East Asia

The price of Asian spot liquefied gas fell this week due to a lacklustre market. Prices are expected remain low as Chinese gas production and ample stocks limit the interest in spot purchases. Average LNG price for delivery to North-east Asia in November Industry sources estimate that the price per million British Thermal Units (mmBtu) was $11.20, down from $11.50/mmBtu in the previous week. Go Katayama is an LNG and gas analyst with data analytics firm Kpler. He said that Asian LNG prices will remain somewhat bearish through next week due to increased domestic gas production, higher underground storage withdrawals...

The price of Asian LNG spot rose this week due to geopolitical developments surrounding Russian sanctions and tensions around the Middle East. However, muted demand in the region and high inventories capped the gains. Average LNG price for delivery in October to Northeast Asia Industry sources estimate that the price per million British Thermal Units (mmBtu) is now $11,50, up from $11,30/mmBtu in the previous week. Estimated price for November delivery is $11.60/mmBtu. Go Katayama of Kpler said that Asian LNG prices largely tracked the geopolitical premium in European gas prices, rather than Asian fundamentals. He added that the European...

It might seem audacious to the world's biggest natural gas producer that it demands its largest market stop purchasing from a rival. This is exactly what happened this week in Milan at the annual meeting of the global gas industry. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum delivered a clear message at the beginning of the Gastech Conference. Doug Burgum, the Interior Secretary of the United States, delivered a message that was clear: Europe should cease purchasing gas from Russia. The United States will gladly replace it. Burgum said that American energy dominance is a key part of Donald Trump's agenda in...

It might seem audacious to the world's biggest natural gas producer that it demands its largest market stop purchasing from a rival. This is exactly what happened this week in Milan at the annual meeting of the global gas industry. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum delivered a clear message at the beginning of the Gastech Conference. Doug Burgum, the Interior Secretary of the United States, delivered a message that was clear: Europe should cease purchasing gas from Russia. The United States will gladly replace it. Burgum said that American energy dominance is a major part of Donald Trump's agenda in...

Sources from top Russian companies, including the vast Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom, and giant gas concern Gazprom, are looking at selling "panda bonds" denominated in yuan, according to company sources on Monday. Western capital markets, however, remain closed to Russia. Since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian companies are no longer able to access the capital markets of the West. The Financial Times reported Monday that China is preparing to reopen the domestic bond market for major Russian energy companies, as Xi Jinping & Vladimir Putin continue to deepen their partnership "without limits". Putin, who visited China this week,...

The Chinese rating agency CSCI Pengyuan gave a triple-A rating to the Russian oil giant Gazprom, which was blacklisted by the United States. Media reports said Beijing is preparing to reopen their domestic bond market for major Russian energy companies. "Gazprom’s rating reflects both its strategic importance and its legal ties with the Russian government," CSCI Pengyuan stated. It added that the firm's "strong business profile" as a global leader in the oil and gas industry, and its significant position on the Russian energy market, underpins its credit profile. The "AAA", with a stable outlook, rating came only days after...

The Asian spot LNG prices remained stable this week, as regional demand was muted. Meanwhile, a gas supply agreement between Russia and China could curb future LNG shipments by the largest Asian importer. Average LNG price for delivery in October to Northeast Asia Industry sources estimate that the price per million British Thermal Units (mmBtu) was $11,30, a slight increase from $11,15/mmBtu in the previous week. Masanori Odaka of Rystad Energy said that east Asian importers showed a muted interest in purchasing cargoes, although some Japanese and Korean firms offered to deliver them by the fourth quarter. Current prices are...

LSEG released preliminary data on Monday showing that Russia's exports in January-August of liquefied gas decreased by 6.3% compared to a year ago, to 19.3 millions metric tons. This was due to a steep decline caused by the Yamal LNG Project. U.S. sanctions against Ukraine have also slowed down LNG exports, particularly from Russia. The new Arctic LNG 2 facility has been effectively frozen due to the difficulties Moscow faces in finding buyers. Ship-tracking data provided by Kpler and LSEG revealed that China received its first LNG shipment from the sanctioned Russian Project last week. This was just days before...

