Australia announces rescue bid for Rio Tinto Tomago Aluminium Smelter
The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, announced on Friday that a "rescue" effort would be launched to keep Australia's biggest aluminium smelter open, the struggling Tomago plant majority owned by Rio Tinto after its current energy contract expires 2028. The announcement comes after the company had warned in October of a possible closure for Tomago Aluminium. It employs more than 1,000 employees and 200 contractors. Albanese stated that aluminium was becoming a "vital product", making it vital to keep Tomago operating. He said that if Australia does not produce aluminium, the knock-on effects in other industries are significant.
Drax plans on converting coal-era power stations into data centres by 2027
Drax Group announced on Thursday that it could convert a part of its power plant in Yorkshire, Northern England, into an data centre by 2027. The land, cooling systems, and transformers were previously used for coal generation. Europe's old coal- and gas-fired plants are in need of a new lease on life. Tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon want to convert them into data centers, using the existing power and water supply, to meet the rise in AI-driven demand for energy. Drax is preparing an application for a 100-megawatt potential data centre on the site, with ambitions of expanding capacity beyond 1 gigawatt by 2031.
Kyiv reports that Russia has hit the gas transport system of Ukraine's Odesa Region.
A senior Ukrainian official reported on Wednesday that Russian drones had 'hit the gas transport system' in Ukraine’s southern Odesa Region. This area contains several pipelines bringing U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas to Ukraine from Greece. Mykola Kolysnyk, the deputy minister of energy, refused to say what had happened. The Ukrainian gas transit operator reported that planned volumes for the Transbalkan route, also known as the Transbalkan Gas Transit Route, were mostly unchanged. In recent months, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian energy and gas infrastructure. This includes both gas production and transmission systems.
Venture Global responds to Shell's fraudulent claims in LNG arbitration
Venture Global responded late Tuesday night to Shell's legal challenge over the oil major losing an arbitration case involving liquefied gas cargoes. They rejected Shell's allegations of fraud and accused Shell of violating arbitration confidentiality. The legal documents filed in New York Supreme Court are the latest in a long saga about Venture Global's alleged failure to deliver LNG in accordance with long-term contracts, while selling LNG on the spot market at a time when prices were soaring after Russia's invasion in Ukraine. Shell, BP and Edison are among the companies that have filed arbitration cases against Venture Global.
Venture Global responds to Shell's fraudulent claims in LNG arbitration
Venture Global responded late Tuesday night to Shell's legal challenge over its loss in an arbitration case involving liquefied gas cargoes. The company rejected allegations of fraud, and accused Shell of breaching arbitration confidentiality. The legal documents filed in New York Supreme Court are the latest in a long-running saga about Venture Global's inability to deliver LNG in accordance with long-term contracts, while selling LNG on the spot market when prices rose after Russia's invasion in Ukraine. Shell, BP, Edison and other companies filed arbitration claims in 2023 against Venture Global.
Russian Syzran Oil Refinery Halted by Ukraine Drone Attack
Russia's Syzran oil refinery on the Volga River halted oil processing on December 5 after being damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack, two industry sources said on Tuesday.Ukraine and Russia have been attacking each other's energy facilities as peace talks have failed to progress.The Ukrainian military said on Friday that it had carried out long-range strikes overnight on an oil refinery in the Russian city of Syzran and the Temryuk port in the Krasnodar region.The sources said the drones hit the plant's CDU-6 crude distillation unit, which is primary equipment that was also targeted by drones in August and required two weeks of repairs.On
Sources: Russian Syzran oil refinery was halted on December 5, by a drone attack
Two industry sources reported on Tuesday that the Russian Syzran refinery, located on the Volga River, stopped?oil production on December 5, after it was?damaged by an Ukrainian drone attack. As peace talks failed to progress, Ukraine and Russia began attacking each other's nuclear energy plants. The Ukrainian military said that they had carried out long-range attacks overnight on an oil refining plant in the Russian city Syzran, and on the Temryuk Port located in the Krasnodar Region. Sources said that the drones targeted the CDU-6 crude distillation unit of the plant…
Sources say Saudi Aramco will export the first condensate in February from Jafurah Gas Plant
Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed on Tuesday that Saudi Aramco, the state energy company, plans to export the first condensate from the Jafurah Gas Plant in 'February. Aramco is aiming to be a global leader in natural gas by increasing its production capacity. The $100 billion Jafurah Project, which contains 229 trillion standard cubic feet of raw gas, and 75 billion barrels condensate according to estimates, is at the heart of this ambition. Saudi Finance Ministry said that the first phase of production began in early this month.
EUROPE GAS-European Prices Rise on Slightly Stronger Demand Outlook
Dutch and British gas rates firmed up on Tuesday. Forecasts suggest a slightly higher demand, although both pipeline?and liquefied (LNG?) supply remain robust. LSEG data revealed that the benchmark Dutch front-month MWh contract at TTF hub had increased by 0.16?euros to 27.33 euros (MWh) or $9.33/mmBtu as of 0913 GMT. It fell to its lowest level in April 2024, 26.75 Euros/MWh on Monday. The Dutch day-ahead contracts eased by 0.03 euros, to 26.77 Euros/MWh. The British day-ahead gasoline price increased by 1.85 pence to 68.60 cents.
Gazprom Delivers First LNG Cargo to China Post Sanctions
Russian energy giant Gazprom has delivered a liquefied natural gas cargo from Portovaya LNG plant to China, in the first such shipment since the United States introduced sanctions against the project in January, LSEG data showed on Monday.Gas carrier Valera, formerly known as Velikiy Novgorod, brought the cargo from the Baltic Sea's plant to the Beihai LNG terminal, LSEG ship-tracking data showed.Russia's largest LNG producer Novatek uses the same loading outlet in China for cargoes from Arctic LNG 2 plant.The tanker was loaded at Portovaya on October 28 and has arrived at the southern Chinese port of Tieshan…
Data shows that Gazprom has delivered the first LNG cargo to China after sanctions from Portovaya.
