Document shows EU countries want more transparency about Russian gas imports
In a letter to the European Commission on Monday, a group of EU member states including France and the Baltic States asked for tighter reporting requirements across the EU on Russian LNG imports. In June, the EU approved a 14th set of sanctions that included a prohibition on the trans-shipment of Russian LNG in its ports. Moscow has used European ports for transshipment onto other vessels bound for Asia. Imports of Russian LNG were not banned. Several EU countries continue to receive Russian pipeline gas via Ukraine and Turkey.
Orlen, a Polish company, signs a Lithuanian deal to increase LNG deliveries
Polish top refiner Orlen has signed a five-year contract with Lithuanian oil & gas logistics company KN Energies to use a liquid natural gas (LNG), transshipment facility in Klaipeda exclusively. This agreement is aimed at small-scale gas supplies, as LNG will be delivered via small ships to the station and then transported by trucks instead of oil tankers. Gas from Klaipeda is sent to clients throughout the Baltic region, including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Orlen views Lithuania as a strategic market…
Sunly raises 300 million euros for renewable energy projects in Baltics, Poland and Baltics
The Estonian renewable energy company Sunly raised $300 million in debt financing in order to accelerate construction of 1.3 Gigawatts of wind, solar and storage capacity in the Baltics and Poland. It said that the financing provided by Rivage Investment and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), as well as Norway's Kommunal Landspensjonskasse, brings the total capital raised up to 765 millions euros. Sunly aims to create hybrid installations that combine wind, solar, and energy storage, and provide a direct connection to consumers.
Estonia Mulls OWF in Gulf of Riga
The Estonian government's decision to initiate the construction permit procedure for the Gulf of Riga offshore wind farm allows Eesti Energia to continue its research and search for partners for the construction of an offshore wind farm in the Gulf of Riga.Eesti Energia, the state-owned international energy company that operates in Baltic countries, said that the Gulf of Riga offshore wind farm has the potential to become the first joint Estonian-Latvian renewable energy production project…
Estonia's Eesti Energia to Import Novatek Gas
Estonia's energy group Eesti Energia is all set to import gas from Russia's largest private gas company Novatek via Lithuania's LNG terminal based in Klaipeda, which is operated by KN, in September.The contract with the new Klaipeda LNG terminal user was signed on Thursday. It is planned that the first cargo of Eesti Energia in the history of Klaipėda LNG Terminal will arrive in Klaipėda at the end of September. “The contract signed with Eesti Energia confirms that…
Lithuania Plans to Buy an FSRU
Lithuania has given the go ahead to state-owned Klaipedos Nafta to purchase a liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage vessel by late 2024, as it shores up energy supplies and reduces its reliance on Russian natural gas.Klaipedos Nafta is currently leasing a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), called Independence, from Norway's Hoegh LNG.The use of the vessel has allowed Lithuania to import LNG since 2014, breaking the monopoly Russia's Gazprom had on natural gas supply to the country as well as neighboring Latvia and Estonia."This will keep us able…
Finland Eyes Imports of Piped Gas via Baltics, Poland
Finland could in future receive gas from Norway via a network of pipes being planned through the Baltic countries and Poland, as part of an effort to reduce its dependency on gas imports from Russia.Helsinki and Tallinn are constructing a gas pipeline under the Gulf of Finland to Estonia, called Balticconnector and with a capacity to transport 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day."The plan is for Finland to get fully connected to the European gas network and access gas from other sources such as ...
Tallinna Sadam, Alexela Invest Sign MoU
AS Tallinna Sadam and AS Alexela Invest signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for finding the best solutions for the development and implementation of LNG terminal and servicing LNG tankers and bunkers; and establishing port facilities for loading and unloading LNG on the Pakri peninsula by the Lahepere bay in Paldiski.Tallinna Sadam and Alexela will continue to negotiate the conditions for joint activities with the aim of reaching the contract by the end of 2020.According to the MOU…
Socar's Oil Trading Arm Rolls Back Expansion After Weak Profits
Azerbaijan's Socar is refocusing its trading arm's activities on LNG and its new Turkish refinery while winding down less profitable trades as it feels the sting of weak profits, sources familiar with the matter said.Many trading houses had weaker performances in 2017 due to a less lucrative, backwardated market structure for much of the year and relatively low volatility.Geneva-based Socar Trading also was stung, costing its chief executive Arzu Azimov his job.The firm was set up in 2007 and has become a global player in the last few years…
Gazprom Says Progress Made in EU Anti-trust Talks
Gazprom said on Friday that anti-trust talks with the European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager had made progress. The Russian state-controlled company is fighting allegations of overcharging customers and blocking East European rivals in contravention of EU rules. It denies the allegations. Gazprom said it and the European Commission had agreed to continue work on "seeking a mutually acceptable solution" in relation to the EU's investigation into the company's practices.
