Monday, October 21, 2024

Alexander News

Russia says it is too early to tell if the market will be ready for additional oil in Dec

Alexander Novak, the Russian Deputy Premier, said that it was still too early to determine if the market will need the additional volumes of oil the OPEC+ group plans to produce beginning in December. His comments could set the stage for a discussion on whether or not to implement the increase in oil production agreed upon by the group. He said the group, including Russia and Saudi Arabia included…

Germany's Thyssenkrupp reviewing green steel production plans

Thyssenkrupp, a German steel company, said that it will review its plans to produce green steel after a report Sunday suggested it might halt a major project of decarbonisation. The conglomerate, which is in crisis, said that it was reviewing its plan for its steel business, including the "green transformation", referring to carbon-neutral steel production, one of industrial processes most polluting.

Russia aims to increase coal exports to India

Alexander Novak, Russian deputy prime minister, said that Russia was interested in increasing its coal exports to India in order to meet the growing demand for fuel in Asia. China is still the largest buyer of Russian coal, but Moscow says India could overtake China by the beginning of the next decade due to Beijing's plans for reducing coal use in power generation. India is increasingly relying on coal for its record-breaking power demand.

Russia's Novak believes that oil volatility is easing despite Middle East turmoil

Alexander Novak, Russian Deputy Premier Minister, told Al Arabiya News that he expects the volatility in oil prices to subside after the Middle East tensions have triggered it. Geopolitical risk has already been factored into the price fluctuations. Novak, who oversees the Russian economy as a whole, has said that the economy is still suffering from sanctions and will withstand any pressure or price cap imposed by the West on oil.

Credit Agricole, a French bank, has bought stakes in 11 wind farms

Credit Agricole, a French bank, announced on Friday that it had purchased stakes up to 32 percent in 11 wind farms located in France. By 2050, France aims to be carbon neutral by having 45 gigawatts of offshore wind installed. Due to the complex permitting procedures and multiple appeals filed against projects, France is behind other countries in offshore wind. The European Union also wants to see more wind power in this region.

Moscow claims that the EU has lost its mind over increased military aid to Ukraine

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the European Union has "lost their mind" and is heading towards ruin by providing additional military aid to Ukraine. According to a letter from the German finance ministry, Germany will approve an additional 400 million euros ($450 millions) of military aid for Ukraine to help it fight Russia. These funds will be added to the 8 billion euro budget for Ukraine in 2024.

TotalEnergies begins early production of Fenix gas in Argentina

TotalEnergies, a French oil company, said that natural gas production had begun earlier than expected at Argentina's Fenix off-shore field. The $700-million project was originally scheduled to start operating in November. It has a daily production capacity of 10,000,000 cubic meters of gas, which represents 8% of Argentina’s total production. Gas from the Fenix Field off Argentina's southern coast will be used for domestic consumption.

APPEC and Japan's JERA consider Vietnam gas-fired energy plant investment

A senior executive from Japan's largest utility, JERA, said on Wednesday that the company plans to invest in a gas-fired plant in Vietnam as part of its efforts to transition away from coal and towards cleaner fuels. By 2030, power plants that use domestic gas or imported liquefied gas (LNG), with LNG as the major contributor, will be a vital source of energy in Vietnam. The total installed capacity of these plants is expected to reach 37.33 GW.

Glencore's former head of oil is charged with bribery in a UK court

Alex Beard, former Glencore head of oil, appeared before a London court Tuesday to answer bribery allegations relating to Glencore's operations in Africa. Beard's lawyer told the London Westminster Magistrates' Court that he will plead guilty. The 57-year old is accused of two counts of conspiracy for corrupt payments made to officials of government-owned oil companies and government officials in Nigeria from 2010 to 2014 and in Cameroon, between 2007 and 2008.

