Thursday, February 19, 2026

The Plant News

Exxon’s Uaru project and Whiptail project in Guyana is moving ahead of schedule according to an executive.

Exxon Mobil’s President of Guyana Operations said that the company's fifth- and sixth-projects in Guyana, Uaru and Whiptail, are on schedule and within budget. Alistair Routledge (Exxon Guyana president) refused to give a timeline for the start-up of projects when asked by. Whiptail, meanwhile, is expected to begin production in 2027. Uaru will produce 250,000 barrels a day, and Whiptail - 200,000. Guyana's total output will be?1.15m bpd once Uaru begins, and 1.4m bpd after Whiptail comes online. Routledge, in a…

Golden Pass is moving closer to producing its first LNG by increasing natural gas flow into the facility

LSEG data show that Golden Pass, a joint venture between Exxon Mobil, QatarEnergy and Exxon Mobil, has pulled in more than 300 million cubic feet on Wednesday, bringing it closer to producing its first LNG. The '18 million metric tons per year project in Texas will be one of the biggest U.S. export facilities of super-cooled gas and help the United States maintain its position as the top exporter. Exxon CEO Darren Woods stated on January 30 that he expects the plant to begin producing LNG in March. This marks an important milestone for the project.

Minister Trinidad is confident that gas projects with Venezuela can proceed.

The energy minister for the twin island nation, Trinidad and Tobago, said that the government was confident two major 'offshore gas' projects with Venezuela, to be 'operated' by Shell, BP and Trinidad National Gas Company, will go ahead despite the political changes in OPEC's country. Since U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro in the last month, they have'relaxed sanctions on Venezuelan energy industry. This is part of a 'ambitious $100 billion rebuilding plan. The Venezuelan government is now headed by Interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

Microsoft will continue to buy enough renewable energy for all its needs

Microsoft has pledged to "keep buying enough renewable energy to meet all of its electricity needs" after meeting this goal for the first year. Tech giants are ramping up capital expenditures on an AI driven expansion of power hungry data centres. Microsoft announced on Wednesday that they had met their 2025 goal of procuring 40 gigawatts through power purchase agreements, which are long-term contracts designed to help utilities bring forward new projects. Microsoft announced that 19 gigawatts of renewable energy have already been delivered to the grid. The rest will be supplied over the next 5 years, covering 26 countries.

Venezuela tensions are set to ease, resulting in a rise in the oil production potential of Guyana

Geopolitical experts and oil specialists?said that the tiny oil-producing country of Guyana has an opportunity to expand its economy amid the ongoing U.S. activities in Venezuela. This is ahead of the Guyana Energy Conference. The 'growth potential' of Guyana was the focus at the four-day conference that began on Tuesday, in Georgetown. Executives and government officials met to discuss the efforts to train the local oil workforce, increase investment and build an downstream sector. Irfaan Ali, the Guyanese president, announced on Tuesday that the country would use its oil and gas boom to drive other sectors of the economy.

Mississippi holds hearings on xAI Data Center amid Environmental Lawsuit Threat

Mississippi regulators are hosting a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss plans xAI, owned by Elon Musk, has made to build a gas fired power plant?to run its Colossus II Data Center. The company is facing a 'lawsuit threat from the 'NAACP accusing them of violating federal laws if they install and operate gas turbines - without air permits. The civil rights group acting on behalf of a largely African American community near the existing Colossus I plant in Memphis, Tennessee said xAI started illegally installing and operating 27 gas turbines in Southaven in Mississippi in order to power Colossus 'II'…

REE, the Spanish power grid operator, defends its planning in advance of a blackout

REE, the Spanish grid operator, defended its plans for a widespread blackout that occurred last year on Tuesday and called the testimony of energy executives before a Senate committee hearing "mere speculations". On April 28, last year, Europe's biggest blackout in over two decades paralyzed cities and left people stuck on trains throughout Portugal and Spain. REE, owned by Redeia?correctly? operated the system, in strict compliance?with existing?regulations?, the grid operator stated in a Tuesday press release.

Turkey, Ethiopia to Cooperate on Energy Projects

© sharafmaksumov - stock.adobe.com

Turkey and Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation during a visit by President Tayyip Erdogan to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, the Turkish Energy Ministry said, adding the accord would lead to joint production and projects.Erdogan held a one-day visit to Addis Ababa on Tuesday upon Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's invitation, his first to Ethiopia in 11 years.The accord was signed at a ceremony after talks between the two leaders. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said it would serve as a roadmap to deepen cooperation.The ministry said in a note that under the agreement…

India looks at increasing gas usage during peak hours in order to guarantee power supply

India's top power official revealed on Friday that the country is looking at whether its under-used, gas-fired plants can be used during evening peak hours to provide flexibility in generation as renewable energy grows rapidly. Gas-fired power generation is usually only maximized during the summer peak months, because it's relatively expensive. It is still aiming to maintain its approximately 20?gigawatts gas-based capacity in order to balance the grid. The plants are cleaner than coal, and they offset the intermittent nature?of?wind and?solar power.

Iberdrola denies grid operator's claim its solar plant caused blackout

Iberdrola's CEO in Spain,?on Thursday, rejected the 'claim' by the head of Spain's power grid operator that mismanagement at a'solar plant' owned by Iberdrola could have led to the massive blackout of April 28, last year. Mario Ruiz Tagle's testimony in front of an investigating committee before the Spanish Senate was the first public acknowledgment by Iberdrola, that it owned the infrastructure that the grid operator had singled out, the Nunez de Balboa Solar Plant in the southwest province of Badajoz. He denied that there had been poor management at the plant on that particular day.

