Friday, November 22, 2024

Energy Sector News

Danos Leaders Recognized in “40 Under 40” Lists

Melanie Hill (c) Danos

Danos announced that two of its leaders, Melanie Hill and Scott Theriot, have been named to prestigious “40 Under 40” lists for 2024.Melanie Hill, Danos’ general manager of shale production, was honored in Hart Energy’s Oil and Gas Investor Forty Under 40. This national recognition highlights leaders across the energy sector for their proven leadership and positive impact in their respective organizations. These honorees demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit, creative problem-solving, leadership and community involvement.

Rystad reports that oil majors have over 40 biofuel projects planned by 2030.

Rystad, a consultancy, said that major oil and gas companies are investing more in biofuels, betting on sustainable aircraft fuel (SAF). By 2030, 43 projects should be completed, the report stated. Energy research firm says that industry giants like ExxonMobil and Shell could increase production by 286,000 barrels a day. SAF is produced by using wastes and residues like organic crops or used cooking oils. It emits the exact same amount of CO2 as kerosene. It is considered to be less polluting because it is made from plants or leftovers…

Biden officials ask EU methane regulations to be aligned with US rules to ease LNG flow, says letter

According to a letter obtained by the, President Joe Biden’s administration asked that the European Union ensure that liquefied gas imports meeting U.S. regulations for methane automatically meet Europe’s standards. The linking of U.S. methane and EU standards will protect the United States' LNG trade with Europe, while also securing Biden's rules on methane even if these are repealed in the future by Donald Trump's administration. We understand that the process will take some time.

India requests states to consider nuclear power plants and list of power utilities

The Indian federal power minister asked on Tuesday that states without coal resources consider building nuclear power plants. He also listed the utilities who could help meet the growing demand for power. In its budget for this year, the Indian government proposed to work with private companies to develop small reactors in order to increase electricity produced from sources without carbon dioxide emissions. According to a government announcement, Manohar lal, India's energy minister…

WSJ reports that Russia is exploring a plan to merge Rosneft, a Gazprom subsidiary, and Lukoil.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia is working on plans to merge Rosneft oil, a state-backed company, with Gazprom, creating the second-largest crude oil producer in the world. The newspaper reported that executives and government officials have been in talks over the last few months. A deal could or might not be reached, it said, citing unidentified sources familiar with the issue. The report said that a combination of Rosneft with Gazprom Neft - a subsidiary owned by Gazprom and Lukoil - would rank second only to Saudi Arabia's Aramco…

Australia suffers wide losses when central bank keeps rate at 12-year high

The Australian share market continued to decline on Tuesday, after the central bank maintained the key policy rate in a 12-year-high level. This was done in order to maintain a restrictive policy until the core inflation rate is brought under control. By 0352 GMT, the S&P/ASX 200 Index had fallen 0.4% to 8,131.4. The benchmark index was trading at a 0.3% decline ahead of the policy announcement. The benchmark closed Monday 0.6% higher. In line with the poll, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), kept its interest rate at the same level.

Canada wants the energy sector to reduce emissions up to 35% from 2019 levels

The Canadian government released on Monday a draft regulation that would limit emissions of greenhouse gasses from the oil and natural gas sector to 35% below 2019 levels. This is a little less than originally anticipated. In a press release, the Environment Ministry said that the regulations would create a cap and trade system to reward companies with better performance. It will also provide an incentive for polluting firms to improve their production processes. The Liberal government originally said that it wanted to reduce emissions from the energy sector…

Futures on the TSX fall before domestic GDP data

The futures linked to Canada's main index of stocks fell on Thursday, as disappointing earnings from U.S. technology giants dampened the market sentiment ahead of important domestic GDP and U.S. Economic data that will be released later in the day. At 6:00 a.m., December futures for the S&P/TSX Index were down by 0.3%. ET (10:00 GMT). Wall Street futures dropped on Thursday as Meta Platforms' and Microsoft's warnings about artificial intelligence-related costs dampened optimism. Investors could get clues about future U.S.

WiseTech shares soar after the CEO of WiseTech takes on a new role.

Australian shares rose Friday, with mining and technology stocks leading the way. WiseTech surged after its former CEO moved into a consultant role, and Whitehaven Coal soared on higher-than-expected quarter output. As of 2347 GMT, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3% to 8231.3. The benchmark is expected to lose 0.6% per week, the biggest loss since late September. Even as iron ore fell, miners gained 0.3%, and they were on course for a weekly increase of 0.1%. This is their first gain in four weeks. BHP gained 0.2% and Rio Tinto 0.9%.

Drill, baby, drill in Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale lands!

