Sunday, December 22, 2024

East Coast News

VEGOILS - Palm oil drops as the weather improves in Malaysia. Gains for a second consecutive week

The price of Malaysian palm oils futures fell on Friday as supply concerns eased. However, the contract continued to rise for the second consecutive week, thanks to improved weather conditions in Malaysia, the second largest producer in the world. The benchmark palm-oil contract for February delivery at the Bursa Derivatives Exchange fell 3 ringgit or 0.06% to 5,132 Ringgit ($1,161.87) per metric ton. The contract increased by 2.29% in the last week. Paramalingam Supramaniam is the director of Selangor brokerage Pelindung Bestari. The country's Meteorological Department forecast monsoon rains from Dec.

Palm oil drops as the weather improves in Malaysia. Set for second week gains

The price of Malaysian palm futures fell on Friday as supply concerns eased. Weather conditions in Malaysia, the second largest producer of palm oil, also improved. However, the contract was still set to increase for a second consecutive week. By midday, the benchmark palm oil contract on Bursa Derivatives Exchange for February delivery had fallen 20 ringgit or 0.39% to 5,115 Ringgit ($1,157.24). This week, the contract has increased by 1.89%. Paramalingam Supramaniam is the director of Selangor brokerage Pelindung Bestari. The country's Meteorological Department forecasted monsoon surge between Dec.

Palm gains for the fifth time in a row, logging a weekly gain

Malaysian palm futures rose on Friday for the fifth consecutive session, and recorded a weekly gain amid concerns about supply as heavy rains in Malaysia exacerbated already low production levels. The benchmark palm-oil contract for February delivery at Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives exchange gained 138 Ringgit or 2.82% to $5,023 ringgit (1,131.31 USD) per metric ton. After falling for two weeks in a row, the contract recovered to record a weekly gain 8.21%. This is the highest since the month of June 2023. Paramalingam Supramaniam is the director of Selangor brokerage firm Pelindung Bestari.

Palm oil prices rise on the back of supply problems; set to gain weekly

Malaysian palm futures rose for the fifth session in a row on Friday, and are on track to gain a week-long gain amid concerns about supply as heavy rains were exacerbating low production levels. At midday, the benchmark palm oil contract on Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives exchange gained 121 Ringgit or 2.48% to 5,006 Ringgit ($1,128.24). This week, the contract has gained 5.23% after two consecutive weeks of falling. Paramalingam Supramaniam is the director of Selangor brokerage firm Pelindung Bestari.

Nigeria seeks long-term buyers of new Utapate oil and aims to double production

Nigeria seeks long-term customers for the new crude oil grade Utapate, and aims to double its output from 40,000 barrels a day by 2025. The launch is part Nigeria's effort to boost its oil output, which has been hindered for years by unrest and theft of crude, despite being a member of the ongoing OPEC+ Production Cut Pact. NNPC announced last week that Nigeria produces around 1.8 millions bpd, and aims to reach 2 million bpd before the end of the year, based upon collaborative efforts with joint venture operators, its partners in production-sharing agreements, as well as security agencies and government.

RWE buys back $1.6 billion in shares as the outlook for US offshore wind and hydrogen worsens

RWE, Germany’s largest utility, announced on Tuesday that it would purchase up to 1,5 billion euros ($1.6billion) in shares. The company cited weakening prospects in Europe for hydrogen and offshore wind, in response to Donald Trump’s election win. RWE has also bowed to investor pressure by launching a buyback that will begin in the fourth quarter of this year and last for 18 months. This is due to the fact that clean energy projects are not generating the returns they should. "We have strict…

UN chief warns at COP29 that if you don't pay up, the climate will lead to disaster for humanity.

At the COP29 Summit on Tuesday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to "pay up", in order to prevent climate-driven humanitarian disasters. He also said that time was running short to limit a destructive increase in global temperatures. Nearly 200 countries have gathered in Baku for the annual U.N. Climate Summit. This year, the summit is focused on raising hundreds and billions of dollars so that the world can transition to cleaner sources of energy while limiting the damage to the climate caused by carbon emission.

AG&P LNG acquires Australia's Venice Energy and develops South Australian import terminal

The Singapore-based Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific LNG (AG&P LNG) has agreed to acquire the Australian energy infrastructure developer Venice Energy and build its Outer Harbor Import Terminal in South Australia. AG&P LNG aims to have the LNG import terminal at Port Adelaide operational by the first quarter 2027. This was stated in a Thursday statement. The terminal will have an annual import capacity of two million metric tonnes. It will be constructed by converting a LNG carrier with a volume of 145,000 cubic metres into a floating storage unit and regasification (FSRU).

S&P 500 closes near flat; more data on jobs is awaited. Middle East in focus

S&P 500 closed little changed Wednesday. Technology shares gained, but investors were nervous about Middle East tensions. Also, more U.S. employment data is due this week. Nvidia shares are up, which helped lift the S&P 500 Technology index. Nike shares fell after the athletic apparel and footwear maker retracted its annual revenue projection just before a new CEO was set to take over. Investors monitored Mideast headlines after Israel and the U.S. pledged to strike back following Iran's attack on Israel on Tuesday. Joe Biden, the U.S.

As tensions in the Middle East escalate, futures prices fall; employment data is on tap

U.S. Stock Index Futures fell on Wednesday, as geopolitical tensions and a port strike in the United States kept investors on edge before data that was expected to shed some light on the state of the economy and its monetary policy trajectory. Wall Street's major indexes started the fourth quarter of the year with a gloomy outlook. The S&P 500, and Nasdaq touched lows that were about two weeks old in the previous session as investors dumped riskier assets in response to Iran firing missiles at Israel in retaliation to its attacks on Lebanon. The markets held steady as Israel and the U.S.

