Prices of EUROPE GAS rise after Norway Outage
Dutch and British wholesale gas prices rose on Tuesday afternoon, as a planned outage in Norway offset initial losses, despite a reduced demand and well-supplied storage sites. LSEG data shows that the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF hub increased by 0.51 euro to 40.50 Euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh) at 1259 GMT. It had traded earlier as low as 39.80 Euros/MWh. The Dutch day-ahead contracts was up by 0.50 euros to 40.38 Euro/MWh. The day-ahead contract in the British market gained 1.40 pence, to 100.50 p/therm. Meanwhile, the front month rose by 0.90 pence and now stands at 101.30 pence/therm.
Japan's LNG stocks are above the 5-year average and buyers want more cargoes
The data showed that the liquefied gas stocks held by Japan's major electric utilities increased 14% from the previous week to 2,09 million tons on Sept. 8. This is above the average five-year figure for this time of year. Rystad Energy's analyst stated that buyers wanted to buy more cargoes in September due to the forecast of temperatures above average until early October, especially for Japan and South Korea. Japan, second largest LNG buyer in the world after China, relies mainly on long-term LNG contracts but also uses the spot market to meet peak demand for LNG during cold and hot weather.
Floating Offshore Wind: Attention Turns Subsea for Power Transport
From being an ugly duckling, floating offshore wind is now the Cinderella of the offshore renewables world. Attention is now being paid to floating and even subsea substation concepts to help bring this power to shore. Over the past year, expectations around the growth in the floating offshore wind development have grown, significantly. Many are piling into the market, seeing that it could give them a chance to ramp up renewables capacity quickly, with 15MW turbines on the horizon and the possibility of GW-scale projects looming by the end of the decade.Much has been said about the different floating turbine concepts.
Cygnus 1 IS Gauge Certified to IECEX
Cygnus Instruments announced its Cygnus 1 IS Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge now has IECEx Zone 0 Certification.In 1996 the IECEx was established through the initiative of the Ex industry and with support from certification bodies in the UK, France, Canada and Germany.The principle reason for the creation of the IECEx was to create a global (as opposed to regional) system that would provide manufacturers with a single mechanism whereby testing and assessment for the Ex sector would only need to be conducted once – and would be subsequently accepted by all members of the system.The first Ex equipment certificates were issued by the IECEx in 2003…
Shore Power Market to Reach $2.7Bln by 2024
The global shore power market is estimated to be valued at USD 1.4 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 2.7 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 13.3% during the forecast period.Reduction of low-frequency noise and emissions at ports, a growing number of cruise liners in the shipping industry, and installation of retrofit shore power systems have increased the demand for a shore power system, said a report by ResearchAndMarkets.However, huge installation & maintenance costs and high initial investment for shore power component manufacturers…
Oil Falls on U.S. Factory Data
Oil prices fell on Tuesday, a day after data showing a decline in U.S. factory orders dragged both benchmarks down from 2019 highs.Despite the slide, investors expect U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and production cuts led by OPEC to head off a glut this year, buoying prices.U.S. crude futures were down 50 cents, or 0.9 percent, at $54.06 a barrel by 1400 GMT. They touched their highest in more than two months at $55.75 the previous day.Brent crude futures were down 46 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $62.05 a barrel, off a high of $63.63.Trading proceeded at lower volumes in parts of East Asia because of the Lunar New Year holiday."Disappointing U.S.
Inpex to Ship First Ichthys LNG Cargo by End of September
Inpex said it expects to ship first cargo from its Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Australia by the end of September after safety issues have been resolved, maintaining an earlier schedule.Australian regulators had discovered safety issuess on the Ichthys offshore gas platform and was considering enforcement action.The Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG project carried out an inspection mainly on electrical equipment during the process of final safety verifications in cooperation with Australian regulators, in preparation for the start-up of production.
Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam Completes the Refit of Petrojarl 1
On the August 18, 2017, Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam (DSR) has delivered the FPSO Petrojarl 1 to Teekay Offshore following a complete redeployment project taking place over the past 2 ½ years. The Petrojarl 1 has been operated by Teekay for 28 years in the North Sea and is now destined for the Atlanta Field in Brazil. After extensive engineering (over 450,000 engineering hours), more than 50% of the process equipment was removed and replaced by new and additional equipment, required to treat heavy oil at the new location in accordance with the most stringent specifications and Brazilian compliance requirements.
Intertek Approved as a Certification Body and Test Laboratory
Intertek, a total quality assurance provider to industries worldwide, is now an approved International Electrotechnical Commission Explosive (IECEx) Certification Body and Test laboratory and can provide global third party approval on non-electrical equipment for use in hazardous areas. This will give confidence to the global petroleum, chemical and pharmaceuticals, and food industries in the safety of the non-electrical equipment on their sites. Intertek’s UK Chester and Leatherhead laboratories have tested European equipment under the ATEX Directive for over 10 years…
Canada July Trade Deficit Shrinks as Non-energy Sector Shines
Canada's trade deficit in July unexpectedly shrank on stronger non-energy exports, a sector the Bank of Canada says is crucial to helping revive an economy hit by low oil prices. Statistics Canada said on Friday that the July deficit was C$2.49 billion ($1.90 billion), lower than the C$3.25 billion shortfall predicted by analysts in a Reuters poll and below the record C$3.97 billion in June. Exports jumped by 3.4 percent, the biggest month-on-month gain since last December, on healthy gains in the motor vehicles and parts, metal and non-metallic mineral products and transportation equipment sectors. Volumes rose by 3.7 percent while prices fell by 0.3 percent.
