricity prices have spiked, prompting criticism of new AI data center projects. While AI‑driven facilities consume large amounts of power, they represent a modest slice of total grid demand. The backlash threatens a key source of future natural‑gas...
Largest US Gas Producer Expand Ousts CEO, Heads to Houston
Expand Energy, the United States' largest gas producer, announced the removal of CEO Nick Dell'Osso. The leadership change coincided with a plan to relocate the corporate headquarters from Oklahoma City to the Houston metropolitan area. Analysts say the ouster is...
Delfin LNG Explosion Prompts Lawsuit, Broader Safety Concerns
On February 3, a pipeline explosion at the Delfin LNG export project in the Gulf of Mexico halted construction and triggered a lawsuit alleging negligence by the developers and contractors. The incident adds to a history of delays that have already...
Market View: For Gas Prices, a Tale of Two North Americas
The Northeastern United States is enduring its coldest winter in over three decades, pushing spot gasoline prices to a significant premium. In contrast, Western Canada is enjoying its warmest winter in a century, easing local fuel costs. The divergent weather...
Oil Prices, Feb. 13, 2026
Oil prices rose on Feb. 13, 2026 as OPEC+ announced an extension of its production cuts through 2027, supporting a tighter market. U.S. crude inventories dropped by 3.2 million barrels, further tightening supply. Brent crude settled at $84 per barrel,...
Brazil Corn: Bids Rise Further
Bids for Brazil's Santos/Tubarao and Barcarena/Itaqui corn cargo markets rose on Friday, driven by a sudden influx of buyers ahead of the Carnaval holiday. Sellers, however, remain reluctant to negotiate, limiting the sustainability of higher prices. Farmers are curbing forward...
Export Momentum Carries Corn Market Into New Year
U.S. corn prices remain buoyed by robust export demand that persisted into early 2025, according to Compeer Financial economist Megan Roberts. While prices are still below target levels, the export momentum offsets downward pressure. Roberts noted that a nationwide E15...
Higher Costs and Lower Prices Driving U.S. Cotton Acreage Decline
U.S. cotton growers are scaling back planting this spring as production costs surge 30% and farmgate prices slump, according to National Cotton Council data. The National Cotton Council’s grower survey shows intended acreage dropping to nine million acres, down from...
Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: February 13, 2026
Brownfield Ag News reported mixed grain and livestock futures on February 13, 2026. Corn edged higher to $4.31 per bushel, while soybeans fell to $11.33. Livestock showed divergent moves: feeder cattle rose 42 cents to $366.15, whereas lean hogs slipped 55 cents to $91.27....
USDA Issues $1.89 Billion in Emergency Livestock Relief Program Payments to Farmers
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency has released $1.89 billion in Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments, representing the final disbursements for producers who applied for 2023‑2024 flood and wildfire assistance. Recipients who previously received partial payments will now receive a second...
Argentina's Drought Continues to Hit Corn, Soy
Argentina’s early‑February drought is already cutting corn and soybean yields, with Córdoba corn farmers reporting 10‑20 % losses and average yields falling to 6.4‑7 t/ha. In the core soy region, more than 500,000 t of soybeans are lost, pushing yields to about 3.8 t/ha....
Weather Experts See Drought Relief Potential Under El Niño Shift
U.S. weather forecasters see a shift from La Niña to El Niño by summer, driven by warming central Pacific waters. The transition is expected to bring a wetter spring and an early‑summer rain pulse before a drier late‑season spell. Experts cite analog...
Correction to EU Biodiesel Prices on February 13: Pricing Notice
Fastmarkets announced a correction to several EU biodiesel FOB ARA prices published on February 13, 2026, after a calculation error incorporated prior‑day data. The revised figures show modest adjustments, such as UCOME outright rising to $1,419.50 per tonne and RME...
US Climate Rollback Set to Raise Gasoline Prices
The EPA’s own analysis shows that eliminating federal greenhouse‑gas standards for cars could lift gasoline prices by up to 29% by 2050, adding roughly 75 cents per gallon in constant dollars. Over the 2026‑2055 horizon, consumers may face a net...
Lithuania Could Break EU Ranks Over Critical Minerals Deal
Lithuania warned it may negotiate a stand‑alone critical minerals agreement with the United States if the European Union fails to deliver a bloc‑wide pact promptly. The move aims to secure rare‑earths, battery metals and other strategic inputs for its defense...
Midday Cash Livestock Markets
Midday cash cattle markets stayed quiet, with Nebraska bids at $238 live and Texas asking $245‑247 live but little action. At Wheeler Livestock Auction, steers under 650 lb rose $5‑16 while larger steers held steady and heifers showed mixed price moves....