British Business – Nov 11,
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. A government investigation into the dieselgate scandal has led to the suspicion that 47 car models from 20 different brands, manufactured by 11 different manufacturers, are more polluting than previously thought. These cars could be recalled. The government is…
Ukraine drones target ethanol plants in Russia, Telegram channels say
Russian channels on Telegram said that Ukrainian drones attacked ethanol plants in Russia’s southern region Voronezh. The regional governor confirmed the report, saying the attack caused two injuries, ignited a fire, and damaged two industries. Alexander Gusev said that the regional governor Alexander Gusev confirmed on Telegram that firefighters had extinguished the fire which injured two workers in the Anninsky District of the region.
Canada regulator suspends Imperial's application to extend Norman Wells oil permits
The Canada Energy Regulator announced on Tuesday that Imperial Oil has put its application to extend life of the remote Norman Wells oil-and-gas facility in Canada's Northwest Territories on hold until a report on environmental assessment is completed. The Norman Wells site is located on nine islands, both natural and artificial in the Mackenzie River (Canada's longest river) and near the town of Norman Wells. Imperial…
Colombian electoral authority asks for investigation into Petro campaign funding
In a press release, the National Electoral Council of Colombia (CNE), said that it had requested an investigation of the election campaign for 2022 of President Gustavo Petro due to alleged violations of funding limits. The majority of nine magistrates approved an investigation of Petro and Ricardo Roa who is the current chief executive officer of Colombia's largest state-owned energy firm, Ecopetrol. The decision to conduct an investigation comes after Petro…
Turkey's Botas buys 1.6 billion cubic meters of LNG from TotalEnergies over a 10-year period
Alparslan Bayraktar, the Turkish Energy Minister announced on Wednesday that Turkish state-owned energy company Botas had signed a 10-year contract to import LNG from French oil giant TotalEnergies starting in 2027. Bayraktar announced the deal on the social media platform X. The contract, signed at the GasTech conference, Houston, is for the annual delivery of 1.6 Billion cubic meters of LNG. The majority of Turkey's gas is imported from Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
Libyan oilfields shut down in dispute over central bank
Two field engineers reported that the Sarir oilfield had almost completely stopped production on Wednesday, due to a dispute between the government and the central bank over oil revenues. The authorities in the east of Libya, where the majority of oilfields are located, announced on Monday that production and exports will be stopped. The engineers stated that Sarir produced about 209,000 barrels of oil per day before production was reduced.
Meta Platforms signs geothermal energy agreement with Sage Geosystems for US data centers
Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, announced on August 26 that it had struck a deal with Sage Geosystems for up to 150MW of geothermal energy to power its U.S. Data Centers. The company is racing to develop infrastructure to support massive investments in artificial intelligence, which consumes a lot of energy. According to the social media firm, the first phase of the project is expected to be operational in 2027. It will "significantly" increase the use of geothermal energy in the United States.
Fire at Russian oil refinery Omsk injures seven people, but production continues
The local governor reported that seven people, including one person in serious condition, were hospitalized after an fire broke out at the Russian oil refinery in Omsk. However, the plant claimed to be operating normally and its production plans will not be affected. The fire at the Omsk Refinery has been brought under control. The automatic safety system of the plant detected a fire within technological equipment. The refinery, Russia's biggest, said that it was operating normally.
