Sunday, February 23, 2025

ConocoPhillips sells Ursa and Europa Fields interests to Shell for $735 Million

ConocoPhillips announced on Friday that it will sell its interest in the Ursa Fields and Europa Fields for $735,000,000 to Shell as part of its plan to streamline the company's portfolio. After its $22.5 billion acquisition of Marathon Oil, the company is looking to sell non-core assets in order to reduce debt. Conoco announced earlier this month that it would be selling its Lower 48 non-core assets for $600,000,000.

Sources say China's Norinco sweetens its bid for Congo copper mining as the deal stalls.

China North Industries Corp., also known as Norinco has offered to increase the Congo government stake in its bid to purchase copper and cobalt assets from Chemaf SA to help smooth the way to a deal. The $1.4 billion offer made by China's defence and industrial giant, in June, stalled when Congo state miner Gecamines put forward its own unsolicited proposal for the Chemaf asset. This exacerbated a standoff that was already complicated by U.S.

Local news reports say that Equinor is planning to sell its assets in Argentina.

Mas Energia, a Mas Energia-published online magazine, reported that the Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor was looking to sell their onshore assets located in Argentina's Vaca Muerta Region, citing anonymous sources. Equinor has appointed Bank of America as the agent to sell its 30% stake in Bandurria Sur and 50% in Bajo del Toro Norte. However, no decision on the divestment has been taken yet, according to the report.

Local news reports say that Equinor is planning to sell its assets in Argentina.

Mas Energia, citing anonymous sources, reported that Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor was looking to sell their onshore assets located in Argentina's Vaca Muerta Region. Equinor has appointed Bank of America as the agent to sell its 30% stake in Bandurria Sur and 50% in Bajo del Toro Norte. However, no decision on the divestment has been taken yet, according to the report. Mas Energia said that the Norwegian company has no plans to sell its stakes offshore licenses in Argentina.

Nigeria's NNPC contains fire at storage facility

The Nigerian State Oil Company NNPC said that a fire in a crude oil storage barge on its Cawthorne Channel site, located along the coast of Rivers State, had been put out with no injuries. Olufemi Soneye, NNPC's spokesperson, said in a late-night statement on Thursday that the fire started around 1310 GMT Wednesday and spread quickly to other barges. Soneye stated that the incident did not affect operations at the flowstation.

Nine Entertainment is the top gainer among Australian shares.

Australian shares rose Friday on the back of gains in energy and mining stocks, as well as strong commodity prices. Nine Entertainment was the biggest gainer, after Domain Holdings Australia, which owns 60%, received a purchase offer. As of 0026 GMT, the S&P/ASX 200 was up by 0.1% to 8,333.1. The benchmark index has lost 2.6% in the first week. Iron ore prices rose overnight, causing miners to gain as much as 1.5 percent. BHP Group and Rio Tinto gained between 0.2% and 1,6% on Friday.

ADNOC, the UAE's gas company, has completed a $2.84 billion share sale.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), the energy giant of United Arab Emirates, announced early Friday that it had completed a 2.84 billion dollar market offering for its ADNOC Gas division. ADNOC said in a press release that the offering price was 3.40 dirhams for each share. The sale is the largest share offering in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) since the $12,3 billion follow-on offer by Saudi Aramco last June and the largest of recent years.

Ecopetrol, Colombia records the largest increase in oil and gas reserves proven in three years

Ecopetrol, the company owned by Colombia's majority government, reported that its proven oil and natural gas reserves increased to 1,89 billion barrels equivalent in 2024. In recent years, the country's oil reserves and gas reserves has become a hot topic in politics as fears about energy independence have grown due to dwindling supplies of gas. Chief Executive Ricardo Roa stated that the total 1P reserves for 2024 is equivalent to 1.88 billion barrels oil equivalent at the end of 2023.

Diamondback Energy CFO Van't Hoof to succeed Stice as CEO

Diamondback Energy announced on Thursday that CEO Travis Stice will step down after 13 years in the role during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting 2025. He will be replaced by Kaes van't Hof, the finance director. Stice, who has led Diamondback since January 2012, joined the board of directors in November 2012 after the initial public offering. Before becoming CEO, Stice was the chief operating officer of the company from April 2011 until January 2012.