ABB wins $30 mi Norwegian Grid Contract
ABB has won an order worth more than $30 million from Norway’s transmission system operator Statnett for two substations that will strengthen grid reliability and boost power supplies. The increased transmission capacity will also facilitate the integration of new renewable energy sources such as wind and hydro-power and support the expansion of industrial production. The order was booked in the second quarter of 2016. The substations will also play a key role in connecting the Norwegian grid to those of the UK and Germany and are a part of the Vestre korridor (Western Corridor) project…
Solar Panels Power Business Surge in Tanzania
S amwel Nyakalege's life has recently become more of a grind - and that's a good thing. The 33-year-old miller from Bwisya village, on Lake Victoria's Ukara Island, is one of the first to benefit from a project to bring solar power to residents and business-owners. The entrepreneur, married with four children, has worked grinding millet, maize, rice and beans since 2007, but the high cost of fuel for his diesel generator made it hard to turn a profit. "I used to buy a litre of diesel for up to 3,000 Tanzanian shillings (about $1.40) and I needed at least 50 litres every week to run the generator.
ABB to Service World's Largest Floating Facility
ABB announced it has has won a five-year contract to deliver equipment and services for Shell's Prelude FLNG, the world's first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, the largest floating facility ever built. ABB's equipment will minimize downtime and optimize the efficiency of the facility. The order includes the delivery of motors, generators, variable speed drives and low-voltage switchgear and guarantees service and lifecycle management of the electrical equipment as well as service and support for motors from third-party vendors.
New Land Rig Critical Equipment Survey
The new service from Lloyd’s Register Energy has been developed in light of significant market challenges in the upstream oil and gas market, low oil prices and client mandates to achieve leaner operations. The equipment survey service includes a newly refined set of inspection tools focused on safety critical equipment used in drilling operations. It covers an assessment of both capital and safety critical drilling equipment, mud systems, BOP and well control equipment, electrical equipment and systems, power plant, safety equipment and the maintenance and spare parts system.
ABB Commissions New Switchgear Unit in Indonesia
ABB today inaugurated a new manufacturing facility for medium-voltage air-insulated switchgear (AIS), located in Tangerang, 25 kilometers from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta. The move is part of ABB’s $20-million investment plan for Indonesia which includes last year’s opening of a new factory for low-voltage products in Cibitung, West Java. Indonesia is the world’s fourth most-populous country and is counted among the world’s growing economies. Switchgear produced by the new factory will facilitate efficient and reliable power distribution and help address the increasing demand for electricity, driven by rapid urbanization and a growing industrial sector.
First Eco-efficient Gas Switchgear from ABB
ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has achieved a significant breakthrough in gas insulated switchgear (GIS) technology by commissioning the world’s first high- and medium-voltage GIS bays with a new eco-efficient gas mixture as an alternative to the widely used greenhouse gas SF₆. A switchgear combines electrical switches, fuses or circuit breakers to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment in a power network. Switchgear is installed throughout the power value chain from generation through to transmission, distribution and consumption, across voltage levels.
RAstar Tugs Selected Again for LNG Terminal Support
The Robert Allan Ltd. RAstar Series tugs are well proven LNG terminal support/escort tugs, in operation at major LNG facilities worldwide, including terminals in the United Kingdom, Yemen, Mexico, Indonesia, Norway, and the United States. Now Smit Lamalco has introduced five new RAstar 3400 escort tugs to the Port of Gladstone in Australia for LNG terminal support with the fifth and final vessel having just safely arrived in the Port. The five tugs SL Curtis Island, SL Quoin Island, SL Boyne Island, SL Heron Island, and SL Wiggins Island are named after local islands and will serve LNG export terminals in the Port.
Wave Power Unit for Victorian Waters
BioPower Systems Pty Ltd (BioPower) has finished constructing its prototype wave power unit to be installed off the coast of Port Fairy, Victoria, later this year. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht congratulated BioPower on the achievement, which would advance the renewable wave energy industry in Australia. “The $21 million project, supported by $11 million ARENA funding, aims to move BioPower’s bioWAVE technology towards commercialisation,” Mr Frischknecht said. “If successfully installed, it will be the second ARENA supported wave energy device supplying energy to a major Australian grid, feeding 250kW of renewable energy into the National Electricity Market.
ABB Unveils Line Voltage Regulator
ABB today at the International Conference and Exhibition on Electricity Distribution (CIRED) in Lyon, France, formally launched its line voltage regulator (LVR) product family for distribution networks that will boost reliability as grids receive more electricity from renewable energy installations. Increasing amounts of energy from renewable resources, especially wind and solar, lead to more dynamic and intermittent power entering the mix. This can result in instability and frequent variation of voltage levels in the distribution network, which can pose a risk to electrical equipment if beyond the maximum allowable level set by regulators.
ABB Wins Statoil Johan Sverdrup Power Contract
Statoil has, on behalf of the Johan Sverdrup partnership, awarded a contract to ABB for land-based power supply to phase 1 of the Johan Sverdrup field development. The contract value is around NOK 1.1 billion, and covers delivery of electrical equipment for a converter station by the Kårstø processing complex at Haugsneset in the municipality of Tysvær, and a power module on the riser platform at the Johan Sverdrup field centre. The total cost of the power supply to phase 1 has been estimated at around NOK 6 billion (2015 value). ABB will…
