EnQuest, a UK-based company, expects to exceed its production target for 2025
EnQuest, a North Sea oil producer, said on Wednesday that it expected to reach or even exceed its forecasted output of 40,000-45,000 barrels equivalents per day (boepd), as it increased expansion in Southeast Asia. Along with other energy companies, the company is investing in gas production and exploration in the region in order to meet increasing power demands from a growing population and an increase in data centres.
Canada announces new rules for reducing oil and gas methane emission
Canada has announced rules that have been promised for years to reduce methane emissions in the country's oil & gas sector. The regulations set out a way?for?Canada, the fourth largest oil producer in the world to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 75% from 2014 levels by the year 2035. The new rules fulfill the promise made by Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada to strengthen Canada's methane regulations.
ReNew signs pact to build solar project of 150 MW in India with Google
India's ReNew Energy Global announced on Tuesday that it had signed a long-term deal with Alphabet to develop a 150-megawatt project in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. The agreement is in line Google's aim to be entirely carbon-free by 2030. India also wants to double the capacity of its non-fossil fuel power generation to 500 gigawatts before the end decade. Other?U.S. Other?U.S. tech giants…
FT reports that US investor Kimmeridge has offered $6 billion to gas driller Ascent Resources
The Financial Times reported that activist investment firm Kimmeridge Energy Management had made a $6 billion bid to buy Ascent Resources. FT reported that the bid was the latest attempt to stop Energy & Minerals Group (EMG), a private equity firm backing Ascent, from selling a stake of more than 30% in the company to another fund, valuing Ascent as high as $5.5 billion. Ben Dell, managing partner of Kimmeridge in the United States…
DL Chemical plans to shut down Yeochun NCC No. 1 plant under restructuring
DL Chemical, a South Korean petrochemical firm, announced on?Monday the closure of?Yeochun NCC Co.'s No. According to an emailed announcement, the No. 1 plant with a capacity of 900,000.000 metric tonnes should be closed as part of a restructuring plan. Yeochun NCC Co, the third largest ethylene producer in Korea, is a joint venture of DL Chemical with Hanwha Solutions. Local petrochemical companies should submit a restructuring plan by the end of this year to reduce oversupply…
China's crude oil imports in November rose 3.9% due to new import quotas
China's crude throughput increased 3.9% in November according to?data from the statistics bureau on Monday. This was due to a new batch of quotas for crude oil imports by?independent refining companies?to offset maintenance at certain state-owned refineries. The largest oil producer in the world processed 60.83 millions metric tons of crude oil during this month. This is equivalent to 14.86million barrels per day. This was a slight increase from the 14.94 million bpd in October.
Harbour Energy acquires North Sea assets worth $170 million; shares increase 6%
Harbour Energy announced on Friday that it had agreed to purchase all of the subsidiaries of Waldorf Energy Partners and Waldorf Production, which are currently under administration in the UK North Sea, for $170 millions, sending its share price up by nearly 6%. The deal will see Harbour increase its interest in 'its operated Catcher oil field to 90%, and add a non-operated '29.5% interest in the Kraken field.
Carnelian, a buyout firm, raises eyebrows by trying to sell multiple assets in the energy sector.
Carnelian Energy Capital is selling six of its North American oil-and-gas production investments. This comes at a time when private equity firms are under increasing pressure to return more cash to investors and increase their exits. The move, which represents most of Carnelian's oil and gas producing companies, and approximately 40% of its total investments, has raised eyebrows in the industry because traditionally…
Bousso: ROI-Permian will retain US oil crown after peaking even though it has reached its peak
The Permian Basin is set to reach its peak oil production in December. This will be a turning point for the U.S. Shale Boom that has reshaped the global energy markets over the last 15 years. But drilling innovations will ensure that the output of America's most prolific patch of oil will remain stable for many years. In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that the Permian Basin…
Drax plans on converting coal-era power stations into data centres by 2027
Drax Group announced on Thursday that it could convert a part of its power plant in Yorkshire, Northern England, into an data centre by 2027. The land, cooling systems, and transformers were previously used for coal generation. Europe's old coal- and gas-fired plants are in need of a new lease on life. Tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon want to convert them into data centers, using the existing power and water supply, to meet the rise in AI-driven demand for energy.
