2025-09-02 12:24
MOSCOW, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Russia's seaborne diesel and gasoil exports fell 6% on the month in August to about 3.1 million metric tons as damage from Ukrainian drone strikes hit production, data from market sources and LSEG showed. Last month Ukraine intensified drone attacks on Russian oil facilities, targeting major refineries and oil depots mainly in southern and central Russia daily ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sign up here. As a result, at least 17% of Russia's oil processing capacity, or 1.1 million barrels per day, was shut down in August, according to Reuters' calculations. Diesel and gasoil loadings from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk fell last month by around 12% from July to 0.83 million tons, shipping data showed. However, diesel exports via the Russian Baltic port of Primorsk, the country's biggest outlet for exports of ultra low-sulphur diesel (ULSD), rose in August 5.4% month-on-month to 1.33 million tons, as main fuel suppliers completed planned maintenance. Turkey and Brazil remained the biggest importers of Russian diesel and gasoil last month, with Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal among the other main importers, according to LSEG data. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russian-seaborne-diesel-exports-fell-august-data-shows-2025-09-02/
2025-09-02 12:23
Quake kills 1,411, injures over 3,100, says Taliban administration Rescue efforts focus on remote mountain areas, hindered by terrain and weather WHO highlights overwhelmed local health system and aid delivery challenges Britain, India among few to offer early aid KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The death toll from Afghanistan's worst earthquake in years jumped to over 1,400 on Tuesday with thousands more injured, authorities said, as difficult terrain hindered rescue efforts in isolated villages of the country's mountainous eastern region. At least 1,411 people have died, 3,124 have been injured and over 5,400 houses have been destroyed, Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said. Sign up here. More people are feared trapped under rubble, said the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region. The U.N. coordinator in Afghanistan said the toll was likely to rise. Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6, struck around midnight local time on Monday, at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), with the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar being the worst hit. Rescue operations were carried out in four badly hit villages in Kunar on Monday and efforts will now be focused on reaching more remote mountain areas, said Ehsanullah Ehsan, the provincial head of disaster management. "We cannot accurately predict how many bodies might still be trapped under the rubble," said Ehsan. "Our effort is to complete these operations as soon as possible and to begin distributing aid to the affected families." Mountainous terrain and inclement weather have hindered rescuers reaching remote areas along the Pakistani border where the quake flattened hundreds of mud-and-brick homes. Access for vehicles along narrow mountain roads was the main obstacle, said Ehsan, adding machinery was being brought in to clear roads of debris. On Tuesday, a line of ambulances was on the damaged mountain road trying to reach Kunar villages, as helicopters flew in, bringing aid supplies and taking the injured to hospitals, according to a Reuters witness. Some of those injured have been transferred to hospitals in Kabul and the adjacent province of Nangarhar, said Ehsan. Thousands of children were at risk, the United Nations Children's Fund warned on Tuesday. UNICEF said it was sending medicines, warm clothing, tents and tarpaulins for shelter, and hygiene items such as soap, detergent, towels, sanitary pads, and water buckets. Taliban soldiers were deployed in the area, providing help and security. The disaster has further stretched the war-torn nation's Taliban administration, already grappling with a sharp drop in foreign aid and deportations of hundreds of thousands of Afghans by neighbouring countries. Rescue teams and authorities are trying to dispose of animal carcasses quickly so as to minimise the risk of contamination to water resources, a U.N. official said on Monday. "Damaged roads, ongoing aftershocks, and remote locations of many villages severely impede the delivery of aid," the World Health Organization said, adding that over 12,000 people had been affected by the quake. "The pre-earthquake fragility of the health system means local capacity is overwhelmed, creating total dependence on external actors," it said. Food and tents were desperately needed, said Safiullah Noorzai from Aseel, a humanitarian tech platform with networks around Afghanistan. With their houses in ruins, many people were living in the open amid a fear of aftershocks, Noorzai added. AID CUTS The rescue and relief work has struggled in the face of tight resources in the war-torn, impoverished nation of 42 million people and limited global help in the aftermath of the tragedy. So