Axpo, a Swiss company, is looking at opportunities in Japan's power and LNG trading
Axpo, a Swiss power producer and trader, is looking at opportunities in Japan's electricity and liquefied gas (LNG), as the changes in Japan's power sector have created a demand for spot LNG and hedging. Japan has set an ambitious target of renewables accounting for 36%-38% of its total electricity mix by 2030. In 2016, the power market was liberalised, leading to a more liquid futures exchange for electricity. Marco Saalfrank is a member of Axpo’s management board. He said that Japan has nine different price zones.
Thyssenkrupp’s green steel plant, worth $3.3 billion, could become more expensive
Thyssenkrupp’s steel division said on Thursday that a direct reduction plant planned to produce carbon-free, steel could cost more than originally thought. The site is expected to cost approximately 3 billion euros ($3.3billion). Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, Thyssenkrupp’s steel unit where Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky holds a 20% stake in the company, has said that it is currently assuming that the plant will start operating in 2027. TKSE stated that its management board informed…
Poland's PGNiG Expects Over 100,000 Tons of Oil from Skogul in 2020
Polish oil company PGNiG said Monday it expects to produce about 115 tons of oil from the Skogul field offshore Norway in 2020.First oil from Skogul, located in the North Sea, offshore Norway was achieved in March, 2020. was achieved during the quarter. The field is operated by the Norwegian oil company Aker BP, with a 65% stake, while the Polish firm owns the remaining interest.Jerzy Kwieciński, President of the PGNiG Management Board said Monday:"We expect to produce about 115 thousand tons of oil from the field in 2020 alone.
OMV Sees Hope for Oil Price Recovery in Second Half 2020
Austrian energy group OMV sees hope for a recovery in oil prices in the second half of 2020 helped by increased fuel demand and output cuts by producers such as Saudi Arabia, its chief executive said.The spread of the coronavirus has knocked global demand and weighed on crude prices and oil companies' profits.But the willingness of producers such as Saudi Arabia and Norway to drastically cut output shows oil prices have a chance to return to a reasonable level, OMV CEO Rainer Seele said."We therefore expect the oil price to gradually recover in the second half and to average $40 for the year…
Hempel Taps Lindström as COO
Katarina Lindström will join Hempel as Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer from August 1, 2020 as the coatings manufacturer aims to double in size.As Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (COO), Katarina Lindström will be a member of Hempel’s Executive Management Board.As part of its long-term growth strategy, Hempel is making significant investments in innovation and sustainability, while strengthening its supply chain and manufacturing footprint, particularly in Asia-Pacific.
PGNiG Acquires Duva Field in Norway
PGNiG Upstream Norway, a subsidiary of Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG), has obtained a final administrative consent to purchase additional 10% interests in the PL636 and PL636B licences in the North Sea.Following the transaction, PGNiG Upstream Norway’s (PUN) interests in both licences increased to 30%. As a result, the volume of Duva field gas production attributable to the Company will rise to 0.2 bcm per year.“Acquisition of fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf is one of the investment priorities of the PGNiG Group.
PGNiG: Polish LNG Import Jumps Up
LNG imports to Poland via the Świnoujście LNG Terminal keep rising and stood at 3.4 billion cubic metres in 2019 after regasification, up from 2.7 bcm the year before."The first quarter of 2020 will see peak activity in terms of LNG deliveries. By the end of March this year alone we are to receive ten cargoes coming in from different directions,” said Jerzy Kwieciński, President of the PGNIG S.A. Management Board.The long-term take-or-pay contract with Gazprom via the Yamal pipeline means Russia is still Poland’s dominant supplier.
Yamal LNG Starts Using New Storage Tank
Novatek, the largest independent natural gas producer in Russia, started using a dedicated LNG transshipment tank at the Zeebrugge LNG terminal in Belgium.Novatek booked the tank’s capacity as part of a 20-year transshipment agreement between Yamal LNG’s unit Yamal Trade and Fluxys LNG.The dedicated LNG tank was built specifically for the transshipment needs of Yamal LNG with a capacity of 180,000 cubic meters, allowing the Project to transship up to 8 million tons of LNG per…
KMG, Tatneft Outline Cooperation Roadmap
Chairman of the Management Board, NC KazMunayGas (KMG), Alik Aidarbayev and Director General of Tatneft Nail Maganov signed the Roadmap on Introduction of the Tatneft Best Practices in the Petroleum Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The implementation period is 2020.During the meeting, held in Nur-Sultan, the heads of KMG and Tatneft discussed how the partnership can be organized, including the establishment of a joint venture in Kazakhstan.The parties agreed that Tatarstan…
Poland Ends Major Russian LNG Contract
Poland's state gas company PGNiG says it had notified Russia's Gazprom that it will not renew their long-term deal on liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies when the agreement expires after 2022.In accordance with the provisions of the Yamal Contract, three years prior to its original termination date, i.e. by December 31st, 2019, the parties are required to submit a declaration whether or not they intend to continue their contractual relationship beyond 2022.Gazprom Export, the gas-exporting arm of state-controlled Gazprom…
PGNiG Ups Stake in Duva Field, Norway
PGNiG Upstream Norway bought 10 percent shares in the PL636 and PL636B licenses in the North Sea from Pandion Energy, thus increasing its ownership in the Duva field to 30 percent.Duva oil and gas field (formerly Cara) is located in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea at a water depth of 360m. The field is jointly owned by Idemitsu Petroleum Norge (30%), Neptune Energy Norge (30%, operator), Pandion Energy (20%) and Wellesley Petroleum (20%).“Increasing our share in the deposit…
FERC Approves Plaquemines LNG Facility
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the construction of Venture Global's proposed $8.5 billion Plaquemines liquefied natural gas export facility in Louisiana. Venture Global LNG to build an LNG Plaquemines export terminal and a gas pipeline between the terminal and the interstate gas network.PGNiG will receive liquefied natural gas from this terminal from 2023.“We congratulate our American partners from Venture Global LNG for obtaining the final FERC approval for the construction of the second natural gas liquefaction facility.
