Beware of Egypt's smokestack reshoring as Cement Exports Soar: Maguire
North Africa's second largest natural gas producer and its largest economy have increased the production and exports of several energy-intensive commodities in an effort to boost the growth of their industrial sector. Egypt's exports of chemicals, fertilizers, and cement doubled from 2022 to 2024. They have also grown by 350% in the last year thanks to government initiatives aimed at promoting rapid industrial growth. The increased output in Egypt coincides with a decrease in production in Europe of the same commodities. This trend highlights the growing trend of re-shoring smokestack industries away from areas of high energy costs and pollution control.
Beware of Egypt's smokestack reshoring as Cement Exports Soar: Maguire
North Africa's second largest natural gas producer and its largest economy have increased the production and exports of several energy-intensive commodities in an effort to boost the growth of their industrial sector. Egypt's exports of chemicals, fertilizers, and cement doubled from 2022 to 2024. They have also grown by 350% in the last year thanks to government initiatives aimed at promoting rapid industrial growth. The increased output in Egypt coincides with a decrease in production in Europe of the same commodities. This trend highlights the growing re-shoring away from areas of high energy costs and pollution control.
Norway's Troll field produced record volumes in 2024
Equinor, a Norwegian company, announced on Monday that the Troll field in the North Sea produced a record amount of natural gas in 2020. This is an increase of nearly 10% over the previous high in 2022. Equinor released a statement that stated the Troll field would deliver 42.5 billion standard cube metres (bcm), up from 38.8 in 2022. Equinor reports that Norway is Europe's biggest natural gas supplier after a sharp decline in Russian supplies since the beginning of the Ukraine war in 2022. The Troll field, alone, can meet around 11% the European Union's demand, Equinor says. Equinor owns Troll which started production in 1996.
Abu Dhabi's ADNOC Gas names Fatema Al-Nuaimi as its new CEO
ADNOC Gas in Abu Dhabi announced on Tuesday the appointment of Fatema al Nuaimi to its CEO position, with effect from January 1, after Ahmed Alebri decided to step down following nearly two years as the leader. In a press release, the company stated that Al Nuaimi would lead the delivery ADNOC Gas’ ambitious business strategy, which is focused on decarbonization and future-proofing. Alebri, meanwhile, will be the CEO of ADNOC Sour Gas as of next month. Al Nuaimi is the executive vice president of downstream business management at ADNOC. He was previously ADNOC LNG CEO from 2022 to now and worked on ADNOC’s gas masterplan.
Nigeria signs $1.2 Billion deal to upgrade gas plant for aluminum smelter
The Nigerian Petroleum Ministry announced that the country has signed a contract worth $1.2 billion with CNCEC, a state-owned Chinese engineering firm. This project is crucial to the production of aluminium in Nigeria. The agreement between CNCEC, the main investor in Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria (ASCN), and BFI Group is the first step in reviving this dormant facility that has lain idle for years due to financial and legal issues. The Petroleum Ministry announced late Monday that CNCEC would resurrect the 135 million standard cubic feet per day gas-processing plant at the dormant aluminum smelter.
Gazprom subsidiary claims $880 million against Linde
Court documents revealed on Wednesday that a subsidiary of Russia’s gas giant Gazprom filed a claim against Linde, claiming 879 million dollars. The Amur Gas Processing Plant, a subsidiary of Gazprom, filed the complaint on October 29 at the Arbitration Court in Amur Region in Russia's East. Linde has left Russia, and the Power of Siberia Pipeline plant that facilitates Russian gas to China exports, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022. In June 2021, the first technological line of the plant will be operational. Next year, the plant will reach its full capacity of 42 billion cubic meters of natural gas processing.
US regulators support Venture Global LNG's claims of equipment failure
U.S. regulators said Venture Global LNG took adequate steps on Friday to correct equipment issues at a Louisiana-based gas-processing facility that have prevented the company from delivering goods to long-term customers under contract for over two years. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's findings support the U.S. liquefied gas exporter’s claim that the Calcasieu Pass plant in Louisiana has not been fully commissioned. Venture Global LNG is battling a half-dozen contract arbitration suits from customers regarding the plant's issues.
Prices of EUROPE GAS soften on stronger winds and Norwegian supply
The Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas have weakened slightly Tuesday morning due to forecasts of increased wind generation and Norwegian supply. However, colder weather could still increase prices. LSEG data revealed that the benchmark contract for the Dutch TTF hub at the front-month was down 0.26 euros at 35.95 euro per megawatt (MWh) at 0823 GMT. The contract for November also decreased by 0.06 euros to 36.70 euro/MWh. The front month in the British market was 0.95 pence less at 86.20 cents per therm. The price of some Norwegian maintenance work and the colder weather forecast for October's start have increased prices on Monday.
Shell cancels the Norway Hydrogen Project due to a lack of Demand
Shell announced on Monday that it had scrapped plans to build a low carbon hydrogen plant along Norway's westcoast due to lack of demand. This comes just days after Equinor canceled a similar project planned in Norway. Blue hydrogen is a combination of natural gas and carbon capture and storage. It has been hailed as a way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in European industry. However, it's more expensive than other methods. Equinor announced on Friday that it had scrapped its plans to export blue hydrogen to Germany and produce it in Norway because it was too costly and insufficiently demanded.
