Enagas' chief executive says that Spain's national hydro network plan is ahead of schedule
The chief of Spanish gas grid operator Enagas announced on Friday that plans to build a 2,600 km (1.615 mile) network of hydrogen in Spain were progressing ahead of schedule. Infrastructure is also on track for a start-up in 2030. The H2Med Corridor is a planned trans-European corridor that will connect the Iberian Peninsula with Northwest Europe. Arturo Gonzalo, the Chief Executive of the company, said that the company will make a final decision on investment in 2027. Construction is expected to begin the following year.
Treasury: US sanctions target Iranian LPG magnate, Treasury.
Treasury Department: The United States announced new sanctions against Iranian liquefied gas magnate Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh, and his corporate networks, on Tuesday, amid ongoing discussions with Tehran about its nuclear program. Treasury released a statement saying that Emamjomeh’s network was responsible for shipping crude oil and LPG worth hundreds of millions to foreign markets. It said that both products were a major revenue source for Iran and helped to fund its nuclear weapons program and advanced conventional weaponry.
Trump's order to stop NY wind project shocks offshore industry and threatens other projects
The Trump administration’s decision late Wednesday to halt the construction of Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 off the coasts of New York sent shockwaves throughout the offshore wind industry. It raised concerns that fully permitted developments worth billions of dollars are not secure. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, had promised during his campaign to put an end to offshore wind energy. He argued that it was too expensive and harmful for whales and birds. On his first day as president…
Trump's order to stop NY wind project shocks offshore industry and threatens other projects
The Trump administration's late Wednesday decision to stop construction of Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 off the coasts of New York sent shockwaves throughout the offshore wind industry. It raised concerns that developments with full permits, representing billions of dollars in investment, aren't secure. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, had promised during his campaign to put an end to offshore wind energy. He argued that it was too expensive and harmful for whales and birds.
Sources say that commodity traders will submit bids by May for Italy's IP.
Two sources confirmed on Thursday that global commodity traders Glencore and Gunvor were considering the possibility of buying oil refiner Italiana Petroli API group. State Oil Company of Azerbaijan is also interested in the asset, two sources with knowledge of the transaction said. Glencore, Gunvor, and IP have declined to comment. SOCAR did not respond to a request for comment. IP, owned by Brachetti Peretti, an Italian family, has a refining capacity totaling around 200,000 barrels a day. It also owns a network consisting of 4,600 fuel station.
Sources say that commodity traders are expected to bid for Italy's IP in May.
Two sources confirmed on Thursday that global commodity traders Glencore and Gunvor were considering the possibility of buying oil refiner Italiana Petroli API group. State Oil Company of Azerbaijan is also interested in the asset, two sources with knowledge of the transaction said. Glencore and Gunvor have declined to comment. SOCAR and IP did not respond to requests for comment. IP, which UniCredit advises on the possible sale, is owned and operated by the Italian Brachetti Peretti family. It has a total refinery capacity of about 200,000 barrels a day.
Malaysia's Petronas has secured extra gas supplies after being hit by the Putra Heights pipeline explosion
Petroliam Nasional, the Malaysian oil-and-gas giant, said it had secured additional supplies of gas to minimize the supply disruptions that were caused by the massive fire that broke out at the Putra Heights Pipeline earlier in the month. PETRONAS Energy & Gas Trading has acquired an additional 155 million cubic feet of gas per day, bringing the total volume of supply to 400 MMSCFD through the Trans Thailand-Malaysia gas pipeline system (TTM), the company announced.
Azerbaijan calls on EU to reconsider finance restrictions for gas corridor expansion
Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan said that the European Union needs to reassess their financing and policies regarding long-term contracts in order to continue importing natural gases from Azerbaijan. Baku could also look for other export markets. He cited the European Investment Bank’s ban on new financing for fossil fuels and the lack of long-term contracts to purchase gas as obstacles to increasing exports to EU. Aliyev said at a policy conference that the EU market was superior in terms of rules, legislation and pricing.
Australia pours billions into missile procurement amidst global shortages
Australia's plans for developing its own missile component capability will likely be slowed by the Ukraine war and increased European defense spending, even though it is pushing ahead with a multi-billion dollar effort to purchase long-range attack missiles. Last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed A$74 billion (46.68 billion dollars) for missile acquisition. This included A$21 billion towards the establishment of a Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise. His Labor government had reshaped Australia's defence policy to counter China's military buildup.
Nigeria’s Refining Revolution is Reshaping West Africa’s Energy Landscape
The launch of the Dangote Refinery near the Port of Lagos presents an exciting opportunity to transform the energy and shipping markets in West Africa. And it stands to boost Nigeria’s role as an influential player in the global oil industry, fostering economic growth and regional development.Nigeria’s standing in the global energy landscape is getting a boost with domestic refining capacity expanding in 2025. The Dangote Refinery near Lagos presents a transformative…
Sources say that Elliott met with BP investors in order to discuss further changes.
