Kiewit: Equipment shortages increase costs of LNG plants
Tom Shelby, Kiewit Energy's President, said that the boom in U.S. LNG plant construction has caused shortages of electric motors, transformers and generators. This has contributed to increased costs and construction delays. Shelby noted that equipment shortages, rising costs of wages, cement and other materials have increased the cost to build new LNG plants between 25 and 30 percent over the past five years.
Germany builds LNG import terminals
Germany is expanding its natural gas import options as part of efforts to decarbonise and replace Russian supplies. Here are some details about terminals that will host floating storage regasification (FSRU) units to receive LNG. There are also plans for shore-based terminals, as well as facilities to produce and import ammonia and hydrogen. On Sept.
Chinese demand drives up global wind turbine orders in H1 of 2024
Wood Mackenzie reported in a Monday report that global onshore wind turbines orders reached 91.2 gigawatts in the first half, an increase of 23% on the previous year. This was due to a higher demand from China's north region in the second quarter. China has the largest wind turbine production capacity in the world compared to Europe or the United States.
Baker Hughes reports that US drillers have added oil and gas rigs to their fleet for the first time in 5 weeks.
Baker Hughes, a leading energy services company, said that the U.S. added the most oil and gas rigs in a week in the past year. In the week ending Sept. 13, the oil and gas rig counts, a good indicator of future production, increased by eight to 590. This is a return to levels seen in mid-June. This was the largest increase since the week of Sept. 15, 2023.
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.
APPEC-India ONGC Videsh focuses on stakes in oil and gas assets amid energy transformation
The head of finance at ONGC Videsh said that the company is focusing on acquiring stakes overseas in oil and gas producing companies, as the shift to renewable energy will likely reduce the demand for conventional fuels. We are not interested in long-term projects, due to the energy transition. Anupam Agarwal, at the APPEC Conference, said that exploration was not a top priority for the moment.
US drillers have cut oil and gas drilling rigs in the fourth week of a row, according to Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes, a leading energy services company, said that the U.S. firms have cut back on the number of natural gas and oil rigs for the fourth consecutive week for the first since late June. The number of oil and gas drilling rigs, a good indicator of future production, dropped by one to 582 during the week ending Sept. 6, which is the lowest level since June.
EU tightens hydrogen subsidy regulations after China concerns
After local industries expressed concerns about cheap Chinese imports and the EU's climate change policy head, said Monday, that the European Commission is working to tighten rules so that EU funding for projects involving hydrogen benefits European companies. This month, the EU will launch its second round of funding to support green hydrogen projects.
EU tightens hydrogen subsidy regulations after China concerns
After local industries expressed concerns about cheap Chinese imports and the EU's climate change policy head, said Monday, that the European Commission is working to tighten rules so that EU funding for projects involving hydrogen benefits European companies. This month, the EU will launch its second round of funding to support green hydrogen projects.
China Solar Group and regulator propose reforms in tendering to increase prices
The Chinese industry ministry and the solar sector association are proposing changes to power plant tendering in order to combat falling equipment prices which has led to manufacturers making losses. China's solar panels producers are calling for government intervention to boost prices that have been kept low due to overcapacity, even though China's…
Starmer, the UK's ambassador to Berlin, is there for talks on resetting ties with Europe
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Keir starmer will discuss an economic and defense accord with German leaders. He hopes to use his two-day trip to Europe's leading powers Germany and France as a chance to reset the relationship with the rest. Starmer stated that he wanted Britain move past the previous Conservative Government's fractious relationships with European allies…
Starmer wants to help Europe reset its ties by pursuing a defence deal with Germany
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will discuss a landmark economic and defence accord with German leaders on Wednesday, hoping to use a visit to pursue a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to reset relations with the rest of Europe. Starmer, who is on a two-day trip to Germany and France to promote Britain's economy, said that he wanted to see…
Meet ZEUS, a Proposed Zero-emission Power Station
Aker Solutions, PETRONAS Carigali Sdn. Bhd., MISC Bhd and Clean Energy System Inc, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), effectively commencing the Zero Emission Power Station (ZEUS) pilot project, an energy solution that uses oxyfuel combustion with immediate CO2 capture and storage.The ZEUS technology employs advanced oxyfuel combustion…
Meet the CTO: Dr. Gunnar Stiesch, MAN Energy Solutions
As the shipowners stare down decarbonization mandates that grow increasingly strict through 2050, the engine makers are at the tip of the spear of this energy transition phenomena, working to design and build engines and components that are built to operate on a long and growing list of alternative fuels. We recently visited with Dr. Gunnar Stiesch…
Indian solar panels are under scrutiny by the US for possible links with China's forced labor
U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained nearly 43 million dollars in electronics equipment shipments from India under a law that prohibits goods made using forced labor. This is a new focus of the agency, which enforces trade. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which prohibits forced labor in Uyghurs, lists polysilicon as a sector of high priority.
Fire at Russian oil refinery Omsk injures seven people, but production continues
The local governor reported that seven people, including one person in serious condition, were hospitalized after an fire broke out at the Russian oil refinery in Omsk. However, the plant claimed to be operating normally and its production plans will not be affected. The fire at the Omsk Refinery has been brought under control. The automatic safety system of the plant detected a fire within technological equipment.
Brazil sugar group Raizen suspends operations at its plant following fire on canefields
Raizen, Brazil's largest sugar and ethanol manufacturer, said that since Thursday industrial operations had been suspended at its Santa Elisa facility in Sao Paulo due to fires around the plant. It said that it was forced to evacuate its workers from one of the largest plants in the country on Thursday because of the fires. The company has yet to be able to resume operation as there have been other fires reported.
US drillers reduce oil and gas rigs in the US for a second consecutive week - Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes, a leading energy services company, said that the U.S. firms have cut back on the number of natural gas and oil rigs for a second consecutive week for the first since late June. The number of oil and gas drilling rigs, a good indicator of future production, dropped by one in the week ending August 23. Baker Hughes reported that the total number of rigs is 47 or 7% lower than it was at this time last.
GE Vernova turbine blades fail at UK offshore wind farm
GE Vernova shares dropped nearly 7% Friday after a failure of a blade at an offshore windfarm in the UK. This is the latest incident involving equipment from the power services firm. According to a project statement, the incident occurred at the Dogger Bank A Project, which is located over 130 km off of the northeast coast England. GE Vernova…
China wants to invest more in energy upgrades
China's State Planner has called for increased investment in equipment upgrades, to support the energy transformation. He said the market should be a leader. The National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice on Wednesday calling for an increase of 25% in investment to upgrade China's equipment to improve energy efficiency from 2023-2027.
