Mitsubishi buys stake and offtakes ammonia in Texas from ExxonMobil
The Japanese trading house Mitsubishi announced on Friday that it had reached an agreement in principle to purchase a stake and take delivery of low-carbon ammonia produced by ExxonMobil at its hydrogen plant in Texas. As part of its decarbonisation campaign, Japan aims to increase the use of ammonia and hydrogen in power plants and for other uses, such as steel and automobiles. Mitsubishi stated that ExxonMobil was expecting to produce up 1 billion cubic feet per day (bcf), which would be about 98% CO2 removed. And more than 1,000,000 tons of low carbon ammonia each year. Mitsubishi did not disclose the size of its stake or the amount of ammonia it would be willing to purchase.
Centrica Extends Stork Contract
Fluor Corporation announced that Stork, part of Fluor’s Diversified Services segment, was awarded a contract extension by Centrica Storage Limited to continue providing fabric maintenance and associated services for the company’s UK onshore and offshore oil and gas assets. Fluor said it booked the undisclosed contract value in the second quarter of 2019.“Stork is extremely pleased to deepen our long-term relationship with Centrica in the UK by providing services to extend the life and efficiency of its assets in the northeast of England,” said Taco de Haan, Stork’s president.
Stork Awarded Evergreen Gig for UK Assets
Fluor Corporation announced that Stork, part of Fluor’s Diversified Services segment, was awarded a contract extension by Centrica Storage Limited to continue providing fabric maintenance and associated services for the company’s UK onshore and offshore oil and gas assets.Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value in the second quarter of 2019, said a release.“Stork is extremely pleased to deepen our long-term relationship with Centrica in the UK by providing services to extend the life and efficiency of its assets in the northeast of England,” said Taco de Haan…
SENER Names Álvaro Lorente as MD
Spanish engineering and technology group SENER has appointed Alvaro Lorente, former Operations Manager in the energy division as Managing Director.He graduated in Industrial Engineering from the Pontificia Comillas University (ICAI), majoring in Electrical Engineering, and joined SENER in 1991. Among other posts, he has been head of SENER's Mechanics Section, Operations Manager for Renewables, Power, Oil & Gas and International General Manager at SENER.He was also appointed General Manager of Torresol Energy (a company in which SENER holds a 60% stake) and General Manager for the Energy and Environment Business Area of the SENER Group.In Energy…
Commonwealth LNG sees Euro Demand for LA Gas Terminal
Commonwealth LNG has received commitments from European buyers to take almost half of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its planned 8.4-million-tonnes-per-year export terminal in Louisiana, Chief Executive Officer Paul Varello said on Wednesday.The Commonwealth project is one of more than 10 LNG export terminals under development or construction in the United States along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico to take advantage of soaring demand for the supercooled fuel amid booming gas production."We are exchanging documents with counterparties that will represent three to four million tonnes" of capacity…
Qatar to Invest USD 20 bln in US Energy Sector
Peninsular Arab country Qatar has said that it plans to invest more than $20 billion in the US energy sector over the next five years.According to a report in Reuters, minister of state for energy affairs of the energy-rich Qatar Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, who is also the President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said he is looking to invest in US oil and gas sectors as well as unconventional resources.The report quoted Saad as saying: “North of USD20 billion will be invested over the next five years in the United States in different projects.”A prime target of Qatar was to revive the multi-billion dollar Golden Pass LNG (liquified natural gas) terminal in Texas…
Chevron Gets Green Light for Captain EOR
Energy giant Chevron announced Tuesday it has received approval from the U.K. Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) to move ahead with its plans for an Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) project that aims to unlock millions of extra barrels of oil and extend the life of the long-producing Captain field in the U.K. Central North Sea.Chevron North Sea Limited (CNSL), which operates Captain as 85 percent stakeholder, said its plan includes applying polymer injection technology to increase production and help maximize economic recovery from the field located approximately 145 kilometers northeast of Aberdeen.
