NHK reports that Japan is considering company support measures to long-term LNG contracts.
NHK reported that the Japanese government was considering measures to encourage companies to sign long-term contracts to purchase liquefied gas in order to guarantee a steady supply of this super-chilled fuel. The public broadcaster, without citing any sources, reported that the measures included financial support to secure storage tanks in Japan as well as abroad, and a framework for companies to resell surplus supplies on the market. This would mitigate the risk of a surplus due lower than expected demand during the contract term.
Norway PM to Name Tina Bru as New Oil Minister -DN
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg will appoint Conservative lawmaker Tina Bru as oil and energy minister, business daily Dagens Naeringsliv and public broadcaster NRK reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. The office of the prime minister declined to comment. Bru was not available for immediate comment.If confirmed, 33-year-old Bru will oversee western Europe's largest petroleum industry, which is expected to see sharp growth in crude oil output in the next…
Poland to Receive first US LNG Delivery in June
Poland will receive its first liquefied natural gas supplies (LNG) from the United States in mid-June as a result of a deal Polish gas firm PGNiG signed with Cheniere Energy, state-run PGNiG said on Thursday. Cheniere Energy will make the spot delivery at the Swinoujscie terminal on the Baltic Sea. Poland, which consumes around 15-16 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually, built its first LNG terminal in Swinoujscie as part of a bigger plan to reduce reliance on gas it imports from Russia's Gazprom.
Sweden Drops Objections to Port Striking Nord Stream Deal
Sweden's government has dropped its objections to a plan by Russia's Gazprom to use the port of Karlshamn in southern Sweden as a base for the construction of its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Swedish public radio reported on Monday. Officials in Karlshamn, on the Baltic sea, will take the formal decision on Tuesday, but are likely to vote yes to an agreement after the government tempered its previous objections to a deal. Late last year, the island of Gotland rejected a…
Magnitude 6 Quake Hits South Japan, Nuclear Power Plants Safe
An earthquake of magnitude 6 hit southern Japan on Thursday, bringing down some buildings, a government spokesman said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries and the nuclear regulator reported no problems at power plants. The quake struck 11 km (7 miles) east of the city of Kumamoto, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It initially said the magnitude was 6.2 but revised it down. Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the quake registered 6.4. There was no tsunami warning, but Japan's chief government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said several buildings had collapsed.
Germany Scraps Coal Levy: report
The German government plans to scrap a proposed levy on coal-fired power plants, a government source told Reuters on Wednesday, confirming a report from public broadcaster ARD and boosting shares in utilities E.ON and RWE. A spokesman for Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said there was no agreement yet. He said Gabriel would give a statement at 1100 local time (0900 GMT). "I firmly deny that," the spokesman said. "No decision has been made. The government has faced a backlash over its plans to slap a levy on Germany's oldest and most polluting power plants…
Total Cuts North Sea, U.S. Shale CapEx
CEO sees low prices persisting in first half of 2015; U.S. output can be revived once prices rise, he says. French oil and gas company Total will cut spending on aging North Sea fields and on U.S. shale production after the recent plunge in oil prices, its chief executive said on Wednesday. Speaking at a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Patrick Pouyanne said he expected oil prices to remain low in the first half of 2015 after falling almost 60 percent since June to below $50 a barrel.
Latvia Drops Bid to Buy E.ON's Gas Utility Stake
Latvia's government has abandoned talks to buy a 47.2 percent stake in Latvian gas utility Latvijas Gaze from Germany's E.ON, the country's prime minister said in a television interview on Tuesday. Latvia submitted a non-binding offer to buy shares from the German utility in September, after E.ON sold its stakes in gas utilities in neighbouring Lithuania and Estonia this year. Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma told the public broadcaster the price was too high. "We cannot continue talking about this process further," Straujuma said.
Japan's Minister Says Energy Policy Without Nuclear Difficult
Japan would find it difficult to formulate an energy policy without nuclear power given its lack of energy resources and the high cost of utilities for companies and households, the country's new trade minister said on Sunday. Yuko Obuchi, the daughter of a former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, was appointed minister of economy, trade and industry (METI) earlier this month. It is expected that she will help prepare public opinion for the resumption of operations at nuclear power plants that were suspended in the wake of the tsunami-triggered nuclear disaster in March 2011.
Norway Mulls Reducing Stakes in Telenor, Kongsberg Gruppen
Norway's center-right minority government considers reducing its stake in the telecommunications company Telenor to 34 percent, the public broadcaster NRK said on Thursday evening. The government also considers reducing its stake to 34 percent in Kongsberg Gruppen, the broadcaster added. Minister of Trade, Industry and Fisheries Monica Maeland told NRK she will ask the parliament for permission to reduce the stakes from the current 54 percent in Telenor and 50 percent in the industrial group Kongsberg Gruppen. (Reporting by Camila Knudsen, writing by Nerijus Adomaitis)
