Oil Prices Remain Near Four-Month Highs
OIL & GAS

Oil Prices Remain Near Four-Month Highs

Oil prices slipped at market open but remained near four-month highs as Chinese and Indian buyers sought new suppliers in the wake of the Biden administration's toughest sanctions yet on Russian oil. Brent LCOc1 futures slipped 22 cents, or 0.27%, to $80.79 a barrel by 0122 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 16 cents, or 0.2% to $78.66 a barrel. That followed roughly 2% gains in Monday trading, after the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas as well as 183 vessels that trade oil as part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers. The move is expected to cost Russia billions of dollars per month, according to one U.S. official. "A large portion of Russia's shadow tanker fleet has been sanctioned, making it more difficult for Russia and buyers to circumvent the G-7 price cap. These sanctions have the potential to take as much as 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) of supply off the market, which would erase the surplus that we are expecting for this year," ING analysts said in a note. But the analysts added the actual impact would probably be less as buyers and sellers found ways to continue getting around the sanctions. Robert Rennie, head of commodity and carbon strategy at Westpac, said the new measures could affect 800,000 bpd of Russian crude exports for "an extended period" and as much as 150,000 bpd of diesel exports. As a result, Brent prices could near $85 per barrel, Rennie said, pointing also to the extension of OPEC+ production cuts. Goldman Sachs had said on Friday that Brent prices could top $85 per barrel in the short term and $90 if a decline in Russian output coincided with a reduction in Iranian production. U.S. President Joe Biden said prices would stabilise after the sanctions and they were not meant to impact the pocketbooks of U.S. consumers. Weaker demand from major buyer China could blunt the impact of the tighter supply. China's crude oil imports fell in 2024 for the first time in two decades outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, official data showed.

Oil prices slipped at market open but remained near four-month highs as Chinese and Indian buyers sought new suppliers in the wake of the Biden administration's toughest sanctions yet on Russian oil. Brent LCOc1 futures slipped 22 cents, or 0.27%, to $80.79 a barrel by 0122 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 16 cents, or 0.2% to $78.66 a barrel. That followed roughly 2% gains in Monday trading, after the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas as well as 183 vessels that trade oil as part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet of tankers. The move is expected to cost Russia billions of dollars per month, according to one U.S. official. A large portion of Russia's shadow tanker fleet has been sanctioned, making it more difficult for Russia and buyers to circumvent the G-7 price cap. These sanctions have the potential to take as much as 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) of supply off the market, which would erase the surplus that we are expecting for this year, ING analysts said in a note. But the analysts added the actual impact would probably be less as buyers and sellers found ways to continue getting around the sanctions. Robert Rennie, head of commodity and carbon strategy at Westpac, said the new measures could affect 800,000 bpd of Russian crude exports for an extended period and as much as 150,000 bpd of diesel exports. As a result, Brent prices could near $85 per barrel, Rennie said, pointing also to the extension of OPEC+ production cuts. Goldman Sachs had said on Friday that Brent prices could top $85 per barrel in the short term and $90 if a decline in Russian output coincided with a reduction in Iranian production. U.S. President Joe Biden said prices would stabilise after the sanctions and they were not meant to impact the pocketbooks of U.S. consumers. Weaker demand from major buyer China could blunt the impact of the tighter supply. China's crude oil imports fell in 2024 for the first time in two decades outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, official data showed.

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

GAIL to Set Up Bengaluru CBG Plant Under New Concession Pact

GAIL (India) Limited has signed a 20-year concession agreement with the Bengaluru City Municipal Corporation (BBMP) to set up a compressed biogas (CBG) plant in the city. The project, expected to produce around 10 tonnes of CBG daily, will utilise municipal solid waste as feedstock, contributing to clean energy generation and efficient waste management. The CBG produced will be used in GAIL’s City Gas Distribution network to promote cleaner fuel usage. The initiative aligns with the government’s Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme and GAIL’s broader ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Uttarakhand HC Lifts 31-Year Ban on ONGC’s Contractual Hiring

The Uttarakhand High Court has lifted a 31-year-old ban on the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) from hiring contractual workers, a restriction imposed in 1993. The decision enables ONGC’s Dehradun establishment to employ personnel on a contractual basis to meet operational requirements. The long-standing prohibition had limited ONGC’s ability to fill vacancies in its technical and administrative departments, often leading to project delays and higher dependence on outsourcing. With the court’s directive, the public sector enterprise can now proceed with temporary recruitments whil..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

JSW Energy’s Utkal Unit Bags 400 MW, 25-Year Power Supply Deal

JSW Energy Limited announced that its subsidiary, JSW Energy (Utkal) Limited, has secured a Letter of Award (LoA) from Karnataka’s Power Company of Karnataka Limited (PCKL) for the supply of 400 MW of electricity for 25 years. The agreement is part of a competitive bidding process for long-term procurement of power to meet the state’s growing energy demand. The 400 MW capacity will be supplied from JSW Energy’s upcoming thermal power project in Odisha. This development strengthens JSW Energy’s presence in the southern market and aligns with its strategy to enhance long-term contracte..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?