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 ...
Russian Energy Firms Discuss Cooperation Saudi Aramco Chief
The head of Russian oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, and Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser held talks in Moscow on Friday on areas for cooperation, Rosneft said.Rosneft, the world's largest-listed oil producer by output, said in a brief statement that they "discussed a wide range of issues related to mutual interests and prospects for cooperation between Rosneft and Saudi Arabia".Nasser had said in an earlier statement during his visit that Aramco's relationship with Russia would grow with the projects in which they were cooperating.Gazprom Neft…
Merkel: Germany Will Accelerate Plans to Build LNG Terminal
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that Germany would speed up its plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal as Europe's largest economy seeks to diversify its energy supply.Merkel also said that Ukraine would remain an important gas transit country once the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is built. Critics of the project say it will deprive Ukraine of lucrative gas transit fees and increase the dominance of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom. (Reporting by Reuters Television Writing by Michelle Martin Editing by Thomas Escritt)
Putin Says Russian Government has Control of Rosneftegaz's Money
The Russian government is in control of cash on the books of state holding company Rosneftegaz and spending from those reserves is "absolutely transparent", President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. Rosneftegaz, which has stakes in oil giant Rosneft and gas monopoly Gazprom, among other assets, transfers only part of the dividends it receives to the state budget, keeping the rest on its own accounts and prompting criticism from the finance ministry. It is chaired by Igor Sechin, a powerful Putin ally who is also chief executive of Rosneft.
Poland and Ukraine to Jointly Oppose EU Over Nord Stream 2, Opal
Poland and Ukraine plan to act jointly to block projects that could result in Russia's Gazprom gaining greater access to the European gas market by bypassing Ukraine, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Friday. In October the European Union lifted a cap on Gazprom's use of the Opal pipeline which carries gas from the Nord Stream pipeline that crosses the Baltic Sea to end-users in Germany and the Czech Republic. That decision opens the way for Russian plans to expand Nord Stream's capacity and bypass Ukraine as a gas transit route.
Norway Still W.Europe's Top Gas Supplier, Russia Second
Norway remained Western Europe's top gas supplier in 2015, but Russia narrowed the gap from the previous year, preliminary data showed on Monday. Russia is the top supplier for the whole European Union - supplying around a third of its gas - when countries in Eastern Europe are included. Norwegian pipeline gas exports to Europe surged to a record 108.6 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2015, up from 101.1 bcm in 2014, preliminary data from gas system operator Gassco showed. Russia's pipeline gas monopoly exporter Gazprom sent to Western Europe 104 billion cubic metres of gas…
Latvia Says Plans to Split Gas Monopoly in 2017
Latvia's government finalised on Tuesday a plan to split its natural gas monopoly Latvijas Gaze to boost competition, in line with European Union rules, and said it would be completed in 2017. The plan sets the Baltic states on a collision course with its sole gas supplier, Russia's Gazprom, which has a 34 percent stake in Latvijas Gaze, a gas sales, transportation and storage business. Germany's E.ON is seeking to sell its 47.2 percent stake in Latvijas Gaze, but the sale process has been stalled by uncertainty about the Latvian utility's future.
Naftogaz Transfers $32 mln Prepayment to Gazprom
Ukraine's state-run gas company Naftogaz has transferred $32 million to Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom as a further pre-payment for gas deliveries, a spokeswoman for the company said on Monday. In April, Ukraine signed an interim deal for cheaper supplies of gas from Russia for the next three months, providing a breathing space for both sides in a protracted wrangle over pricing. Under the deal Ukraine will buy Russian gas at $248 per thousand cubic metres in April-June. This compares with the $329 it was paying for the same volume under the agreement for the past winter.
Pemex: 2015 Output Unaffected by Platform Blaze
Mexican state oil giant Pemex expects to meet its 2015 output target of 646,000 barrels per day (bpd) for the oil-producing region where a platform exploded last week, killing four people and leaving three more missing, a top executive said on Sunday. The fire broke out on Pemex's Abkatun Permanente processing platform in the oil-rich Bay of Campeche at 3.40 a.m. local time on Wednesday, leading to the evacuation of 302 people. The blaze was not extinguished until 7.30 p.m that evening.
Siemens Settles Dispute with Pemex
Germany's Siemens AG said on Friday it settled a longstanding dispute with Mexican state oil company Pemex over two public contracts linked to a South Korean company. Pemex has been at loggerheads with Siemens and South Korea's SK Engineering & Construction Co Ltd - a unit of SK Holdings Co - over allegations of corruption and cost overruns relating to contracts for an oil refinery project in Mexico. The dispute involved Conproca, a Mexican joint-venture between Siemens and SK created to bid for the Pemex oil refinery contract.