Australian LNG producers could need to commit to more gas for the local market due to a possible shortage

Due to a decrease in supply forecasts for next year the Australian competition watchdog stated on Friday that liquefied gas producers (LNG) may have to commit more gas to the domestic rather than export market. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's quarterly report, the LNG supply surplus on Australia's east coast is expected to drop to 12 to 27 petajoules in the first quarter 2025. This is down from 26 to 35 petajoules forecasted in June. The lower forecast is due to an increase in exports contracted in the third quarter of 2009.

US LNG Export Dominance Tested as Europe's Demand Wilts

The United States has remained the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) so far in 2024, but a steep drop in selling prices and a sharp swing in export volumes to key markets is likely testing exporter appetite to stay on top.The United States shipped a record 56.9 million metric tons of LNG during the first eight months of 2024, according to Kpler.That surpassed the 54.3 million tons from Australia and 53.7 million tons from Qatar during that period, and marks only the second straight year that U.S.

EIA reports that US biofuel production capacity increased last year due to the renewable diesel rush.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed that five new renewable diesel plants were opened in 2018. This increased U.S. production of this drop-in substitute for diesel and other emerging biofuels to 282,000 barrels per day (bpd). According to EIA, two renewable diesel plants were opened in the U.S. Gulf Coast region and on the West Coast. One facility was opened on the East Coast. The total number of renewable diesel plants across the United States now stands at 22. West Coast capacity at the beginning of this year was more than twice as high as last year, at 82,000 BPD. In recent years, U.S.

Shell and PetroChina expand Surat coal-seam gas project in Australia

Shell and PetroChina announced on Monday that they have decided to expand their Surat coal-seam gas project in Queensland. This comes amid calls from the British oil giant for increased investment to boost the local energy supply. The decision was made at a moment when executives in the industry have been pressing for government action to bring investments back that were halted by state interventions to reduce energy prices and increase domestic supply. The Australian energy market operator, as well as the competition watchdog…

Markets: The Challenges of Developing Floating Wind at Scale

Hywind Scotland, the world.s first floating wind farm, operated by Equinor. (Credit: Signal Film / ©Equinor)

Tens of gigawatts of floating wind projects are slated for development in this and the next decade, but many obstacles remain.There has been much focus on the emerging floating wind market of late.The U.K. is forging ahead with commercial scale floating wind developments through the Scotwind and INTOG awards of at least 24 gigawatts (GW) of floating wind capacity representing close to 1,500 floating turbines that will come on stream through 2030. And this will be soon followed by the award of at least 4 GW of capacity through the Celtic Sea floating wind auctions. The U.S.

Stepping on the Gas: Rochester Researchers Team to tackle Methane Emissions

Dr. John Kessler (right) and Dr. DongJoo Joung (Pusan National University) collecting methane for radiocarbon analysis. All images: University of Rochester/John Kessler

With global temperatures rising, oceans warming and ice caps melting, carbon dioxide attracts the bulk of the blame throughout media, public discourse and academia. All too many—save some scientists and researchers—neglect methane, the second biggest greenhouse gas that’s influenced by human activity. Often associated with livestock production and ruminant flatulence, methane has both natural and anthropogenic sources and is garnering more attention as science strives to understand the holistic…

Price is the Elephant in Australia's LNG, Domestic Gas Conundrum

© Zerophoto / Adobe Stock

Australia's threat to curb exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to ensure domestic supplies is another unwelcome pressure on a tight global market for the super-chilled fuel.But it's not an immediate threat, and it may also not materialize at all, depending on how the various players in Australia react to the government's planned action.What needs to be addressed effectively is the elephant in the room, namely the price at which natural gas is made available to domestic consumers relative to the price the gas companies can receive for their LNG on the global market.Australia vies with the United States

The Port Logistics Challenges of Offshore Wind

Photo: Elaine Maslin

Some equations just don’t add up. For example, storing 500 offshore wind turbine blades at a site with only space for 400 (and that’s only if you don’t store the other key elements required to build a full turbine). Elaine Maslin visited Siemens Gamesa’s blade manufacturing facility in Hull, UK, to find out more.Storage space is becoming a major challenge that’s looming for ports involved in the fast-evolving offshore wind industry. It’s already becoming a challenge for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy at its blade manufacturing facility in Hull, on England’s east coast.

Crowley LNG Bunker Barge to Sport TGE Marine Gas Controls, Tanks

The 12,000 m3 LNG bunkering barge is bunkering a Container Vessel. ©TGE Marine

TGE Marine Gas Engineering GmbH (TGE Marine) inked a deal for a 12,000 cu. m. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering barge with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for the design and supply of the cargo handling system including two 6,000 cu. m. bilobe Type C tanks designed to transport LNG at -163°C.The barge will be built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for Crowley and operate under a long-term charter with Shell NA LNG, LLC. The 12,000 m3 barge will be the largest of its kind built in the United States so far and is expected to start operations along the US East Coast in 2024.

ConocoPhillips Beefs Up Stake in Australia Pacific LNG

©APLNG

ConocoPhillips has completed the acquisition of an additional 10% stake in Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) from Origin Energy for $1.645 billion. After customary closing adjustments, cash paid for the additional interest is approximately $1.4 billion (AU$2.0 billion). The transaction resulted from the exercise of ConocoPhillips’ preemption right and is funded from cash on the company’s balance sheet.ConocoPhillips now owns a 47.5% interest in APLNG, with Origin Energy and Sinopec owning 27.5% and 25% interests, respectively.