Anglo writes off De Beers and continues with business overhaul

Anglo American reported a $3.1billion loss on Thursday, after writing down its De Beers business. The company is continuing to shed unwanted assets. Anglo wants to concentrate on iron ore and copper assets following BHP's failed attempt at a takeover last year. This means that Anglo will spin off its diamond and platinum businesses following the sale of its nickel and coal mines. Duncan Wanblad, CEO of Codelco…

Guyana will soon sign a oil deal with TotalEnergies led group

Energy Minister Vickram Bharrat said that Guyana is expecting to sign a production-sharing agreement soon with a French consortium led by TotalEnergies, which will allow the country to explore an off-shore area. Guyana, the fastest-growing oil producing country in the world, is on track to produce 940,000 barrels of crude oil per day this coming year. This is nearly 1% more than last year's output. All of Guyana's crude oil is produced by a consortium led the U.S. company Exxon Mobil.

Stock prices of US natgas producers soar as gas futures soar

Gas futures prices have risen by 27% in the last seven days, reaching a two-year high. The extreme cold of recent days has pushed U.S. Gas Futures up to $4.42 per million British Thermal Units (mmBtu) at midday on Wednesday. This puts the front-month just a few cents away from the closing high of $2.258, which was reached on January 16 of this year. The increase in gas futures has helped Devon Energy's stock…

Exxon to build large-scale gas projects in Guyana, a country dominated by oil

Exxon Mobil, the U.S. oil giant, announced a massive project on Wednesday to increase natural-gas production and supply in Guyana. This follows the government's request for more gas as fuel to power onshore projects and petrochemical ones. Alistair Routledge of Exxon Guyana, the head of Exxon in Guyana, outlined a "Wales Gas Vision" that will provide gas to produce fertilizers via a pipeline worth $1 billion completed last year.

The German antitrust watchdog wants to regulate the oil market more.

The German antitrust authority called for stronger regulation on the price quotes used on the oil market after an investigation showed that pricing was based on limited information which could be manipulated. Prices are often linked to wholesale contracts, and they can have an indirect impact on retail prices. These price quotations are provided by agencies that report prices, such as S&P Global Commodity Insights and Argus Media.

S. Africa's Sibanye signs a chrome pact to Glencore amid a slump in platinum prices

Sibanye Stillwater, a miner with a diverse portfolio of operations, announced on Wednesday that it had signed a deal to manage chrome for Glencore's Merafe Venture South Africa in order to offset the effects of a prolonged platinum metal price slump. Chrome is a platinum by-product, and South African miner Sibanye has reported increased incomes from the metal that's used in steelmaking despite the sharply reduced prices of the primary minerals.

German antitrust watchdog flags price issues in the oil market

The German antitrust authority said on Wednesday that an examination of Germany's oil markets showed pricing issues. It called for stronger legal regulations on price quotes. The Federal Cartel Office will launch an investigation in 2022 into the German refinery and wholesale market for fuels following Russia's invasion. The two-stage investigation examined refinery pricing, fuel imports and supply chains as well as market behaviours.

Devon Energy's production increases help it beat the fourth-quarter profit forecast

Devon Energy, a Devon Oil subsidiary, beat the analysts' estimates for its fourth-quarter profits on Tuesday as higher production offset lower prices. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that total oil production reached a record of 13.6 millions barrels per day during December. This was due to improved efficiency, which allowed oil producers to pump more. Devon's quarterly production increased by 28% compared to the same period last year…

EQT's profit for the fourth quarter beats estimates due to higher natural gas prices and sales

EQT's fourth-quarter profit exceeded analysts' estimates on Tuesday as the natural gas company benefited from increased prices and sales. The natural gas price rose during the first quarter of this year, reaching a peak that has not been seen in two years. This was due to an increase in gas flow to export plants for liquefied gas. Prices were also boosted by the forecast of more cold weather for January, which will increase heating demand.

Occidental divests some upstream assets worth $1.2 billion

Occidental Petroleum announced on Tuesday it had signed two deals to sell some upstream assets for a combined $1.2 billion to unidentified buyers. The transaction, which includes non-operated Rockies assets and Permian Basin properties that are not included in the company's short-term development plans, is expected to be completed by the end the current quarter. The company stated that it intended to use the proceeds of the transaction to reduce its debt.

Guyana and Dominican Republic make progress on oil drilling, refining

Dominican President Luis Abinader announced on Tuesday that Guyana and Dominican Republic have made progress in negotiating agreements for offshore oil exploration, a fertilizer factory and possibly a refinery to be built in South America. In 2023, the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work on projects in energy. The Caribbean country has expressed interest in exploring Guyana’s Berbice off-shore block.

