Energy

The benchmark price for Ural crude in Europe slipped by around 30% between early March and mid-April, falling from $111 to $78 a barrel.
Commodities

Who is buying bargain Russian oil in Asia?

Tankers full of Russian crude still entering Japan, South Korea, India, China

21 April 2022
The Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant in China, which leads Asia on nuclear power, will begin operation this year. Sanctions on Russian fossil fuel and looming decarbonization deadlines are causing many Asian governments to reconsider their stances on nuclear energy. 
The Big Story

Asia's nuclear power dilemma: Ukraine war drives energy turnarounds

From Japan to Singapore, Russia sanctions and carbon-zero targets push states to reconsider nuclear energy

20 April 2022
Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is described as the largest single-site concentrated solar power plant in the world.
Belt and Road

Shanghai Electric loses $650m on showcase Belt & Road project

State company cites 'inexperience' in overruns on Dubai solar power station

19 April 2022
Mitsubishi Heavy's microreactors will be able to provide power to remote and disaster-hit areas. (Image courtesy of Mitsubishi Heavy)
Energy

Mitsubishi Heavy aims to build 'reactor-on-a-truck' by 2030s

Japanese engineering firm expects to tap demand for non-carbon energy

19 April 2022
Binance has no fixed headquarters and is barred from providing services in Singapore and the U.K.
19 April 2022
Aviation decarbonization regulations are becoming more stringent around the world. (Source photo by AP and Reuters)
Climate Change

Japan's Mitsubishi and Eneos to mass-produce cleaner jet fuel

Sustainable aviation fuel can cut aircraft carbon dioxide emissions by 70%-90%

18 April 2022
Workers are seen at a liquefied natural gas storage facility of China Resources Gas in China's Xiangyang, Hubei Province. 
Energy

Japan's JERA weighs expanding LNG business to China

Beijing unit opens as Chinese imports of the fuel become world's largest

18 April 2022
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the front-runner in next month's Philippine presidential election, has vowed to bring nuclear power to the Philippines for the first time. Image is of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China.(Nikkei montage/AP/Getty Images)
Philippine elections

Marcos vows to bring nuclear power to the Philippines

Election front-runner would continue Duterte's conciliatory stance on China

17 April 2022
Production in Myanmar's Yadana gas field faces possible disruption as Western operation partners prepare to pull out. (Photo courtesy of PTTEP)
Energy

Russia-Ukraine war prompts PTTEP to produce more oil and gas

Thai exploration arm invests massively to boost profits, secure energy supply

14 April 2022
TotalEnergies operates this solar farm in the Japanese city of Nanao, on the Sea of Japan coast. (Photo courtesy of TotalEnergies)
Business deals

TotalEnergies allies with Japan oil company on solar power in Asia

French major and Eneos will develop 2 GW of capacity, targeting businesses

14 April 2022
JGC and Kawasaki Kisen have jointly developed a way to reuse old LNG tankers as storage tanks for floating LNG facilities.
Energy

JGC, Kawasaki Kisen to turn old tankers into floating LNG bases

Reusing tankers can cut cost of floating gas platforms by 30%

13 April 2022
While the world is desperate to find an alternative to Russian oil, the U.S. -- sitting on abundant shale -- is not. This has frustrated Iran, which hoped for leverage on the nuclear deal.
Energy

Iran's hope of Ukraine oil windfall fades, lacking leverage on U.S.

Millions of barrels of Tehran's crude sit in tankers offshore while negotiations stall

13 April 2022
Turkey’s third off-shore drill ship Kanuni, heading to the Black Sea through the Bosporus Strait. (Anadolu Agency )
Interview

Turkey targets nuclear and local gas to reduce energy imports

Deputy minister says country can help EU strengthen supply security

12 April 2022
CNOOC's CEO has said the company's ejection from the NYSE has had a “profound impact” on its shareholding structure.
Markets

CNOOC sets $4.4bn Shanghai share sale at small premium to Hong Kong

Narrow price gap could boost investor interest in 'homecoming' offering

11 April 2022
Oil-drilling rigs in Dickson, North Dakota. The state is second only to Texas in oil production in the U.S.
Interview

Mitsubishi Heavy's U.S. hydrogen hub to receive $90m in aid: governor

North Dakota's Doug Burgum touts capacity for carbon capture and sequestration

10 April 2022
Dump trucks at a coal mine in Kemerovo, Russia. Japan says it will phase out coal imports from Russia.
Energy

Japan scrambles to find alternatives to Russian coal

Utilities as well as steel and paper makers hunt for other sources as costs rise

9 April 2022
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany. Its certification was suspended during the run-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 
Ukraine war

G-7 resists going after $1bn-a-day Russian energy revenue

Despite civilian killings, West and Japan avoid painful cuts

8 April 2022
Japan's Ohi nuclear power plant. Nuclear construction in Japan has come to a standstill since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster.
Energy

Japan's nuclear tech exports shift focus from plants to parts

Industry ministry changes tack with eye on decarbonization in Europe and beyond

7 April 2022
China's National Energy Agency has set a domestic production target for the year of at least 200 million tons of crude oil.
Energy

China's Big Oil to pour cash into boosting domestic output

Capital spending to rise to highest level in 8 years amid energy security drive

6 April 2022
Vietnam is trying to fight carbon emissions even as its manufacturing sector accelerates.
Business trends

Vietnam crafting carbon market to make polluters pay

Climate fight to include cap-and-trade and controversial emissions offsets

6 April 2022
Cosmo Energy Holdings is Japan's third-largest oil wholesaler. (Photo courtesy of the company)
Energy

Murakami's Cosmo Energy buy heralds sector consolidation

With already a big Fuji Oil stake, investor's new move flags oil wholesale merger

5 April 2022
Wind turbines in Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam. The planet added 21.1 gigawatts of offshore wind power last year, the highest ever and triple the 2020 figure, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.
Energy

Offshore wind hits record capacity on China, Vietnam growth: study

Lobby group says Glasgow targets gave renewables a boost but more action is needed

5 April 2022
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Bakken Energy will team on a new plant that will extract hydrogen from natural gas, which North Dakota produces along with shale oil.
Energy

Mitsubishi Heavy taps U.S. partner for $2bn hydrogen project

Project with Bakken Energy in North Dakota to sequester 6m tons of CO2 a year

5 April 2022
The Port of Newcastle in Australia is expected to get busier now that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is adding to the upward pressure on coal prices. (AAP)
Energy

Australian coal majors' earnings swell as demand takes off

'Live with virus' strategies, Ukraine war, even bad weather inflate prices

4 April 2022
Parts that heat up an experimental nuclear fusion reactor at Kyoto Fusioneering. Japanese oil and gas company Inpex plans to invest in the Kyoto-based startup and others. 
Energy

Japan's Inpex to join nuclear fusion race with startup investments

Oil explorer eyes tie-ups with trio of companies to try to narrow Western rivals' lead

1 April 2022