January 16, 2026 – Oil & Gas 360

Mitsubishi enters U.S. shale gas with $5.2 billion Haynesville acquisition

January 16, 2026

(World Oil) – Mitsubishi Corporation has agreed to acquire Aethon Energy’s Haynesville shale gas business in a $5.2 billion equity transaction, marking the Japanese trading house’s first direct entry into the U.S. shale gas sector across the full value chain. The deal, announced Jan. 16, will see Mitsubishi Corporation acquire all equity interests in Aethon III LLC, Aethon United LP and related entities from

HSBC sees oil price spikes on geopolitics, maintains $65 brent forecast

January 16, 2026

(Investing) – Oil prices could see further upside in 2026 as geopolitical risks continue to drive volatility, HSBC says, though the bank adds that underlying market fundamentals should limit rallies and keep prices anchored in the mid-$60s range. As such, HSBC maintained its Brent crude forecast at $65 a barrel for 2026 and beyond, despite heightened tensions across several major producing regions. The

What excites and worries LNG exporters in 2026: Maguire

January 16, 2026

(BOE Report) – The year 2025 in the LNG sector will be one for the history books after production and exports of the super-chilled fuel smashed records and raked in billions of dollars in revenues across the global liquefied natural gas supply chain. A 25% surge in LNG purchases by European countries was a key highlight and raised hopes among

Trump orders emergency power auction for big tech AI data centers

January 16, 2026

(Oil Price) – U.S. President Donald Trump is taking action to protect American consumers from soaring electricity bills with plans to direct the biggest U.S. grid operator, PJM, hold an emergency power auction in which Big Tech would bid for power supply for their new data centers and effectively pay for new power plants. President Trump and governors of several U.S. states, including

U.S. rig count had an increase of 1 this week, at 585- oil and gas 360

U.S. rig count decreased by 1 is at 543

January 16, 2026

This week’s Baker Hughes Rig Count shows that the U.S. decreased by 1 last week, resulting in a total count of 543 rigs. Canada had a decrease of 29 over last week, resulting in a total Canadian count of 226 rigs. Breakdown by region Of the regions tracked by Baker Hughes, the Haynesville region experienced an increase this week. All

Venezuela’s Rodriguez proposes oil reform to facilitate investment

January 16, 2026

(BOE Report) – Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday that she was submitting a proposal to reform the country’s hydrocarbon law, as investors in the U.S. push for easier access to the South American country’s oil industry. Rodriguez said the reforms would “allow these investment flows to be incorporated into new fields, fields where no investment has ever

Germany relaunches major EV subsidy program with billions in funding

January 16, 2026

(Oil Price) – Two years after abruptly ending the EV subsidies due to budget constraints, Germany is returning the incentives for buying electric vehicles with federal funds of $3.5 billion (3 billion euros) by 2029. With the return of the incentives, Germany plans to prop up its ailing automotive sector, which has suffered a lot in recent years from surging costs,

Oil prices rise 1% as supply risks remain in focus

January 16, 2026

(Investing) – LONDON – Oil prices rose over 1% on Friday as supply risks remained in focus despite the receding likelihood of a U.S. military strike against Iran. Brent crude was up 84 cents, or 1.3%, to $64.60 a barrel at 1413 GMT, on course for a fourth consecutive weekly gain. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was up 80 cents, or 1.4%, to

Premium Content