Local news reports say that Equinor is planning to sell its assets in Argentina.
Mas Energia, a Mas Energia-published online magazine, reported that the Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor was looking to sell their onshore assets located in Argentina's Vaca Muerta Region, citing anonymous sources. Equinor has appointed Bank of America as the agent to sell its 30% stake in Bandurria Sur and 50% in Bajo del Toro Norte. However, no decision on the divestment has been taken yet, according to the report. Mas Energia said that the Norwegian company has no plans to sell its stakes offshore licenses in Argentina. A spokesperson for Equinor declined to comment. YPF is the state-owned oil firm in Argentina, and it has the right of first refusal.
Local news reports say that Equinor is planning to sell its assets in Argentina.
Mas Energia, citing anonymous sources, reported that Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor was looking to sell their onshore assets located in Argentina's Vaca Muerta Region. Equinor has appointed Bank of America as the agent to sell its 30% stake in Bandurria Sur and 50% in Bajo del Toro Norte. However, no decision on the divestment has been taken yet, according to the report. Mas Energia said that the Norwegian company has no plans to sell its stakes offshore licenses in Argentina. A spokesperson for Equinor declined to comment. Vaca Muerta is Spanish for "Dead Cow" and holds the second largest shale-oil reserves in the world.
Minister: Hungarian gas company will supply Transdniestria
Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, said that a Hungarian trading company would provide natural gas to Transdniestria in Moldova after a request by Russia's energy ministry. Transdniestria residents, a tiny sliver run by pro Russian separatists on the border of Moldova and Ukraine, faced an energy crisis after the expiration of a transit agreement that allowed Russian natural gas to be shipped via Ukraine. Szijjarto said that the Russian deputy premier responsible for energy had contacted him about gas supply and that he also discussed this issue with his Moldovan colleague.
After the Russian attacks, Ukraine plans to import 800 million cubic meters of gas by April.
Ukraine will import 800 million cubic meters (mcms) of gas in February and march to compensate for the sometimes 40% decrease in production following Russian missile attacks on the sector. A senior industry source said on Friday. Since its invasion in 2022, Russia has launched many missiles and drones at Ukraine's electric sector. However, it has intensified attacks on gasfields over the past few weeks. The Ukrainian state gas company Naftogaz, and the major private energy firm DTEK, have both reported that Russia has damaged and attacked their facilities at least two times in February.
Tokyo Gas sells US shale-gas stake to Shizuoka Gas at $130 million
Tokyo Gas, Japan’s largest city gas supplier, has announced that it will sell Shizuoka Gas its 25% stake in the Eagle Ford shale project in South Texas for $130m as part of an asset portfolio review in order to improve efficiency. Tokyo Gas, in a press release, said that the move would allow it to concentrate on its U.S. division, TG Natural Resources. This unit has assets in north Louisiana and east Texas. Shizuoka Gas stated in a separate press release that this deal marked its first acquisition of a U.S. based business, and entry into upstream natural gas. Shizuoka Gas's shale-gas production is estimated to be 400,000 metric tonnes per year of LNG equivalent.
EUROPE GAS - Prices stable amid ample supply and milder weather
The European and British gas contract prices were mostly unchanged on Friday, despite the milder weather forecast. Supplies from Norway and LNG are also steady. There is still uncertainty about future Russian gas supplies in the event of a peace agreement with Ukraine. LSEG data shows that the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF hub fell 0.09 euros to 47.51 Euro per Megawatt Hour (MWh), which is $14.59/mmBtu at 0904 GMT. The TTF contract for April was up by 0.13 euros at 47.85 Euro/MWh. The British day-ahead contract increased by 0.25 pence to 112.75 pence a therm.
Talks between Thyssenkrupp and HKM, a potential investor in the steel JV, have broken down.