Venture Global rises after brokerages begin coverage with bullish rating

Venture Global shares reached a weekly peak on February 18th, after several brokerages began coverage of the company with bullish ratings despite its dull market debut in January. Venture Global shares rose 5.8% to $16.87. On January 24, the liquefied gas (LNG), provider started trading at New York Stock Exchange for $24.05 per stock, valuing the company as the largest gas exporter. Its market capitalization is $58.2 Billion.

Sources say that RPT-Australian Woodside is in talks with three partners about Louisiana LNG.

Multiple sources have confirmed that Woodside Energy is in talks with several potential investors to buy stakes in the Louisiana liquefied gas plant. These include Tokyo Gas, Japan’s JERA, and Saudi Aramco-backed MidOcean Energy. This sale of stakes is a test of market expectations for LNG following Donald Trump's return to the U.S. Presidency. Trump said that trade partners should purchase more U.S.

Freeport Indonesia asks for copper concentrate export license

Freeport Indonesia's chief executive has said that the company has asked the government to relax the ban on copper exports and allow it to export 1.3 millions metric tons (worth $5 billion) of copper concentrate by December. Indonesia, a country rich in natural resources, has banned the export of unprocessed ore to encourage domestic processing and add value. But Freeport, which operates a new smelter…

Woodside, Santos face earnings dip; growth projects in focus

Investors are seeking greater clarity regarding dividend payouts due to the lingering risks associated with key growth projects. John Lockton is the head of Sandstone Insights' investment strategy. He believes that lower energy prices will be the primary cause for a decline in annual profits. Visible Alpha's consensus estimates predict that Woodside will report a underlying net loss of $2.96billion for fiscal 2024. This is down from $3.32billion last year.

Sources: Woodside Australia is in talks with three partners about Louisiana LNG.

Multiple sources have confirmed that Woodside Energy is in talks with several potential investors to buy stakes in the Louisiana liquefied gas plant. These include Tokyo Gas, Japan’s JERA, and Saudi Aramco’s MidOcean Energy. This sale of stakes is a test of market expectations for LNG following Donald Trump's return to the U.S. Presidency. Trump said that trade partners should purchase more U.S. Energy…

Venture Global LNG says it will begin commercial operations at its Calcasieu Pass Louisiana facility in April.

Venture Global LNG announced on Monday that it will start commercial operations in Louisiana at its Calcasieu Pass facility on April 15th, three years after shipping its first LNG cargo and following a dispute of two years with its customers. The company has informed long-term clients, including Shell and BP, of the beginning of commercial operations. Venture Global's failure years after it began selling…

Petrobras plans to have the Equatorial Margin ready by March, say sources

Two sources said on Monday that Brazilian oil company Petrobras plans to have a veterinary clinic in the Amazon ready to treat animals in case of an oil spill. Petrobras has not yet met the Ibama environmental agency's main demand, which is the animal care center for the state of Amapa in northern Brazil. This could be a condition to get approval from Petrobras to drill near the Amazon River. Ibama had blocked Petrobras' drilling in an environmentally sensitive area in 2023.

Exxon to produce 180,000 barrels per day of oil in seventh Guyana project

According to a document released by the Guyana's Environmental Agency on Monday, a consortium led by Exxon Mobil, based in the United States, plans to produce as much as 180,000 barrels of oil per day and 95 million cubic foot per day of gas from its seventh project, Hammerhead. Exxon, which includes U.S. Hess, and China CNOOC, has been waiting for approval from the government for this project since last January. The company also requested approval last week for its eighth project.

Egypt, Cyprus sign gas export deals, boosting Eastern Mediterranean energy cooperation

Egypt and Cyprus signed an agreement on Monday that allows the export of natural gas from Cyprus offshore fields to Egypt, for liquefaction, and then re-export into Europe. Both countries are seeking to strengthen the role of the Eastern Mediterranean as an energy hub. The 2025 Egypt Energy Show deals formalise the long-anticipated plan of linking Cypriot reserves with Egypt's LNG facilities. This…

Qatar reduces the April al-Shaheen term crude price, sources claim

QatarEnergy, according to trade sources, has reduced the term price of al-Shaheen oil loadings in April from the highest premium seen in over two years. Sources said that the term price for cargoes loaded in March was $3.50 per barrel above Dubai prices, a decrease from the $3.81 premium per barrel set by the March loading cargoes. Last month, the price was a week after the U.S. introduced aggressive sanctions against Russian energy trade.