Chile to receive its first Australian LNG in 3 years amid tighter Atlantic supply

According to ship tracking data, two Australian LNG cargoes are on their way to Chile. This would be the first time in three years that Chile has received shipments of this nature. The competition between these two 'basins' could be increased by more cargoes being sent to the Atlantic. This would also support the spot LNG price in the region. Kpler data shows that the Gaslog Gladstone tanker, which loaded cargo at Queensland Curtis LNG terminal (QCLNG), on January 27, is expected to arrive in Quintero, Chile on February 14.

BP confirms that it has applied for an OFAC license to develop the Venezuela/Trinidad Gas Field

BP wants a license to 'develop' its Manakin Cocuina Gas Field that crosses the border between Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and Trinidad. This was revealed by interim BP CEO Carol Howle on Tuesday. Shell's Dragon and Manatee project and BP's Manakin are among the energy companies that have moved forward with their plans in Venezuela since the U.S. captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. BP is developing the?field in Trinidad to convert more than 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas into liquefied gas for export. BP owned 45% of Trinidad’s flagship Atlantic LNG plant in 2025. This was 15% of BPs LNG total production.

Trinidad's Atlantic LNG will shut down Train 4 to perform major maintenance

Three people familiar with the plan said that Trinidad and Tobago’s flagship 'Atlantic LNG' plans to close its 6 million metric ton per annum Train 4 in May and/or June for maintenance and repairs. Atlantic LNG is owned by Shell, BP and Trinidad's National Gas Company. Each company holds a 45% share. According to documents from the company, this facility will account for?roughly 15% of BP’s global LNG production in 2025 and 10% of Shell’s LNG output. People told us that the maintenance and repairs will begin on May 4, and last between 45-50 days.

Norway Parliament rejects any challenge to LNG plant power supply

The Norwegian parliament rejected on Thursday a proposal that would have blocked?Equinor from supplying electricity to its Hammerfest LNG plant using the power grid of the region. This allowed the "ongoing" development to continue. The Socialist Party, which had previously supported the plan but now deemed it to be "in reality unlawful", withdrew their support. The Storting is the parliament of the Netherlands. It has 48 members. Opedal said that such an intervention "would be destructive to the trust and predictability necessary for long-term investment" for Equinor, but also for all Norwegian industry.

Trinidad's Atlantic LNG Shuts Down Train 4 for Maintenance

© Adobe Stock/Mike Mareen

Trinidad and Tobago's flagship Atlantic LNG plans to shut its 6 million metric ton per annum Train 4 for up to 50 days in May and June for extensive maintenance and repairs, three people with knowledge of the plan told Reuters.Atlantic LNG is majority owned by Shell and BP - each with a 45% stake - while Trinidad's National Gas Company holds 10%. The facility accounted for roughly 15% of BP's total global LNG production and 10% of Shell's LNG output in 2025, according to company documents.The maintenance and repairs…

Commonwealth LNG signs 20-year supply agreement with Mercuria in response to US LNG export growth

Commonwealth LNG announced on Tuesday that it had signed a sale-and-purchase agreement for 20 years to supply Mercuria 1 million metric tonnes of liquefied gas per year. The deal stipulates that Mercuria would provide Commonwealth with the equivalent amount of natural gas (estimated at 133 millions cubic feet per day) and Commonwealth will convert it to LNG, which Mercuria can then purchase. Commonwealth, a company owned by energy asset management firm Kimmeridge and majority-owned by Commonwealth, is attempting to build America's first integrated export facility for LNG. Kimmeridge will provide gas from Eagle Ford shale to the plant.

Norway Parliament Rejects Challenge to LNG Plant's Power Supply Plan

Norway's parliament on Thursday rejected a proposal to block Equinor's plan to supply electricity to its Hammerfest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant from the region's power grid, allowing the ongoing development to continue.Opposition parties had sought to revoke the LNG plant's planned link to the power grid, but the motion failed when the Socialist Party withdrew its support for the plan, calling it "in practice unlawful".A total of 48 members of parliament, known as the Storting, backed the opposition's proposal while 54 voted against."For Equinor and our partners, it is crucial to be able to trust the authorities' decisions," Equino

Nigeria's Dangote Refinery will begin full-capacity testing in February

A senior executive at Nigeria's Dangote Refinery said that the facility will start performance testing?runs? in February, after it has completed planned maintenance. This is a crucial step to ensuring a steady operation throughout the year. Africa's biggest oil refinery started operations in 2024. It has run at 450,000 to 485,000 bpd since its startup phase due to difficulties obtaining enough local crude during the ramp-up period. Operating the $20 billion refinery to full capacity would reduce Nigeria's fuel bill…

Eni, the Italian biorefinery company, has teamed up with Q8 in Sicily to build a biorefinery.

The two companies announced on Tuesday that they had agreed to "jointly" build and operate a biorefinery at Priolo in Sicily. This is a "major" step in the conversion of former chemical facilities. Eni is reorganizing its?chemical division, which has been losing money. The European petrochemical industry is struggling with "overcapacity". Eni shut down its steam cracker in Priolo last year and plans to move part of its staff to a new biorefinery?and possibly a new mixed plastic recycling?plant. The investment in the 'biorefinery' follows an offer made by Q8 that was accepted both by Eni…

Holm, CFO of green steel startup Stegra, has been appointed to the position in order to raise additional funds

Swedish green steel startup Stegra announced on Monday that it had appointed Markus Holm to the position of chief financial officer. The company is scrambling?to raise additional cash in order to complete its hydrogen-based'steel plant' in northern Sweden. In Europe, many green steel projects are being delayed or have run into problems because the technology is still new and the investment costs are high. Stegra originally planned to open the plant in this year but will now do so by 2027. Stegra announced in October that it is seeking additional financing of $1.1 billion.