Finland seizes $4.25 billion in Russian assets as part of the Naftogaz case
Documents from a Finnish court show that the court ordered the confiscation of assets worth $4.25 billion owned by Russia and located in Finland at the request Naftogaz. The Finnish Enforcement Authority confirmed it was executing this order. Since 2016, Naftogaz has taken legal action against Russia to seek compensation…
In a legal dispute with Ukraine's Naftogaz, Russia contests the seizure of Finnish assets.
The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that Russia would file a lawsuit against the confiscation of Russian state assets by the Ukrainian oil and natural gas company Naftogaz. Naftogaz's lawyers announced on Sunday that they had frozen Russian state-owned assets and real estate in Finland, worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
OPEC lowers its global oil demand growth forecast for 2024 and 2025
OPEC cut its projection for the global oil demand in 2024 based on data collected so far this season. It also lowered its expectations for next year. This is the second successive downward revision by the producer group. The weaker outlook highlights the challenges that OPEC+ faces in balancing the markets. OPEC+ is…
Developments in Clean Hydrogen Production
The recent release of proposed regulations to the Clean Hydrogen Production Credit by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS has stirred significant interest in the energy sector. These changes mark a pivotal moment in advancing towards a cleaner, more sustainable energy economy. Ongoing review and analysis will be crucial as stakeholders adapt to these regulations…
Zara founder Ortega triples investment in energy assets
Amancio Ortega, founder of Zara and his investment company Pontegadea, almost tripled their investments in renewable energy last year. They are continuing to expand the efforts they have made to diversify Amancio Ortega’s fortune outside his fashion empire. The 2023 financial statements filed at the Mercantile Register…
US sanctions 400 additional targets for helping Russia's war efforts
The State Department announced that the United States imposed sanctions Friday on more than 400 individuals and entities for supporting Russia's military effort in Ukraine. This included Chinese firms, which U.S. officials believed were helping Moscow skirt Western sanctions while building up its military. Washington…
Linde UK assets frozen by Russian court for $1.2 billion
In a dispute over the ownership of a gas plant, a Russian court ordered assets of a British Linde subsidiary worth $1.15 billion to be frozen. RusChemAlliance is a joint-venture 50% owned by Russia’s Gazprom. RusChemAlliance filed other lawsuits against European banks for the construction of a German-owned gas processing plant with Russia's Linde that was halted by Western sanctions.
World's Largest Wealth Fund Cites Paucity of Good Green Energy Deals
While societal, political and corporate pressure continue to push innovation on renewable energy, the world's largest wealth fund is apparently having trouble identifying good investment deals in the sector.Norway's $1.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, is having trouble finding suitable unlisted…
The Emerging U.S. Offshore Wind Industry in a Post-COVID-19 World
Join a webinar on June 17, 2020 for the global release of a major new market study on the depth, breadth and growth prospects of the Offshore Wind Market -- https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UR5uY1boTOKdAAcAXDbR4gJust when it was looking like the offshore wind industry was finally about to take off in the United States…
Petrobras Sees No Need to Cut Oil Production
Brazil's state-run Petrobras sees no need for cuts in oil production, executives say, as the market for its crude remains robust in China, while domestic demand for fuel picks up amid social distancing fatigue in Latin America's largest economy.On a Friday earnings call with analysts, executives credited the company's…
Fire-Damaged Philadelphia Oil Refinery Heads for Auction
The fate of the largest East Coast oil refinery is set to be decided on Friday in an auction that could determine whether the Philadelphia plant is restarted or used for a different purpose for the first time in over a century.The refinery's owner, Philadelphia Energy Solutions, is scheduled to reveal the winning bidder…
Oxy Slashing Jobs 'Significantly'
Occidental Petroleum Corp said on Wednesday it would begin dismissing workers in a new cost-cutting move following its $38 billion acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum.The company has already "significantly" cut staff through a voluntary program, spokeswoman Melissa Schoeb said in an email. She did not respond to requests…
WFW Advises on Race Bank Wind Farm Deal
Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), an international law firm based in London, said that it has advised Race Bank Wind Farm Limited on its USD 608 million sale of transmission system assets relating to the 573 MW Race Bank offshore wind farm to Diamond Transmission Partners.Race Bank is a joint venture owned by Ørsted (50%)…
Norway Sovereign Fund to Divest E&P Firms
Norway's $1.1 trillion sovereign fund will divest companies solely dedicated to oil and gas exploration and production in a bid to shield itself from a long-term fall in oil prices, the finance ministry said late on Tuesday.The move will partly shift the world's largest sovereign wealth fund away from oil and gas, as called for by the central bank…
Norway Fund to Sell E&P Firms
Norway's trillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund, the world's biggest, will sell its stakes in oil and gas explorers and producers but still invest in energy firms that have refineries and other downstream activities, according to a government plan.The proposal announced on Friday said the fund's stakes in integrated companies…
Singapore's Offshore Industry Recovering
A big drag on Singapore's growth in recent years, the embattled offshore and marine industry, has broken a three-year losing streak. Yet industry executives aren't betting on a return to the glory days anytime soon.The industry, along with a top-class finance sector, has been a key pillar of Singapore's economic transformation…
Agreement Paves Way for South African Offshore Supply Base
South Africa’s first dedicated and customized facility supporting offshore oil and gas activities will be introduced at the Port of Saldanha. This follows the conclusion of an agreement between Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) and Saldehco Pty Ltd, which was signed off at an official ceremony at the port on Monday…
Commodities' Dilemma: Strong Demand or Trade War Fears?
The tug-of-war between fundamentals and sentiment appears to be getting stronger for many commodities as the market tries to reconcile factors such as robust demand numbers from China and increasingly worrying rhetoric and actions from the United States. Iron ore, steel and copper all performed well on Wednesday after…
Brazil's Patria Investimentos Targets Natural Gas, Renewables
Brazilian investment firm Pátria Investimentos Ltda is targeting infrastructure investments in natural gas and renewable energy, partner Otávio Castello Branco told journalists on Wednesday. A fund managed by the investment firm was awarded in March via an auction the right to operate several highways in São Paulo, Brazil's richest state.
US Solar Industry's Growth Region: Trump Country
President Donald Trump's administration has vowed to revive the coal industry, challenged climate-change science and blasted renewable energy as expensive and dependent on government subsidies. And yet the solar power industry is booming across Trump country, fueled by falling development costs and those same subsidies, which many Republicans in Congress continue to support.
