Japan's LNG Investments Drive Faces Risk of Souring
Japan's banks and public agencies have funneled nearly $25 billion into liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects since 2017 but the investments may sour as prices plummet from the COVID-19 pandemic and as climate change risks rise, a new study shows.Spurred on by the government to boost energy security since the 2011 Fukushima disaster shut down the country's reactors, Japan's investment in LNG rivals that for coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, while more evidence is emerging of the…
Oil Hits $70 a Barrel
Oil prices rose a further 2% on Monday, pushing Brent above $70 a barrel, as rhetoric from the United States, Iran and Iraq fanned tensions in the Middle East after a U.S. air strike which killed a top Iranian military commander.Brent crude futures soared to a high of $70.74 a barrel and was at $69.74 at 0940 GMT, up $1.14, or 1.66%, from Friday's settlement.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $63.92 a barrel, up 87 cents, or 1.38%, after touching $64.72, the highest since April.The gains extended Friday's more than 3% surge after a U.S.
Equinor, Rosneft to develop Arctic oilfield
Russia's Rosneft and Norway's Equinor have agreed details on how to develop an Arctic Siberian onshore oilfield, they said on Monday, their first joint investment since agreeing a strategic partnership in 2012.The firms expect to extract about 250 million barrels of oil and 23 billion cubic metres of gas in the first stage of developing the Severo-Komsomolskoye oilfield, Equinor said, without giving a value for the investment.Rosneft has a 66.67% stake and Equinor holds the remaining shares in SevKomNeftegaz…
Oil Steady as Russia Commits to Output Cuts
Oil prices were steady on Monday, holding on to strong gains last week, after Russia affirmed its commitment to a deal with OPEC producers to keep production in check and support prices.Brent crude was down 1 cent at $62.01 a barrel by 0055 GMT, having logged a weekly gain of more than 4% last week, its best weekly gain since Sept. 20.West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 4 cents at $56.62 a barrel, having risen more than 5% last week, also the biggest weekly increase since Sept.
Angola Hopes Reforms Will Aid Oil Assets Sales
Angola is hoping sweeping economic reforms will smooth an ambitious plan to sell key state assets, including stakes in oil company Sonangol, a share of Puma Energy and more than 100 other enterprises.Africa's second biggest oil exporter is in a rush for cash as it struggles to cope with moribund crude prices, slumping output and years of mismanagement that left Sonangol bloated and inefficient.In August, the government published an extensive list of assets that will be offered to investors via public offerings…
Chevron Cleared to Stay in Venezuela
The Trump administration said on Friday it has renewed Chevron Corp's license to drill for oil and gas in Venezuela despite sanctions, signaling it sees value in having the U.S. oil producer operate in a country on the verge of economic and political collapse.The Treasury Department said it renewed the license for three months for Chevron, the last U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela, a member of the OPEC producer group. The license runs through Oct. 25, 2019."Our operations in Venezuela continue in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations…
Two Tankers Attacked in Gulf of Oman
Two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, leaving one ablaze and both adrift, shipping firms said, driving oil prices as much as 4% higher over worries about Middle East supplies.The Front Altair, carrying petrochemical feedstock, was on fire in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran after an explosion that a source blamed on a magnetic mine. The Norwegian owner said its crew were safe.A second Japanese-owned tanker was abandoned after being hit by a suspected torpedo, the firm that chartered the ship said.
Occidental Agrees to Sell Anadarko Assets to Total
Texas-headquartered Occidental Petroleum has reached an agreement to sell Anadarko Petroleum's oil and gas assets in Africa to French oil major Total for $8.8 billion.The binding agreement with Occidental to acquire Anadarko’s assets in Africa (Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa) is contingent on a successful completion of Occidental’s ongoing bid for Anadarko.Wood Mackenzie research director Nicholas Browne says the move would make Total the second largest international oil company (IOC) LNG seller after Shell…
Occidental Tops Chevron's Bid for Anadarko
Occidental Petroleum Corp on Wednesday started the first takeover battle for a major oil company in years, offering $38 billion for Anadarko Petroleum Corp, a bid that topped a $33 billion offer by Chevron Corp.Both suitors are offering a premium for Anadarko's holdings in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico. The vast shale field holds oil and gas deposits that can produce supplies for decades using new, low-cost drilling techniques.Occidental's surprise $76-per-share bid is valued at $57 billion, including debt.
