UAE's Masdar eyes Iberian renewables champion after recent deals
Masdar, the renewable energy company of the United Arab Emirates, will continue to grow its presence on the Iberian Market after signing two deals there in recent months. Masdar has signed its second major renewables deal with Spain in the last two months. It bought Saeta Yield, a Canadian company owned by Brookfield, for $1.4 billion. In July, the company agreed to purchase a small minority stake in an Italian Enel unit called Endesa that controls a 2 gigawatt solar portfolio. We're on the right track to creating our own champion.
Spain increases green hydrogen goal
Spain has raised its target for green hydrogen production capacity as a sign that it is confident in the industry, which has seen many energy giants cut back their plans due to high prices and an uncertain demand. According to a document released by the Energy Ministry on Monday, an updated version of the government’s strategy has set a target for 2030 of 12 gigawatts of electrolysers that are used to produce green hydrogen. This is up from 11 GW, which was in a previous draft of a new update last year.
Vattenfall, Swedish energy giants and other industry leaders join forces to invest in new energy sources
The companies announced on Tuesday that Sweden's largest utility Vattenfall will explore joint investments in new fossil free power production to meet the growing electricity demand as part of decarbonisation efforts. Vattenfall, along with Industrikraft, a group that includes Alfa Laval Boliden SKF Stora Enso, Boliden and the Volvo Group, is investigating how, when, and what investments they can make together. Borg stated that the annual Swedish power demand will double by 2045 from 140-150 Terawatt Hours (TWh)…
PipeChina to Buy $56B Worth of Pipelines
China took a major step in the reform of its national oil and gas pipeline network, with newly formed PipeChina agreeing to buy pipelines and storage facilities valued at 391.4 billion yuan ($55.9 billion).Under the deal, PipeChina, known formally as China Oil and Gas Pipeline Network, will take over oil and gas pipelines and storage facilities from state-owned energy giants PetroChina and Sinopec, in return for cash and equity in the pipeline company.The creation of PipeChina is aimed at providing neutral access to the country's pipeline infrastructure…
China Opens Up to Foreign E&P Firms
For the first time, China will this year allow foreign companies to explore for and produce oil and gas in the country, opening up the industry to firms other than state-run energy giants, as Beijing looks to boost domestic energy supplies.The long-awaited opening accompanies a reshuffle of the so-called "midstream" pipeline business, but experts say it may not excite immediate interest from global drillers because of the poor overall asset quality of China's hydrocarbon resources.From May 1, foreign firms registered in China with net assets of 300 million yu
Oil Majors to Raise $27Bln in Selling Spree
Global giants of the oil and gas industry – the so-called supermajors – are looking to sell assets that could fetch a total of $27.5 billion, according to Rystad Energy’s latest assessment.These companies are actively shedding mature assets on a massive scale in a bid to finance higher-yielding investments elsewhere, with the added benefit of pleasing shareholders who are calling for stricter capital discipline.“The expected transactions mean some of the majors are poised to exit certain regions…
CNOOC Earnings on the Rise
China's national offshore producer CNOOC Ltd reported a near 19% rise in first-half profit on Thursday, as higher sales of oil and gas offset weaker global oil prices.The listed arm of state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp said that it was able to manage the impact on its business of the China-U.S. trade war and CNOOC President Xu Keqiang said the company would boost oil output to offset currency effects amid the escalating trade tensions.CNOOC said its net profit totalled 30.25 billion yuan ($4.26 billion) for the six months through June.
Cyprus Offshore Gas Discovery: Conflict or Hope?
Oil giant ExxonMobil, together with partner Qatar Petroleum (QP), made giant gas discovery to the east Mediterranean region after finding a gas-bearing reservoir offshore Cyprus and estimated in-place gas resources in the reservoir at 5 to 8 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas.The gas discovery off the coast of Cyprus could either bring tensions between the Mediterranean island and Turkey to the boil or help resolve the 45-year dispute between them, British newspaper the Guardian said.At present…
Europeans Sweep Record US Offshore Wind Auction
A U.S. government auction for three wind leases off the coast of Massachusetts ended on Friday with record-setting bids totaling more than $400 million from European energy giants including Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Equinor ASA.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the sale's three winners - Equinor Wind US LLC, Mayflower Wind Energy LLC, and Vineyard Wind LLC, at the conclusion of the two-day sale that attracted 11 bidders and lasted 32 rounds.Mayflower is a joint venture owned by Shell and EDP Renewables, a division of Portugal's EDP.
