Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Energy Sector News

Enverus says that US energy mergers could slow down in 2025 due to smaller deal sizes.

According to an Enverus report released on Tuesday, the pace of U.S. public-to-public upstream mergers in 2025 could slow from its recent average of five mergers per year and deal sizes may also decrease. Consolidation in the U.S. Energy Sector, which resulted in deals worth $250 billion by 2023, continued into 2024, and will likely continue into this year as companies seek to increase their oil and natural gas reserves. As a result of the wave of mergers, fewer companies were available and fewer pockets were empty.

Infinity Natural aims to reach a valuation of $1.2 billion in the US IPO

Infinity Natural Resources, a producer of oil, is aiming for a value of up to 1,24 billion dollars in its initial public offer. It joins a group of players in the industry that have been rushing to list their stocks in recent months. The company announced on Tuesday that it aimed to raise $278.25 through the sale of 13,25 million shares at a price between $18 to $21 per share. A recent flurry has accelerated the pace of energy sector IPOs. This includes Venture Global, a producer of LNG, which will list this week following a massive IPO.

Trump announces end of new US wind energy leasing

Donald Trump, President of the United States, announced on Monday that windmills will no longer be supported by the government, claiming they are expensive, ugly and harmful to wildlife. Trump told an audience at a post-inauguration event that he would not be doing the wind thing. In a press release issued by the White House earlier that day, Trump said he intended to stop new leasing of "massive" wind farms. It said that "President Trump’s energy policies" would end leasing of massive wind farms, which degraded our natural landscapes and failed to serve American consumers.

Sources say that Kretinsky EPH is among the suitors who have approached Uniper about its EPH.

Three people with knowledge of the matter claim that Berlin has approached Daniel Kretinsky, a Czech billionaire, about buying German state-owned utility Uniper. Sources said that other funds approached included the New York-based fund Brookfield and Equinor, a Norwegian company. One source, who declined to identify themselves because the talks were confidential, said that the Czech energy holding company EPH is "participating in the process". Both EPH and Uniper declined to comment. The Finance Ministry which is responsible for Berlin's share had no immediate comments.

Brazil's wind energy sector will slow in 2024 and then resume growth in 2027

The Brazilian wind energy sector is expected to continue declining until 2027, according to the local association ABEEolica. In recent years, Brazil's renewable power supply has soared thanks to government subsidies and incentives. However, demand for the power did not grow as fast and there is an oversupply in the wind energy sector, which is exacerbated by high costs. ABEEolica predicts a recovery of the industry in 2027, fueled by accelerated expansion of Brazil's electrical load.

TVO Contracts 4C Global Consultancy to Support UK Clients

4C Global Consultancy Senior Executive Finlay Johnston

Trendsetter Vulcan Offshore (TVO), a developer of innovative solutions for the offshore industry, has engaged Finlay Johnston, through 4C Global Consultancy, to lead business development efforts for TVO in the UK.“We recently appointed a country manager in Australia and are continuing to add to our global team,” says TVO President Jim Maher. “There is a long-term need for expert subsea support services in the UK, and by engaging a local representative, we are strengthening our commitment to the region…

Industry Award for Sustainable Drilling Waste Solution

TWMA’s RotoMill technology (c) TWMA

Specialist drilling waste management company, TWMA, has been announced as a finalist in this year’s SPE Offshore Achievement Awards.Shortlisted for the Sustainability Project Award, this recognition celebrates TWMA’s RotoMill technology, an innovative offshore processing solution that decarbonises drilling waste operations by more than 50%.Now in its 38th year, the Offshore Achievement Awards is the largest and longest established industry awards for the UK offshore energy sector.

Daphne Technology, Williams win DOE Grant for MERP Efforts

Jamie Brick, Managing Director North America at Daphne Technology (c) Daphne

Daphne Technology, in partnership with Williams, announced the award of a grant worth nearly $6M from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP).This project, titled the "Daphne and Williams Methane Slip Abatement Plasma-Catalyst Scale-Up", highlights the critical role of innovative technologies in reducing methane emissions.As part of this collaboration, Daphne Technology and Williams will leverage their combined expertise to advance methane abatement technologies that align with MERP's goals.

Russia offers crude oil and LNG to Vietnam

The two countries announced on Wednesday that Russia was willing to assist Vietnam in developing its nuclear energy sector, and supply it with crude oil as well as LNG. Vietnam and Russia have also agreed to continue facilitating oil and gas projects in each other's continental shelves. This was revealed by a joint announcement made during the visit of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to Hanoi. Russia signed a nuclear agreement and several agreements of cooperation with Vietnam on Tuesday. Vietnam is looking to restart its nuclear program after years of suspension.

Russia launches new missiles at Ukraine and targets its gas infrastructure

Russia has launched another barrage of drones and missiles against Ukraine, this time targeting the gas infrastructure in western regions. This is the latest attack on Ukraine's crippled power system just as winter approaches. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said that Russian forces used over 70 drones and 40 missiles in the morning's attack. He said that Ukrainian air defences had shot down 30 missiles or more. "Another massive Russian assault. "It's winter and the Russians are still targeting our energy infrastructure," Zelenskiy wrote in a post on X Platform.

