US oil industry calls on Trump to abandon Biden's climate policies
The U.S. Oil and Gas Industry on Tuesday called for President-elect Donald Trump's revocation of many policies implemented by President Joe Biden to combat climate change. They said the measures threatened jobs, consumer choices and energy security. The American Petroleum Institute, the nation's largest oil and gas trade association, has urged the incoming Trump administration to remove vehicle emission standards designed to encourage the auto industry to make more electric vehicles. It also urged Trump to lift the pause on liquefied gas export permits and work with Congress on repealing a fee for methane emissions during drilling operations.
US oil industry calls on Trump to abandon Biden's climate policies
The U.S. Oil and Gas Industry on Tuesday called for President-elect Donald Trump's revocation of many policies proposed by President Joe Biden to combat climate change. They said the measures threatened jobs, consumer choices and energy security. The American Petroleum Institute, the nation's largest oil and gas trade association, has urged the incoming Trump administration to remove vehicle emission standards designed to encourage the auto industry to make more electric vehicles. It also urged Trump to lift the pause on export licenses for liquefied gas facilities, and to work with Congress to eliminate a fee on drilling methane emissions.
Shell and Equinor face off against UK North Sea oil, gas projects
Shell and Equinor urged on Tuesday an Scottish court to support Britain's approval of the development two vast North Sea gas and oil fields as environmental activists attempted to block these projects. Shell is fighting Greenpeace's legal challenge at the Court of Session of Edinburgh regarding Britain's approval of the Jackdaw Gas Field in 2022. Equinor, a Norwegian oil company, and Ithaca Energy, its partner in the case are opposing the decision of 2023 to approve the planned Rosebank Oilfield. The first day began with Shell winning an appeal against a landmark Dutch ruling which required it to speed up its carbon reduction efforts.
Net zero target needs $3.5 trillion in annual green energy investment, Wood Mackenzie says
Wood Mackenzie's report on Tuesday said that the investment in green energy must double every year to $3.5 trillion if we are to reach the Paris Agreement goal of net zero emissions by the year 2050. The consultancy's report said that, in addition to the investment gap, global efforts to switch to cleaner energy are under pressure due to concerns about energy security and tariffs and barriers to trade, which are stunting the electrification of growth globally. According to the report, no major countries and only a handful of companies are on track to achieve the 2030 climate goals set forth in the Paris Agreement.
Southeast Asia must increase investments by five times to achieve climate goals by 2035, according to the IEA
International Energy Agency stated on Tuesday that Southeast Asia must increase its clean energy investment to $190 billion by 2035, or five times current levels, to achieve climate goals. The IEA stated in a recent report that increasing energy investments must be accompanied with strategies to reduce emissions at the relatively new fleet of coal-fired power plants. The report also stated that the rapid expansion of the economy would pose a challenge to energy security and climate change goals. The closure of coal power plants…
Chugoku's nuclear reactor restart plan shows Japan's commitment to the sector
Chugoku Electric Power Company, Japan, said Tuesday that it plans to restart the 820 megawatt (MW), No.2 nuclear reactor at Shimane Nuclear Power Plant in December and resume its commercial operations in January. The restart shows that Japan is committed to bringing more nuclear power plants back into operation. Shigeru Shiba, the new prime minister, has changed his initial opposition due to energy security concerns. Japan currently has 11 reactors in operation with a combined capacity of almost 11 gigawatts. The restarts have allowed the country to reduce its imports of liquefied gas (LNG).
Iberdrola, a Spanish company, doubles its British investment plan from $11 billion to $21 billion
Iberdrola, the largest Spanish power company, has increased its investment plan in its British subsidiary Scottish Power from 24 billion pounds ($31.37billion) to 2024-2028. This was announced ahead of an international investment summit held in London. The investment comes at a time when Britain's Labour government is trying to attract billions of pounds worth of foreign investment as it celebrates its 100th day in office, and hosts global business leaders in the Oct. 14 Summit. In a Thursday statement, British Prime Minister…
METI official: Japan could increase LNG purchases for emergency reserves to almost 1 million T per year.
An official from the industry ministry stated that Japan may increase its purchases of LNG for emergency purposes to at least twelve cargoes per year, up from the current three, in order to protect against supply shocks. The plan to boost reserves involves the second largest LNG buyer in the world, China. It will increase its purchases from 0.21 million tonnes per year to at least 0,84 million tonnes. In order to increase energy security and boost domestic demand, Japan trades cargoes it does not want at home when demand is low.
Britain sets up funding model for renewable Energy Storage Projects
The UK will guarantee a minimum income for developers of renewable energy projects such as pumped-hydro to encourage investment in technologies which help Britain meet its climate goals. Britain aims to decarbonise the power sector by 2030. This will require an increase in renewable energies, like wind and solar energy, as well projects that can store energy in the event of a lack of wind or sunlight. Michael Shanks, Energy Minister, said that by using these projects to store the excess clean energy from renewable sources we can increase our energy security and rely less on fossil fuels.