Ship-tracking data provided by Kpler and LSEG revealed that China received its first liquefied gas cargo this week from a Russian sanctioned project. This was just days before the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Putin will be one of more than 20 world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra modi who will attend on Sunday and Monday the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in China's northern city port Tianjin, where he expects to meet Xi for a revival of trade between the two countries. After meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump earlier this month in...

Gas traders in Europe have been racing against time to fill up depleted storage facilities before winter. As demand on Asian markets is waning, Europe will see a spike in liquefied gas imports. This will give traders and governments more breathing space. It was a niche concern to ensure that European gas supplies are at maximum levels before the cold weather arrives. But it has become a political necessity after Russia's invasion of Ukraine 2022, which led to a sharp reduction in pipeline gas imports. The EU implemented rules in that year that have since been relaxed, requiring that storage...

Gas traders in Europe have been racing against time to fill up depleted storage facilities before winter. As demand on Asian markets is waning, Europe will see a spike in liquefied gas imports. This will give traders and governments more breathing space. It was once considered a niche issue to ensure that European gas supplies are at maximum levels before the cold weather arrives. But it has now become a political necessity after Russia's invasion of Ukraine 2022 led to a sharp reduction in pipeline gas imports. The EU implemented rules in that year that have since been relaxed, requiring...

The trade wars of U.S. president Donald Trump are pushing the global plastics sector toward a painful, but necessary restructuring in order to deal with the acute overcapacity which has caused the industry's profit to be in a long-term slump. In the next few decades, demand for plastics will increase dramatically as middle class populations grow in major economies. This is especially true in Asia. This will increase oil demand. The consumption of petrochemical products - such as naphtha and propane - was responsible for 95% percent of the total growth in oil demand between 2019 and 2024. According to...

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. The Trump Administration plans to ask that chip manufacturers manufacture in the U.S. the same amount of semiconductors as their customers import overseas. Donald Trump announced a new round of tariffs that will be implemented next week. These include 100% tariffs for branded drugs, and 25% on heavy duty trucks. Activist investor Land & Buildings owns a 2% stake of Six Flags, and intends to pressurize the theme park operator to sell or spin off its real...

Hong Kong, as well as several coastal cities of China's southern Guangdong Province, reopened their businesses and transportation services on Thursday following the most powerful tropical storm to hit the region this year. Ragasa, which had swept through northern Philippines and Taiwan killing 14 people before hitting Yangjiang in southern China on Wednesday, brought the densely-populated city to a halt from Tuesday afternoon. Hong Kong authorities issued the highest Typhoon Signal 10, which was in effect for the majority of Wednesday. Hong Kong reopened its airport international on Thursday, after a suspension of 36 hours. On Wednesday evening, businesses and...

Hong Kong closed schools and businesses on Tuesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa, one of the most powerful storms to hit the city in recent years, approached. Most passenger flights at the airport will be suspended from late in the day onwards until early Thursday morning. The Hong Kong Observatory reported that Ragasa is moving closer to the coast in southern Guangdong Province, China. Ragasa can pack winds up to 220km/hr (137mph), which are equivalent to hurricane force. On Tuesday afternoon, authorities in the financial center will raise the typhoon warning to 8, the third highest level, which is expected to...

After meeting with interested companies, the Panama Canal Authority announced on Thursday that it had begun a competition to select a company to design, build, and operate a pipeline for transporting liquefied petrol gas (LPG). The project is expected to cost between $4 billion to $8 billion. It will be part of the move by the waterway to increase its services, including trans-shipment, and to generate additional revenue. This follows the Supreme Court's decision last year to expand the area of the waterway. The 2 million-barrel-per-day pipeline alone is forecast to contribute between $1 billion and $1.2 billion to the...