Malaysian PM: Petronas will adhere to contractual commitments

Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, said that Petroliam Nasional Berhad, the state-owned energy company, will continue to fulfill all contractual obligations. This was after discussions over gas distribution between Petros and Petroleum Sarawak Berhad, sparked industry concerns. The recent deadlock between Petronas (run by Petros) and Sarawak (home to 60% of Malaysia's natural gas reserves), has stirred up a lot of controversy. You can also contact us for more information.

Lavrov and Rubio discuss removal of 'barriers,' set up by the previous U.S. Administration, Russia claims

In a Saturday phone call, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio about the situation in Ukraine as well as the "unilateral obstacles" that were set up by the previous U.S. Administration. Peace talks to end the war in Ukraine will begin in the next few days, after U.S. president Donald Trump shocked European Allies when he called Russian President Vladimir Putin and declared an immediate start to talks.

Cyprus and Chevron led group agree on updated offshore field plan

Cyprus and the Chevron-led group have reached an agreement on a new development plan for an offshore gas field near Cyprus. The two parties released a joint press release on Friday. Chevron tried to change a field development plan for 2019 and this led to protracted discussions on the future of the Aphrodite field, south-east from Cyprus. This plan was agreed upon between Cyprus and Noble, a former license holder and independent energy operator Chevron purchased in 2020.

US drillers added oil and gas drilling rigs in the third week of a row, according to Baker Hughes

Baker Hughes, a leading energy services company, said that U.S. firms added oil and gas rigs this week for the third consecutive week for the first since December 2023. The number of oil and gas rigs, a good indicator of future production, increased by two in the week ending February 14 to 588. Baker Hughes reported that despite this week's increase in rigs the total count is still 33 rigs or 5% lower than this time last.

Peru Copper Production to Decline in 2024 from 2.74 Million Tons

The Peruvian mining ministry announced on Friday that copper production in 2024 will be 2,736,150 tons, a 0.7% decrease from 2023. This was the first time the copper giant had declined after four years of steady recovery following the pandemic. According to industry sources, Peru's output of copper would be stable in 2024 and 2025 at around 2.8 millions tonnes due to declining ore grade and the lack of new projects.

Aker BP's top shareholder claims that the company has opportunities for acquisition.

Aker BP is a Norwegian oil exploration and production firm that was formed through a series mergers and purchases in the past decade. Its top shareholder stated on Friday that there are opportunities to consolidate further on Norway's Continental Shelf. Aker BP is aiming to increase its production to over 500,000 barrels of oil-equivalent per day by 2028. This will be a significant improvement from the few thousand barrels produced daily in 2013.

Glencore rejects an approach to its DRC operations in the last year

Glencore, a commodity and mining trader, said that it rejected a non-invited approach by an unknown buyer at the end of the last year for its operations in Democratic Republic of Congo. In an email, a spokesperson stated that Glencore had not hired any advisors or banks and was not conducting a sale for its operations in DRC. The Financial Times had reported earlier in the day that the miner considered selling all or part of its Congolese assets…

ADNOC Drilling plans to refinance $1.25 billion worth of debt

ADNOC Drilling, a division of the state oil company in the United Arab Emirates, wants to refinance its debt due later this year, totaling $1.25 billion. Its chief financial officer announced that on Friday. Youssef Salm, the company's CFO, said that it will refinance term loans worth $500 million as well as a revolving loan facility of $750 million due in October 2025. He said that the capital expenditures for 2025 could be more than $1 billion…

Freeport Indonesia has reduced its copper ore production to 60% of capacity

Tri Winarno, a senior official in the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said that PT Freeport Indonesia had reduced its copper mining capacity to 60% due to increasing stockpiles. Indonesia has banned the export of unprocessed ore to encourage domestic processing. Freeport is currently repairing its new smelter following an October fire. It has also requested a temporary extension of the export permit for its copper concentrator.

Freeport to resume copper concentrate imports from Indonesia in this month, say sources

Freeport McMoRan will resume copper concentrate shipments from Indonesia in this month, under a newly issued export licence. The previous one expired in December. Indonesia has limited raw material exports in order to force companies to refine minerals and add value to their exports. Freeport, which has its own local refinery capacity, is trying to maintain exports of concentrate after a fire at the Manyar smelter in East Java last October.