Two shareholders have confirmed that Elliott Management, an activist investor in BP, has met with several of the company's largest shareholders to form a consensus on more changes. These could include cost reductions and a possible leadership reshuffle. BP's stock has performed worse than rivals Shell, Exxon and Shell in the past five years. Investors have blamed this in part on 2020 plan of the company to focus on its renewable business and cut oil and gas production.
German energy transition could cost 300 billion euros less with greater efficiency, according to a study
According to a report released by the Boston Consulting Group on Thursday, Germany could save over 300 billion euros (326.49 billion dollars) by 2035 if it implements the energy transition in a more efficient manner. Germany will spend hundreds of millions of euros in the next few years to transition towards cleaner energy sources, with a goal of being carbon neutral by 2045. Berlin is also under pressure from the industry to reduce energy costs that are stubbornly high. The BDI report calculated the savings based upon current plans.
Glencore approached Li-Cycle battery recycler for possible deal
As part of its proposal to address operational and financial problems, Glencore (listed on the London Stock Exchange) has offered to buy Canadian lithium battery recycling firm Li-Cycle. In a March 14 letter to the board chair, Glencore stated that it wanted to begin discussions as soon as possible with Li-Cycle and the other shareholders of the company regarding the potential deal. Li-Cycle’s debt, held by Glencore, is convertible into approximately 84 million shares of the recycling company.
Terna, Italy's grid operator, will invest 23 billion Euros over 10 years
Terna, the state-owned power grid operator in Italy, announced on Friday that it will invest over 25 billion euros (23 billion euros) in network upgrades within the next 10 year to support the energy transition of the country. The group announced that it would increase by 10% its funds for the development of the country's power network between 2025-2034. Last year, the group had pledged to invest 16.5 billion euro through 2028. She said that the goal of the group was to "ensure the country has an efficient, reliable and sustainable system".
RWE and TotalEnergies sign long-term agreement for green hydrogen supply
RWE, Germany's largest utility, announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to supply French oil giant TotalEnergies, with approximately 30,000 tonnes green hydrogen per year, starting in 2030. This is one of the biggest deals ever made by this sector. RWE stated that the agreement would last until 2044. It also said it was the largest amount of carbon neutral hydrogen ever purchased from a German facility. RWE will supply TotalEnergies Leuna refinery in eastern Germany via its 300 megawatt electrolysis plant located in Lingen…
Italy approves Italgas' 2i Rete gas deal with conditions
The Italian antitrust authority has approved conditionally the acquisition of 2i Rete Gas, Europe's largest gas distributor, by Italgas, a domestic competitor, on Tuesday. Italgas has agreed to purchase 2i Rete gas for 5.3 billion euro ($5.8 billion), a major step in consolidating the gas distribution sector in Italy. Italgas was asked by the antitrust agency to take several measures, including selling a part of its Italian gas distribution business, which would represent 600…
Prices of gas in Europe rise due to forecasted lower temperatures
Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas rose on Monday, recovering from the lows reached late last week. This was due to forecasts for lower temperatures, and Russian forces intensifying their attacks against Ukraine. LSEG data shows that the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF Hub rose by 1.81 euro to 40.6 euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh), which is $12.87/mmBtu by 0916 GMT. It traded at 36.45 Euros/MWh on Friday, its lowest price since September 27, 2024. The British day-ahead contract increased by 5.00 pence to 100.50 p/therm.
Bloggers claim that Russian special forces attacked Ukrainian forces at Kursk via a gas pipeline
Pro-Russian bloggers claimed that Russian special forces snuck miles through a large gas pipeline near Sudzha to try to surprise Ukrainian troops as part of a massive offensive to eject Ukrainian soldier from the western Russian region Kursk. In August of last year, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers took over about 1,300 sq km of Russia's Kursk Region in an effort to gain bargaining power in future negotiations as well as to force Russia to withdraw its military forces from eastern Ukraine.
Zelenskiy: Ukraine fully committed to constructive dialog with US
The President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Saturday that Ukraine was "fully committed" in having a constructive dialog with U.S. officials next week in Saudi Arabia about ways to end Russia's war. Since taking office as U.S. president Donald Trump in January, he has suspended U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. He accused Zelenskiy that he was not serious about reaching an agreement with Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2013 and has taken over 20% of the country's territory.
President of COP30 says that China may need to take a more active role in climate change.
Andre Aranha Correa do Lago, the COP30 president-designate, said that China plays a crucial role in combating climate change. Other countries may also look to China for leadership in this field. Correa do Lago, when asked about China's role in climate change as the United States pulls back from its efforts, said that China has played a major part in providing solutions since a number of years. Since Donald Trump took office last month, he has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement…