Thyssenkrupp said on Friday that investor CE Capital had broken off discussions about a possible purchase of the HKM Steel joint venture. This raises the risk of closing the asset and its approximately 3,000 employees. We regret this. "It was and remains our main objective to sell shares in HKM to give the company, and its employees, prospects for the future," Thyssenkrupp Europe (TKSE), said in a press release. We are always open to discussion and other buyers. After CE Capital Partners ended the talks, we will evaluate the situation in conjunction with our shareholders. Thyssenkrupp had previously stated that it would be forced to close HKM in the event of a failed sale.
South Korea plans to build two large nuclear reactors and increase the use of renewable energy in its energy mix
The South Korean industry ministry announced that the country finalised a new plan for its energy mix on Friday. It envisages building two large nuclear power plants as well as one small reactor, by the year 2038. In a statement, the ministry stated that it also aims to ensure renewable energy of an average 7 gigawatts per year. South Korea's nuclear power production is expected to increase from 180.5 Terawatt-hours (TWh), in 2023, to 248.3 in 2038. In addition, the share of nuclear energy generation in South Korea's energy mix will also increase from 30,7% in 2023 up to 35.2% by 2038.
French and Benelux stocks: Factors to watch
Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. ALTEN: Alten has announced that its net profit for the fiscal year is EUR 277 million. COFACE: Coface has announced a proposed dividend of EUR 1,40 per share and forecasts growth at the same 2.7% rate as in 2024. GTT: GTT expects to have a consolidated EBITDA of between 490 mln and 540 mln euro for 2025. Imerys has published an EBITDA adjusted for 2024 of EUR 675 millions and proposed a EUR 1.45 dividend. Tarkett has announced that it aims to achieve an EBITDA adjusted of 360 million euros by 2025.
EU wants more US gas and renewable energy to replace Russian supplies
The EU energy commissioner said that the EU will look to other countries, including the U.S., to supply more gas to replace Russian supplies and to expand renewable energy to reduce its reliance on fuel. In response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has committed to stop using Russian fossil fuels before 2027. Despite a decline in Russian pipeline gas supplies, the EU increased imports of Russian natural gas liquefied last year. Jorgensen stated that Brussels is preparing to change the rules for allowing renewable energy to be built faster.
ADNOC, the UAE's gas company, has completed a $2.84 billion share sale.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), the energy giant of United Arab Emirates, announced early Friday that it had completed a 2.84 billion dollar market offering for its ADNOC Gas division. ADNOC said in a press release that the offering price was 3.40 dirhams for each share. The sale is the largest share offering in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) since the $12,3 billion follow-on offer by Saudi Aramco last June and the largest of recent years. Parent ADNOC has completed the marketing of 3.1 billion ADNOC Gas shares to institutional investors. This represents 4% of ADNOC Gas total share capital.
Ecopetrol, Colombia records the largest increase in oil and gas reserves proven in three years
Ecopetrol, the company owned by Colombia's majority government, reported that its proven oil and natural gas reserves increased to 1,89 billion barrels equivalent in 2024. In recent years, the country's oil reserves and gas reserves has become a hot topic in politics as fears about energy independence have grown due to dwindling supplies of gas. Chief Executive Ricardo Roa stated that the total 1P reserves for 2024 is equivalent to 1.88 billion barrels oil equivalent at the end of 2023. Roa said that almost 90% of the reserves were in Colombian fields and 11% in operations conducted by the company in the U.S. Roa stated that one-fifth was gas and the remainder oil.