Inpex, a Japanese company, targets FID in 2027 for Indonesia's Abadi Liquefied natural gas project

Inpex Corp., Japan's largest oil and gas exploration company, announced on Thursday that it plans to make its final investment decision on the Abadi project for liquefied gas in Indonesia by 2027, as part of efforts to increase LNG supply. The company has a three-year plan that will run through 2027. It plans to invest 11.8 trillion yen (11,7 billion dollars) in areas of growth, including the flagship Ichthys project in Australia.

Shell should be held responsible for oil spills in Nigeria, says community leader before UK trial

Shell must take responsibility for the environmental damage caused in Nigeria by oil spills. A community leader made this statement on Thursday, as a crucial hearing in suits brought against Shell began at London's High Court. Godwin Bebe OKpabi, the leader of the Ogale Community in the Niger Delta said that he appealed to Shell to rectify the damage which, he claimed, had "destroyed [our] way of life".

Financial Times reports that Elliott has a $5 billion stake in BP.

The Financial Times reported that Elliott Management, an activist investor, has revealed a nearly 5% stake in BP. This makes it the third largest shareholder of the oil company, citing sources close to the issue. The FT reported that Elliott was trying to get the British oil company, British Petroleum to reduce spending on renewables as well as make large divestments. BP shares dropped 1.3% to 462.5p after the FT article. A BP spokesperson refused to comment.

The IEA reports that Russia's oil exports increased to $15.8 Billion in January.

The International Energy Agency reported on Thursday that Russia's commercial revenue from crude oil and oil product sales in January increased by $900 millions from December, to $15.8 Billion, due to the higher oil prices, and stable export volume, despite sanctions. Early January, the United States announced their most comprehensive sanctions to date against Russian oil companies as well as tankers transporting Russian oil in response to Moscow's conflict with Ukraine.

Norway Oil Industry expects record investments in the coming year

A survey by the Norwegian National Statistics Office (SSB) on Thursday showed that Norwegian oil and natural gas investments will surpass 2024's record levels this year, due to a flurry development projects. In 2025, the country's largest business sector expects to invest 253.8 billion crowns ($22.61billion) compared with 251.2 billion crowns in 2018. In November, the previous estimate of 252.6 billion crowns for 2025 was made.

Trump appoints US Oil Advocate to Lead Public Land Bureau

Kathleen Sgamma is a vocal advocate of oil and gas for Western States. She will be heading the Interior Department Bureau of Land Management which oversees the use of nearly 250 million acres of country's public lands. Sgamma is the head of Western Energy Alliance which represents oil companies operating on federal land. He had criticized Biden's and Obama's efforts to reserve public land for conservation rather than open more acres for energy developments.

Sources: Validus Energy will buy natural gas producer, 89 Energy III, for $850 Million.

Sources familiar with the deal said that Validus Energy, a privately owned U.S. gas and oil producer, has agreed to purchase 89 Energy III, a rival company, for $850 million including debt. According to sources, the deal will add more than 25,000 barrels equivalent to oil per day to Validus’s growing footprint in Oklahoma's Anadarko Shale Basin, making it one of the biggest private players in U.S. Mid-Continent region oil. According to its website, 89 Energy III produces 70% gas.

Origin Energy's profit exceeds expectations on the back of strong LNG earnings

Origin Energy, an Australian power company, beat analysts' expectations on Thursday. This was due to higher LNG sales and gains from LNG trading. These factors offset a sharp drop at the energy markets division. Origin Energy, along with AGL Energy and Energy Australia as one of Australia's "Big Three" retailers of electricity, will spend A$1.5 billion to A$1.7 billion between fiscal 2025 and the majority of that money will go towards building storage batteries.

Pemex CEO: Buyers of Mexican crude oil complain about salt and water content

The CEO of the state energy company Pemex, Victor Rodriguez, said that buyers have complained about the water and salt content in Mexico's crude oil over the last month. When asked by a journalist during her morning press conference if some platforms produced crude oil with higher than usual salt and water contents, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged this but said that it was only temporary. She said, "We do not have problems with Pemex or oil production.

Brazil's Lula will meet with the Environment Agency to discuss Petrobras' bid for drilling near the mouth of Amazon river

Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva will meet with the environmental agency Ibama this week or next to discuss Petrobras bid to drill near the mouth the Amazon river for oil, he said to a local station on Wednesday. Lula, who defended Petrobras’ bid to explore the area, said in the interview that “Ibama appears to be a government agency which is against the government” as a escalation to recent criticisms against the regulator.