Mexico President's Pemex Plans Rattle Debt-holders
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's declaration of war on "neo-liberal" economics has shaken investors holding Petroleos Mexicanos bonds, fueling concern about the future of the highly-indebted state oil company he has pledged to revive.Ratings agencies and three managers spoken to by Reuters at funds that either hold Pemex paper or recently sold it said proposals floated by the government to build a new refinery and give the state a bigger role in the oil industry could put fresh strain on the company…
DNV GL sees oil demand peaking in 2023
Global oil demand will peak in 2023 as electric vehicles (EVs) become competitive with cars fuelled by petrol and diesel, and after 2040 no new oil developments will likely be needed, quality assurance and risk management firm DNV GL said on Monday.The forecast from the Norway-headquartered firm, which offers certification and consultancy services to around 100,000 customers globally, adds to investors' worries about some oil assets becoming stranded if demand enters into permanent decline."Amid declining consumption in the future…
As Mexico Oil Sector Sputters, Crime and Violence Rattle Industry Towns
Until recently, Edgar Barrera enjoyed a life many Mexicans could only hope for. In a few short years, the 36-year-old bookkeeper rose from handyman to white-collar worker at what seemed to be one of the most stable companies in Latin America: state-owned oil firm Pemex. Thanks to Pemex, Barrera met his wife, vacationed on the Mayan Riviera and envisaged a rewarding career without leaving his hometown in Tabasco, a rural state at the southern hook of the Gulf of Mexico where more than half the population lives on less than roughly $92 a month. Then everything changed.
Saudi Aramco Restructures Non-oil Assets ahead of IPO
Saudi Aramco has created a subsidiary to house its multibillion-dollar pension fund and could spin off its aviation division, sources said, as it restructures some assets not related to oil and gas ahead of its planned initial public offering (IPO).The move is designed to streamline Aramco's operations and could make it easier to value since its business risk would be clearer and that may help it achieve a higher price for its shares, financial and industry sources told Reuters."This makes Aramco a leaner company…
Ghana to Launch First Exploration Licensing Round in Q4 2018
Ghana will launch its first exploration licensing round in the last quarter of this year offering about six offshore blocks, deputy energy minister Mohamed Amin Adam said. Ghana currently produces 200,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), led by its flagship Jubilee field which produces about 100,000 bpd, he said. The west African nation, which became a significant oil producer in 2010 when it began pumping from the offshore Jubilee field, is keen to unlock its vast oil and gas resources.
Russneft: No Plans to Merge with Neftisa
Russian oil producer Russneft said on Thursday that it had no plans to merge with Neftisa, but said the idea had been discussed many times. Russneft was responding after sources told Reuters that Russia's top state lender Sberbank opposed a plan by billionaire Mikhail Gutseriyev to merge his oil assets, Russneft and Neftisa, into one firm and replace co-owner Glencore. Russneft said in a statement on Thursday that Glencore would remain its main partner. "The idea of uniting Russneft and Neftisa has been spoken of many times…
Enerplus Profit Beats as Oil Focus Pays Off
Canadian oil and gas producer Enerplus Corp reported a quarterly profit that beat estimates on Friday as the company's strategy to focus on oil assets paid off. Shares of the company, which has historically produced more natural gas than oil, were up as much as 4.5 percent. Enerplus, which has significant operations in the United States, recently entered the Denver-Julesburg Basin in Colorado and has said it expects oil to account for 55 percent of its overall production this year.
Pampa Energia to Sell $360 Mln in Oil Assets
Argentine group Pampa Energia said on Wednesday it has agreed to sell $360 million in oil assets to local company Vista Oil & Gas, which is headed by the former head of state oil company YPF, Miguel Galuccio. The deal is in line with the Pampa Energia's strategy of focusing its investments in electric power generation and exploration and production of unconventional natural gas, the company said in a letter to the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange. The letter said it includes the sale…
Sinopec to Sell Argentina Oil Assets for up to $600 Mln
China's Sinopec has decided to sell its oil assets in Argentina for $500 million to $600 million to Mexican company Vista Oil & Gas, a source with knowledge of the deal told Reuters on Tuesday. Sinopec informed Vista Oil & Gas of its decision on Monday, according to the source, who asked not to be named because the deal was confidential. Sinopec also told competing bidders including Argentina's state-controlled oil company YPF and private Argentine company Pluspetrol they had not been selected, the source said. YPF, Pluspetrol, and Vista Oil & Gas declined to comment.
Buyers Eye Sinopec's Argentina Oil Assets
Sinopec's Argentine assets worth about $750 mln-$1 bln; Sonangol, Rosneft among potential suitors. Advisers to China's Sinopec have offered its oil assets in Argentina to about a dozen potential suitors, three sources familiar with the matter said, as losses and labour headaches prompt Asia's largest refiner to pull out. The Argentine oil and gas assets, mainly in the southern province of Santa Cruz, could be worth $750 million to $1 billion, one of the sources said. That would…
Venezuela Discussing Citgo Collateral Swap with Rosneft
Reuters exclusively reported in July that Rosneft was negotiating to switch its collateral in the refiner for oilfield stakes and a fuel supply deal - a move to avoid complications from U.S. sanctions and legal problems, sources said at the time. State-owned Rosneft holds a 49.9 percent collateral in Citgo for a loan last year of about $1.5 billion to the OPEC nation, which is reeling from low oil prices and a severe recession. Further details were not immediately available. The arrangement with Venezuela's state-owned oil firm, PDVSA, has drawn fire from U.S.