Russia expects oil refining in 2025 to be flat with 2024
The Russian energy ministry announced on Thursday that the country's oil refinery, coal and gas?production?will remain largely unchanged in 2025, compared with 2024, despite repeated Ukrainian drone attacks against energy facilities. Russia is the third largest oil producer in the world, after Saudi Arabia and the United States. It also holds the largest known reserves of natural gas. Since August, Ukraine has resumed drone strikes deep within Russia.
Bousso: ROI-Permian will retain US oil crown after peaking even though it has reached its peak
The Permian Basin is set to reach its peak oil production in December. This will be a turning point for the U.S. Shale Boom that has reshaped the global energy markets over the last 15 years. But drilling innovations mean that output in America's largest oil patch will remain stable for many years. In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that the Permian Basin…
Romania extends OMV Petrom Permits; Onshore royalty tax will jump
The coalition government of Romania announced on Wednesday that it had extended exploration and production licenses for energy group OMV "Petrom" (and agreed to increase its onshore royalties by approximately 40%). OMV Petrom is a majority-owned company by Austrian OMV. It supplies a third of Romanian gas, fuels, and electricity. OMV Petrom, in partnership with the state-owned Romgaz, is developing the deepwater project Neptun Deep, located in the Black Sea.
Kazakhstan to Divert Kashagan Oil to China After Ukraine Drone Attack
Kazakhstan said on Wednesday it would redirect some oil from its Kashagan field to China and other routes after a Ukrainian drone attack last month on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's Black Sea terminal in Russia.The decision was announced by the energy ministry after Reuters reported earlier this week that Kazakhstan plans to supply crude to China directly from Kashagan for the first time after the Ukrainian attack damaged the CPC terminal.The CPC…
China's giant polysilicon companies set up an acquisition firm to combat oversupply
Local media reported that Chinese polysilicon manufacturers have established an acquisition?company in order to help restructure a sector plagued by an oversupply. However, it is unclear whether the firm has any concrete plans to purchase and shut down excess capacity. According to the business registration platform Qichacha, Beijing Guanghe Qiancheng Technology was registered on December 9, with assets of 3 billion yuan (424.7 million dollars) and 10 shareholders.
Palm prices end lower after MPOB data shows 6-1/2-year-high stocks
Malaysian palm futures fell on Wednesday, after the monthly data released by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board showed that the country's palm oil stocks were at the highest level they had been in six and a half years. MPOB reported that the MPOB increased the amount of metric tonnes from the previous month by 2.84 million to the highest level since March 2019. The benchmark palm-oil contract for February delivery on the Bursa Derivatives Exchange dropped 45 ringgit or 1.1% to 4…
Venture Global responds to Shell's fraudulent claims in LNG arbitration
Venture Global responded late Tuesday night to Shell's legal challenge over the oil major losing an arbitration case involving liquefied gas cargoes. They rejected Shell's allegations of fraud and accused Shell of violating arbitration confidentiality. The legal documents filed in New York Supreme Court are the latest in a long saga about Venture Global's alleged failure to deliver LNG in accordance with long-term contracts…
Shell In Advanced Discussions to Buy LLOG Exploration for Over $3B
Shell is in advanced discussions to buy LLOG Exploration offshore in a deal valued at more than $3 billion. This would increase the oil major's portfolio of upstream oil and gas producers by acquiring one of the biggest privately owned oil and natural gas producers in the U.S. Gulf. Sources said that the parties were in advanced talks, and that an agreement was close. One source added that the deal…
Cobalt hydroxide, a key component in EV batteries, has seen its price rise due to export restrictions from Congo
Sources in the industry said that prices of cobalt hydrxide, which is used to make chemicals for electric vehicles batteries, have increased sharply this past year due to cobalt export limitations from the top producer Democratic Republic of Congo. Congo suspended cobalt exports from February to October. The goal was to increase state revenue and tighten up oversight. The country has introduced new conditions to exporters that could complicate the recently-introduced system of quotas.
Exxon predicts increased earnings and oil production by 2030
Tuesday, Exxon Mobil announced that it would target a $25 billion?earnings increase from 2024-2030. The company will also?increase its oil and gas production. Exxon's earnings forecast represents a $5-billion increase over its previous plan. However, Exxon plans to maintain the same spending targets of $28 billion - $30 billion annually through 2030. Exxon said its updated corporate plan reflects the…