Ukraine's Shmyhal talks energy security with Slovakian Fico
Denys Schmyhal, Ukrainian Prime Minister, began Monday talks with Robert Fico of Slovakia. He said the discussions would be centered on infrastructure co-operation, energy security and Kyiv’s peace plan. Fico, along with the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, has been a strong critic of Western military assistance to Ukraine. The location of the meeting was not immediately known. "We will discuss the roadmap" Included in this is cooperation on infrastructure projects, economy and energy security. Shmyhal, on Telegram Messenger, said that Slovakia has always been willing to assist Ukraine in importing electricity.
Japan increases LNG flexibility through collaboration with S.Korea and Italy
Japan agreed to cooperate with South Korea and Italy in the procurement of LNG. It is the second largest LNG importer behind China, which seeks more flexibility while strengthening energy security. JERA, Japan’s largest utility company, and South Korea’s Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS), a major buyer of LNG, are working together on joint procurement, cargo exchanges and other forms of collaboration, the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a Sunday statement. The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy…
Alchemy Resources, Australia, signs lithium partnership agreement with Japan's JOGMEC
Alchemy Resources, an Australian miner, announced on Monday that it had signed a deal with a Japanese government agency for the Japanese agency to fund up to A$6,000,000 ($4,15,000,000) in exploration costs to gain up to 51% ownership of Roe Hills in Western Australia. Alchemy Resources will manage the project for the duration of the partnership. Once the Japanese agency JOGMEC has acquired its vested interests in the tenements the two companies are expected to form a joint-venture, according to a company statement. The Roe Hills project is part of a lithium and gold miner's Karonie project.
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. Harris is now facing Donald Trump, a Republican who has stated that he will immediately lift the freeze on permits if elected.
Octopus Energy invests 2 billion stg into UK clean energy
Octopus Energy, a UK-based power company, announced on Thursday that it will invest 2,7 billion pounds (2 billion dollars) in British clean energy initiatives by 2030. The plan was announced as the company finalised its acquisition of four solar farms in England, which have a combined power of 222 Megawatts. The solar farms are expected to become operational in 2025-2026 and produce enough electricity for 80,000 households. As part of its efforts to achieve net zero emissions in the second half of the century, the UK government aims to triple the capacity of solar power from 14 gigawatts to 50 GW.
Analysts say that Colombia must develop a natgas plan soon to prevent blackouts.
If it wants to prevent power blackouts in Colombia, the head of Wood Mackenzie’s Americas Gas and LNG division said that Colombia needs to decide quickly whether it will focus on LNG imports or promote domestic production of natural gas. Colombia, under leftist president Gustavo Petro has moved away fracking in order to develop its reserves shale oil and gas. A Santa Marta court judge ordered earlier this month that work be suspended on a major offshore gas project run by Ecopetrol, the state-controlled company and Brazil's Petrobras.
Hungary: EU is not doing enough to reduce Russian gas dependency
Hungary's chief energy security official on Wednesday criticised the European Union for failing to provide enough support in order to help smaller countries, which are landlocked, move away from Russian gas. Csaba Maresvari, Hungary’s deputy state secretary of energy security, said at the Gastech Conference in Houston that landlocked, smaller states like Hungary need more funding to reduce their reliance on Russian Gas. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Hungary and some of its neighbours are under increasing pressure to diversify away from Russian energy.
APPEC-LNG buyers flag US supply risks after export pause
After President Joe Biden’s administration halted export permits of supercooled fuel to non-Free Trade Agreement nations, major buyers of liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), flagged the risks of purchasing cargoes of the United States. In response to a query on the impact of U.S. exports pause, officials from Taiwan's CPC Corp. and Germany's SEFE, who trade LNG cargoes, and sell in Asia, stressed reliability of supply. Jane Liao (VP of CPC) said at the APPEC Conference that she trusted the traditional LNG providers more than the U.S. LNG companies. "Most Asian buyers rely on our traditional LNG suppliers who value long-term relationships more.
NHK reports that Japan is considering company support measures to long-term LNG contracts.
NHK reported that the Japanese government was considering measures to encourage companies to sign long-term contracts to purchase liquefied gas in order to guarantee a steady supply of this super-chilled fuel. The public broadcaster, without citing any sources, reported that the measures included financial support to secure storage tanks in Japan as well as abroad, and a framework for companies to resell surplus supplies on the market. This would mitigate the risk of a surplus due lower than expected demand during the contract term. About 30% of Japan's electricity is generated by gas-fired generators.
Orsted and Iberdrola among the winners in record British renewable energy auction
Orsted and Iberdrola are among the winners in a British renewable energy auction that supported a record-breaking number of projects. The government announced this on Tuesday. The Labour government that came to power in July plans to decarbonise electricity by 2030. This will require an increase in renewable energy capacity, such as solar and wind. Ed Miliband, Energy Secretary, said in a press release that "today we achieved a record round of enough renewable energy for 11 million households. The auction will support projects that can generate almost 10 gigawatts, the majority of which are offshore wind and solar.
Nigeria Seeking Operators for State-owned Oil Refineries
Nigeria's state-owned NNPC Ltd oil company said it has started the tender process for the operation of the Warri and Kaduna refineries, which are scheduled to begin processing crude this year.The oil refineries, which are being upgraded after being shut for several years, have the capacity to process 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) and 110,000 bpd, respectively.Nigeria, which is Africa's biggest oil producer, is seeking operators "to ensure reliability and sustainability towards meeting the nation's fuel supply and energy security obligations…