Lithuania Receives First U.S. LNG Cargo
Lithuania received its first spot shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States on Monday, the result of a deal aimed at reducing dependence on Russia and consolidating relations with Washington amid increased tension in the region. Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 has spooked the Baltic states, once ruled from Moscow but now members of both NATO and the European Union. "This is crucially important for the whole region," said Lithuania's Foreign Affairs Minister Linas Linkevicius.
Trump to Promote US Natgas Exports in Russia's Backyard
President Donald Trump will use fast-growing supplies of U.S. natural gas as a political tool when he meets in Warsaw on Thursday with leaders of a dozen countries that are captive to Russia for their energy needs. In recent years, Moscow has cut off gas shipments during pricing disputes with neighboring countries in winter months. Exports from the United States would help reduce their dependence on Russia. Trump will tell the group that Washington wants to help allies by making it as easy as possible for U.S.
Private Producer Aims to Ship Baltic's First Russian LNG Before Gazprom
LNG Gorskaya, a privately-owned Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, has launched a 340 million euro ($379 million) project to become the first LNG exporter from Russia's European coast, its CEO told Reuters. Russia expects to send LNG to Europe by the end of 2017 from its distant Arctic peninsula of Yamal but a plant on its Baltic coast could establish the country as a more immediate supplier of LNG in a region already dependent on piped Russian gas. The company will build a floating LNG plant off the port of Gorskaya…
New EU Rules Aim to Make Power Cheaper
Utilities in the European Union may have to offer more flexible prices from 2020 to encourage consumers to use more electricity when supplies are abundant and cheap, according to proposed new rules, a top EU official said. Most European utilities sell at fixed prices, regardless of price swings on wholesale markets, which makes sense when most power comes from coal and nuclear plants that are always on. But the surge in intermittent renewable energy, like solar and wind generation…
Bomin Strengthens Regional Hub Structure
The Bomin Group, a leading global physical supplier and trader of marine fuels, today announced the establishment of four regional hubs to support its worldwide operations, in line with its strategy. The regional hubs are located in Hamburg, Houston, Dubai and Singapore. They support the company’s offices and operations across Europe, the Americas, Middle East & Africa and Asia. The hubs will ensure global alignment, highest service quality and cost-effective fuel supply solutions in line with customer needs.
Latvia Mulls Options for Baltic Gas Facility
Latvia to liberalise gas market next April. A number of companies, including Germany's Open Grid Europe (OGE), are considering buying a stake in Latvia's future gas grid and storage operator Conexus Baltic Grid, the country's economy minister said. Latvia's gas utility Latvijas Gaze is set to transfer part of its assets - including one of Europe's largest underground gas storage facilities, Incukalns - to Conexus ahead of a planned market liberalisation next April.
Latvia's Latvenergo Plans to Trade Gas in the Baltics
Lavia's state-owned utility Latvenergo plans to trade gas in neighbouring Estonia and at home as its domestic market is liberalized next year, its Chief Operating Officer said on Thursday. Latvia has decided to open its gas market for competition from April next year after decades of a supply monopoly by Russian Gazprom. "Yes, we are looking at this direction (of becoming a gas trader) and we are interested in that," COO Maris Kunickis told Reuters on the sidelines of an energy conference.
Gazprom Prepares Cold Reception for US Super-cooled Gas
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States is set to do battle in Europe but Russia's Gazprom is setting the stage, preparing a cold reception for the super-cooled gas set to cross the Atlantic. A weakened rouble has lowered Gazprom's production costs by a fifth while its profits on dollar-denominated gas sales to Europe last year doubled in rouble terms. Gazprom has managed to increase sales despite a push by the European Union to curb Russian energy imports, using discounts, renegotiation of unpopular oil-linked contracts and gas sales via auctions.
Two Additions to Glander International
In 2014, Glander International Bunkering launched its first internship program with positive results. The 2016 internship campaign attracted skilled talents to the team with two successful candidates, Ahmet Han and Oleg Adamson. Ahmet and Oleg were selected from a large number of competitive applicants and were inducted into the six month program that allowed them to become full time Bunker & Lubricant traders. During six months the interns were required to meet certain criteria and targets in order to be selected.
EU Leaders Sign Letter Objecting to Nord Stream-2 Gas Link
Eight EU governments have signed a letter objecting to the Nord Stream-2 project that would double the amount of gas shipped directly from Russia to Germany, according to a document seen by Reuters. The letter, addressed to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, reignites a debate that has pitched dominant EU member Germany against central and eastern European nations. If the project goes ahead, Nord Stream-2 would generate "potentially destabilising geopolitical consequences", the letter says. The European Commission said it could not confirm receipt of the letter.
