In the month since OPEC and its allies last met, oil prices have hit three-year highs, flirting with $80/b and bringing renewed pressure from the White House to tame the rally.
The OPEC+ alliance is already scheduled to raise output by 400,000 b/d each month, but with China reportedly in search of more supplies and US production still hobbled, ministers may have ample reason to consider pumping beyond those limits, when they convene Oct. 4.
But they may also have plenty of motivation to stick to their plans, given the uncertainty that still surrounds the trajectory of the coronavirus pandemic.
The versatility of natural gas is one key to its expected prominent role in the energy transition, serving as an energy source for all sectors including heating, cooking and industrial applications. When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, natural gas has a significant advantage over coal, emitting about half the CO2.
This makes it an attractive option for stabilizing the path to renewables while reducing carbon emissions in the short term.
Global primary energy demand is expected to increase by 28% in the period between 2020 and 2045, with all energies required, driven by an expected doubling in size of the global economy and the addition of around 1.7 billion people worldwide by 2045. All energies witness growth, with the exception of coal. Renewables see the largest growth, followed by gas, but oil is still expected to retain its number one position in the energy mix.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran is running out of time to get back into the 2015 deal that limited its nuclear program, as officials signal their concerns that a new agreement may be out of reach.
Blinken was careful not to put a time limit on U.S. patience but reiterated that the Biden administration wouldn’t wait forever for Iran to decide to rejoin talks on both sides coming back into compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Former President Donald Trump quit the deal in 2018.
The main challenge faced by US natural gas has been the unrelenting growth of the Marcellus and Permian. If we are correct and both plays are entering the early stages of exhaustion, then a new gas bull market has likely started.
The value of the carbon market could exceed the oil market’s value by 2030, possibly even by 2025 if swift action is taken and regulations are implemented.
If someone would have told me in March of last year, when Covid was first rearing its ugly head, that 18 months later we would have case counts that are as high - if not higher - than they were on that day, but that the market would have doubled over that 18-month period, I would have laughed at them.