Jul/Aug 2025

Africa’s second-largest oil producer is creating the right conditions for the sector to try to boost output, explains Ian Cloke, COO of UK-based Afentra

Petroleum Economist analysis shows OPEC bringing back some barrels in May, but fewer than expected, while OPEC+ continues to see output fall

US policies may have lasting effects in sectors such as energy, that rely on predictable rules and long-term planning

Israel’s attack on Iran caught oil firms with low inventories due to their efforts to protect themselves from falling prices, creating a perfect storm

The two oil heavyweights’ diverging fiscal considerations are straining unity within the group

Geopolitical uncertainty casts a pall over expectations around demand, supply, investment and spare capacity

Gas-on-gas competition pricing has grown its share of consumption significantly over the past two decades, primarily at the expense of oil-price-escalation pricing, according to the IGU

Jet fuel will play crucial role in oil consumption growth even with efficiency gains and environmental curbs, with geopolitical risks highlighting importance of plentiful stocks

The scale of energy demand growth by 2030 and beyond asks huge questions of gas supply especially in the US

The takeover, if it gets the all-clear from regulators and other government authorities, would propel XRG and its parent firm ADNOC into the top tier of global LNG players

ExxonMobil and Eni offer hope for projects as sector looks to get to grips with cost overruns and delays

A blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would have reverberations that would sound around the world

Tariffs, AI, critical minerals and emerging markets all raise fundamental policy questions

US gasoline consumption is at its highest level since before COVID, but while stocks remain healthy, the hurricane season threatens

There has been a flourishing of non-governmental initiatives aimed at incentivising voluntary action on emissions over the past five years, and momentum is not slowing down

Asian and European interest gathers pace as Trump throws his weight behind frontier state

While oil prices will determine the trajectory of the key US shale patch, regulation and technological shifts are also likely to shape direction longer term

The strategic importance of vast untapped oil and gas reserves and key shipping routes has come in from the cold

CEO argues the upstream potential remains huge as analysts question future oil production for Canadian province’s offshore industry

Dire crude projections and heavy debt burden are weighing heavily on NOC Pemex

Eni is joining the first phase of the 30mt/yr ARGLNG, while consortium behind the smaller Southern Energy LNG has reached FID

Last year was one of records for renewables but also for oil, gas and coal, as the energy transition progresses in an increasingly uneven way, according to the Energy Institute’s latest annual report

Shifting demand patterns leaves most populous nation primed to become downstream leader as China and the West retreat

New discoveries and stabilisation of legacy fields’ output have helped China reverse the decline and be a top-five producer in recent years

The government is optimistic that increasing offshore activity and exploration will help revive flagging production, despite energy security fears

The country’s new government has grand plans for renewables, but the structural changes needed for these policies will take years to carry out

Government is sending out the right policy signals to support increased domestic gas development, but policy takes time to implement and even longer to yield results

The bloc may find it very difficult to replicate Japan’s approach due to fundamental differences in policy and markets

BP and partners have reached a $2.9b FID on a new phase at Shah Deniz, but slow progress on other gas projects is attributed to a lack of European support

Egypt’s government was already preparing for potential energy shortages this summer, and the loss of Israeli gas supply has made things worse

The country is facing energy shortfalls this summer amid reduced Iranian gas imports and difficulties leasing an FSRU

The Emirati company is ramping up its overseas expansion programme, taking it into new geographic areas that challenge long-held assumptions about Gulf NOCs

The country’s latest licensing round attracted bids from IOCs and NOCs in a better showing than its last outreach to bidders

The launch of the much-needed yet oft-delayed Africa Energy Bank remains shrouded in questions and funding constraints, but its potential is clear

Sound development planning is essential in this diverse and rapidly evolving region

TotalEnergies’ delayed FID for its Venus project will likely set back first oil, but Windhoek has other irons in the fire

US company reiterates commitment to CCUS as it agrees to work with major steelmakers to drive large-scale deployment in Asia

As the move from fossil fuels to renewables retreats further into the future, energy sector leaders must overcome key hurdles to sustainability for oil and gas, says Jim McFarland, vice president, programme, at WPC Energy

Merchant storage project off western Norway takes first CO₂ shipment, but government warns of significant cost challenges ahead for CCS

TotalEnergies is an outlier among other majors for remaining committed to low-carbon investments while continuing to replenish and expand its ample oil and gas portfolio, with an appetite for high risk/high return projects.

Sinopec hosts launch of global sharing platform as Beijing looks to draw on international investors and expertise

Supportive government policy, deforestation threat and economic opportunity drive forward the region’s monetisation of forest carbon

European Commission introduces new flexibilities for member states to ease compliance with headline goal

Latin American country plans a cap-and-trade system and supports the scale-up of CCS as it prepares to host COP30

Oil and gas companies will face penalties if they fail to reach the EU’s binding CO₂ injection targets for 2030, but they could also risk building underused and unprofitable CCS infrastructure

Africa’s most populous nation puts cap-and-trade and voluntary markets at the centre of its emerging strategy to achieve net zero by 2060

The global energy community will converge in Dubai on 10 December for a landmark event dedicated to shaping the future of natural gas across the region

Pedro Miras is the serving President of WPC Energy for the current cycle which will culminate with the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in April 2026. He has over 30 years of experience in the energy sector, including stints with Repsol and the IEA. Here he talks to Petroleum Economist about the challenges and opportunities the global energy sector currently faces.

Next year’s WPC Energy Congress taking place in April in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will continue to promote the role of women in the energy sector, with a number of events focusing on the issue.