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Brazil Reportedly Expands Fuel-Relief Measures as Global Prices Surge

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Brazil expanded its fuel-relief measures on Wednesday, reducing taxes on gasoline and authorizing a diesel subsidy, as Brent crude prices returned to $100-per-barrel range amid conflicts in the Middle East, according to multiple media outlets.

The reduction on gasoline taxes under the Social Integration Program, the Public Servant's Asset Formation Program, and the Contribution to Social Security Financing will be expanded to 0.63 real ($0.12) per liter from the previous 0.44 real/L, effective for 30 days beginning Sep. 10.

For ethanol, the existing tax rate of 0.19 real/L will be removed for the same period.

Meanwhile, the new diesel subsidy will initially amount to 1 real/L, and may change subject to market conditions. This will add to an existing 1.12 real/L subsidy that is set to expire at the end of September, Reuters reported.

The government has also opened a 6.6-billion-reais extraordinary credit through Provisional Measure 1,389 to finance fuel subsidies, with about 5.61 billion reais allocated for diesel and 998 million reais for petroleum-derived fuels, Agencia Brasil said.

With the latest measures, the corresponding monthly fiscal cost for gasoline and ethanol tax cuts will amount to around 2 billion reais, while diesel subsidies will cost 5 billion reais, Bloomberg reported, citing Planning and Budget Minister Bruno Moretti.

The total fuel-relief fiscal cost between March and the end of September will amount to about 40 billion reais, according to Reuters.

The measures implemented so far have reduced the impact of surging energy prices on Brazilian consumers. Gasoline prices in the country increased by only 3.3% from February to September compared with a global average of 20.8%, while diesel prices rose by 7.3% relative to a global average of 30%, according to a survey cited by Agencia Brasil.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed the new fuel-relief measures weeks ahead of the presidential election, with some critics reportedly saying the subsidies would have been lower if not for their electoral component.

The energy ministry did not immediately respond to' request for comment.

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Commodities

Baker Hughes Lifts 2026 Guidance on $13.6 Billion Chart Deal, Sees LNG Recovery by 2027

Baker Hughes Company (BKR) lifted 2026 guidance after its $13.6 billion Chart acquisition and sees LNG equipment orders recovering as 2027 approaches, Chief Executive Officer Lorenzo Simonelli said Wednesday at the Barclays Annual Energy Conference.In remarks published on the Baker Hughes website, Simonelli sees improving visibility into an LNG order recovery heading into 2027 and expects stronger execution and cost-saving gains to support meaningful margin expansion.Baker Hughes issued updated 2026 guidance, lifting its revenue forecast to $28.50 billion to $30.30 billion from $26.65 billion to $28.05 billion, reflecting the addition of Chart Industries.The company also raised its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization forecast to $4.88 billion to $5.48 billion from $4.60 billion to $5.10 billion.Baker Hughes expects Chart to generate $1.85 billion to $2.25 billion of revenue and $300 million to $400 million of EBITDA through year-end.Simonelli said Chart should generate 55% to 65% of its segment EBITDA in Q4, reflecting the mid-July closing and typical seasonal weighting.Simonelli added the integration expands Baker Hughes' data center exposure, with the industrial and energy technology segment securing $4.2 billion of related orders since 2025, including $3.2 billion in the first half of 2026, while Chart booked $600 million.Simonelli said LNG order visibility should improve toward 2027 as Baker Hughes integrates Chart, while 2026 free cash flow conversion stands at 40%-45% and Chart backlog could reach $3.6 billion in Q3.

