The rise of automation, AI, and electric trucks can fundamentally change the freight transportation industry in the United States, leading to a revolution in transport fuel demand. Various vehicle and technology companies and U.S. cities and states have launched in recent years automation trucking pilot programs. In barge transportation on the Mississippi River, AI-assisted co-pilot projects are already being used to make transportation more efficient. The increase in efficiency, via technological, autonomous, or AI-enabled systems, could optimize…

The proposed Libya–Egypt crude oil pipeline has, surprisingly quickly, entered a phase in which Cairo and Tripoli are actively discussing it. The pipeline, expected to be 800 kilometers long, will connect Tobruk in eastern Libya to Egypt’s port of Alexandria, allowing Libyan crude to flow directly into Egypt's Mediterranean refining system. With an expected cost of over $1 billion, it represents a significant strategic opportunity. However, neither the final capacity, financing structure, nor investment decision has yet been agreed.…

Strategic shortfalls? Maybe in getting cobalt out of the Congo or rare earth powders from China or natural gas from Russia or oil from the Persian Gulf? Or maybe something closer to home. Thanks to climate change (yes, just say it and hope the big boss doesn’t hear you), temperatures have risen, and rainfall patterns have changed dramatically. As an example of the consequences, the Colorado River’s flow has diminished and Lake Mead, its principal reservoir, has dropped to record low water levels. Aside from the obvious impact on water…

Carbon capture is still debated as if technical performance were the decisive question. Can a solvent remove carbon dioxide from flue gas? Can the CO2 be compressed, transported and injected underground? Will the storage remain secure? These questions matter, but they no longer explain why most announced projects do not reach construction. The missing component is usually commercial. A cement plant can capture carbon and still lose money on every tonne. A storage site can be technically ready and remain empty without contracted volumes. A pipeline…

Russia has received its first gasoline cargo from India as Ukrainian attacks knock out refining capacity and a second wave of fuel shortages spreads across at least 10 Russian regions, Reuters reported on Monday. The roughly 68,000-metric-ton cargo was produced by Nayara Energy at its Vadinar refinery in western India and delivered to Russia’s Arctic port of Vitino after a ship-to-ship transfer at Port Said, Egypt. Two more gasoline cargoes from India are expected to reach Russia in the coming weeks. Russia’s gasoline shortages have…

India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has secured a license from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control to return to Venezuela, Indian media have reported. India’s largest oil and gas company has a 40% stake in the San Cristobal oil project and an 11% stake in the Carabobo project but was forced to curb activity significantly amid a barrage of U.S. sanctions on the South American country. ONGC’s return to Venezuela could open up access to over $500 million in outstanding dividends from its stakes in the two oil projects.…

India’s authorities have given solar developers missing their deadlines the option to pay to keep their grid connectivity instead of losing it, Reuters has reported, citing the country’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. With grid connectivity a limited resource, space should not be kept unused, the regulator said. According to the regulator, if a solar or wind developer misses its own project deadline, they can remain on the list for a grid connection, but they would have to pay the equivalent of $10.48 per megawatt per day…

Tanker traffic via the Strait of Hormuz slowed further over the weekend, maintaining upward pressure on oil prices. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $88.62 per barrel, with West Texas Intermediate at $82.18 per barrel. Earlier in the session, Brent crude broke above $89 per barrel before falling back. Only five commodity vessels passed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, and none were scheduled to transit the waterway on Sunday, data from Kpler cited by Reuters showed. The data, however, does not include tankers that transit Hormuz…