Colombia's Ecopetrol signs agreement with Parex Resources for oil and gas development
Ecopetrol, Colombia's largest state-owned energy firm, announced on Wednesday that it had signed five agreements to enhance the production of oil and natural gas in the Andean nation. The first four agreements will involve an investment of $350 million. These projects are planned in Colombia's Putumayo Province and Narino Province. Companies hope to increase crude oil volumes to the existing projects, as well as explore potential resources around the area. Ecopetrol announced that a $60 million investment will be made in the Cundinamarca Province to develop an exploratory well with the goal of producing light crude and gas.
US oil industry calls on Trump to abandon Biden's climate policies
The U.S. Oil and Gas Industry on Tuesday called for President-elect Donald Trump's revocation of many policies implemented by President Joe Biden to combat climate change. They said the measures threatened jobs, consumer choices and energy security. The American Petroleum Institute, the nation's largest oil and gas trade association, has urged the incoming Trump administration to remove vehicle emission standards designed to encourage the auto industry to make more electric vehicles. It also urged Trump to lift the pause on liquefied gas export permits and work with Congress on repealing a fee for methane emissions during drilling operations.
US oil industry calls on Trump to abandon Biden's climate policies
The U.S. Oil and Gas Industry on Tuesday called for President-elect Donald Trump's revocation of many policies proposed by President Joe Biden to combat climate change. They said the measures threatened jobs, consumer choices and energy security. The American Petroleum Institute, the nation's largest oil and gas trade association, has urged the incoming Trump administration to remove vehicle emission standards designed to encourage the auto industry to make more electric vehicles. It also urged Trump to lift the pause on export licenses for liquefied gas facilities, and to work with Congress to eliminate a fee on drilling methane emissions.
US Supreme Court will not halt EPA power plant emission rule
The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Wednesday to suspend a new federal regulation targeting carbon pollution from coal and gas-fired plants, despite the requests of many states and industry groups. This is another major setback to President Joe Biden’s efforts to fight climate change. The Justices refused emergency requests from West Virginia, Indiana, and 25 other states, most of which are Republican-led, as well as by power companies and industry association to stop the Environmental Protection Agency regulation while litigation is ongoing in a lower-court.
Macquarie will take a minority stake in D.E. Shaw's green power arm could be worth up to $1.73 billion
Macquarie Group’s asset management division has acquired a minority stake of the green energy arm of U.S.-based investor D.E. The Australian company announced on Tuesday that it would invest up to $1.73 billion in equity into D.E. Macquarie Asset Management, a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management, and D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, or DESRI (Development Energy Services and Renewable Investments), has a pipeline of more than 25 gigawatts according to Macquarie. Macquarie’s investment comes as global firms face the brunt geopolitical turmoil, high borrowing rates and sticky inflation.
Perenco will acquire mature gas fields from BP
BP Trinidad and Tobago has signed an agreement with Perenco T&T for the divestment of its Immortelle offshore gas field and production facilities. The oil major said this in a Monday statement. It said that the agreement includes undeveloped resources in the Parang field. All fields except Parang have been in operation since 1993, and produce about 30 thousand barrels equivalents of oil per day. According to the agreement, bpTT is required to buy gas from these fields in order for it meet its contractual obligations. This sale is part of a broader BP strategy to streamline operations and concentrate on assets with higher value.
Woodside Energy, a company based in Australia, will buy Texas' ammonia plant for $2.3 billion.
Woodside Energy, a company based in Australia, announced on Monday that it would acquire OCI Global’s Texas clean ammonia plant for $2.35billion as part of its move towards sustainable energy. Woodside will gain an advantage by being the first to enter a lower-carbon ammonia industry. This is due to the global shift towards cleaner energy sources as climatic change continues to increase demand. Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill stated that the global ammonia market is expected to double in size by 2050. Lower carbon ammonia will account for nearly two thirds of this demand.
Blue Hydrogen: A Key Player in the Future of Energy Transition
The energy sector is undergoing a transformation, with a growing focus on cleaner energy sources and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a more sustainable future. In this context, hydrogen is emerging as a key player in the energy transition, with a variety of clean production methods offering different advantages and competitiveness in the market.The recent results of the Accelerated Energy Decarbonization Scenario (AEDS), developed within the framework of the 7th edition of the GECF Global Gas Outlook, provide valuable insights into the future of hydrogen as an energy vector.
Snam Sees Limited Impact from Coronavirus on Targets
Italian gas company Snam can't reliably calculate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on its business outlook but doesn't see any major impact, it said on Thursday."The company expects a limited impact on its economic targets and to the investment programme, proportional to the speed of recovery of operations," it said in a statement on first quarter results.Europe's biggest gas pipeline company has put in place emergency measures to ensure it can keep gas flowing during the virus outbreak.In its quarterly results statement…
Wartsila Says Share of Renewable Energy Up Rapidly Amid COVID-19
Finnish ship technology and power-plant maker Wartsila said on Tuesday the coronavirus outbreak has caused the share of renewable energy in Europe's power production to increase rapidly.The pandemic has caused demand for electricity to fall across Europe, Wartsila said, according to data it collected and analysed.Countries such as Germany, Spain and Britain have had to temporarily shut down coal-fired power generation, causing the share of renewable energy to increase rapidly in the power mix."Take Germany last week, they actually had over 10 gigawatts of excess energy production because they were still running their coal-fired plants ...
