Aker BP raises dividend despite 2026 output dip
Aker BP, a Norwegian oil firm, announced on Wednesday that it will increase its quarterly dividend by 5% in '2026 despite an anticipated decline in production. Its profit for the last quarter of 2017 was below expectations. The company's poll of 16 analysts showed that the group's earnings were below expectations. Karl Johnny Hersvik, CEO of Aker BP said that "our major development projects" had also made good progress. Aker BP stated that until the new projects are completed, such as the large Yggdrasil project…
Energean International CEO: Egypt has told international oil companies to double their output by 2030
Energean International CEO, Nikolas Katcharov, said on Tuesday that Egypt had directed international oil firms to 'double production by 2030. Existing contracts need to be revised in order to encourage new investment. Katcharov stated that the low gas prices which supported earlier phases of development had "expired" and it was necessary to update terms in order to "encourage companies" to deploy capital at brownfield sites, as well as boost production. He stated that Energean owed Egypt more than $200 million and recently received $80 millions.
Norway's Vaar Energi raises production goal, beats profit expectations
Vaar Energi is majority owned by Italy's Eni. On?Tuesday, it raised its production target and reported a higher than expected operating?profit in the fourth quarter. However, Vaar Energi said that they would be cautious with their dividend guidance because of lower oil and gas prices. Oslo-listed Vaar’s earnings before interest, tax and other expenses for October through December dropped 5.8% year-on-year to $947 millions on lower oil prices. This beat the $838 million average forecast of 13 analysts in a poll compiled by the company. Vaar CEO Nick Walker stated in a press release that "we are proud to have delivered transformational...
TotalEnergies and Petrobras purchase land north of Namibia's massive Mopane discovery
Both TotalEnergies, the French oil giant, and Petrobras, the Brazilian firm acquired a 42.5% share in an offshore exploration license. The firms are looking to "develop" oil in one of last frontiers in exploration. Total has expanded its holdings in South Africa, where the company hopes to become the first oil producer by the end decade. Petrobras has also made a significant step in its plan to make Africa its primary exploratory region outside Brazil. Oil companies looking to replenish their reserves are flocking to Namibia.
Kuwait Oil Co. in talks with US operators about developing shale gas and oil resources
KUWAIT, February 5, 2019 ( ) – Kuwait Oil Company has been in contact with some?U.S. The CEO of Kuwait Oil Company said that the company is in talks with firms such as Devon Energy and EOG about potential collaboration to develop its shale gas and oil resources. Ahmad Al-Eidan, speaking at the Kuwait Oil & Gas Show, said that KOC "engages with some U.S. Operators to explore how their expertise could support the development Kuwait's shale-oil and shale-gas resources". It would be the very first time Kuwait had sought to develop its "shale" oil and gas resources. This was made possible by technological advancements and reduced costs.
Oil majors buy up West African oil blocks to prepare for the next Brazil
Chevron, TotalEnergies and other oil majors are snatching up offshore blocks off the coast of West and Southern Africa. Geology, regulatory reforms and the need to replenish the reserves have prompted the search for the next Brazil. Companies are restocking oil and gas assets as fossil fuel demand is expected to remain higher than forecasted just a few short years ago. Justin Cochrane is the African Upstream Regional Research Director for S&P Global Commodity Insights. He said that of all of the oil and natural gas discovered in West Africa since 2020, 11% or about 8.7 billion barrels equivalent to oil (boe) has been found.
Nigeria's Dangote Refinery will begin full-capacity testing in February
A senior executive at Nigeria's Dangote Refinery said that the facility will start performance testing?runs? in February, after it has completed planned maintenance. This is a crucial step to ensuring a steady operation throughout the year. Africa's biggest oil refinery started operations in 2024. It has run at 450,000 to 485,000 bpd since its startup phase due to difficulties obtaining enough local crude during the ramp-up period. Operating the $20 billion refinery to full capacity would reduce Nigeria's fuel bill…
Sources say that Nscale, a UK AI company backed by Nvidia, has hired banks to prepare for its IPO.
People familiar with the situation said that Nscale Global Holdings, a British artificial intelligence company backed by Nvidia, has hired Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan in order to prepare for a public offering. Sources who asked not to be named because the discussions were private said that the timeline for a potential listing had not been determined. Goldman Sachs JPMorgan Nscale all declined to comment. Nscale's move to a public listing comes after a period of expansion in its data center capacity, which was done to meet the booming demand for AI computing by customers such as Microsoft and OpenAI.
Gas producer Energean warns of possible $356 Million hit due to Cassiopea Reserve downgrade
Energean flagged on Tuesday a potential 300?million euros ($356?millions) impairment of its 2025 results?related to its minority stake in Eni's?Cassiopea?gasfield in Italy. Energean expects that the reserves at Cassiopea will be reduced by 3-4 million barrels due to lower performance than Eni initially expected. Energean holds 40% of the project. Energean said that it was in arbitration with Eni and sought 265 million euro for costs paid without authority, as well as lost revenue. Eni wanted $154 million to settle disputed invoices. Eni did not respond immediately to a comment request.
Canada wants to increase energy trade with India says energy minister
Canada's Energy Minister Tim Hodgson stated on Tuesday that the country is considering boosting its energy?exports in India to diversify its client base and reduce its dependence?on??supply from the United States. Hodgson said at the Indian Energy Week that exporting 98% to the United States is a "strategic? blunder" and saw an opportunity for India to work with him. India will have the fastest growing energy demand in the world, according to Hodgson, who added that Canada could provide crude oil, natural gas liquefied and uranium. Kpler data shows that Canada does not currently export crude oil or LNG to India.