Ineos Completes Clipper South Re-routing Project
UK-based oil products company Ineos Oil and Gas UK has completed a project to re-route production from its Clipper South field via the Shell operated Clipper field into the Bacton processing terminal.According to a company release, the USD 80 mln investment into a new pipeline and sub-sea equipment will extend the life of the Clipper South field, following closure in October of the existing facilities at the Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal, previously operated by ConocoPhillips.The release quoted David Brooks, CEO Ineos Oil & Gas UK as saying: “The completion…
Sinopec Starts Major Gas Pipeline Early
China's Sinopec Corp said on Thursday it had started to operate the first phase of the Erdos-Anping-Cangzhou pipeline project in northern China, ahead of an expected operational date of early 2019.The pipeline, which connects gas production in the Erdos basin and users in Hebei province, is expected to supply a maximum 10 million cubic metres of gas a day during peak heating season, Sinopec said on its social media platform.The project is designed to transport 30 billion cubic metres a year and includes one trunk line and five branch lines, with total length of 2,293 kilometers (1424.8 miles).The company said in April that the pipeline will also be linked to its liquefied natural g
U.S. Calls on Hungary and Neighbors to Shun Russian Gas Pipelines
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry called on Hungary and its neighbours to reject Russian gas pipelines which Washington says are being used to cement Moscow's grip on central and eastern Europe.Energy diversification would be crucial for the region, as Russia has used energy as a weapon in the past, he said."Russia is using a pipeline project Nord stream 2 and a multi-line Turkish stream to try to solidify its control over the security and the stability of Central and eastern Europe," Perry added during a visit to Budapest.Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Turkish stream…
BREAKING: Tanker, Frigate Collision Shuts Down Norwegian Oil, Gas to Europe
Norway has been forced to close the Sture Oil Terminal near Bergen and has started closing down the nearby Kollsness gas-and-condensate terminal — a lifeline of heating gas to Europe — after an early morning collision between a $440-million frigate and an oil tanker.The frigate Helge Ingstad, now listing heavily to its port side, is loaded with torpedoes and weapons systems said to be unstable as a result of the collision. Eight navy personnel are said to be injured, including two flown to regional hospital, Haukland, but the tanker Sola’s 23 crew were all evacuated safely.Spilling from the frigate is a slick of what is reportedly light oil and helicopter fuel…
Eni Strikes Deal with Total to Boost Algeria Operations
Italian oil major Eni said on Monday it had struck a deal to team up with French peer Total to look for oil and gas in Algeria and strengthen its position in the north African country.The two oil companies signed a deal with state-owned Algerian energy giant Sonatrach to pursue offshore exploration in the country while working together on exploration permits."Together with Sonatrach and Total, we will have the opportunity to explore the deep waters of the Algerian offshore, a virtually unexplored geological province," Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said.Eni…
China, ExxonMobil Discuss $10 bln Investment in Guangdong
Chinese officials and executives of ExxonMobil Corp discussed a $10 billion investment by the U.S.-based firm in the southern province of Guangdong, Chinese state television reported on Friday.The state TV report, during its summary of a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and ExxonMobil Chief Executive Darren Woods, quoted Li as saying he welcomed Exxon's large investment in China.The report said China and Exxon discussed the $10 billion investment but did not attribute the information to any direct source.Exxon said on Thursday it signed a preliminary deal to build a petrochemical complex and invest in a liquefied natural gas terminal in China.
Freeport Signs Initial LNG Offtake Deal with Sumitomo for Train 4
* Privately-owned U.S. liquefied natural gas terminal operator Freeport LNG said it had signed a binding agreement with a U.S.
Centrica Wins Contract to Process Gas from Tolmount Field
Centrica Storage Limited has been awarded a 120 million pound ($153 million) contract to process gas from the Tolmount field in the North Sea, which will help extend the life of its gas terminal in Yorkshire until at least 2030, the company said.The contract was awarded by the Tolmount joint venture and infrastructure partners comprising Premier Oil, Dana Petroleum and Humber Gathering System Limited.Centrica said it will make modifications to the Easington terminal so it can receive and process the gas from the Tolmount field, which will arrive through a new gas pipeline.CSL will start to process the gas in the winter of 2020 when the field is scheduled to come on stream.
Kolkata Port, Hooghly Pact for Liquid Cargo Terminal
The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has signed a concession agreement with Hooghly Oil & Gas Terminal to establish a liquid cargo handling terminal at Shalukhali in Haldia. The terminal will facilitate the movement of petroleum cargo such as LNG, LPG as well as vegetable oil. It is expected to develop over the next three years. The project will help reduce pre-berthing detention and turnaround time of tankers carrying different liquid cargo, leading to a reduction in logistics costs to trade. The new facility will come up at Shalukhkhali, 130 km from Kolkatta, where a second dock system was being planned at one stage.
Shell Announces Plan for Penguins Filed Redevelopment
Shell announced the final investment decision for the Penguins field redevelopment project in the U.K. sector, which includes the construction of a new-build Sevan Marine designed cylindrical floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The Penguins field is in 165 metres of water, approximately 150 miles north east of the Shetland Islands. Discovered in 1974, the field was first developed in 2002 and is a joint venture between Shell (50 percent and operator) and ExxonMobil (50 percent). The Penguins field currently processes oil and gas using four existing drill centres tied back to the Brent Charlie platform.
Greece Sets Deadline for DESFA Gas Grid Sale
Greece's privatisation agency (HRADF) has pushed back to Feb. 16 the deadline to submit binding offers for a 66 percent stake in natural gas grid operator DESFA, sources close to the process said on Wednesday. Interested investors had sought an extension from a previous Dec. 22 deadline, expecting HRADF to give them a new date in February. One of the sources said HRADF set the date at a board meeting last month. HRADF had earlier identified the two investor groups qualified to proceed to the next phase of the tender and the submission of binding bids as Spain's Regasificadora del Noroeste (Reganosa) and a consortium of Italy's Snam…
Qatargas Inks Deal to Deliver LNG to Austria's OMV
State-run Qatargas on Wednesday agreed a sale and purchase deal with Austrian oil and gas group OMV to deliver up to 1.1 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually for five years. From January 2019, the gas will be provided by Qatar Liquefied Gas Co, a venture between Qatar Petroleum and Shell . It will be delivered to the Gate LNG Terminal in the Netherlands on board Qatargas’ chartered LNG vessels. Facing threats to its market share in Europe from a wave of new U.S. supply and in Asia from new Australian plants, Qatar has sealed similar deals with Uniper, RWE Supply and Trading, Centrica and Petronas UK to secure access to northwest European import terminals.
Statoil Acquires 25% Stake in Brazil's Roncador
Statoil ASA and Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) have agreed that Statoil will acquire a 25 percent interest in Roncador, a large oil field in the Campos Basin in Brazil. The transaction nearly triples Statoil’s production in Brazil, with attractive break-evens and potential for additional value creation for both parties through the application of Statoil’s expertise in improved oil recovery (IOR). The total consideration comprises an initial payment of $2.35 billion, plus additional contingent payments of up to $550 million. “This transaction adds material and attractive long-term production to our international portfolio…