Trump appoints US Oil Advocate to Lead Public Land Bureau

Kathleen Sgamma is a vocal advocate of oil and gas for Western States. She will be heading the Interior Department Bureau of Land Management which oversees the use of nearly 250 million acres of country public lands. Sgamma is the head of Western Energy Alliance which represents oil companies operating on federal land. He had criticized Biden's and Obama's efforts to reserve public lands for conservation rather than open more acres for energy developments.

Equinor will continue with the Rosebank oil and Gas Project in Britain

The UK manager of Equinor, the Norwegian oil and natural gas producer, said Wednesday at a conference on energy in New Delhi that the company will continue to develop its Rosebank oil field. Equinor, along with its partner Ithaca Energy, wants to develop the Rosebank Oil and Gas Field. However the plans to develop one of Britain's final major oil reservoirs have been a lightning-rod for climate activists who are calling for an end to fossil fuel production.

Aker BP and Total are seeking to increase their stakes in the giant Equinor oilfield

Aker BP announced on Wednesday that TotalEnergies, Aker BP and Equinor are seeking a review of their shares in Equinor’s Johan Sverdrup field in order to increase their holdings. Sverdrup, which is built across several offshore oil-and-gas licences, is owned by Equinor 42.63%, Aker BP 31.57%, Norwegian oil company Petoro 17,36%, and France's TotalEnergies 8.44%. Owners of a field that began producing oil in 2019 have the right of requesting a review of their stakes…

Brazil's Petrobras is looking for African oil assets to increase reserves

Petrobras, the Brazilian oil company, wants to purchase stakes in African oil assets - primarily in Angola and Namibia - to increase its reserves, as it anticipates that production will fall after 2030. A senior executive revealed this on Wednesday. Sylvia dos Anjos told the India Energy Week conference that the Brazilian state-owned energy company is in discussions with existing partners ExxonMobil and Shell to purchase a stake of their African assets. It makes more sense in our portfolio.

Novatek, a Russian company, says its net profit for 2024 will rise to $5.2 billion

Novatek, Russia's largest LNG producer, announced on Wednesday that its net profit for 2024 increased by 6.5% and reached 493.5 billion Rubles ($5.18 Billion) as production increased. Novatek is a major target of Western sanctions against Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine. The new Arctic LNG 2 project, tentatively started production of LNG in December 2023 on the Gydan Peninsula, which extends into the Kara Sea. However, the product has been difficult to sell.

Aker BP and Total are seeking to increase their stake in the giant Equinor oilfield

Aker BP announced on Wednesday that TotalEnergies, Aker BP and Equinor are seeking an independent assessment of their stakes within Equinor’s Johan Sverdrup field in order to increase their holdings. Sverdrup, which is built across a number of offshore oil and gas licenses, is owned by Equinor 42.63%, Aker BP 31.57%, Norwegian oil company Petoro 17.36%, and France's TotalEnergies 8.44%. Owners of the…

Japan's JERA is seeing increased competition for US LNG from Asia and Europe

JERA, Japan's largest power generator, expects the competition for U.S. LNG to grow as Asia and Europe increase their demand. There are many buyers. Asian and European buyers really want U.S. Energy. There are many competitors," JERA Asia's CEO Izumi Ka told the India Energy Week Conference on the sidelines. After the Trump administration lifted the moratorium in January on new LNG export permits, companies in the U.S. are moving forward with plans to expand or create new export capacity.

Financial Times – February 12,

These are the most popular stories from the Financial Times. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. BP told 39,000 employees their cash bonus would be only 45% of the target amount after a poor year in financial and operational performance. Gavin Isaacs, the chief executive officer of Ladbrokes' owner Entain has resigned after only five months. Novartis agreed to purchase…

Woodside and Trinidad have agreed to initial commercial terms for deepwater natural gas, an executive says

According to three sources with knowledge of the discussions, a Woodside executive and a Trinidad and Tobago government official have agreed on an initial commercial agreement for the development of Woodside's Calypso gas deepwater discoveries. This brings the project closer to the final investment decision. In order to fully utilize its gas processing capability, the Caribbean country is Latin America's biggest LNG exporter.