far, Britain has allocated 1 million pounds ($1.35 million) to support the efforts of U.N. and the International Red Cross in delivering critical healthcare and emergency supplies. India delivered 1,000 tents and was moving 15 tonnes of food supplies to Kunar, with more relief materials to be sent on Tuesday. Other nations such as China, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union, Pakistan and Iran have pledged help but aid is yet to arrive. Afghanistan has been badly hit by U.S. President Donald Trump's decision in January to cut funding to its humanitarian arm USAID and reductions in other foreign aid programmes. Crises elsewhere in the world, along with donor frustration over the Taliban's policies toward women and curbs on aid workers have been a factor in funding cuts, according to diplomats and aid officials. ($1 = 0.7402 pounds) https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/afghan-earthquake-death-toll-crosses-1400-authorities-say-2025-09-02/
2025-09-02 12:14
Sept 2 (Reuters) - Energy firm Commonwealth LNG said on Tuesday it has received the final non-free trade agreement export authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its export facility in Louisiana. The United States has been making efforts to cement its position as the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas after replacing previous LNG export leaders, Qatar and Australia. Sign up here. In January, President Donald Trump lifted a pause on new LNG export permits, put in place by the previous administration in 2024 for a review of the public interest criteria, soon after coming into office. With new projects now under construction and others expected to receive financial approval this year, the United States could triple its export capacity by 2030. Commonwealth was the first company to secure an LNG export license following the Biden-era suspension. The company's facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, is designed to produce 9.5 million tonnes of LNG annually. With both DOE authorization and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval now in hand, Commonwealth plans to make a final investment decision in the fourth quarter of 2025, targeting first production by 2029. LNG developers typically reach a final investment decision once they have lined up enough long-term supply contracts to support construction financing. Commonwealth already has long-term, binding offtake agreements with global energy firms Glencore (GLEN.L) , opens new tab, JERA and PETRONAS for a total of 4 Mtpa of LNG. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/commonwealth-lng-receives-final-non-fta-export-permit-louisiana-facility-2025-09-02/
2025-09-02 12:10
Putin does not oppose EU membership for Ukraine Putin says Ukraine cannot join NATO Putin says open to cooperation with US at nuclear plant Putin: possible to find consensus on security guarantee MOSCOW, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Moscow had never opposed Ukraine's potential membership of the European Union, and that he thought it was possible to find a consensus on ensuring the security of both Russia and Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump said after his summit with Putin in Alaska last month that he thinks Putin is "tired" of the war in Ukraine but that it remains to be seen if peace can be secured to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two. Sign up here. Ukraine and the leaders of Western European powers have said they do not believe Putin is serious about peace in Ukraine, and have warned that if Russia wins the Ukraine war then Putin could attack Europe and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance. In some of his most dovish remarks since the Alaska summit, Putin, speaking in China, pushed back against those claims, which he cast as "horror stories" and "hysteria" pumped up by incompetent people seeking to cast Russia as an enemy. Putin said Russia had been forced to act in Ukraine by what he cast as the West's attempt with the help of NATO to try to absorb the entire post-Soviet space. "As for Ukraine's membership of the EU, we have never objected to this," Putin told Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at talks in China. "As for NATO, this is another issue... Our position here is well known: we consider this unacceptable for ourselves." A potential security guarantee for Ukraine - backed by the United States and Western European powers - is one of the toughest parts of any future peace settlement, according to diplomats and officials involved in discussions. Ukraine says that it is not for Russia to decide what Kyiv can or cannot join, while NATO says that Russia can have no veto over membership of the alliance which was formed in 1949 to counter the threat from the Soviet Union. Putin said that he had discussed Ukraine's security at his August 15 summit with Trump. "There are options for ensuring Ukraine's security in the event of an end to the conflict," Putin said. "And it seems to me that there is an opportunity to find consensus here." Russia, Putin said, was ready to cooperate with the United States at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear plant. Russia took control of it in March 2022, shortly after its invasion of Ukraine. "We can cooperate with American partners at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," Putin said, adding that the issue had been discussed indirectly with Washington and that he was even prepared to work with Ukraine at the plant. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/putin-says-russia-doesnt-oppose-ukraine-joining-eu-2025-09-02/