Stepping on the Gas: Rochester Researchers Team to tackle Methane Emissions
With global temperatures rising, oceans warming and ice caps melting, carbon dioxide attracts the bulk of the blame throughout media, public discourse and academia. All too many—save some scientists and researchers—neglect methane, the second biggest greenhouse gas that’s influenced by human activity. Often associated with livestock production and ruminant flatulence, methane has both natural and anthropogenic sources…
Russia's Medvedev Says Oil Could Hit Up to $400 a Barrel if Japanese Proposal Adopted
Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday a reported proposal from Japan to cap the price of Russian oil at around half its current level would lead to significantly less oil on the market and could push prices above $300-$400 a barrel.Commenting on the proposal, which was reportedly put forward by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Medvedev said Japan "would have neither oil nor gas from Russia, as well…
Activists Blockade Shell Refinery in Port of Rotterdam
Dozens of Greenpeace activists in Rotterdam port used a ship, buoys and a small flotilla of kayaks on Monday to block traffic around Shell’s Pernis refinery, Europe’s largest, as part of a campaign seeking a ban on fossil fuel advertising.Police ended the blockade after several hours and the port’s authority said economic disruption to the wider harbor was minimal.The action comes as Greenpeace and more than 20 other…
DEME Installs Second SeaMade Offshore Wind Farm Substation
Offshore installation company DEME has installed the second offshore substation at the SeaMade offshore wind farm in Belgium.In a social media post on Wednesday, Deme said: "The two substations for the SeaMade offshore wind farm have been successfully installed in the Belgian North Sea with heavy lift vessel ‘Gulliver’. Despite the challenging conditions over the past weeks, the SeaMade project is firmly on track...We…
Fire Breaks Out at Lukoil-Owned Ukhta Oil Refinery
A blaze ripped through the small-scale Ukhta oil refinery, controlled by Russian oil major Lukoil, the emergency ministry said on Thursday.It said the fire hit a diesel processing unit and that one man had been injured. Lukoil declined any immediate comment.Video footage posted on social media purported to show a huge ball of fire over the refinery. The ministry said the fire has spread through 1,000 square metres.Interfax news agency…
Former China Energy Chief Jailed for Life
Former head of China's National Energy Administration Nur Bekri has been sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes, China's Supreme People's Court said on Monday.The court said in a statement published on Chinese social media platform Weibo that Bekri confessed his crimes while on trial.Bekri, once one of the highest-ranking ethnic Uighur officials in China, was accused by the anti-corruption body of receiving bribes and demanding provision of luxury sedans and chauffeur services for his family members.(Repo
Venezuela Sells Oil to Tiny Turkish Firm
With U.S. sanctions blocking Venezuela from selling oil to the United States, state-owned energy firm PDVSA has turned to several little-known buyers that include a tiny Turkish company with no refineries but ties to President Nicolas Maduro's government, according to internal documents and a PDVSA source.Until recently, some of the world's largest petroleum and refining firms, including U.S. companies Chevron and Valero Energy…
Revenue Leakage: A Cost of Doing Business or Ripe for Change?
Talk to any business leader in the oil and gas industry and they’ll likely tell you that revenue leakage is an unfortunate cost of doing business. It’s no secret, it’s just something that happens. And most CFOs don’t know that there are solutions that can help them save their companies tons of money, and who doesn’t want that?But this usually requires the implementation of new technologies, not something that the majority of oil and gas professionals often embrace.
Sinopec Starts Major Gas Pipeline Early
China's Sinopec Corp said on Thursday it had started to operate the first phase of the Erdos-Anping-Cangzhou pipeline project in northern China, ahead of an expected operational date of early 2019.The pipeline, which connects gas production in the Erdos basin and users in Hebei province, is expected to supply a maximum 10 million cubic metres of gas a day during peak heating season, Sinopec said on its social media platform.The project is designed to transport 30 billion cubic metres a year and includes one trunk l
Oil Higher as Stocks Rebound, Saudi Signals Intervention
Crude stockpiles rising at U.S. futures delivery point; Saudi Arabia says oil market could shift to oversupply in Q4.Oil prices rose 1 percent on Thursday, following the U.S. stock market higher a day after Wall Street's biggest drop since 2011 and as Saudi Arabia's energy minister signaled major producers may have to intervene in crude markets to support prices.Brent crude futures rose 72 cents to settle at $76.89 per barrel as U.S. equities rose amid strong corporate earnings.
Trump Rails Against Oil Prices, OPEC Pushes Back
U.S. President Donald Trump accused OPEC on Friday of "artificially" boosting oil prices, drawing rebukes from some of the world's top energy exporters."Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea. Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted!" Trump wrote on Twitter.It was unclear what triggered the tweet, Trump's first mention of OPEC on social media during his term.U.S.
Statoil to Rebrand as Equinor
Rebranding would cost up to $32.5 mln but firm plans to ramp up renewables investment. Norway's Statoil plans to change its name to Equinor, reflecting its commitment to become a broad energy company rather than one focused only on oil, it said on Thursday. In a video posted on social media, Statoil presented the switch as a way to show its determination to develop investments in renewable energy. Reactions by various social media users were mixed.