Shell sales increase in Q3 vs TotalEnergies due to higher Asian LNG prices
LONDON, October 31 - Analysts and traders say that higher production and sales of liquefied gas in Asia helped Shell to outperform TotalEnergies in the third quarter. However, group profits for both companies were affected by a drop in oil refining. Shell's quarterly profit of $6 billion beat forecasts by 12 percent, while TotalEnergies reported a profit of $4.1 billion that was slightly below expectations. Shell and TotalEnergies both reported quarterly profits that were down 70% and 82%, respectively.
Repsol moves investors to calm them down after falling refining margins have hit profits
The CEO of Spanish oil firm Repsol confirmed on Thursday the group's forecast for payouts to shareholders despite a nearly halving of third-quarter profits linked to a decline in oil refining profit margins. Repsol, along with other large companies such as TotalEnergies of France and BP have seen their refining margins decline significantly due to a weaker global economy and the addition of new refineries. In a press release, CEO Josu Imaz stated that "our strategic priorities will remain unchanged as we move forward".
Shell's $6 billion profit beats expectations as LNG offsets a weak refining sector
Shell announced on Thursday that it had exceeded the forecasted profits for the third quarter by 12%. This was due to higher LNG sales, which offset lower oil refining results and weaker trading results. Oil prices dropped by 17% during the third quarter, despite the fact that global refining margins fell sharply due to a weaker economy and the opening of new refineries across Asia and Africa. The company announced that it would buy back an additional $3.5 billion in its shares within the next three-month period…
Gunvor chair: Mideast conflict will not affect oil supply but demand is a concern
The CEO of trading firm Gunvor is confident that the conflict in the Middle East won't impact oil supply. He said this on Tuesday. He told the Gulf Intelligence Energy Markets Forum, held in Fujairah that the situation in the Red Sea and Yemen was a nuisance but not disruptive. The market, he said, was more concerned about the weak demand. Brent crude prices dropped by over 2% on Tuesday, to about $70. The prospect of increased supply…
US offers conditional loan of $1.56 billion for Indiana ammonia plant
The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Monday that it has granted Wabash Valley Resources a conditional guarantee of up $1,56 billion for the construction of a low-emissions production facility of ammonia in Indiana. It said that the project would use petcoke as a waste product from oil refining to produce 500,000 tons of ammonia per year and store carbon dioxide permanently underground. In a statement, DOE stated that the company must meet certain technical…
Mitsubishi buys stake and offtakes ammonia in Texas from ExxonMobil
The Japanese trading house Mitsubishi announced on Friday that it had reached an agreement in principle to purchase a stake and take delivery of low-carbon ammonia produced by ExxonMobil at its hydrogen plant in Texas. As part of its decarbonisation campaign, Japan aims to increase the use of ammonia and hydrogen in power plants and for other uses, such as steel and automobiles. Mitsubishi stated that ExxonMobil was expecting to produce up 1 billion cubic feet per day (bcf), which would be about 98% CO2 removed.
Autry Stephens, Texas Oil Billionaire, Dies at the age of 86
Autry Stephens died at the age of 86 after a long battle with cancer, Endeavor Energy Resources announced on Friday.He was known for his relentless work ethic and frugal attitude. He continued to work even while under medical treatment and relying on friends to fly in a private plane to Houston to receive cancer treatments.Sources said that his work ethic was shaped during the difficult years of the 1980s, 1990s and beyond when he struggled with Endeavor. Wildcatters launched Endeavor, a closely-held U.S. oil-and-gas firm in 1979.
Japan Sets Aside $3.4B for Hydrogen R&D
The Japanese government said on Tuesday it will allocate up to 370 billion yen ($3.4 billion) from its green innovation fund for two projects to accelerate research and development (R&D) and promotion of hydrogen use over the next 10 years.Japan unveiled an ambitious goal in December to boost the country's demand for hydrogen to 3 million tonnes a year by 2030, from about 2 million tonnes currently, and to 20 million tonnes by 2050.New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)…
Exxon to Lay Off 300 Workers in Singapore
Exxon Mobil Corp plans to cut its workforce in Singapore, home to its largest oil refining and petrochemical complex, by about 7% amid the "unprecedented market conditions" resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it said on Wednesday.About 300 positions out of 4,000 current jobs will be impacted by the end of 2021, the company said in a statement.The Singapore layoffs come weeks after Exxon announced its plan to close its 72-year-old Altona refinery in Australia and convert it to an import terminal. The top U.S.
