MSE Int'l Wins Funding for Port Recharging Project
MSE International has won funding from TRIG 2024 to lead a new project, PRIMET; Port Recharging Infrastructure for Maritime Energy Transition.The project will accelerate the roll-out of port and harbor infrastructure needed to support the rapid expansion in vessel recharging and shore-powering facilities which are essential to realize the government’s Clean Maritime Plan. PRIMET will develop outline solutions for supplying energy to shore power/recharging facilities…
Officials say that South Africa has a significant reworking of its long-term energy plan.
Officials said that a reworked long-term South Africa power plan would be soon presented to the cabinet. The plan is designed to put an end to the electricity blackouts which have plagued the country over the past decade. Only in January was the last plan released, which laid out scenarios for power supply up to 2050. The plan included a wide range of energy sources, including nuclear, renewables, and natural gas. Coal, the current dominant power source, was also covered.
Chinese giant CATL expands beyond batteries to power grids and EV platforms
Robin Zeng is the billionaire founder and CEO of CATL. He wants to transform the world's biggest battery manufacturer into a provider of green energy, as well as reduce the costs of developing electric cars, thus upending the economics that have driven the growth of the industry. Zeng said in an interview he expected the business of developing "zero-carbon" electric grids to be "ten times larger" than supplying batteries for electric vehicles, a sector CATL currently leads with 37% share.
EIP, a Swiss asset manager, increases its stake in Eni Plenitude from 10% to 10%
Eni announced that Swiss asset manager Energy Infrastructure Partners will increase its stake in Eni Plenitude to 10%. The deal values the group’s retail and renewable businesses at more than 11 billion euros, including debt. In a Monday statement, the Italian energy group EIP said that it had agreed to subscribing to a new issue of shares worth approximately 209 million euro. This deal is part Eni's "satellite" strategy. It aims to create separate units that can attract investments for their business growth.
US Extends Protections for CITGO to March 2025
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday extended a license protecting Venezuela-owned Citgo Petroleum from bondholders to March 2025, a key decision amid a seven-year-long legal case in which the refiner's parent might be auctioned to pay creditors.Citgo's parent, PDV Holding, was found liable by the court for Venezuela's debts from asset expropriations and debt defaults. The case has opened a route for creditors to fight for a piece of Venezuela's crown jewel - Citgo's 807…
Chinese solar firms are ever-nimble and go to places where US tariffs do not reach
The U.S. tariffs on Vietnam and three other Southeast Asian nations have prompted some of the largest Chinese-owned factories to cut production and lay off workers. In the meantime, a number of Chinese-owned solar power plants are being built in Indonesia and Laos. These are outside of Washington's protections on trade. Reports show that their planned capacity would be enough to provide about half of the solar panels installed in the U.S. Chinese solar firms have shrunk their output in existing hubs, while building new factories elsewhere.
Adani Total Gas, India's largest CNG producer, posts higher Q2 profits on stable demand
Adani Total Gas, India's largest gas company, posted higher profits for the seventh consecutive quarter on Thursday. This was aided in part by increased sales of compressed natural gas (CNG), as the government pushes for more gas-powered vehicles. The company, which is part of the Adani conglomerate that specializes in ports-to-power, reported a 7.5% increase in its consolidated profits to 1,87 billion rupees (US$22.24million) for the three-month period ended September 30.
Iberdrola, a Spanish company, doubles its British investment plan from $11 billion to $21 billion
Iberdrola, the largest Spanish power company, has increased its investment plan in its British subsidiary Scottish Power from 24 billion pounds ($31.37billion) to 2024-2028. This was announced ahead of an international investment summit held in London. The investment comes at a time when Britain's Labour government is trying to attract billions of pounds worth of foreign investment as it celebrates its 100th day in office, and hosts global business leaders in the Oct. 14 Summit.
Prompt prices jump on declining wind, nuclear output
The wholesale European spot electricity price soared on Thursday due to a decline in the supply of wind and nuclear energy in the days ahead. LSEG data shows that the French baseload day-ahead power rose by 80.4% to 83.0 Euros ($90.74 per megawatt hour) at 0830 GMT. The German equivalent contract was not exchanged but displayed a range of bids and offers between 84.5-88.4 Euros compared to a closing price on Wednesday at 59.0 Euros. LSEG data shows that the German wind output will plummet on Friday to 16.9 gigawatts from 32.7 GW predicted for Thursday.
Citgo auction at risk as Venezuelan bondholders file parallel claims
Holders of billions in Venezuelan bonds, notes and other securities have emerged in the last minute as protagonists in an American court case that will decide ownership of oil refiner Citgo Petroleum. They threaten to derail a compensation auction for more than a dozen firms to compensate them for unpaid debts or expropriations. Two groups of holders have taken their cases to other U.S. court to enforce them, and are pursuing the Citgo assets which industrial conglomerates, oil companies, and mining firms have pursued for years.
