Taiwan buys Alaskan Natural Gas to avoid US Tariffs
The economy ministry announced on Monday that Taiwan was "quite interested in" natural gas from Alaska, and would continue to evaluate the feasibility of purchasing it. This is as the government tries to reduce the trade surplus and avoid tariffs with the United States. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said on Friday that he planned to announce reciprocal duties on many countries by this week. This is a major step in his offensive to reshape international trade relationships to ways he believes are in America's favor. Taiwan has a large surplus in trade with the United States. The island's exports reached a record of $111.4 billion last year.
Taiwan sends officials to the US to discuss possible Trump Tariffs
Kuo Jyh Huei, the Economy Minister, said that Taiwan sent officials to Washington, D.C., to discuss potential U.S. Tariffs by President Donald Trump. The government has also made preparations in case they are imposed. The possibility exists that Trump, who accused Taiwan of stealing American semiconductor business during his campaign last year, will actually follow through with his threats to impose tariffs on imported chip imports. Trump announced on Friday that he will announce reciprocal tariffs against many countries by Monday or on Tuesday.
Trump's Energy Department pick calls for increased LNG and nuclear energy
Chris Wright, the nominee of Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Energy Department told U.S. Senators during his confirmation hearing that his top priority was expanding domestic energy production, including liquefied gas and nuclear power. Wright, 60 believes that fossil fuels will end world poverty and is a bigger problem than the "distant threat" of climate change, according to an article he wrote in his capacity as CEO of Liberty Energy, a company providing oilfield services. Protesters interrupted the hearing several times…
Trump's Energy Department pick calls for more LNG and Nuclear Power
Chris Wright, the nominee of Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Energy Department will tell U.S. Senators during his confirmation hearing Wednesday that his top priority is increasing domestic energy production, including liquefied gas and nuclear energy. Wright, 59 years old, believes that fossil fuels will end world poverty. This is a bigger problem than the "distant threat" of climate change, according to an article he wrote in his capacity as CEO of Liberty Energy, an oilfield services firm. Wright is in favor of some fossil fuel alternatives.
Kongsberg, Zero Join Forces for Renewables
International marine technology group Kongsberg Gruppen and Zero environmental foundation signed a three-year collaboration agreement.The main intentions of the collaboration are to create increased momentum in the shift to renewable and emission-free solutions.Together, we will work to make Norway an important global test arena for the development and realization of new zero-emission solutions for all types of ships, and to spread these solutions internationally.The collaboration will also work to develop electricity and hydrogen infrastructure for emissions-free shipping.
Eni-led Group to Build Wave Power Stations
Italian oil group Eni is joining forces with shipbuilder Fincantieri, power grid group Terna and state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) to develop wave power stations.The agreement, which follows the understanding signed last 19 April, will launch the first phase of a joint project to convert the Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter (ISWEC) pilot project, an innovative system that transforms energy generated by waves into electricity, into an industrial scale power station, making its application and use immediately available.The partnership agreement will focus on two phases: during the first phase…
Gazprom Neft, USC Join for LNG Project
Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft, Gazprom gas-engine fuel, and the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) have concluded a tripartite cooperation and strategic partnership agreement on developing a liquid natural gas (LNG) fleet and related infrastructure.The memorandum was signed by Gazpromneft Marine Bunker Acting CEO Alexei Medvedev, Gazprom gas-engine fuel, Director General Oleg Melekhin, and USC President Alexey Rakhmanov.The agreement envisages the parties cooperating in research and development activities directed at creating production capacity both for building vessels running on LNG, and in developing LNG infrastructure.
Vattenfall Starts Hollandse Kust Zuid
Development of the first unsubsidized offshore wind farm is well underway off the Dutch coast after bouts of bad weather delayed the project earlier this year, said Swedish power company Vattenfall.The European energy company is building the 750-megawatt Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 & 2 wind farm off the coast of The Hague and Noordwijk. Vattenfall said it expects the wind farm will begin generating electricity by the end of 2022, ultimately supplying power to up to 1.5 million households.Dozens of researchers at the North Sea will be working day and night through the summer to learn as much as possible about the site where the wind farm will be erected.
GA Drilling Gets Fund, Signs Pact with MOL
High-tech deep-drilling company GA Drilling signed a EUR 4.2 million funding agreement with Lead Ventures and a service agreement with MOL Group.Lead Ventures, a Budapest based venture capital firm invested funds provided by MOL Group, and Hungarian Eximbank.The deal gives GA Drilling access to onshore production wells to test its disruptive PLASMABIT plug & abandonment technology in real field conditions.The agreement is a major step in enabling the commercialization of the PLASMABIT technology, which can bring positive environmental impacts…
High-tech Buoy Launched in New York Bight
A high-tech, specialized buoy has been launched to collect useful information for developing wind farms offshore the U.S. East Coast.Equinor Wind US said it deployed the cutting-edge buoy as it works to develop its offshore wind lease site in the New York Bight.The Floating LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device will measure wind speed, wind direction, wave conditions and several other marine characteristics that help inform critical decisions in regard to the resource potential and eventual development of the wind farm.