Oil Majors Spending 'Sweet Spot' to Last to 2020
Big Oil is today in a spending sweet spot as years of cost cuts and rising oil prices converge but investments will need to rise after 2020 to boost output, BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, said on Tuesday.Oil and gas giants such as Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and BP are generating as much cash at today's oil prices of around $70 a barrel as they did in 2014, before crude spiraled down from over $100 a barrel to lows of below $30 a barrel.As they emerge from the deepest downturn in decades…
Saudi Aramco, ADNOC to Cooperate on LNG
The state-owned energy giants of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), signed a cooperation deal to explore potential areas for mutual collaboration in the LNG value chain aimed at bolstering gas production and revenue.The Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran said in a press release that it has signed a framework agreement with ADNOC to explore opportunities…
Next-wave LNG Race Hits Hurdles in US-China Trade War
The delay of a U.S. Gulf Coast liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project has crystallized fears that the U.S. trade battle with China is hampering efforts to line up buyers needed to move ahead with multi-billion-dollar builds.The United States is positioning itself as the dominant provider of the supercooled fuel as Asian nations shift away from dirtier power sources like coal, and this month's approval of a giant Canadian project led by Royal Dutch Shell bolstered enthusiasm for the sector overall in North America.That optimism took a hit on Monday…
Bangladesh Shelves LNG Projects as Others Ramp Up
Bangladesh has put aside two smaller liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects with trading houses Gunvor and Vitol to focus on two larger LNG import terminals, one of which is already in use while the second will start up in March.Bangladesh has turned to LNG to offset falling domestic gas output to feed industrial demand and electricity generation in a nation of 160 million people where a third have no power supply.It aims to import 17 million tonnes a year of LNG by 2025, which in today's terms would make it a top five importer.
UK Regulator Probes SSE, Npower Merger
British regulators have launched an in-depth investigation into the tie-up between the retail power unit of SSE Plc and Npower, owned by Germany's Innogy, saying it may reduce competition and increase prices for some households.The merger would create Britain's second-largest retail power provider and reduce the "Big Six" dominating the market to five companies when they are already facing political scrutiny for their tariffs and pressure from smaller rivals.It also comes as German energy giants RWE and E.ON plan to carve up Innogy.
China's Energy Giants Return to Asian LNG Market as Sellers
Falling industrial demand and mild weather have turned China's energy giants into sellers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Asia for the first time since last year's massive import spree. Chinese players were on the receiving end of last year's doubling of LNG prices, largely driven by their rapid shift to gas to combat coal smog as well as elevated regional demand for the fuel. Although a CNOOC executive last week warned producers not to expect a similar payday in 2018…
Trafigura's LNG Trade Soared in 2017
Commodities trader Trafigura grew liquefied natural gas (LNG) traded volumes by 27 percent to 8.1 million tonnes of the super-cooled fuel this year after expanding its trading desk, aided by sharp Asian demand growth. Swiss trading houses are expanding into the global market for LNG, until recently the preserve of energy giants, and expect to grab a $10 billion share of the business this year, delivering more than 8.5 percent of global supply. Trafigura…
Big Oil Heads to Rio for Deepwater Auction
Brazil will auction eight blocks in its coveted deepwater oil region on Friday, a prospect that has lured top executives from the world's biggest oil companies to Rio de Janeiro for the bidding round. The oil firms and Brazilian officials expect to see aggressive bidding for the more than 12 billion barrels of estimated oil reserves on offer. "It's going to be competitive," Bernard Looney, chief executive for upstream at oil major BP, told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry conference in Rio this week.
Buyers Eye Sinopec's Argentina Oil Assets
Sinopec's Argentine assets worth about $750 mln-$1 bln; Sonangol, Rosneft among potential suitors. Advisers to China's Sinopec have offered its oil assets in Argentina to about a dozen potential suitors, three sources familiar with the matter said, as losses and labour headaches prompt Asia's largest refiner to pull out. The Argentine oil and gas assets, mainly in the southern province of Santa Cruz, could be worth $750 million to $1 billion, one of the sources said.
Swiss Traders Grab $10 Billion Slice of LNG Market
Traders mopping up LNG glut, finding new emerging market buyers. Swiss trading houses are muscling in on the global market for liquefied natural gas, until now the preserve of energy giants, and expect to grab a $10 billion share of the rapidly growing business this year. Trafigura, Gunvor, Vitol and Glencore are all shaking up a decades-old system dominated by Western oil majors and state energy producers which sell LNG directly to large consumers on long-term contracts.
Cheniere Energy to Open China Office
U.S. natural gas exporter Cheniere Energy Inc is setting up an office in Beijing to help it clinch long-term supply deals with Chinese buyers, four industry sources said. Cheniere, which held extensive talks with China earlier this year, will be the first operator of a U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility to establish a presence in the country. The move follows an agreement in May between the U.S and China to boost trade under the so-called 100-day trade talks that will allow Chinese buyers to purchase long-term supplies from the U.S. directly.
