China’s power shortages hit growth in the world’s second-biggest economy, threatening more pain for global supply chains, while Europe’s gas squeeze looked set to continue as Russia’s Gazprom showed no sign of hiking exports to the region in October.
Coal, oil and gas prices have all rocketed higher in recent weeks hammering utilities and consumers from Beijing to Brussels, raising inflationary pressures and putting at risk a global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Europe, which relies on Russia for 35% of its gas supplies, has seen its benchmark gas price rise more than 350% this year. As a result, a slew of European firms that supply gas or power to households and companies have folded.
The Czech Republic’s energy regulator took the exceptional step of asking suppliers to provide reassurances that they could supply energy to homes and companies, after another of the country’s electricity and gas groups halted supply.
A dozen or so suppliers have already gone bust in Britain.
In Asia, power provider Ohm Energy said it had exited the retail electricity market in Singapore, the third company to do so in recent weeks.
China, which needs coal to fire up about 60% of its power plants, has been grappling with a shortfall in supplies and surging prices for the most polluting of fossil fuels, leading to disruption in electricity supplies for factories and homes.
A global rebound from the depths of the pandemic-induced slump has left all fossil fuel suppliers struggling to keep pace.
European companies are among those feeling the pinch from the energy price surge, adding to other challenges that include a shortage of memory chips and a lack of shipping containers.
Supply chain volatility has intensified globally said and this headwind is expected to continue in the fourth quarter.
Reference:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/power-squeeze-curbs-chinese-growth-leaves-europe-in-a-gas-bind/articleshow/87112298.cms
Disruptions in the Red Sea, Suez Canal, and Panama Canal have driven up shipping costs, sending shockwaves through the global economy.
It was truly heartwarming to see so many clients and associates visiting our stand, even as late as at the end of the show, sharing drinks and engaging in conversations.
Ocean freight rates on key global container routes have fallen again. Despite the upcoming Golden Week in China, which usually drives demand, the situation this year is slightly different, and the expected rate increase may not happen.
Highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) are at the dangers of cross-contamination with other product forefront of pharmaceutical manufacturing. They are particularly common in targeted therapies and personalized medicines. This is primarily due to their potent therapeutic effects at low dosage forms.
The floating traffic jams off ports. The multiplying costs of moving freight. The resulting shortages of goods. All of this had seemed like an unpleasant memory confined to the COVID-19 pandemic. But no such luck!
An ocean container capacity crunch has hit global trade just as peak shipping season starts, with freight spot rates up some 30% over the past few weeks and heading higher.
The first joint Europe-wide assessment of the drivers and impact of chemical pollution by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has concluded that, despite progress in some areas, “more work is still needed to reduce the impact of harmful substances on human health and the environment”. Key findings include:
The severe drought which has forced the Panama Canal, one of the world’s busiest trade passages, to limit daily crossings could impact global supply chains during a period of high demand.
In the early hours of March 26, the Singapore-flagged ship Dali, loaded with 5,000 containers, slammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the 1.6-mile (2.5-kilometer) bridge to collapse in a matter of seconds. The Dali was departing for Colombo when the disaster struck. Initial fears were confirmed that half a dozen people lost their lives in the accident.