What we know about Trump’s executive orders following his swearing-in

Donald Trump will issue a series of executive orders and directions after his inauguration as U.S. President on Monday to stamp his presidency in everything from immigration to the energy sector. Two sources with knowledge of the plan said that Trump was preparing an avalanche of executive orders and directions, which could number more than 100 on day one. This is part and parcel of what Trump calls his "shock-and-awe" strategy. Transition advisers are preparing a list of orders that Trump can choose from.

Ukraine's DTEK purchases 200MW energy storage system in bid to reduce outages

DTEK, Ukraine's largest energy private company, announced on Monday that it would purchase storage systems from Fluence Energy with a total capacity of up to 200 megawatts. The storage systems will be used as backup for six power plants. Ukraine faces an energy crisis following Russia's intensified bombardment of its energy sector. This has caused blackouts across the country and knocked out half the country’s generating capacity. DTEK anticipates that the power storage facilities…

Russia will continue its oil and gas projects in spite of US sanctions

New U.S. The Russian government has accused the US of attempting to destabilise global markets by sabotaging the energy sector in Moscow. It said that the country will continue with its large oil and natural gas projects. In a statement, the ministry said that Russia will also respond to Washington's actions announced on Friday as "hostile", while drafting its foreign policy strategy. The measures were the most comprehensive U.S. sanctions against Russia's oil revenues and gas revenues to date.

JPMorgan Upgrades YPF and Expects Further Growth for the Argentine Energy Sector

In a client note, JPMorgan analysts raised their rating of Argentine oil company YPF. They said that the energy sector in South America has more room to grow as part of its "economic transformation". The U.S. Investment Bank raised its YPF recommendations to "overweight" and from "neutral." It also more than doubled the price target from $25.00 to $59.50 for each American Depositary Receipt. In 2024, YPF shares soared by more than 150% during a major rally of Argentine…

China estimates greenhouse gas emissions will reach 13 billion tonnes in 2021

China's latest official submission to United Nations was published on Friday by the state media. It said that China had emitted climate-warming, greenhouse gases of 13 billion metric tonnes in 2021. This is an increase of 4.3% compared to a year ago. This is the most recent official calculation of China's annual greenhouse gas emissions. China is by far the largest carbon polluter in the world. The latest official estimate measured total emissions of 11.55 billion tones in 2017.

PDVSA 2024 Oil Exports Climb in Choppy Year

©moofushi/AdobeStock

Venezuela's oil exports rose 10.5% last year despite political instability and changes to the U.S. sanctions regime on the country, as partners of state oil company PDVSA took more cargoes under licenses granted by Washington.As President Nicolas Maduro gets ready to start his third term in office next week following disputed election results, the OPEC country's oil exports rose for a second consecutive year, providing revenue to contribute to economic growth.U.S.-sanctioned PDVSA PDVSA.UL and its joint ventures exported an average of 772…

Newspaper: Turkey wants to collaborate with Syria on oil and gas to supply power to Syria

Alparslan Bayraktar, the Energy Minister, was quoted as saying on Friday that Turkey wants to strengthen Syria's power infrastructure and provide electricity. Ankara could also work with Syria’s new leadership in oil and natural gas. After supporting the Syrian rebels that toppled Bashar al-Assad after a 13 year civil war this month, Turkey has emerged to be one of the major power brokers in the southern neighbor and has pledged to help rebuild the nation. Ankara,…

Rosatom, a Russian company, has opened a new wind turbine blade manufacturing facility to replace Vestas.

The governor of Russia’s Ulyanovsk Region said that Rosatom, the state nuclear corporation of Russia, has opened a factory for wind turbine blades at the site of an old Vestas plant. Vestas, a Danish wind turbine manufacturer that produces blades for wind farms near Ulyanovsk, closed the plant in 2022. It left Russia 2023 with all its assets. After the start of the conflict in Ukraine the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia have isolated Russia from Western technologies, components and the renewable energy sector.

Sinopec, a top refiner, claims that China's oil demand will peak in 2027.

Sinopec, the state-owned refinery, said that China's oil demand will peak in 2027. This is due to a decline in diesel and gasoline consumption, which has slowed down global oil markets. Sinopec stated that the peak oil demand in 2027 will not exceed 800 million metric tonnes, or 16 millions barrels of crude oil per day. Sinopec predicted peak China oil demand at 800 million tonnes around 2026-2030. The energy sector in China faces new uncertainty by 2025, with the…

Shell's former US offshore wind leader Orsted replaces Shell's executive

Amanda Dasch, Shell's director of renewables for the Americas, will join Danish offshore wind company Orsted as its head of U.S. operations in January. Shell has announced that it will stop investing in new offshore wind farms as CEO Wael Sawan concentrates on higher-margin operations. Dasch has spent the majority of her career in Shell's upstream oil and natural gas division. She has been leading Shell's offshore development in North America since 2022 and renewables in South America.

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