Yamal LNG Increases Asia-Pacific Shipments Via NSR
Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer Novatek said that its operated Yamal LNG project has shipped 15 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia-Pacific markets directly via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) during 3Q19.The eastbound shipments represented about 25% of all LNG dispatched from Yamal LNG during the quarter. Planned 2019 volumes of LNG delivered eastbound to the Asian Pacific markets via the NSR will be increased by more than 4 times compared to last year.A…
Japanese Backers for Novatek's LNG Complexes
Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer and LNG project operator Novatek has formed ties with Japan's shipper Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to collaborate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects.The three companies will implement projects for construction of a marine LNG transshipment complexes in Kamchatka Territory and Murmansk Region, including possible acquisition of participation interest in projects and potential financing of projects.“We have already started successful cooperation with Japanese companies in large LNG projects…
Saibu Gas, Novatek JV to Market LNG
Japanese natural gas distribution company Saibu Gas and Russian LNG project operator Novatek revealed plans to form a joint venture.Novatek announced that it has signed the Heads of Agreement (HoA) with Saibu Gas in the presence of the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Oreshkin.According to the Agreement, the Parties intend to establish a joint venture focused on marketing LNG and natural gas to end customers and developing the business for bunkering and gas-fired power generation in Japan and the Asian region…
Eesti Begins LNG Bunkering in Hanko Port
Estonian energy company Eesti Gaas began providing liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering services to LNG-powered vessels in the port of Hanko, Finland, for the first time in addition to Tallinn and Helsinki.For the port of Hanko, this means scheduled LNG bunkering on its premises, and Eesti Gaas will be providing the service to two new ships in addition to Tallink’s Megastar.The two ships bunkered by Eesti Gaas in the port of Hanko are the largest dual fuel LNG vehicle carriers in the world.
Novatek Signs MoU with Petronet LNG
Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer Novatek signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation with India’s largest liquefied natural gas importer Petronet LNG.The MoU envisages delivering LNG supplies from Novatek's portfolio to the Indian market, including natural gas supplies for power generation, as well as investment by Petronet LNG in Novatek's future LNG projects and the joint marketing of LNG as motor fuel in India, including joint investment in developing…
Novatek Signs LNG Pact with Chukotka
Russia's largest independent natural gas producer Novatek has signed a cooperation agreement with the Government of the Chukotka autonomous area, situated in the Russian Far East.As per the agreement, Novatek will consider supply LNG for use in power generation, and as fuel for transport and mining operations."The Russian Federation fully supports the development of the Northern Sea Route as a yearly navigational route connecting the Asian Pacific and European markets. When our LNG transshipment complex in the Kamchatka Territory and the Arctic LNG 2 project become fully operational…
PGNiG Starts Norwegian Drilling
Polish state-controlled oil and gas company PGNiG said its unit PGNiG Upstream Norway started drilling an exploration well in licence area PL838 (the Shrek prospect) on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, for the first time in the role of the operator.It is the first exploration well in this licence area, located in the vicinity of the Skarv oil and gas field, in which PGNiG holds a 12% interest, said the subsidiary of Polish Oil and Gas Company."The main objective of our operations in Norway is to scale up our own production of gas in the region.
Vladimir Rusanov Opens Northern Sea Route
Russian natural gas producer Novatek announced that the Arc7 ice-class LNG tanker 'Vladimir Rusanov' completed the Northern Sea Route (NSR) passage via the Eastern direction, delivering an LNG cargo from the Yamal LNG project, at the port of Sabetta, to China's port of Tianjin.The 168,560 cbm vessel shipped transited the ice-covered part of the route in only 6days, setting a new record for independent passage via the NSR without ice-breaking support with cargo on board.The net voyage time from Sabetta to the destination port was completed in a record 16 days…
