France Strike, Australia Natural Gas Rules: Your Daily Energy News

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Energy Market highlights gathered by Industrial Info and IIR Energy

EUROPE
France Requisitions Refinery Workers as Strike Continues - Several French refineries were still blocked from delivering products on Tuesday after two weeks of strikes, disrupting production and power supply, while attempts to requisition workers at the Fos depot sparked scuffles with police. The French government has taken steps to order workers to resume operations at the Fos depot, government minister Clement Beaune said. Fights broke out at the Fos site after the requisition order, and three police officers were seriously injured. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Terminals Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.

NATURAL GAS
Australia's Gas Producers Brace for New Rules - Australian natural gas producers are cautiously optimistic a raft of proposed rules for the sector will not stunt investment as the government prepares to unveil the final details of several major interventions into the domestic gas market. Cautious optimism from industry follows months of warnings from producers that a raft of new rules, including powers to redirect exports and set prices as well as a mandatory code of conduct, would imperil long-term contracts, stop new investments and alienate trade partners. Australia temporarily capped domestic prices for gas and coal in December for 12 months to curb soaring prices. (Reuters)

U.S. Gas Slips - U.S. natural gas futures slipped for a third straight session to their lowest in a month on Tuesday, weighed down by lower heating demand as weather moderates with sufficient inventory in storage. Front-month gas futures for April delivery traded 6.6 cents lower, or 3%, to $2.16 per million British thermal units. (Reuters)

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About IIR Energy
Energy asset information on power plants, oil refineries and natural gas infrastructure is now more important than ever. A unit of Industrial Info Resources, IIR Energy provides infrastructure information on these assets, as well as real-time tracking of planned and unplanned interruptions affecting the commodity-trading community. We are the number one source for information about power plant outages, refinery turnarounds and midstream natural gas disruptions.

About Industrial Info
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).