Diesel refining margins—known as crack spreads—have exploded to extreme levels across the three major refining hubs, signaling a tightening global middle distillate market that is only in its early stages. As of late August 2026, the US Gulf Coast ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) crack versus WTI stood near $93–94 per barrel (after briefly topping a […]
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HF Sinclair Corporation (NYSE: DINO) just delivered its strongest quarterly results in years while simultaneously announcing it will retire the base oil refining assets at its Mississauga, Ontario facility—Canada’s largest (and essentially only significant) producer of Group II and Group III base oils. The decision comes amid a highly profitable lubricants segment, not losses. The […]
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ENB Pub Note: This article originally appeared on David Blackmon’s Substack; we highly recommend subscribing. We will be covering this on several podcasts this week. This also brings in the Hydro Connection from Canada to New York City that we have covered. It is not wise to spend billions on importing energy without alternative sources – just […]
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Hedge funds have sharply reduced their short-only positions on European diesel (ICE gasoil) to the lowest level in more than two years while adding fresh long positions, signaling that traders expect the current historic fuels supply crunch to persist. According to ICE Futures Europe data cited in reports of the Bloomberg story, funds cut short-only […]
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In a striking visual that feels pulled straight from a post-apocalyptic film set, the United Arab Emirates has completed the installation of massive metal “cope cages” over key oil and gas storage tanks in Abu Dhabi, with similar structures already in place or under construction near Dubai. These large steel mesh and framework enclosures are […]
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Iraq is pushing aggressively to more than double its oil production capacity, targeting 8–10 million barrels per day (bpd) within six years—up from roughly 4 million bpd before the recent Iran-related regional conflict disrupted Strait of Hormuz shipping. On August 21, 2026, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the goal at the Baghdad Dialog conference and […]
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Nigeria is positioning itself at the forefront of a global shift in oil and gas investment, targeting up to $50 billion in new offshore projects that could help diversify supplies away from the world’s most vulnerable maritime chokepoints. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has highlighted that new incentives for offshore oil and gas […]
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Oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin are driving electricity demand skyward in West Texas, even as technology companies race to site data centers in the world’s most prolific shale play. The dual surge—from electrifying drilling, fracturing, and production operations, plus hyperscale computing loads—is straining the regional grid and prompting warnings of potential reliability […]
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On the morning of August 21, 2026, Ukrainian drones struck the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia’s Perm Krai, more than 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Thick black smoke rose over the facility, one of Russia’s 10 largest refineries with a design capacity of around 13 million metric tons of crude per year (approximately 262,000 […]
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In an August 20, 2026, Bloomberg Opinion column, Javier Blas argued that “choking Iran’s economy is the least bad way to end the war.” Drawing on firsthand observations of sanctions-induced collapse in Iraq, Venezuela, and Cuba—worthless currencies, skyrocketing inflation, and soaring unemployment—Blas noted that pure economic pressure has historically failed to force political change. U.S. […]
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