Maguire: Slow rollout of charge points could stall US EV sales momentum
The United States has seen a 140% increase in electric vehicle sales since 2023. However, further growth could be hindered if public charging stations are not rolled out more evenly and at a slower pace. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. electric vehicle registrations will reach just over 3.5 millions by September 2024. This is up from 1.4m registrations in 2023 and represents the steepest growth rate ever in EV adoption in the country. AFDC data show that the number of public EV chargers has increased by just 22% in the same time period to 176 032 units.
Maguire: Slow rollout of charge points could stall US EV sales momentum
The United States has seen a 140% increase in electric vehicle sales since 2023. However, further growth could be hindered if public charging stations are not rolled out more evenly and at a slower pace. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. electric vehicle registrations will reach just over 3.5 millions by September 2024. This is up from 1.4m registrations in 2023 and represents the steepest growth rate ever in EV adoption in the country. AFDC data show that the number of public EV chargers has increased by just 22% in the same time period to 176 032 units.
Germany builds LNG import terminals
Germany is expanding its natural gas import options as part of efforts to decarbonise and replace Russian supplies. Here are some details about terminals that will host floating storage regasification (FSRU) units to receive LNG. There are also plans for shore-based terminals, as well as facilities to produce and import ammonia and hydrogen. In German media, the state-owned Deutsche Energy Terminal (DET), without specifying exact dates for commissioning, said that FSRUs will be operational at Stade as well as Wilhelmshaven 2 before winter.
Italgas expects double-digit growth in income by 2030 and increases minimum dividend
Italgas, Italy's largest gas distributor, expects double-digit increases in its net income and core profits under a new strategy to 2030. This comes after the signing of a 5.3 billion euros deal on Saturday to buy smaller rival 2iReteGas. The group announced on Monday that it will ensure that its dividends grow 5% per year until 2026. This is compared to the previous minimum of only 4%. It also confirmed it will pay out 65% adjusted net income for each share. It committed to investing 15.6 billion euro ($17.11 billion)…
SSE UK delays completion of Dogger Bank A Wind Project to H2 2019.
SSE, the UK's largest power company and network operator, maintained its annual forecasts on Thursday. The completion date of the Dogger Bank A off-shore wind project was pushed to the second half 2025 instead of the first. SSE stated that the delay in taking full operation of the offshore wind farm will not have a material impact on project returns. The project will have a capacity of around 1.2 gigawatts and be able to power 2 million homes. The Perth-based UK company predicted first-half adjusted earnings of more than 45p per share…
Elliott group seeks to buy Citgo Petroleum from Exxon director
Gregory Goff, Exxon Mobil's board director, recently joined a newly-formed company backed by Elliott Investment Management that is seeking to take control of Venezuelan oil refiner Citgo Petroleum. Citgo and Exxon compete in the motor-fuels and lubricants business. Exxon, the third largest U.S. refiner of oil by capacity, and Citgo are the seventh largest. Goff, a former Exxon executive who joined the company in 2021, as part of an oppositional board of directors, has been named CEO of Amber Energy. This Elliott affiliate was announced as the winning bidder at a U.S.
Elliott group seeks to buy Citgo Petroleum from Exxon director
Gregory Goff, Exxon Mobil's board director, recently joined a newly-formed company backed by Elliott Investment Management that is seeking to take control of Venezuelan oil refiner Citgo Petroleum. Citgo and Exxon compete in the motor-fuels and lubricants business. Exxon, the third largest U.S. refiner of oil by capacity, and Citgo are the seventh largest. Goff, who was part of the dissident board of directors that joined Exxon 2021, was identified on Friday as CEO of Amber Energy. This Elliott affiliate had been selected as the winning bidder at a U.S.
British Business – Sept 27
These are the most popular stories in the British business pages. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports. Keir starmer, British Prime Minister, is in talks with Donald Trump. He wants to build a relationship with him personally and continue his support for Ukraine. Two of the leading credit rating agencies in the world have rated Thames Water as on the verge of default. This could bring a government-backed bailout deal closer.
Turkey's Botas talks to Iran's National Gas Company for long-term supply
The Turkish energy company Botas announced on Wednesday that they had been in talks with Iran's National Natural Gas Company NIGC about a long-term supply from Iran of natural gas to Turkey. Turkey consumes more than 50 billion cubic meters of gas each year. The country currently imports LNG from different suppliers and relies on a mixture of pipeline gas imported from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The long-term contracts that govern the supply of Iranian Gas to Turkey, which amounts to 10 billion cubic meters of gas per annum, expires in 2026.
Norway's Equinor cancels plans to export Blue Hydrogen to Germany
A spokesperson for Equinor, the Norwegian energy company, said that it had scrapped plans to ship so-called "blue hydrogen" to Germany due to its high cost and insufficient demand. In January 2022, Equinor signed an agreement with Germany's RWE to create a hydrogen supply network for German power plants in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plans include producing blue hydrogen (hydrogen from natural gas combined with carbon capture and storing) in Norway…