British Business – Sept 10,

These are the most popular stories in the British business pages. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports. BP engineers will now be required to take faster decisions based on AI-generated information about oil and natural gas exploration, following a recent agreement with Palantir Technologies. Hostmore, a British restaurant operator…

Chile's quest for algae power is fueled by electric seaweed

In the laboratories of the University of Santiago, scientists are trying to convert algae into a reliable power source. The field they work in is biophotovoltaics. This uses photosynthetic organisms such as seaweed to turn light into electricity. Scientists spread seaweed on electrodes of biophotovoltaic solar panels. The project leader Federico Tasca said that algae use light to oxidize the water and release electrons in the process. These can be used in electric circuits.

Taiwan's TCC receives Italian approval to take energy storage company NHOA private

TCC Group Holdings, a Taiwanese company, announced on Friday that it has received approval from the Italian government to privatize energy storage firm NHOA. The Italian government has "golden powers" to block or impose conditions on foreign and local takeovers as well as changes in governance affecting companies operating in strategic sectors like energy, telecoms, and banking. The…

Siemens Energy resumes the sale of its 4.X onshore turbine

Siemens Energy has announced that it has resumed the sales of the 4.X wind turbine which was at the center of its largest corporate crisis. This is a sign of the German energy group's full return to the onshore markets. A spokesperson for Siemens Energy responded to a question by saying that sales of the turbines in trouble have resumed, but will be limited to certain markets. She did not provide any further details.

Minister: Russia welcomes foreign investments in geological exploration

Alexander Kozlov, Minister for Natural Resources and Ecology in Russia, said that the country would be happy to welcome foreign investors who wish to participate in its geological surveys. After the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, in February 2022, Russia experienced a mass exodus. Moscow has tried to strengthen cooperation with nations who did not support the sanctions in relation to the conflict such as energy-consuming China and India.

EU tightens hydrogen subsidy regulations after China concerns

After local industries expressed concerns about cheap Chinese imports and the EU's climate change policy head, said Monday, that the European Commission is working to tighten rules so that EU funding for projects involving hydrogen benefits European companies. This month, the EU will launch its second round of funding to support green hydrogen projects. Brussels is trying to jump-start an industry in order to produce this fuel locally.

Sources say that OPEC+ is likely to continue with its planned production increase from October.

OPEC+ will proceed with a planned increase in oil production from October as Libyan outages, and pledged reductions by some members, to compensate for the overproduction, counteract the impact of sluggish consumer demand, according to six sources within the producer group. Eight OPEC+ member countries are expected to increase their output by 180,000 barrels a day in October as part…

BHP strike in Chile enters its third day, boosting global copper price

The strike at BHP's massive Escondida Mine in Chile, which entered its third full day on Thursday boosted global copper prices. A continuing standoff between BHP and the workers is spreading concerns about the supply of red metal. BHP and the union of workers held an initial meeting Wednesday to try to defuse a strike. However, they failed to reach a breakthrough which would have allowed the restart of formal negotiations.

Sources say that OPEC+ is likely to continue with its planned production increase from October.

OPEC+ will proceed with a planned increase in oil production from October as Libyan outages, and pledged reductions by some members, to compensate for the overproduction, counteract the impact of sluggish consumer demand, according to six sources within the producer group. Eight OPEC+ member countries are expected to increase their output by 180,000 barrels a day in October as part…

Planning Starts on Series of 10 Ammonia Fueled Bulk Carriers

Bulk carrier CMB powered by ammonia.  Image courtesy WinGD/CMB.TECH

WinGD and CMB.TECH announced plans to collaborate on a fleet of ammonia fuelled bulk carriers. The pair signed an agreement on the development of ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines, aiming to install the ammonia dual-fuel X72DF engine on a series of ten x 210,000 DWT bulk carriers to be built at a Chinese shipyard in 2025 and 2026.CMB.TECH will support WinGD in establishing its ammonia-fuelled engine concept for a large bore engine.

Britain announces that the Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement will come into effect by December 15

The British Government announced on Thursday that its agreement to join Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will enter into effect by December 15th this year, after receiving the final ratification needed. CPTPP, or the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, is a free-trade agreement signed in 2018 by 11 countries: Australia…