Guyana gives Frontera and CGX Energy 30 days notice to cancel their Corentyne license

The Canadian energy companies reported that the Guyana government has given CGX Energy a 30-day warning to cancel the joint venture license of the Corentyne Block. The South American nation expressed earlier a lack confidence that the companies would be able to secure a partner for their project. In a letter, the government stated that it would cancel the petroleum agreement and license with the joint-venture. It also said that there were no "reasonable" grounds to extend the period.

Tanzania hopes to complete talks on LNG project by June

Tanzania has begun discussions with investors about tax incentives for a project that is stalled to build a $42 billion plant of liquefied gas in the country. Energy Minister Doto Biteko announced this on Tuesday. He added the talks might be concluded by June. The mega-gas project in Tanzania is operated by Equinor, Shell, Pavilion Energy, Medco Energi, and Tanzania's National Oil Company TPDC. Proposed…

Chevron is struggling to replace its oil and gas reserves amid uncertainty surrounding the Hess deal

Chevron’s oil and natural gas reserves are at their lowest level in more than a decade. This highlights the importance of its planned acquisition of oil producers Hess, which has been stalled by a legal battle with Exxon Mobil. Investors in energy companies use reserve replacement as a key metric. It gives them an idea of how much gas and oil the company could produce, and how long. Chevron would be able to gain a stake on the lucrative oilfields in Guyana…

BP plans to add six new gaswells to the Azeri Caspian sea field in order for it continue production.

BP will add six new gas wells in Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea in order to maintain stable production for the future, a senior manager from the international energy giant said. BP operates 21 gas-wells in Shah Deniz. This area is being developed by a BP led consortium, and is crucial to Azerbaijan’s commitment to increase gas exports to Europe, offering an alternative to dwindling Russian supply.

BP promises fundamental reset as Q4 profit hit four-year low

BP announced a quarterly profit of $1.1 billion on Tuesday. This was lower than expected, and the lowest since 2004. The company also promised to reset its strategic direction after it became known that Elliott Management, an investor, had acquired a stake. BP has experienced a decline of earnings for the entire year 2024. This follows two years of record earnings, when energy prices stabilized and global oil demand weakened.

Vaar Energi raises dividends, Q4 profits in line

Vaar Energi, a company listed in Oslo and majority owned by Eni of Italy, raised its dividend on Tuesday, while reporting a fourth quarter operating profit that was in line with expectations. Vaar's earning before interest and taxes (EBIT) rose from $399 to $1 billion in the quarter of October-December, a rise that was in line with the $1.03 billion average forecast of 13 analysts polled by the company.

Source: Elliott wants operational changes at Phillips 66 after acquiring a stake of over $2 billion dollars

A person with knowledge of the matter said that Elliott Investment Management, an activist firm, has acquired a stake worth over $2.5 billion in Phillips 66. The company plans to make changes to its operations to increase its stock price. The person who spoke to Elliott said that he plans to encourage Phillips 66's midstream division to be sold or spun off. Elliott, an activist who disclosed a $1 Billion stake in Phillips 66…

Trump relaxes the enforcement of US laws that prohibit bribery by foreign officials

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, signed an executive order on Monday directing that the Justice Department halt prosecutions against Americans accused of bribing officials of foreign governments in order to gain or retain business within their countries. Trump's order suspends the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which has been around for nearly 50 years. Pam Bondi is directed to review past and current actions related to this law and to prepare new guidelines.

Mexico's Carlos Slim: 'Complicated' deepwater project being evaluated

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim announced on Monday that he and his team are re-evaluating the deal they signed with Pemex, Mexico's state oil company to develop Mexico’s first deepwater gas field. The project has been plagued by issues over its commercial viability for years. The comments are in line with an exclusive published last month, which revealed that representatives from Grupo Carso of Slim…

BP shares are at their highest level since August following Elliott's stake increase

In early trading on Monday, shares of oil giant BP rose 7%, reaching their highest level since August, following reports that activist investor Elliott Management acquired a stake in the firm, citing a reliable source. By 823 GMT the shares had risen 7.3% to 464.75pence, their largest daily gain since Febuary 2023. Shell shares dropped by nearly 4% and ExxonMobil rose 8%. Murray Auchincloss, BP's CEO…

Wall Street Journal – Feb 10,

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Activist investor Elliott Investment Management owns a stake in BP, the world's largest oil company. Elliott Investment Management will demand radical changes to improve BP's performance. -US President Donald Trump announced that he would announce 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the U.S. on Monday.

Data show that Ukraine kept its gas imports high on Sunday.