ADNOC CEO: Oil demand will remain above 100 million barrels per day (bpd) through 2040
The head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), said that 'global oil demand is expected to remain at or above 100 million barrels a day until 2040. Demand for both LNG and electricity are expected to grow 50% or more. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer?Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said at the India Energy Week Conference?on?Tuesday that the electricity demand would be driven by a need to power cooling systems, AI infrastructure and data centers. Al Jaber, the Abu Dhabi state company's spokesperson, said that ADNOC is expanding its gas portfolio to Asia and Africa.
Shell Nigeria announces progress on $20 billion Bonga South West Oilfield
Bola Tinubu, Nigeria's President, has approved "investment linked" incentives for Shell’s Bonga South West Deepwater Oilfield. This follows a meeting between the CEO of the company Wael Sawan and the Nigerian president. Wael Sawan indicated that the project could be greenlit in 2027. The incentives proposed are part of a series of regulatory reforms that have been implemented in Africa's largest crude oil producer in order to attract investments to boost oil and gas production. His office did not provide any further details on the incentive program. His office has not provided any further information on the incentives.
Shell offshore Bonga South West Project: Nigeria approves new incentives
Tinubu’s office reported that the Nigerian president Bola Tinubu approved investment-linked incentives to Shell’s Bonga South West Deepwater Oil Project following a meeting with its chief executive. The 'proposed incentives' are the latest of a slew of regulatory reforms that have been implemented in Africa’s leading crude oil producer in order to attract investment and boost oil production. He said that incentives would be "ring-fenced" and will focus on new capital investment, incremental production, and strong local content delivery.
Brava, a Brazilian company, buys Petronas stakes in offshore fields worth $450 million
The Brazilian oil company Brava 'Energia announced Friday that it had acquired the Petronas stakes in Malaysia. In two offshore fields, the company has invested $450 million. This is part of a new strategy outlined by its incoming CEO. Brava has purchased Petronas 50% stakes at the Tartaruga Verde and Module III fields in Brazil's Campos Basin. Richard Kovacs said that the 'deal' marked the start of Brava’s?long-term plan and was in line with the ongoing Brava portfolio review. Kovacs was named as the new CEO of Brava on Monday. He replaces Decio Oddone.
Venezuela Reopens Wells as Exports Resume
Venezuela's state oil company has begun reopening some of the wells it and its joint venture partners had shut amid a strict U.S. embargo, as crude exports resume with two shipments departed on Monday, three sources close to operations said.The OPEC country's oil exports had remained almost at a standstill since December, with only U.S. Chevron exporting crude from its joint ventures under a U.S.
Norway awards 57 drilling licenses in offshore oil and gas exploration round
Norway's Energy Minister told an industry conference that the country awarded shares in 57 offshore oil exploration licenses to 19 companies as part of its annual licensing round. The number of permits awarded to oil and gas companies has decreased from 20. Norway's plan to extend oil and gas production in Norway for decades is centrally based on the?annual predefined areas (APA) round of new offshore exploration acres. However, activity will?decrease in the next few years. Norway is Europe's largest energy supplier, but production will begin to fall in a few short years.
After nearly a decade, the Canadian Prime Minister visits China
Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, will depart for China on February 2nd to discuss trade and security issues. This is at a time when Canada is facing uncertain relations with the U.S. because of a trade conflict and threats by President Donald Trump regarding annexation. The visit is the first by a Canadian Prime Minister to 'Beijing since 2017. It could be a turning point in the relationship between Canada and China as Canada looks for 'new?trade partnerships and security alliances. Carney accepted to visit China in October last year when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
US oil lobby group supports repeal of climate rule for vehicles but not power plants
According to its president, the American Petroleum Institute supports EPA's proposal to repeal greenhouse gas regulations for vehicles. However, it does not support the proposal for power plants and stationary industrial facilities. API President Mike Sommers' told reporters that "we would not support the repeal of the endangerment findings for stationary sources". He added that the trade -group believes it has the "best standing" in terms of regulatory stance and that it is obvious the EPA can regulate?greenhouse gases emissions from these sources.
API chief: US oil industry needs to reform its Venezuela policy on security in order to enter the country.
American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers said that the U.S. Oil Industry must have in place a number of prerequisites in Venezuela, including a workforce security policy and contract sanctity. He made this statement during a phone conference with journalists on Monday. He said that the U.S. Oil Industry had welcomed the move to remove Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, and added that the energy assets in the country are large enough to attract significant investment. Sommers said that "most of the reforms will have to be done in Venezuela by Venezuelans.
TotalEnergies receives new exploration permit off the coast of Lebanon
TotalEnergies, a French oil company, said Friday that it had 'obtained approval from the government for a new permit to explore offshore Lebanon. Total, who owns 35% of the operating stake, will start 3D seismic surveys in Block 8? with partners Eni (35%), and QatarEnergy 30%. In late 2022 the French company began searching for?natural gases in Lebanon, after the landmark agreement between the government and Israel to establish a maritime border in the Mediterranean Sea. Initial exploration on an adjacent block proved disappointing. Block 8 is the first block to be explored.