Powerful Earthquake Shuts Down Fifth of Japan's Oil Refining Capacity
Japanese refiners led by the biggest, Eneos Corp, shut down a fifth of the country's crude oil refining capacity after a powerful earthquake struck northeastern Japan knocking out power, bullet train lines and injuring more than 150 people.The refinery shutdowns in the world's fourth-biggest oil importer are another potential hit after the pandemic led to the evaporation of crude demand over the last year.As much as 743,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil-processing capacity has been idled…
Prime Minister Modi: India to Double Refining Capacity in 5 Years
India plans to nearly double its oil refining capacity in the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, offering a much more aggressive timeline than previously despite the coronavirus pandemic blighting the economy.The country's energy minister was quoted http://www.ficci.in/ficci-in-news-page.asp?nid=23094 in June as saying India's oil refining capacity could jump to 450-500 million tonnes in 10 years from the current level of about 250 million tonnes.But addressing a petroleum university's convocation…
Shell to Slash Jobs and Capacity at Major Singapore Refinery
Royal Dutch Shell will halve crude processing capacity and cut jobs at its Pulau Bukom oil refinery in Singapore as part of an overhaul to reduce its carbon emissions.The refinery on Pulau Bukom, a small island in the Southeast Asian city-state, can process 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and is Shell's largest wholly-owned refinery worldwide.The move brings the total refining capacity cuts by Shell in recent months to 571,000 bpd…
Total Keeps Dividend But Cuts Investment Target
Total trimmed its 2020 investment target on Friday after a sharp drop in third-quarter net profit, though the French oil and gas producer maintained its dividend.The company cut its investment target to $13 billion from $14 billion and said it was keeping a lid on operating costs too, even as it strives to grow in renewable energy and electricity markets.Energy companies were hit hard by COVID-19 lockdowns and the related collapse in fuel demand.The price of Brent crude has largely stayed above $40 a barrel since June…
Oil Industry Veterans to Launch Hydrogen Investment Fund
Two energy industry veterans plan to launch an investment fund focused on hydrogen this year as more and more governments include the niche fuel in their global warming battle plans.Hydrogen has long-been touted as a potential clean fuel as it only emits water vapour but it has failed to gain traction, mainly because of historically high production, transportation and storage costs.But with the European Union for one now looking to promote so-called green hydrogen to help reach net zero emissions…
Japan's Refiners Facing Stagnant Market May Cut Capacity
Japanese refineries may be forced to shut down capacity once again unless they see a strong recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. They've been hit by declining use for fuel at home, competition from newer refineries in China and South Korea dominating in other markets, as well. Idemitsu Kosan on Tuesday reported an annual loss, like its competitors have done in recent days. Executive Officer Noriaki Sakai said Japan's second-biggest…
India's Reliance Cuts Pay of Oil & Gas Division's Execs
India's Reliance Industries has cut the pay of some top oil-and-gas division employees by up to 50%, according to six sources and a letter seen by Reuters, as it battles lower profitability because of the coronavirus epidemic.Reliance, headed by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has decided that employees earning more than 1.5 million rupees ($20,000) a year will face a 10% salary cut, while the cuts will be 30% to 50% for senior executives…
CNOOC to Trim 2020 Spending by Up To 15%
China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) will trim annual investment by 10% to 15% in 2020, while maintaining its goal of increasing domestic crude oil and natural gas production for the year, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.CNOOC Ltd, a listed arm of the national offshore energy producer, said during a media briefing in late March the firm will "significantly" cut capital expenditure.Oil and gas companies worldwide are…
PetroChina Resumes Guangdong Refinery Construction
Asia'a largest oil and gas firm PetroChina resumed construction of its oil refinery and petrochemical project in southern Chinese province of Guangdong, as the number of new coronavirus cases fell for a second straight day.In an attempt to curb the spread of the virus, China had extended Lunar New Year holidays and asked companies to put workers returning from their hometown into a 14-day quarantine.With workers and machineries gradually in place, the $10 billion refinery project in Jieyang city is expected to fully restart construction by
Big Corn, Big Oil Unhappy with Fed's Biofuel Plan
Corn farmers, ethanol producers, refinery representatives, energy traders and state and local officials from the Midwest all blasted away at the Trump administration's proposed biofuels plan for next year during a public hearing on Wednesday hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The hearing in Ann Arbor, Michigan, marks the second public meeting on the topic in as many days, airing the grievances of the opposing oil…
Cosmo Oil Builds IMO-compliant Fuel Stocks at Chiba Port
Japan’s third-largest oil refining company, Cosmo Oil, , has started building stocks of very-low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) for supply to domestic marine fuel markets from next month (October 2019) ahead of the IMO 2020 mandate requiring ships globally to reduce their bunker fuel sulfur content to 0.5% from the current 3.5% from January 2020.Cosmo Oil is using VLSFO produced at its residue desulfurizer (RDS) unit at its Chiba refinery near Tokyo to build the stocks…