Pemex to Compete in Mexico's First Two Oil Tenders
Mexican state-owned oil company Pemex plans to take part in the first two public tenders of the so-called Round One opening of the country's oil and gas industry, a senior executive said on Thursday. Mexico has already announced terms and conditions for the first phase of the sector opening, which follows a reform finalized last year that ended Pemex's 75-year-old oil and gas monopoly in a bid to attract more private investment. Gustavo Hernandez, Pemex's head of exploration and production…
Poland's Power Bourse to Lower Fees to Win New Players
Poland's POLPX power exchange will lower fees and extend trading hours this year to win new customers in its drive to become a regional trading hub, its chief executive said. A key for the exchange, which currently offers physically-settled power and gas contracts, is the development of gas trading. POLPX launched its gas market in 2012, but trading activity remained sluggish until last year, when Polish gas monopoly PGNiG made a significant increase to volumes sold through the exchange.
Mexican Oil Production Inches up 1.1% August
Crude production at Mexican state-run oil company Pemex nudged up 1.1 percent in August from July to 2.415 million barrels per day (bpd), the company said on Friday. Crude exports were also higher than the previous month, rising by 9.2 percent to 1.114 million bpd, the figures showed. August saw a sharp increase in exports to Canada, which tripled from the previous month, Pemex said. Oil output in Mexico, the world's No. 10 crude producer, has plumbed multiyear lows this year…
Ukraine Says Needs Additional 5 bcm of Gas for Winter
Ukraine needs an additional five billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas to get through the coming cold season without difficulties, Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman said on Thursday. Ukraine relies heavily on Russia for gas imports but Moscow halted them in mid-June in a dispute with Kiev over pricing. Kiev has turned to European Union countries to help compensate for the shortfall. European operators said Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom reduced gas supplies to Poland and Slovakia in recent days Gazprom says it is pumping supplies according to contracts.
Russian Gas Supplies to Bulgaria on Normal Levels
Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria flowed normally on Wednesday and the volumes were in line with agreed levels, the Balkan country's energy ministry said on Wednesday. "At the moment there is no change in the regime of gas deliveries for Bulgaria and they are in line with the agreed volumes," the ministry said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Poland said earlier on Wednesday the volume of gas it had received so far this week from Russian gas monopoly Gazprom was down by at least 20 percent. Slovakia also said it experienced a minor decline in Russian gas supplies.
Poland Looks to Import Natural Gas from US, Canada
Poland is looking for partners in the United States and Canada from whom it could import liquefied natural gas (LNG) for its terminal due to be launched next year, Polish Deputy Economy Minister Ilona Antoniszyn-Klik said. She added that representatives of Poland's largest energy companies will go to the United States in September to hold talks on potential deliveries, but said U.S. LNG prices were uncompetitive for Polish clients for now. "We are ready to find trade partners in the United States and Canada…
Poland Sees Sharply Lower Gas Supplies From Russia
Poland said on Wednesday the volume of gas it has received so far this week from Russian gas monopoly Gazprom was down by at least 20 percent. Some European countries believe Moscow may use a disruption of gas to Europe as a trump card in its confrontation with the West over Ukraine. The row has already dragged ties between Moscow and the West down to their worst since the Cold War. Ukraine's gas transport monopoly Ukrtransgaz was quoted by a Russian news agency as saying Gazprom was limiting flows to Poland to disrupt supplies of gas in the opposite direction, from Poland into Ukraine.
OMV says Russian Gas Deliveries Arriving Normally
Russian gas is arriving normally in Austria, oil and gas firm OMV said on Wednesday when asked about Russia limiting supply to Poland. "The supply situation in Austria is normal. Deliveries from our Russian partner come within the range of normal fluctuations," a spokesman for OMV said. Poland said on Wednesday the volume of gas it has received so far this week from Russian gas monopoly Gazprom was down by at least 20 percent. (Reporting By Angelika Gruber; Writing by Shadia Nasralla)
Naftogaz Warns of Possible Gas Transit Disruptions
Ukrainian state-owned gas company Naftogaz said on Wednesday European companies should look into purchasing gas on the Russia-Ukraine border, warning of potential disruptions to supplies arising from the gas pricing row. "Naftogaz considers it its duty to warn European partners of possible risks," the company said in a statement. The firm also said that any Ukrainian sanctions against Russia would not necessarily lead to "automatic sanctions" against Russian gas monopoly Gazprom. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Italy Struggles with Plan B if Russian Gas Supplies Cut
Italy will struggle to stay warm this winter if Russia's conflict with Ukraine disrupts gas supplies and Libya veers towards collapse, putting at risk an already shaky economic recovery following years of recession and sluggish growth. Caught between dwindling gas imports from North Africa and a rising dependency on Russia, Italy's contingency plans for a complete breakdown in Ukrainian transit flows consist of raiding stockpiles, arranging costly emergency shipments, as well as forcing heavy industry to cut its output.