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. Wages have also increased by 20 percent in line with inflationary costs. Kiewit is one of the largest U.S. contractors and has built LNG plants, including Venture Global's 12-million-ton-per-annum (MTPA), Calcasieu Pass plant in Louisiana.
Linde UK assets frozen by Russian court for $1.2 billion
In a dispute over the ownership of a gas plant, a Russian court ordered assets of a British Linde subsidiary worth $1.15 billion to be frozen. RusChemAlliance is a joint-venture 50% owned by Russia’s Gazprom. RusChemAlliance filed other lawsuits against European banks for the construction of a German-owned gas processing plant with Russia's Linde that was halted by Western sanctions. RusChemAlliance asked the Court of Arbitration of St Petersburg & Leningrad Region for interim measures, including the freezing of assets owned by the subsidiary Linde Russia UK Limited.
Floating Power Plants: Is Nuclear the Key in the Net-zero Energy Transition?
Floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) may not immediately spring to mind as providing a solution to several of today’s key global challenges – but FNPP development is emerging as a means of decentralized stand-alone production of cost competitive hydrogen-based fuels and clean electricity and water, according to a new report by Intelatus Global Partners.The commercial case for deployment of FNPPs featuring small modular reactors is founded in the growing demand for hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels.Around 90 million tonnes of hydrogen is currently produced annually – almost exclusively produced from fossil fuels.
Williams Inks Deal for Whale Deepwater Transport Services
Williams (NYSE: WMB) reached an agreement with Shell Offshore Inc. and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. to provide offshore natural gas gathering and crude oil transportation services as well as onshore natural gas processing services for the Whale development located approximately 10 miles from the Shell-operated Perdido host facility.Williams plans to expand its existing Gulf of Mexico offshore infrastructure via a 25-mile gas lateral pipeline build from the Whale platform to the existing Perdido gas pipeline and a new 125-mile oil pipeline to the existing Williams-owned GA-A244 junction platform.
Blount Named CEO at BCCK
Midland, Texas-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm BCCK, Inc. said its founder, Clark Butts and its Board of Directors have unanimously chosen Kevin Blount as the organization's next Chief Executive Officer.Blount, who currently serves as BCCK’s Chief Operating Officer, will succeed Butts, the company's founder and current CEO, who after leading the company for 40 years has chosen to step aside from some aspects of the day-to-day operations. Butts will continue to provide strategic oversight to the business but will specifically focus on technology and new product development…
Costain Reports Contract Wins
Infrastructure solutions company Costain aid it has secured some £4 million ($5.1 million) worth of design, engineering and consultancy contracts for the energy market which will see the Group shaping the future for sustainable operations and improved efficiencies at several UK onshore gas terminals.The contract awards being delivered by the Aberdeen team also include topside modification projects for several subsea tie-backs in the North Sea, both at front-end engineering design (FEED) and pre-FEED phases as well as providing subsea engineering support to nuclear sector projects.
Jutal Offshore Wins Contracts Worth $490m
Chinese oil and gas techincal services company Jutal Offshore Oil Services has announced that the company has obtained a slew of new contracts with total value of RMB3.5bn ($490mln).The number of new contracts include large-scale core modules construction of Arctic LNG 2 natural gas project, wind turbine jacket construction, and other offshore engineering and services said the company engaged in the fabrication of oil and gas facilities and oil and gas processing skid equipment business."Site construction of some large-scale construction projects have been gradually commenced…
Sinopec Resumes Production at Sichuan Gas Processing Unit
China's Sinopec Corp last month resumed production at a key natural gas processing plant in southwestern Sichuan province after a planned maintenance, the parent company of the state oil and gas group said on Tuesday.By August-end, Sinopec had completed maintenance at a desulphurising facility at Puguang gas field - the firm's largest gas-producing asset in China - ahead of the heating season, which normally begins at mid-November.There will be a surge in the consumption of natural gas surge during the heating season.The company…
Wintershall Dea Trims Norway Portfolio
Wintershall Dea has agreed to sell its stakes in Norway's Nyhamna gas processing terminal and the Polarled gas pipeline to CapeOmega and Solveig Gas to focus on its upstream oil and gas activities, the German oil and gas company said on Tuesday.Cape Omega will acquire a 5% interest in the Nyhamna terminal, while Solveig Gas will buy a 13.3% stake in Polarled, which delivers gas from Equinor's Aasta Hansteen field to Nyhamna, Wintershall Dea said in a statement.The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2019, pending regulatory approvals.Mario Mehren…
McDermott GetsTakeover interest for its Lummus unit
McDermott International Inc said on Friday it received takeover interests for the acquisition of all or part of its technology business Lummus, that could value the unit at over $2.5 billion.McDermott's shares up about 70% in premarket trading.The oilfield services company said it is now exploring strategic options for the unit, which provides technology to petrochemicals, refining, and gas processing markets among others.Oilfield services companies have faced significant pressure and margin compression as North American oilfield activity has slowed, as customers have tightened spending to focus on shareholder return.McDermott's shares have plunged about 84
QP Issues Tender for 4 Mega LNG Trains
The state owned oil and gas company Qatar Petroleum has issued Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) tender for liquid products storage and loading facilities of the North Field Expansion (NFE) Project.The NFE Project involves the addition of four mega LNG trains as part of Qatar Petroleum's plans to expand the State of Qatar's LNG production from 77 million to 110 million tons per annum by 2024.New facilities covered under this tender include a new propane storage tank, vapor recovery compressors for propane and butane tank refrigeration…
