Trinidad and Tobago wins four deepwater oil and natural gas blocks
The auction of deepwater exploration and production blocks for oil and gas in Trinidad and Tobago failed to attract much interest from foreign investors. Only four out of 26 areas were offered. Trinidad's Ministry of Energy announced that the bidding round ended on Wednesday. The Chinese company CNOOC bid for three blocks and a group of smaller energy companies for another. Ernesto Kesar, Trinidad's junior energy minister, stated that with several auctions taking place in Latin America and a limited pool of deepwater energy companies, Trinidad has a realistic view of the difficulties of obtaining significant bids.
IEA: Global oil and gas production is declining rapidly, IEA reports
International Energy Agency (IEA) said Tuesday that the decline in oil and gas production from mature fields around the world is increasing due to a greater reliance on deep-ocean and shale resources. This means companies will need to invest even more to maintain output. Donald Trump's administration has criticized the IEA for its recent shift in focus to clean energy policy. According to a report from the IEA for 2021, there should be no new investment in oil, coal and gas projects if we are serious about meeting our climate targets.
The IEA reports that the decline rates of global oil and gas fields are increasing.
International Energy Agency reported on Tuesday that the natural rate of decline for oil and gas production is increasing, due to a greater reliance on deep-ocean and shale resources. The International Energy Agency said on Tuesday that companies would need to increase their investment pace to maintain the same output. In a press release, the IEA, an agency that advises industrialised nations, warned that without continuing investment in existing fields the world would lose each year the equivalent oil production of Brazil and Norway combined, with consequences for markets and energy safety.
ADNOC sells stakes in listed companies to XRG, the international arm of ADNOC
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company announced on Thursday that it had transferred its shares in a number of its listed subsidiaries, to XRG International Investments, its international investment division for which it has ambitious plans for growth. The state-owned oil giant stated that the transfers of stakes, which include ADNOC Distribution and ADNOC Drilling as well as ADNOC Gas and ADNOC Logistics & Services will not impact the operations, leadership, or strategic direction, including dividend policies, of the companies. ADNOC has a 100% share in XRG, so the ultimate control won't change.
Energean secures new $4 billion Israeli gas offtake but conflicts hamper output
Energean, which focuses on the Eastern Mediterranean, said it had secured new Israeli gas contracts worth $4 billion in the first six months of this year. This brings the total contract pipeline of the company to $20 billion for the next 20 years. The London-listed company cut its production forecast for a second time in less than four months due to a temporary suspension of production in Israel. Energean is also seeking to expand its business in West Africa and Israel, and has reported a 11% decline in core profit for the six-month period ending June 30. However, its after-tax profit increased by nearly 24%.
TotalEnergies sees Brent-Dubai crude price gap remaining negative
TotalEnergies' executive stated on Monday that the price gap between Brent crude and Dubai crude will remain negative because of strong demand for Middle Eastern heavier oil despite increased supplies from OPEC countries. Rahim Azouni was TotalEnergies senior vice president of shipping and trading at the APPEC Conference in Singapore, a day after OPEC+ (which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia, and other allies) agreed to increase oil production starting October. He said: "Clearly, today's market is looking to heavier grades...
State researcher: China's oil demand will peak in 2027 and is up 100,000 bpd from this year.
A state oil researcher stated on Monday that China's total demand for oil, including all its products, will peak in 2027. This year, the sector of petrochemicals is expected to increase by about 100,000 barrels a day, due to increased volume. The researcher says that the soaring use of electric vehicles (EVs) in China, which is the largest oil importer in the world, has eroded fuel demand. EVs are expected to replace at least 582,00 barrels of gasoline per day this year. Researchers at the APPEC Energy and Petrochemicals Conference in Singapore said that the country's independent teapot refiners operate at 45% capacity this year.
Bapco Energies eyes fourth quarter completion for refinery expansion
Alexander van Veldhoven said that the group chief strategy officer of Bahrain's state oil company Bapco Energies, Alexander van Veldhoven spoke at the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference in Singapore on Monday. He said that the expansion would increase Sitra's refinery capacity from 265,000 barrels per day to "just below 400,000 barrels per days". "We are at the end of this program. He added that the majority of units were already up and running. "We are getting close to commissioning our last refinery units," he said.
S&P Global: China's oil stocks help offset global surplus
S&P Global, which spoke at the APPEC Conference on Monday, said that China, as the world's largest oil importer, had been stockpiling the crude at a record pace for several years, helping to balance a global surplus despite the output increases by OPEC+. China has built up crude oil stocks at a rate 530,000 barrels per daily (bpd) this year. This is according to Jim Burkhard of S&P Global Commodity Insights, the global head of crude market research. Burkhard stated that the pace at which it is stockpiling represents one of the largest increases seen in a single year outside of 2020.
S&P Global predicts that Brent crude will reach $55 per barrel in the year-end.