Argentina's new, market-friendly government, and concerns about oil supplies from the Middle East, and elsewhere, are driving a boom in drilling and production in the Patagonian South, which is home to the giant Vaca Muerta shale, Spanish for "Dead Cow". In the flat, arid terrain, the production of shale oil and gas is surging. Fracking wells have been drilled in record numbers, and pipelines have been built to transport gas to the capital Buenos Aires – and beyond once LNG plants are operational.

Turkey plans to quadruple its wind and solar power capacity by 2035

Alparslan Bayraktar, the Energy Minister of Turkey, said that $108 billion in public and private investments will be needed to quadruple Turkey's wind and solar power generation capacity to 120,000MW by 2035.Bayraktar, speaking at a conference to announce Turkey's roadmap on renewable energy resources, said that the first tender conditions for this year's renewable energy resource area will be announced next Monday.Bayraktar stated that the energy ministry is working…

S&P 500 and Nasdaq close at record highs after Netflix earnings, tech stocks and other factors.

The S&P 500, Nasdaq and other technology stocks ended the day higher Friday. This was largely due to a surge in Netflix stock shares fueled by earnings and wider gains amongst technology stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed largely unchanged, a day after it posted a record-breaking closing high. Netflix shares jumped after it surpassed Wall Street's estimates for new subscribers and stated that they expect to continue growing through the end the year. The…

US approves major geothermal projects on public land and seeks to support others

The Biden Administration announced on Thursday measures to expand geothermal power on U.S. Public Lands, including the approval of a large project located in Utah and steps to accelerate permits for discovering new resources. These moves align with the goal of President Joe Biden to eliminate emissions that contribute to climate change from the energy sector by 2035. The geothermal power is seen as an alternative to other traditional energy sources such as gas and coal, because unlike solar and winds, which are dependent on weather conditions, it can be used at any time of day.

Chubu Electric, Japan, plans to increase its investment in renewable energy and SMR overseas

A company executive revealed that Chubu Electric Power, Japan, plans to invest further in overseas decarbonisation projects, such as renewable energy, small-modular reactors (SMRs), or carbon capture and storage (CCS) to fuel the future growth of the company. Chubu, the major regional electric utility in Japan, announced a long-term plan for 2021. This included a plan to invest 400 billion yen (about $2.7 billion) by the end of this decade on overseas assets, with a goal to make a recurring profit from these assets of 20 billion dollars by 2030.

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.

IEA: 'Age electricity' will follow the looming peak of fossil fuels

International Energy Agency (IEA) said that the world is at the cusp of a new era of electricity, with the demand for fossil fuels set to peak before the end of this decade. This could lead to an increase in investment in green energy due the surplus of oil and gas, it added. It also highlighted a high degree of uncertainty, as conflict engulfs the Middle East and Russia that produce oil and gas and when countries representing half of the global energy demand hold elections in 2024.

DNV: Global CO2 emissions related to energy will peak in this year.

A report from consultancy DNV on Wednesday suggested that global carbon dioxide (CO2) emission levels will peak in this year, due to the falling cost of solar and batteries. This is encouraging less oil and coal-fired energy use. Experts and climate scientists said that global C02 emissions reached a record high in 2018. This makes the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius more difficult to achieve. DNV stated that even if emissions peaked this year, the cumulative effect would mean a warming of around 2.2C in this century. Solar photovoltaics (PV) are booming.

SSE UK delays completion of Dogger Bank A Wind Project to H2 2019.

SSE, the UK's largest power company and network operator, maintained its annual forecasts on Thursday. The completion date of the Dogger Bank A off-shore wind project was pushed to the second half 2025 instead of the first. SSE stated that the delay in taking full operation of the offshore wind farm will not have a material impact on project returns. The project will have a capacity of around 1.2 gigawatts and be able to power 2 million homes. The Perth-based UK company predicted first-half adjusted earnings of more than 45p per share…

Natural gas producers ask Harris for answers on the battleground state

Drillers from Pennsylvania, an energy-rich state, called on Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris this week to explain her stance on natural gas. The energy industry touts it as a clean fuel but climate activists claim that the fuel is a threat to global warming. In January, President Joe Biden froze new LNG export permits to examine their environmental impact. This was a move made in the election year in order to gain support from the green voting blocs of his party.

Putin praises cooperation with OPEC+ and BRICS

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said that on Thursday his vast energy sector would be able achieve its goals as well as overcome "illegal", western sanctions. He also praised ties with BRICS groups and OPEC+. The Russian oil and natural gas industry accounts for about a third (or more) of the total budget revenue. It has been vital to the economy in a country that is facing multiple sanctions by the West due to the conflict with Ukraine. Putin, speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum…