Global Roundup: Norway Output Tops Forecasts, Caspian Trade Advances, Coffee Biochar Breakthrough

Norwegian crude oil production continued to outperform expectations in May, reinforcing the country's role as a stable Atlantic Basin supplier, according to OilPrice.com. Preliminary figures show Norway produced an average of 1.722 million barrels per day in May, which was 7.2% above official forecasts, despite a pullback from April's 1.952 million bpd high. Total liquids output averaged 1.909 million bpd. The report notes that year-to-date petroleum production is about 4% higher than the same period in 2025, anchored by fields like Johan Sverdrup.

Elsewhere, Azerbaijan is working to integrate isolated Turkmenistan into trans-Caspian trade routes, OilPrice.com reported. During a June 22 ceremony in Baku, leaders from both nations signed agreements to streamline the movement of goods and harmonize customs statistics, with a focus on expanding the Middle Corridor trade network to Europe. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated the engagement aims to increase cargo flows and hinted at future cooperation in developing Turkmenistan's mineral resources.

In energy research, scientists at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) have developed a faster, cheaper method to produce biochar from wet coffee grounds, according to OilPrice.com. The new process uses "flash evaporation" — dubbed the "popcorn effect" — which utilizes internal moisture to create a porous structure, skipping the energy-intensive drying step. The resulting biochar has three times the carbon content and about one-third more calorific value than typical biochar, with no sulfur content. The world generates over 10 million tons of coffee waste annually, presenting a potential waste-to-energy stream.