JERA will investigate the possibility of liquefied gas from the Alaska LNG Project, JERA and Glenfarne announced, while talks continue to sign binding contracts for the $44 billion project. Glenfarne, which assumed the role of lead developer in the Alaska LNG Project in March, has already signed preliminary agreements with Taiwan's CPC, and Thailand's PTT. However, firm deals are yet to be finalized. Glenfarne announced in a press release that it had signed a letter-of-intent with JERA to sell 1 million tons of LNG per year from the project for a period of 20 years on a "free-on-board" basis. In...

Energy developer Glenfarne has agreed to supply Japan's largest power generator JERA with 1 million metric tons LNG per year for 20 years. This is a significant advance for the $44 Billion Alaska LNG Project, which had been criticized for its high cost. Glenfarne aims to make a final investment decisions (FIDs) on the Alaska LNG pipeline by the end of 2025, and for the LNG export components in 2026. Glenfarne, which acquired a 75% stake in the Alaska LNG Project in March and assumed the role of lead developer, has already signed preliminary agreements that cover more than half...

U.S. officials have said that solar-powered highway infrastructure, including chargers, weather stations at roadside, and traffic cameras, should be scanned to detect rogue devices, such as hidden radios, secreted within batteries and inverters. The Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation issued the advisory late last month amid an escalating campaign by government officials to address the use of Chinese technology on America's transport infrastructure. The four-page note on security, which was reviewed, stated that undocumented radios were found "in certain power inverters manufactured by foreign manufacturers and BMS," meaning battery management systems. The note was not reported...

A senior executive of Malaysian state oil company Petronas stated on Wednesday that Southeast Asia was well positioned to export its biofuels into other markets, such as Europe, as the production capacity in the region exceeds demand. Ahmad Adly Alias told the APPEC Conference in Singapore that by 2030, Asia's annual sustainable aviation fuel production capacity is expected to reach 4,000,000 metric tons. He said that "this surplus positions ASEAN to be a viable net-exporter into markets such as Europe." Ahmad Adly stated that Asia's strength lies in the availability of feedstocks, increased production capacity, and an accelerating demand. He...

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued a safety warning to airlines on Tuesday, citing an alarming number of incidents involving lithium batteries. The FAA has recommended that airlines implement risk mitigation strategies. This includes clear messaging about potential fire risks associated with lithium batteries carried by crew and passengers, and reviewing firefighting training and procedures. The FAA reported that 50 incidents of lithium-ion batteries causing extreme heat, smoke or fire have occurred in the U.S. this year. Some of these have caused accidents or injuries. A cell phone that was being used by a passenger on an American Airlines flight...

Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed that Japan hired Wood Mackenzie, an energy consultancy, to assess the proposed 800-mile Alaska gas pipeline project and LNG plant. This is a sign of its support for the $44billion project pushed by U.S. president Donald Trump. One of the sources said that the assessment could ease concerns of potential Japanese investors and off-takers about a project which has been stalled for decades because of cost and logistical issues. It is not clear what the scope of the Wood Mackenzie deal is, nor if any report that results from it will be public....

Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed that Japan hired Wood Mackenzie, an energy consultancy, to assess the proposed 800-mile Alaska gas pipeline project and LNG plant. This is a sign of its support for the $44billion project pushed by U.S. president Donald Trump. One of the sources said that the assessment could ease concerns of potential Japanese investors and off-takers about a project which has been stalled for decades because of cost and logistical issues. It is not clear what the scope and cost of this deal will be, nor if any report that results from it will be...

On Friday, President Vladimir Putin called on leaders of the aerospace industry to continue their efforts to develop booster engines for space launch vehicle and to build on Russia’s long-standing reputation as an innovator in space technology. Putin, who spent the last week in China, and the Russian port of Vladivostok in the far east, flew south to Samara where he met with industry experts and toured Kuznetsov Design Bureau aircraft engine manufacturing facility. According to Russian news agencies, Putin stated that Russia was a leader in the development and growth of the aerospace sector. The agencies reported that Putin...