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…
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 br
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
TransCanada Mulls final Keystone XL Decision
TransCanada Corp , Canada's No.2 pipeline operator, will make a final investment decision on its Keystone XL project by December, the company said on Friday as it reported a better-than-expected profit. The December timeline is the first time the company has publicly set a deadline about making an investment decision for the project since U.S. President Donald Trump approved Keystone XL in March, reversing a decision by Barack Obama. The investment decision will be based on shipper demand and a regulatory outcome from the U.S.
Snam in Talks to Buy LNG Terminal Stake from Edison
Italian gas group Snam is in exclusive talks with EDF's Italian unit Edison to buy a stake in a liquefied natural gas terminal in northern Italy as part of plans to develop its LNG business, two sources said. Snam, controlled by state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, is looking to buy Edison's 7.3 percent stake in Terminale LNG Adriatico and the gas pipeline that connects it to Italy's gas transmission backbone, the sources said.
Pieridae Seeks Natural Gas Acquisitions, CEO Says
Pieridae Energy Ltd, the company behind a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal on Canada's east coast, is looking to buy producing assets in western Canada or in the Marcellus shale play in the United States, its chief executive said on Monday. Alfred Sorensen told Reuters in a phone interview that Calgary-based Pieridae wanted to buy about 200 million cubic feet a day of natural gas production to supply its terminal and would consider buying a company or just assets.
Croatia FLNG Terminal Completion Delayed 12 Months
Croatia's floating liquefied natural gas terminal in the northern Adriatic will take a year longer to complete, Energy and Environment Minister Slaven Dobrovic told an energy conference on Wednesday. The capacity of the terminal, now expected to be finished in 2019, is seen at around two billion cubic metres of gas a year, with Croatia targeting central European markets as well as domestic. "Our current plan is to realise the project in 2019," Dobrovic said without elaborating further.
Czech Industry Minister Hopes to Save Poland Pipeline Project
The Czech government will talk with Poland in an effort to avoid scrapping a gas pipeline meant to connect the Czech system to a Polish LNG terminal and raise supply security, Czech Industry Minister Jan Mladek said on Thursday. The planned Stork II pipeline, backed by 62.7 million euros ($69.7 million) in European Union funding, came into question when a Czech daily reported on Thursday that the Polish side may delay or back off the project.
Trafigura Inks Storage Deal with Singapore LNG Corp
Trafigura has signed a deal with Singapore LNG Corp, operator of Singapore's first liquefied natural gas terminal, allowing the commodities trader to use excess gas storage at SLNG's terminal on Jurong Island, the companies said on Tuesday. Under the agreement, SLNG will offer its storage and reload services to Trafigura, which allows the Singapore company to make better use of spare capacity at its terminal, SLNG's Chief Executive John Ng said in a statement emailed to the press.
Croatia Eyes Adriatic Oil Potential
Croatia to sign oil, gas exploration licences in June/July. When Croatia announced in 2013 it would set a tender to explore for oil and gas in its pristine Adriatic waters, the government evoked the hydrocarbon riches of Norway to win over the plan's many detractors. "If it's not dangerous for Norway or Scotland, it shouldn't be dangerous for us," Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said in April, defending an effort he hopes could help turn around Croatia's economic fortunes after six years of recession.
Fluxys LNG Launches Zeebrugge Capacity Consultation
Belgian gas infrastructure operator Fluxys said on Thursday it was launching a market consultation to assess demand for additional capacity at the Zeebrugge liquefied natural gas terminal in Belgium. "Fluxys LNG is considering to extend the Zeebrugge terminal as and when the market needs additional capacity," the company said in a statement. "In this preliminary phase, Fluxys LNG (will) conduct a market test to evaluate the appetite…
U.S. LNG Projects Hit by Energy Price Slide
Energy Aspects sees 1 U.S. project getting go-ahead in 2015; BG Group delayed final decision on Lake Charles until 2016. Sinking oil and gas prices have put the brakes on the development of the U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, with planned projects being delayed or even scrapped altogether. U.S. natural gas production has soared to record levels in recent years due to advanced drilling techniques, including hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, triggering a new LNG export market.
Shell Joins India LNG Project with Raised Stake
Royal Dutch Shell Plc will take a 26 percent stake in the planned Kakinada liquefied natural gas terminal on the east coast, an official at partner Indian gas firm GAIL said, slightly higher than previously proposed. Gaz de France already has a 26 percent stake in the project, while Andhra Pradesh Gas Distribution Company in which GAIL Gas, a subsidiary of GAIL (India), has a stake will have the remaining 48 percent share. Shell was in talks with Andhra Pradesh state government to buy up to 24 percent stake in the project…
Global LNG Prices Hold Steady in Weak Trade
Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices were little changed on Friday as mild demand and the extended holiday period kept a lid on trading activity. The spot price for February was steady at about $10.10 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), in line with the previous week. Traders said, however, that prices were nominal given there was limited activity. Brazil's state-run energy giant Petrobras has shown interest in purchasing spot cargoes…
Oil Price Crash Claims First US LNG Project Casualty
Excelerate Energy's Texan liquefied natural gas terminal plan has become the first victim of an oil price slump threatening the economics of U.S. LNG export projects. A halving in the oil price since June has upended assumptions by developers that cheap U.S. LNG would muscle into high-value Asian energy markets, which relied on oil prices staying high to make the U.S. supply affordable. The floating 8 million tonne per annum (mtpa) export plant moored at Lavaca Bay…
E.ON's Italy sale draws bidders as deadline falls
The sale of E.ON's Italian assets has drawn interest from a handful of energy companies and investment funds on the final day for binding bids, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. Two sources said French energy giant EDF was also looking to make a non-binding bid, outside the official process, for all the assets through its Italian utility unit Edison. E.ON has not yet decided if it will sell its Italy business, which could be worth more than 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion)…