$BKR
Commodities

US Natural Gas Update: Futures Slide to Two-Week Low on Warm Weather Outlook

US natural gas futures extended losses in after-hours trade on Wednesday, falling for the second straight session to a two-week low as forecasts for warmer weather into early fall raised concerns about heating demand heading into winter.The front-month Henry Hub contract and the continuous contract each fell 3.70% to $2.808 per million British thermal units.Milder weather and strong US supplies pressured prices, although a sharp rise in European gas prices offered some support. European natural gas prices climbed to a 3.5-year high as the conflict in the Middle East escalated and European storage levels remained well below historical averages ahead of winter.Barchart, citing The Commodity Weather Group, said US forecasts shifted hotter, with above-average temperatures now expected through Sept. 18.For winter, the hotter outlook reinforces expectations that a Super El Nino weather pattern could bring warmer-than-normal temperatures this fall and winter, potentially reducing gas heating demand.Lower-48 gas demand was 80.2 Bcf/d Wednesday, up 16.4% from a year earlier, Barchart said, citing BNEF. Celsius Energy said average powerburn for the week ended Sept. 8 was 44.4 Bcf/d, up 3.4 Bcf/d from a year earlier. Powerburn on Sept. 8 was 42.0 Bcf/d, up 5.5 Bcf/d year over year.Pinebrook Energy Advisors said temperature patterns are set to normalize considerably, with population-weighted cooling degree days falling after Wednesday and trending lower into the shoulder season.Estimated LNG net flows to US export terminals were 19.8 Bcf/d Wednesday, up 4.8% from the prior week, according to BNEF. Annual maintenance at Cove Point LNG in Maryland, however, could reduce feedgas demand from Appalachia by about 850 MMcf/d for up to three weeks beginning Sept. 19.US production remained strong. Trading Economics put average September output at 112.9 Bcf/d, up from 111.5 Bcf/d in August, a record, and 110.7 Bcf/d in July.Traders are now focused on Thursday's US Energy Information Administration storage report. Gas inventories stood at 3,214 Bcf as of Aug. 28, 160 Bcf, or 5.2%, above the five-year average, according to the EIA.The EIA is expected to report a 28 Bcf injection for the latest week, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of analysts. That would be below the five-year average injection of 52 Bcf and narrow the inventory surplus to 136 Bcf from 160 Bcf the previous week.

Commodities

US Power Update: Prices Mostly Higher, 5 Regions Post $100-Plus Spikes

US wholesale electricity prices were mostly higher Wednesday afternoon, with five regions seeing intraday price spikes above $100 per megawatt-hour, according to data from GridStatus.io.Electric Reliability Council of Texas' real-time locational marginal price stood at $31.13/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load was 51.17 gigawatts, with natural gas making up the largest share of the generation mix at 45%.California Independent System Operator's real-time LMP stood at $36.72/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load was 19.04 GW, with gas providing the largest share of the generation mix at 42%. Prices climbed to an intraday high of $105.97/MWh at 10 a.m. ET.Southwest Power Pool's real-time LMP came in at $32.72/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load was 45.37 GW, with solar representing the largest share of the generation mix at 46%.PJM Interconnection's real-time LMP was $73.17/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load reached 122.06 GW, while natural gas supplied the largest share of the generation mix at 42.7%. Prices rose to an intraday high of $271.12/MWh at 2:20 p.m. ET.Midcontinent Independent System Operator's real-time LMP was $43.18/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load totaled 86.6 GW, with natural gas contributing the largest share of the generation mix at 33.3%. Prices reached an intraday high of $155.40/MWh at 2:35 p.m. ET.New York Independent System Operator's real-time LMP came to $59.20/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load stood at 21.36 GW, while dual fuel held the largest share of the generation mix at 32.8%. Prices hit an intraday high of $283.69/MWh at 10:10 a.m. ET.ISO New England's real-time LMP reached $139.12/MWh at 4 p.m. ET, also the intraday high. Net load was 14.47 GW, with natural gas accounting for the biggest portion of the generation mix at 52.4%.Independent Electricity System Operator's real-time LMP was $37.54/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load totaled 16.87 GW at 3:55 p.m. ET, with nuclear supplying the largest share of the generation mix at 39.4%.The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center forecasts above-normal temperatures across much of the western, southern, and eastern US from Sep. 17 to Sep. 23, with below-normal to near-normal readings across parts of the northern US.Meanwhile, the US is expected to see record electricity consumption as data centers and manufacturing drive demand through 2027, according to the Energy Information Administration's September Short-Term Energy Outlook released Wednesday.Sales are expected to increase nearly 2% to 4,135 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026 and another almost 2% to 4,211 billion kWh in 2027, according to STEO estimates.Commercial electricity sales should grow 3.3% in 2026 and 2.7% in 2027, representing 63% and 56% of annual sales growth, while industrial sales should rise 1.6% and 2.6%, according to the EIA's STEO.