LSEG data revealed on Monday that Russian energy giant Gazprom delivered a cargo of liquefied gas from the Portovaya LNG facility to China. This was the first shipment since January when the United States imposed sanctions against the project. LSEG's ship tracking data revealed that the gas carrier Valera (formerly Velikiy Novgorod) transported the cargo from the Baltic Sea plant to the Beihai terminal for LNG. Novatek, the largest LNG producer in Russia, uses the same loading port in China to load cargoes from Arctic LNG 2. Data showed that the tanker arrived in Tieshan (south China) on November 28 after being loaded at Portovaya.
Document shows that Shell has been approved as the majority partner of PetroSA in the block offshore South Africa.
A document obtained by revealed that South Africa's national oil company PetroSA has approved the deal for Shell Offshore to receive a 60% share in Block 2C off its west coast. The agreement, if it is successfully concluded, will increase Shell's exposure in the Orange Basin. This area has been dubbed one of the most sought-after exploration zones around the globe after the major oil discoveries made in Namibia. In a short note, PetroSA's priority programs stated that the company approved the farm-in agreement to…
Data shows that Gazprom has delivered the first LNG cargo to China after sanctions from Portovaya.
LSEG data revealed on Monday that Russian energy giant Gazprom delivered a cargo of liquefied gas from the Portovaya LNG facility to China. This was the first shipment since January when the United States imposed sanctions against the project. LSEG's ship tracking data revealed that the gas carrier Valera (formerly Velikiy Novgorod) transported the cargo from a Baltic Sea plant to Beihai LNG Terminal. Novatek, the largest LNG producer in Russia, uses the same loading port in China to load cargoes from Arctic LNG 2. Data showed that the tanker arrived in Tieshan port, south China on November 28 after being loaded at Portovaya.
Hungarian energy company MVM is ready to phase out Russian Gas if necessary
Hungary's MVM state-owned group can still supply gas to the country even if Russian imports are stopped, but prices will probably rise, according to its chief executive. As part of a move to reduce the EU's energy dependence on Moscow over decades, the European Union decided on Wednesday to stop importing Russian gas by 2027. Short-term pipeline gas contracts will be affected as early as June 2026. Hungary, a landlocked country, opposes this move and has said that it will challenge the legislation before the EU Court of Justice. Karoly Matrai is the CEO of MVM.
Romanian Brazi Power Plant resumes operation after being shut down by the state
Romanian energy company OMV Petrom is majority owned by Austrian OMV. Its 860 MW, gas-fired Brazi Power Plant has resumed operation after being forced to close due to water restrictions in the Paltinu Dam, which it relies on. According to the company, Brazi's power plant will soon be operating at full capacity. The plant supplies about 10% of the electricity in the country. The Energy Ministry said that 300 MW had been reconnected with the national grid. The plant was operating at a reduced capacity since November 30, and shut down completely on Tuesday.
Indonesia reverses its decision to retire Cirebon coal-powered plant early
Indonesia's chief economic minister stated on Friday that it was unlikely to proceed with its plan to retire Cirebon-1 early. However, the country is evaluating other coal-fired power plants to be shut down early. Cirebon was seen as a case study for early retirements of coal-fired plants in developing nations under the Just Energy Transition Partnership, a G7 funded initiative. Indonesian authorities missed a deadline last year after originally agreeing to shut down Cirebon by 2035, seven years before its expected lifespan. They also raised concerns over potentially higher electricity subsidy costs.
Shell-led LNG Canada’s second processing unit is still down, according to sources
Two sources have confirmed that Shell-led LNG Canada’s second processing unit known as Train 2 is still down almost a month after it was first started up. On November 20, the company announced that a restart was scheduled for December 1, and would last approximately two weeks. On Thursday, a spokesperson for LNG Canada stated that it would provide an update this week. The complex, located in Kitimat (British Columbia), is the first major LNG-export facility in Canada, and the first in North America's West Coast. . LNG Canada will export 14 million tonnes of LNG annually when fully operational.
Serra Verde cancels China offtake deal after being approached by Western firms
Serra Verde, a Brazilian rare earths mining company, has reduced the contract durations of its Chinese processing agreements, allowing it to potentially supply Western companies once their separation capacity is available in the coming years. China is the largest supplier of rare earths in the world, and 90% of it is processed. This makes it vital to electronics, defence, electric vehicles, wind turbines and other industries. Serra Verde, when developing its mine, agreed to 10-year deals with Chinese companies for the purchase of its concentrate. Serra Verde is rich in heavy rare Earths unlike other Western deposits.
Minister says 60% of Morocco's water will be supplied by desalination
Rabat, the capital of Morocco, is accelerating investment in renewable energy-powered desalination plants, and plans to increase its supply of drinking water by 60% by 2030. This will be up from 25%. It is vital to maintain a steady supply of water and the status of Morocco as a major producer and exporter fresh produce in an era of climate change. Droughts have dried up many of its water reservoirs, and underground resources are depleted. Nizar Baraka, speaking on the sidelines at the World Water Congress held in Marrakech on Thursday…
Sources say Exxon will permanently close one steam cracker plant in Singapore by March.
Four sources familiar with the situation said that ExxonMobil will cease operations in March at the older steam cracker on Singapore's Jurong Island. This is part of the global trend of the petrochemicals industry to reduce capacity due to losses. Two sources stated that the shutdown of the plant which was opened in 2002 is expected to be completed by June. Two sources declined to identify themselves because they weren't authorised to talk to the media. Chemical producers are struggling with the losses caused by overcapacity, mainly due to China.