An executive from S&P Global said that the price of Brent crude is likely to drop to $55 per barrel in the year-end. This was stated at Monday's Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference. Brent crude futures rose about 0.5% to $65.84 a barrel on Monday after OPEC+ decided over the weekend that they would increase output in October, but at a slower rate than previous months. This was due to expectations of weakened global demand. Dave Ernsberger is co-president of S&P Global Commodity Insights. He said that if there is a huge surplus…
TotalEnergies receives new offshore exploration license in Congo Republic
TotalEnergies, a French oil company, said Monday that it had been granted an exploration permit to explore the Nzombo region off the coast of Congo near its existing Moho facilities. TotalEnergies will own a 50% stake in the asset, QatarEnergy a 35% and Congo's National Oil Company SNPC the rest. Kevin McLachlan is TotalEnergies senior vice president for exploration. The permit covers a 1,000-square-kilometer area, located 100 kilometers off the coast at Pointe Noire. It would be a great addition to their portfolio of "high impact prospects". The company stated that the work programme will include the drilling of an exploration well.
Egypt signs $340 million oil and gas exploration deal with global firms
The Petroleum Ministry announced on Saturday that Egypt had signed four agreements worth $340 million with international companies to explore for oil and gas along the Mediterranean and Nile Delta. The state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company, or EGAS, has signed a deal that will see 10 wells drilled as part of efforts by the Ministry to increase exploration and production. Egypt, a once-prominent regional exporter, is increasingly importing to meet the rising demand at home, as production from old fields declines and investment in new ones lags.
CNOOC's first-half profits fall 13% due to lower oil prices
CNOOC, the Chinese offshore oil-and-gas major, reported a 13% drop in its interim net income as lower oil prices countered the impact of record oil and natural gas production. According to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing, the net profit attributable equity shareholders fell to 69.5 billion Yuan ($9.7billion) following a record-breaking interim profit in 2024. Sinopec, a domestic competitor, reported a 40% drop in earnings at $2.99 billion. PetroChina's net profit fell by 5.4% to $11.7 billion. CNOOC’s net production of gas and oil increased by 6%, reaching a record of 384.6 million barrels equivalent of oil during the period.
DP World Wins Contract to For Floating LNG Facility Off Mexico
Drydocks World, a unit of DP World, a Dubai-owned ports and logistics company, has secured an engineering, procurement, and construction contract for the construction of what it said would be the world's largest floating liquefied natural gas facility off Mexico's west coast, the Dubai Media Office announced on Monday.Once operational in the second half of 2028, the four-vessel facility commissioned by AMIGO LNG will provide more than 4.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of liquefaction capacity, it said.(Reuters)
WaterBridge, backed by Five Points, files for US IPO in a hot listings market
WaterBridge Infrastructure, a midstream water management firm, filed for an initial public offering in the United States on Friday. This highlights the growing momentum of new listings. In recent days, a number of corporate issuers joined the IPO pipeline. This could lead to a September launch. Positive IPO sentiment is also expected to be supported by firmer bets on potential rate cuts in the near future. Josef Schuster, CEO of IPOX, said that lower U.S. interest rates and a proliferating rally in U.S. mid- and small-cap stocks could add fuel towards the end of the year.
US Natural Gas Prices Drop 4% on Record Output
U.S. natural gas futures fell about 4% to a nine-month low on Tuesday on near-record output, ample fuel in stockpiles and forecasts for less hot weather and lower demand through early September than previously expected.Another factor weighing on gas prices was a decline in the amount of gas flowing to liquefied natural gas export plants due to small reductions at several facilities.Front-month gas futures for September delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 10.8 cents, or 3.7%, to $2.782 per million British thermal units…
Norway Oil Industry Investment to Peak in 2025: Survey
A survey by the Statistics Office of Norwegian industry participants showed that oil and gas investment in Norway is expected to peak this coming year and then start decreasing next year. Major projects will be completed. Norway produces around 2% of the world's oil and is now Europe's leading supplier of pipeline natural gas following Russia's invasion in Ukraine in February 2022. In 2025, the country's largest business sector is expected to invest a record amount of 274.8 billion Norwegian crowns (approximately $26,98 billion). This compares with a May estimate of 269.1 billion crowns and 251.2 billion crowns last year.
Norway prepares its first major licensing round for oil and gas in years
Norway's Energy Minister said Friday that he was preparing to launch a round of oil and gas licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf. This will be the first new offer of drilling permits for frontier areas which have not been explored since 2021. In a statement, Labour Party Minister Terje Aasland said that Norway will be a reliable supplier of oil to Europe for a long time. The Norwegian continental shelf is also expected to continue creating value and jobs in Norway. The exact date of the awards was not immediately known. In 2021, the government agreed to a 4-year moratorium on frontier exploring.
Leviathan Natural Gas Field Signs $35b Supply Deal With Egypt
Israel's Leviathan natural gas field has signed the largest export agreement in the country's history, worth up to $35 billion to supply gas to Egypt, NewMed, one of the partners in the field, said on Thursday.The deal should ease an energy crisis in Egypt, which has spent billions of dollars on importing liquefied natural gas since its own supplies fell short of demand.Egypt's production began declining in 2022, forcing it to abandon its ambitions to become a regional supply hub. It has increasingly turned to Israel…
Occidental Petroleum beats quarterly profit, discloses additional divestments
Occidental Petroleum on Wednesday beat Wall Street's expectations for the second quarter profit, as higher production offset lower crude oil prices. The average quarterly global production of the company was 1.4 million barrels per day (MMboepd), an increase of about 11% compared to a year ago. Exxon Mobil, Chevron and other oil giants reported last week that they had beaten their quarterly profit expectations due to higher production. This helped them to offset the lower crude price. Occidental has also announced $950 million in additional divestitures, with $370 million of them already completed.