2025-09-02 12:03
NEW DELHI, Sept 2 (Reuters) - NTPC Ltd (NTPC.NS) , opens new tab, India's largest coal power generator, has raised concerns that operating coal-fired power plants at a reduced load could significantly shorten the lifespan of its units. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the country's de facto advisor for the power ministry, has recommended lowering the technical minimum — the lowest level at which a thermal plant can run reliably — to 40% of its installed capacity to help accommodate rising renewable energy generation. Sign up here. The CEA plans to implement this from next year. This shift is part of India's broader strategy to integrate more solar and wind power into the grid while maintaining round-the-clock supply. However, NTPC’s Director of Operations Ravindra Kumar said that sustained operation at such low levels could accelerate wear and tear, especially in boilers and turbines designed for higher loads. "If we operate at that level for long periods, the expected life of a plant — typically 25 years — could be cut by a third or even more," Kumar said on the sidelines of Powergen India event in New Delhi on Tuesday. NTPC has opted to set its own technical minimum at 55%, which Kumar said offered a safer balance between flexibility and asset durability. Responding to such concerns, CEA Chairman Ghanshyam Prasad said that studies have demonstrated the feasibility of operating at 40%, provided certain upgrades are made. "If those (retrofitting) investments are made, the machines can run at lower loads. But it will affect efficiency, and that’s where compensation mechanisms should be considered," Prasad said. India is aiming to expand its non-fossil fuel capacity to 500 GW by 2030, but coal remains central to its energy security. The government plans to increase coal-based capacity by 97 GW by 2035, taking the total to around 307 GW, to ensure reliable supply during periods when renewable output dips. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/indias-ntpc-flags-risks-coal-plant-lifespan-reduced-load-2025-09-02/
2025-09-02 12:00
Ukraine's attacks force Russia to shut 17% of oil-processing capacity Bets on Federal Reserve rate cut buoy oil demand outlook US market reopens on Tuesday following Labour Day break LONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose over 2% on Tuesday as expectations mounted that an escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would disrupt supply and the market speculated OPEC+ will not raise output at a meeting on Sunday. Brent crude was up $1.13, or around 1.7%, at $69.28 a barrel by 1144 GMT, having risen just over 2% earlier. Sign up here. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $65.79 a barrel, $1.78 or nearly 2.8% higher. WTI futures did not settle on Monday due to the Labor Day holiday in the United States. "Brent futures are trending towards the upside ahead of the OPEC+ decision and geopolitical concerns over direction of Russia's stake in the crude supply pool," independent analyst Gaurav Sharma said. Investors will monitor a meeting of eight members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies on September 7. Analysts said they believed the group would not unwind the remaining voluntary cuts in place from the eight members, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, which were supporting the market and keeping prices in the $60 a barrel range. OPEC+ might wait for more data after the conclusion of the U.S. summer driving season before it makes its next move, Sharma added, given an expected supply surplus in the last quarter of the year. Oil prices could fall for a fourth straight year, averaging $55 a barrel in the last quarter of this year, before OPEC+ steps in to stabilise the market into 2026 by cutting output, analysts at SEB commodities said in a note to clients. Expectations that U.S. data will show another crude draw were also boosting the market, UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. The U.S. summer driving season officially finished with Monday's Labor Day holiday, ending the highest demand period in the world's largest fuel market. On the supply side, Ukrainian drone attacks have shut down facilities accounting for at least 17% of Russia's oil-processing capacity, or 1.1 million barrels per day, according to Reuters' calculations. The market will also focus on U.S. labour data due this week ahead of the Federal Reserve's September meeting, which could strengthen the case for monetary easing after surprisingly weak U.S. payrolls data released in July. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-prices-climb-russia-ukraine-tensions-await-opec-meeting-2025-09-02/