Evergy to Add 660MW Wind Energy
US-based utility Evergy has announced plans to add 660MW of wind energy to its portfolio and reduce carbon emissions by 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. The addition will bring the total amount of wind serving Evergy customers to 4,535 megawatts, making Evergy one of the top five wind energy companies in the United States.The energy from these wind farms will be used to support and expand Evergy’s Direct Renewables Program, which allows Kansas companies to access clean wind energy to become more sustainable and reduce the overall cost of energy.
Kuwait Signs 15-yr LNG Gas Deal with Qatar
State-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp signed a 15-year agreement with Qatar Petroleum to import three million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) each year starting from 2022.The agreement was signed by Dr. Khaled A. Al-Fadhel, the Minister of Oil and the Minister of Electricity & Water, the Chairman of the Board of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and His Excellency Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, during a special ceremony held in Kuwait City.Under the 15-year agreement…
Cheap Gas Killing US Coal -Rystad
A new study revealed that coal power is being replaced by cleaner energy sources in the US – primarily due to an abundance of cheap natural gas.According to Rystad Energy, new renewable energy capacity from solar and wind is on the rise in the US, and April 2019 marked the first month when more electricity was generated in the country from renewable sources than from coal.However, the growing renewable energy sector alone is not wholly responsible for the on-going retirement of coal-fired power plants and the essential moratorium on the construction of new coal plants.“The US thermal coal industry is in severe trouble.
LNG Rates Hit Record in 4Q: Flex LNG
During the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018, spot LNG rates reached record levels as market players were positioning themselves ahead of the winter season, said Flex LNG.According to the UK-based provider of LNG Shipping with a focus on LNG Carriers and FSRUs (Floating Storage Regasification Units), due to a combination of higher temperatures meaning fewer heating days, liquidation of approximately 30 vessels utilized for floating storage the freight rates for LNG has slumped during first quarter of 2019 and also resulting…
Oil and Gas Execs Expect to Boost Spending
The majority of senior energy industry executives expect to maintain or increase spending this year to meet demand for oil and gas after years of austerity, a survey by DNV GL shows.DNV, a technical adviser to the energy industry, surveyed 791 senior professionals from firms with annual revenue ranging from $500 million or less to those earning $5 billion and more.BP, Shell and many other companies cut capital spending and costs in 2016 after the price of benchmark Brent crude fell to a 12-year low of below $30 a barrel.Helped by output cuts by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies…
LNG Shipping Market in Recovery Stage: Flex LNG
Norwegian-born billionaire John Fredriksen-owned LNG shipper Flex LNG believes that the LNG market is in the early stages of a multi-year recovery.According to a report by Flex LNG, the market for seaborne transportation of LNG has improved significantly during the third quarter with the primary driver being the nearly 50 per cent year on year growth in imports to China.Additionally there is high demand growth in other more mature markets such as South Korea and Taiwan.Flex LNG pointed out that Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimate demand growth of approximately 8.5% in 2018…
Petronas Sets Up Team for Renewables Push
Malaysian state-owned oil and gas firm Petroliam Nasional Berhad, or Petronas, has set up a new business within the group to make a push into renewable energy, the head of the new venture said on Tuesday.Petronas has expressed interest over the last year to diversify into renewables amid low oil prices. In March, Chief Executive Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin said Petronas will explore new business areas including new energy and that the company will assess opportunities in solar power.Jay Mariyappan told an industry forum that…
Natural Gas is Here to Stay, Big Oil Says
Energy companies are betting demand for natural gas will rise at break-neck pace for decades, undermining warnings that tackling climate change would require a rapid switch to renewable energy.Top oil companies including Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Total are adapting with growing urgency to the need to develop cleaner energy sources, investing more and more in solar and wind power, electric vehicle technology and even forestation.Still, they see oil, and specially natural gas, the least polluting fossil fuel, playing a major role throughout the decades of transition and beyond as demand for electricity and plastics grows."Shell's core business is…
Rockefeller Fund hits Exxon, Sheds Fossil Fuels
The Rockefeller Family Fund said on Wednesday it would divest from fossil fuels as quickly as possible and "eliminate holdings" of Exxon Mobil Corp, saying the oil company associated with the family fortune has misled the public about climate change risks. Though only a sliver of the endowment's modest $130 million in assets is invested in fossil fuels, the move is notable because a century ago John D. Rockefeller Sr. made a fortune running Standard Oil, a precursor to Exxon Mobil. The charity said it would also divest from coal and Canadian oil sands.
IMF's Lagarde Calls for "wise" Taxes to Foster Greener Fuels
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde called on Monday for tax reforms to be included in a global climate deal to raise incentives for consumers to reduce their energy consumption and to boost demand for cleaner fuels. In an opinion piece for German daily Die Welt, Lagarde said the price of greenhouse gas emissions should be at the centre of efforts to tackle climate change. "With a fairer carbon price, energy savings will be encouraged and demand strengthened for cleaner energy sources and 'greener' investments," Lagarde wrote, adding price changes could be achieved via energy taxes.