Equinor Launches High-Tech Buoy
Equinor Wind US has announced deployment of a cutting-edge, specialized buoy designed to gather information, an important step in the development of its offshore wind lease site in the “New York Bight,” which will provide wind energy to New York and the region to help achieve the renewable energy goals recently set forth by Governor Andrew Cuomo.The Floating LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device will measure wind speed, wind direction, wave conditions and several other marine characteristics that help inform critical decisions in regard to the resource potential and eventual development of the wind farm.
DEME Launches Orion
Belgian offshore vessel owner DEME has launched its next generation, giant new offshore installation vessel ‘Orion’ in a ceremony at the COSCO Qidong shipyard in China. ‘Orion’ will feature an unrivalled combination of exceptionally high transport and load capacity, impressive lifting heights and green technology.The launching marks a major milestone in the construction of this next generation vessel, which is progressing at the COSCO shipyard according to schedule. ‘Orion’ will be deployed for the construction of the largest offshore wind farms…
Rolls-Royce Invests in Qinous
Rolls-Royce is investing in Berlin-based start-up company Qinous GmbH, a global provider of energy storage and control systems, and adding turnkey microgrids to the portfolio.“As a strategic investor, the aim is to set up a partnership with Qinous for the development of innovative energy storage solutions and together offer cleaner solutions designed to meet tomorrow’s needs,” explained Marcus A. Wassenberg, CFO and Labor Director at Rolls-Royce Power Systems.The increased use of renewable energies has exacerbated the challenge of how to maintain a reliable energy supply, when weather conditions are unfavorable, to meet demand.
Sovcomflot's Pskov Loads First Cargo from Yamal LNG
The liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Pskov completed loading at the Port of Sabetta (YNAD), with the first cargo of LNG produced from the second high-tech production line at the Yamal LNG plant.August 08 marked the launch of the second production train at Yamal LNG, which happened six months ahead of schedule.Pskov is a state-of-the-art Atlanticmax LNG carrier with a cargo capacity of 170,000 cubic metres. She was built to order for Sovcomflot Group in 2014, to transport LNG under a long-term time charter agreement with Gazprom.
Hardide Coatings Invests in North America
Surface coating technology company Hardide Coatings has appointed Mark Hanania as Business Development Engineer based in Houston to help drive growth in the oil, gas and energy sectors throughout North America.Strong growth in demand from oil and gas customers in North America and recent entry into the aerospace market is underpinning significant investment in coating technology and quality accreditation at the company’s U.S. coating facility in Martinsville, Va.A third coating reactor will be installed by fall 2018 to accommodate increased demand from major oil and gas operating and service companies.
Asian Shares, Oil Fall as US-China Trade Spat Escalates
Asian shares fell to a 2-1/2 week low on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump cranked up trade tensions by going ahead with tariffs on Chinese imports, prompting Beijing to immediately respond in kind.Fears of a global trade war added to pressure on oil prices, which extended Friday's big fall, while the dollar retreated from near 3-week highs against the safe haven yen.Spreadbetters suggested a subdued start for European shares, with FTSE futures off about 0.1 percent. U.S. E-Mini S&P futures stumbled 0.5 percent,…
As Oil Prices Surge, US Eyes Growing Labor Shortage
Finding roughnecks remains a challenge for oil drillers as rising crude prices increase demand for their services, oilfield executives said on Thursday at a conference in Houston.Oilfield service suppliers cut tens of thousands of workers following the 2014 oil-price collapse, and skilled employees have moved to other industries or are no longer interested. A worker shortage is helping drive up service costs for oil producers, especially in the hottest shale fields."Recruitment and staffing is a big challenge. We're aggressively focused on recruiting people," said Kevin Neveu, chief executive at Precision Drilling Corp.
Aker Solutions Upgrades Aberdeen Site
Aker Solutions today officially opens its upgraded Aberdeen services facility to help capture subsea sector growth in the UK and elsewhere. Demand is increasing globally for services at oil and gas fields offshore, including in the UK. Energy companies are seeking to maximize production and returns from existing assets and infrastructure amid tighter budgets. "Our investment in the Aberdeen services base demonstrates our commitment to the North Sea, a mature basin where we see opportunities," said Sian Lloyd Rees, Aker Solutions’ UK country manager.
BHP Likely to Quit Coal Lobby
World Coal Association says disagrees with BHP; but Australian green groups have added to anti-coal pressure. MELBOURNE, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Global miner BHP Billiton said on Tuesday it has taken a preliminary decision to leave the World Coal Association citing disagreement over climate change, and might also withdraw from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over mining industry rules. BHP has largely quit mining coal for power plants but is the world's largest exporter of coal for steel-making. It will seek responses from the World Coal Association over policy differences before making a final decision on whether to pull out in March 2018, it said.
Fire Protection for Offshore Comms Hub
A monitoring and voice and data communication solution launched by SeaRoc Group links land-based operations to distant offshore petroleum platforms and wind farms via satellite, fiber and other data services. In order to protect the sensitive and valuable electronics inside these unmanned SeaHubs, an engineered fire detection and suppression system from Sea-Fire Europe was chosen. The mobile SeaHub system can be installed aboard a vessel, platform or even on a remote land-based location, allowing drill rigs and wind farms to be installed farther offshore than was possible in the past.