The operator of the state-owned gas transmission system revealed that Ukraine will maintain its gas imports to a high level, 16,3 million cubic meters (mcm), on Sunday. Data suggested that Ukraine would import gas from Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. Ukraine increased its gas imports dramatically last week, following a series Russian missile attacks that targeted Ukrainian gas sector installations in recent months.

Interra claims that oil contract was signed with Myanmar before the junta took power

Interra Resources, a Singapore-listed oil explorer, said Thursday that a production sharing contract between its subsidiary in Myanmar and a government-controlled entity was extended several years before 2021. The statement was made in response to an inquiry by the Singapore Exchange, a week after Justice for Myanmar claimed in a report Interra "helped provide the junta with over 2 million barrels" of oil and had "fueled its ongoing war crime".

Source: Elliott, an activist, has a stake in BP oil giant.

Activist investor Elliott Investment Management built a stake on oil major BP. A source familiar with this matter said that Saturday. The source didn't specify the amount at stake. Bloomberg News reported on Saturday that Elliott, a U.S. company, is trying to increase shareholder value by urging BP consider transformative measures. Elliott's stake was described as "significant" in the company. Elliott and BP declined comment.

Venture Global CP2 export plant in Louisiana to move forward with environmental report

The proposed CP2 LNG export plant of Venture Global, a U.S. liquefied gas (LNG), company in Louisiana has moved a big step closer to being built after the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released a draft report on Friday. As global prices rose, the demand for LNG increased. This was due to the new projects developed by Venture Global, among others, and to supply disruptions as well as sanctions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Minister says Canada's Alberta is looking to Japan for new LNG contracts amid US tariff threats

Rebecca Schulz is the minister for environment and protected areas in Canada's Alberta, which is a major producer of gas. She said that expanding into Japan was an important goal in light of a U.S. Tariff threat. Schulz, in an interview with a Japanese journalist in Tokyo on Wednesday evening, said: "The United States is a good example of why we need to diversify the markets we export to. Over the last week, she has met with officials, business lobbies, and company representatives.

Potentia Energy purchases major Australian renewable energy assets

Potentia Energy is a joint venture of Italy's Enel and Japan's INPEX Corp. It announced Thursday that it will buy control stakes in renewable energy projects worth 1 gigawatt in Australia. This investment comes from investors in private equity funds and superannuation funds. Potentia stated that the acquisition included 700 megawatts in wind and solar assets and 430 Megawatts in late-stage projects, consisting of South Australian and Queensland Battery Energy storage system.

Reforms to the Mexican oil company Pemex will give it more flexibility in forming partnerships

A bill that was sent to Congress Wednesday will allow Pemex, the state-owned Mexican oil company, to work with private companies. This will ease restrictions imposed by the previous administration. The bill is expected to be passed by a large margin. Pemex can then enter into exploration and extraction contracts with private companies, after these contracts were canceled by the former president Andres Manuel Obrador.

Australian shares are led higher by banks and retailers.

Australian shares followed Wall Street's rise on Thursday. Financial stocks and consumer discretionary companies led the charge, after investor concerns about a global war of trade began to fade. As of 2350 GMT, the S&P/ASX 200 Index rose by 0.9% to 8,490.7. The benchmark closed Wednesday 0.5% higher. Overnight the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the U.S. rose 0.71%. The S&P 500 increased by 0.39%. Nasdaq gained 0.19%.

Total CEO: Company rejected Venture Global LNG as supplier due to lack of trust

TotalEnergies has rejected the opportunity to be a long-term client of Venture Global LNG U.S. Terminals, because it does not trust them, said CEO Patrick Pouyanne on Wednesday. Venture Global, the U.S.'s most valuable LNG company, has seen its stock price soar after a massive initial public offering (IPO) last month. However it has faced legal challenges by clients such as BP and Shell who have accused them of taking too long to honour supply contracts when commissioning their projects.

Ecopetrol shares fall after Colombian Petro demands sale of US Fracking business

Ecopetrol, Colombia's largest state-owned energy company, fell by 2.20% to 2,005 pesos (US $0.48) each in the early hours of trading on Wednesday. This was after President Gustavo Petro demanded that the company sell its U.S. Fracking business. Petro's remarks late on Tuesday came after the news Monday that Ecopetrol agreed to extend their joint venture with Occidental Petroleum at the Permian Basin in Texas. The New York ADRs of the company also dropped 2.84%, to $9.57 a unit.

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