Viva Energy

typically refining margins are very volatile and they've made losses in the past.

And so the government's realised that they are strategically really important and it's required to really support the private owners because they're really just two owners at the moment of refining capacity in Australia, it's Viva and Ampol.

we import the other 80% of refined products.

So we really need, as a country, security over refined product and availability of that.

And so the government is currently in negotiations with both Ample and Viva about a solution to better support them, because while they're making great returns now, in three, four, five years' time, it might be that they will be back to much lower margins and not economic.

And so the government's looking to give better support.

They've given some improvements into 2030, But the discussions are for beyond 2030.

We had Woodside and Santos both losing a fair bit of ground today, despite that rally in the oil price.

But good sessions from Viva Energy and Ample to refining stocks on the ASX.

Those ones hitting fresh 52-week highs, or actually in the case of Ample, a fresh record high, closing in on the $45 level.

Quite the remarkable rise in that one.

So it's not a huge surprise that some of the smaller wine brands that it owns are being offloaded, or at least they're trying to find a buyer for them.

Ampol, another winner today, and Viva Energy as well, two fuel refiners.

Now, Ampol is up around 54% since the conflict in the Middle East started back in February.

And last month when it handed down its results, Ampol had a near five-fold lift in half-year profits, and that was mainly due to fuel supply shortages.

Woodside up 2.8%.

It's only a couple percentage points now off its record high and solid gains also from the two main refining stocks on the ASX, Viva Energy and Ampol.

Coal stocks drifted and it was overall a mixed session for the miners.

Uranium had no clear direction after some very heavy selling over the last few sessions.

Apparently, the Toll Group has announced the launch of its new hydrogen prime movers.

The hydrogen trucks are delivered in partnership with Viva Energy and Blue Scope Steel, and they're supported by the federal government's arena funding program.

Now, listen to this.

These new hydrogen fuel cell electric B double prime movers, according to the report, they offer a driving range of roughly 300 kilometres and can be refuelled in around 20 minutes.

It was higher earlier on in the session, but it's now fallen into negative territory.

Uh, notably, though, we are seeing many of the energy names like Woodside, Santos, and Viva Energy actually higher.

Those are, um, those companies within oil and gas, but uranium miners are sort of weighing on the energy sector amid the broader sell-off, and that's weighing on the energy sector more broadly.

Materials, this is our second-largest sector, and they are an absolutely huge drag today.

Holiday park company Centuria kept lifting after rejecting that takeover bid yesterday.

Fuel refiner and retailer Viva Energy lifted as well thanks to higher oil prices.

Capstone Copper had a decent day thanks to a recovery in copper prices.

And gold miner Newmont up about 1%.