#Energy

The Ministry of Commerce announced the total quantity, application conditions and procedures for 2027 non-state-owned crude oil imports. The announcement was made according to China's Regulations on the Administration of the Import and Export of Goods and China's WTO accession commitments.

The US formally ended its Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq on September 30, completing a withdrawal agreed with Baghdad. Analysts said the move could give Iraq more room for diversified partnerships and indirectly benefit China's energy and commercial interests. However, they noted China lacks both the ambition and capacity to fill the US security role in Iraq.

Hong Kong-based EcoCeres is sourcing China's gutter oil from restaurants across the Greater Bay Area to produce sustainable aviation fuel. Once a notorious food safety scandal, recycled kitchen waste now commands premium pricing as a clean energy feedstock.

BYD is studying whether to manufacture lithium batteries in Argentina, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said after meeting the company's executive vice-president Stella Li. The company is looking at investment opportunities in the lithium value chain, particularly for battery and energy storage production. No investment amount or factory location has been disclosed.

During the October 1-7 National Day holiday, China's highway EV charging sessions totaled 6.711 million times with 163 million kWh consumed, averaging 23.2566 million kWh daily, up 51.42% year-on-year. Separately, IEA member countries agreed to accelerate releasing the remaining 1 billion barrels of oil from their March commitments, with about 325 million barrels already released and around 1.1 billion barrels in strategic reserves remaining.

Chinese researchers have developed a cobalt-manganese catalyst that converts woody biomass-derived synthesis gas into sustainable jet fuel. The catalyst was verified in a thousand-tonne pilot test and could yield a gross profit margin above 50 per cent, potentially boosting production toward net-zero carbon goals.

Hurricane Isaias is heading toward the US Gulf Coast, home to about 14% of American refining capacity. Shell, Chevron and BP have evacuated personnel and curtailed production, with roughly 1.3 million bpd of oil output shut in. Experts warn the storm strikes at the worst time in 25 years, with fuel inventories at seasonal lows and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at its lowest since 1982.