Author: Erick Parel

China and India Looking to Russia for Oil: Can They Deliver?

Energy News Beat As Middle East supply risks escalate—with threats to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait adding to existing pressures on key chokepoints—China and India are turning aggressively toward Russian crude. Analysts had long flagged that a rebound in Chinese buying or a closure/disruption of Bab el-Mandeb could drive oil prices higher. Both factors are now […]

Matador’s $1.48B Delaware Deals Test the Price of Inventory

Energy News Beat Matador Resources Company (NYSE: MTDR) announced on July 23, 2026, a pair of strategic bolt-on acquisitions in the Delaware Basin totaling approximately $1.475–$1.48 billion. The larger deal involves the purchase of Paloma Permian LLC, an EnCap Investments portfolio company, for $1.275 billion in cash. A smaller complementary transaction with Ridge Runner Resources […]

Huge Geopolitical Impacts to Oil, Energy and Markets

Energy News Beat This article first ran on The Energy News Beat Substack – Head over there to comment.  The global oil market is once again being reshaped by simultaneous disruptions across multiple critical maritime and pipeline choke points. As of late July 2026, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal routes, and […]

Brent over $100 and a Crisis Brewing at Refineries

Energy News Beat Rey Trevino, Crude Truth Podcast Host, and President at Pecos Operating, stops by. This was recorded yesterday, and oil has dropped back down several dollars. The volatility will still be around until demand destruction kicks in. We have a wild stand-up with 8 huge stories. It is fun having guests on the […]

3 VLCCs Traverse the Strait of Hormuz

Energy News Beat Three Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) carrying a combined roughly 6 million barrels of crude oil slipped out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The vessels began transmitting automated position (AIS) signals as they entered the Gulf […]

Greece Exposes the Hypocrisy and Limits of Europe’s Russia Energy Sanctions

Energy News Beat Greece has once again highlighted the practical and commercial limits of the European Union’s sanctions regime against Russian energy. As the world’s leading maritime nation, Athens successfully pressed for exemptions on restrictions targeting the shipping of Russian LNG to third countries in the latest (21st) sanctions package. Greek officials argued that broader […]

U.S. Refinery Utilization Hits 96.2% as Global Markets Tighten

Energy News Beat U.S. refiners are operating near full tilt, with utilization rates holding above 96% amid record refining margins, a global diesel squeeze, and disruptions from Russian refinery outages and Middle East tensions. The latest U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending July 17, 2026, shows U.S. refineries […]

Texas ERCOT Grid Holds Beyond 91 Gigawatts in Heat Wave – At What Cost?

Energy News Beat On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, extreme Texas heat drove air-conditioning demand that pushed the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid past 91 gigawatts for the first time. Unofficial real-time figures from ERCOT’s website showed a peak around 91,300 megawatts near 5 p.m. CT, with system-wide demand data indicating highs near 91,089 […]

WTI at $90 and 4 critical choke points in play

Energy News Beat West Texas Intermediate crude hovered near $90 per barrel on July 23, 2026, with Brent trading higher in the mid-to-high $90s amid escalating disruptions across multiple global oil transit routes. Markets are reacting to simultaneous pressures on four critical choke points: the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal […]

Tesla’s Q2 2026 Earnings: Record Deliveries and Energy Growth Overshadowed by Profit Miss Amid Massive AI Investments

Energy News Beat Tesla delivered a strong top-line performance in the second quarter of 2026, posting record vehicle deliveries and solid energy storage growth, but the company missed Wall Street expectations on the bottom line as heavy spending on research, development, and future AI initiatives pressured profitability and cash flow. The results, released after market […]