Logo of Aramco, officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Group, Saudi petroleum and natural gas company, seen on the second day of the 24th World Petroleum Congress at the Big 4 Building at Stampede Park, on September 18, 2023, in Calgary, Canada.
Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco reported a 25% decline in profit to $121.3 billion in 2023, down from $161.1 billion in 2022.
“The year-on-year decrease can be attributed to lower crude oil prices and volumes sold, as well as reduced refining and chemicals margins, partially offset by a decrease in production royalties during the year and lower income taxes and zakat,” Aramco said in a statement.
Aramco said total revenue also fell 17% to $440.88 billion, down from $535.19 billion last year.
The result still represents Aramco’s second-highest ever net income. Free cash flow also fell to $101.2 billion in 2023, compared to $148.5 billion in 2022.
“Our resilience and agility contributed to healthy cash flows and high levels of profitability, despite a backdrop of economic headwinds,” Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said.
“The recent directive from the government to maintain our Maximum Sustainable Capacity at 12 million barrels per day provides increased flexibility, as well as an opportunity to focus on increasing gas production and growing our liquids-to-chemicals business,” Nasser said.
Aramco’s average hydrocarbon production was 12.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2023, including 10.7 million barrels per day of total liquids.
Aramco aims to ramp up its investments in gas, and has a target to increase gas production by more than 60% by 2030, compared to 2021 levels. Its flagship investment is the Jaffoura project — the largest gas play in the Middle East — with an estimated 200 trillion standard cubic feet of natural gas.
Hyundai and Kia have invested in WeaveGrid, a software company that enables rapid EV adoption on the grid, following Toyota’s earlier backing.
WeaveGrid’s tech helps EVs charge in a way that’s smart and grid-friendly while keeping vehicle data secure. Its EV Management System (EVMS) gives utilities tools to manage EV charging efficiently. The platform also supports vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities, which let EVs send power back to the grid when needed. A key part of WeaveGrid’s approach is its AI-powered system, called DISCO, which optimizes charging to keep the grid stable.
Hyundai’s investment signals that the company is taking grid-interactive EVs seriously. Keith Noh, VP at Hyundai Motor Company, said, “Our software-defined EVs require a sophisticated platform that can securely manage vehicle data, optimize charging patterns, and strengthen the grid. WeaveGrid’s technology allows us to turn our vehicles into dynamic energy resources that can communicate intelligently with the electric grid, creating value for drivers, utilities, and the broader energy ecosystem.”
As EV adoption accelerates in the US, one of the biggest challenges is making sure the grid can handle the growing demand. WeaveGrid’s software is designed to help solve that problem, making EV charging more efficient while supporting a cleaner, more resilient energy system.
Apoorv Bhargava, CEO of WeaveGrid, said that having Hyundai and Kia on board alongside Toyota shows the auto industry is moving toward a common goal: integrating EVs with the grid in a secure, efficient way. “With our solutions already deployed with some of the largest utilities in the country, we’re establishing the foundation for how hundreds of millions of EVs and the grid will work together.”
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The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has announced a target of 700 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of total installed battery storage capacity and 10 million distributed storage installations by 2030.
The targets are part of a new whitepaper, “SEIA’s Vision for American Energy Storage,” that analyzes the economic and energy security imperative of a strong US battery storage sector. The whitepaper outlines policy recommendations to open markets for storage development, build financial support, grow a domestic storage supply chain, and progress long-duration storage technology.
The SEIA is also releasing a new 50-state guide to energy storage policies at the state level.
“Expanding energy storage capacity is a crucial means of ensuring our nation’s energy security and resilience,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “As demand for energy soars, storage helps turn quick-to-build, low-cost solar generation into clean, dispatchable power, ensuring our grid can adapt to challenges, support critical infrastructure, and deliver reliable power to every community.”
According to Wood Mackenzie, there are 83 GWh of installed energy storage capacity in the US, including nearly 500,000 distributed storage installations. Current forecasts show that US storage capacity is expected to reach 450 GWh by 2030, falling short of the capacity required to support US energy needs.
The whitepaper calls on states, regional transmission organizations, and the federal government to take action to accelerate storage deployment and manufacturing. These actions include:
Preserving the federal tax credit for standalone storage
Ensuring equal grid access and fair compensation to storage for grid services
Reforming interconnection processes to account for storage flexibility
Establishing affordable retail rates for storage charging
Supporting domestic manufacturing with targeted trade policies and streamlined permitting
Implementing state-level procurement programs
Emphasizing investments in low-income communities, including areas disproportionately impacted by extreme weather and poor air quality
Investing in further development of long-duration storage
“The US storage market is at an inflection point, but with the mix of policy support and private, state, and federal collaboration, we can achieve SEIA’s storage targets while creating jobs and ensuring reliable, around-the-clock power for every home and business in this county,” said Joan White, SEIA’s director of storage and interconnection.
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Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a “Morning Meeting” livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here’s a recap of Wednesday’s key moments. 1. U.S. stocks were mixed Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision in the afternoon. The S & P 500 and Nasdaq slipped, while the Dow ticked slightly higher. “We may hear that rate cuts are not as visible,” Jim Cramer said. “[But] the fact that we don’t have rate cuts yet doesn’t mean that the Fed is against us. Those who think that are short-sighted.” Wall Street is also still digesting market volatility from DeepSeek’s emergence . Portfolio stocks Nvidia and Broadcom have been most impacted by the rout. They were dropping again Wednesday after bouncing in the prior session. On Monday, Nvidia lost nearly 17% and Broadcom fell 17.4%. 2. Wall Street showed Nextracker some love following a stellar earnings report Tuesday evening. Shares were soaring more than 20% on Wednesday, trading near $50 each at session highs. Barclays and Jefferies upgraded the solar stock to buy from hold after management raised the company’s full-year profitability outlook. Analysts at Barclays described Nextracker as having “flawless execution” this quarter. Nevertheless, we kept our Club hold-equivalent 2 rating on the stock. It’s not our style to chase a parabolic move like this. We also maintained our $55-per-share price target. 3. Oppenheimer downgraded Apple to a hold-equivalent rating from buy — one day before the company’s quarterly earnings release due out Thursday evening. Analysts cited stronger smartphone competition in China and a lack of compelling Apple Intelligence and generative artificial intelligence applications to cause an iPhone upgrade cycle. We’re not surprised by the call, especially given the stock’s big rally this week. Like Wall Street, Jim is also expecting a lackluster quarter from Apple. Still, he maintained his “own, don’t trade” thesis on shares. 4. Stocks covered in Wednesday’s rapid fire at the end of the video were: T-Mobile, Alibaba , ASML , Brinker, and Otis. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long AAPL, NVDA, AVGO, NXT. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.