FERC wants more guidance on colocated data centers
The U.S. Energy regulators directed the largest grid operator in the country to clarify how it deals with co-location. This arrangement is becoming increasingly popular for AI data centers, allowing them to be connected directly to power plants. Co-location is a faster way to get large amounts of energy, rather than spending years waiting in line to connect to the grid. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stated in an order that the current guidance provided by grid operator PJM Interconnection on co-location appears to be inadequate. FERC gave…
Cenovus' quarterly profit drops due to weak oil prices
Cenovus, a Canadian oil and natural gas company, reported a decline in profit for the fourth quarter on Thursday. Lower commodity prices and lower refining margins were offset by higher production. In mid-morning trade, the company's stock was down by 4.5%. The average Brent crude futures fell 3% in 2024 as the economy of the major consumer, China, remained weak. The OPEC+ producer's group also postponed their planned supply increases to 2026 and extended the deep cuts in output until the end of the year. Cenovus revenues were negatively affected by the decline in oil prices over the past year…
The cold weather in the US boosts diesel prices, but masks economic challenges
Since the beginning of the year, the cold temperatures in the Northeast U.S. have led to an increase in demand for heating oil. This has helped to offset the slowdown in recent years due to reduced industrial activity. The Energy Information Administration (EIA), according to its data, reported that the U.S. inventory of distillate fuels - including diesel and heating oil - fell this month to its lowest seasonal level in 2014. The sharp increase in heating oil consumption is reflected by the decline. According to EIA, the four-week average for distillates products supplied is a proxy measure of demand.
Stock prices of US natgas producers soar as gas futures soar
Gas futures prices have risen by 27% in the last seven days, reaching a two-year high. The extreme cold of recent days has pushed U.S. Gas Futures up to $4.42 per million British Thermal Units (mmBtu) at midday on Wednesday. This puts the front-month just a few cents away from the closing high of $2.258, which was reached on January 16 of this year. The increase in gas futures has helped Devon Energy's stock, which announced earnings on February 18th, to reach a three-month high at $38.58 by midday Wednesday. Devon reported that the total revenue from oil, gas, and midstream sales, as well as natural gas liquids, was $4.4 billion. This is a 6% rise over the previous quarter.
Exxon to build large-scale gas projects in Guyana, a country dominated by oil
Exxon Mobil, the U.S. oil giant, announced a massive project on Wednesday to increase natural-gas production and supply in Guyana. This follows the government's request for more gas as fuel to power onshore projects and petrochemical ones. Alistair Routledge of Exxon Guyana, the head of Exxon in Guyana, outlined a "Wales Gas Vision" that will provide gas to produce fertilizers via a pipeline worth $1 billion completed last year. Through its Gas-to-Energy Project, the government will use a portion (of the gas) supplied by Exxon to generate electricity and produce natural gas liquids.
The German antitrust watchdog wants to regulate the oil market more.
The German antitrust authority called for stronger regulation on the price quotes used on the oil market after an investigation showed that pricing was based on limited information which could be manipulated. Prices are often linked to wholesale contracts, and they can have an indirect impact on retail prices. These price quotations are provided by agencies that report prices, such as S&P Global Commodity Insights and Argus Media. The investigation by the cartel office found that in certain cases, a few market participants were able to dominate the reporting process. This raised concerns about possible price manipulation.
Energa receives up to $1.92 billion loan for power grid investment
Polish utility Energa announced on Wednesday that it had signed a loan agreement with Poland's Development Bank BGK for up to 7,66 billion zlotys (1,92 billion dollars) to invest in its power distribution network. Polish oil refiner Orlen owns Energa and plans to develop four offshore wind farm as part of its investment strategy up to 380 billion Zlotys in 2035. The loan is for 25 years and has an interest rate fixed at 0.5% annually. Funds are provided under the European Union Recovery Facility, which gives Poland nearly 60 billion euro in grants and low-interest loans. Orlen has plans to invest 40 billion Zlotys by 2035 in its distribution network.
Vopak's profits are unlikely to change much by 2025 as one-offs have a negative impact on the 4th quarter results
Dutch tank storage company Vopak said that it expects to see little difference in its earnings by 2025, despite the fact that strong demand for energy-storage infrastructure is boosting its results. Analysts cited a missed quarterly core profit and a cautious outlook as the reason for the 7% drop in shares of this company that operates terminals and stores fuels and chemicals around world. Vopak reported a negative impact in the fourth quarter of 2024 due to technical problems at one of their LNG terminals located in the Netherlands and a loss in Mexico as a result of local legislation that significantly reduced imports of crude and related products.
