After US sanctions, Bulgaria takes measures to protect its Lukoil refinery
Zhecho Stankov, Bulgaria's Energy Minister, said that the country is taking steps to ensure an uninterrupted supply of oil and derivatives following the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia's Lukoil which operates the largest oil refinery in the country. U.S. president Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Russia's biggest oil companies Lukoil, and Rosneft over Moscow's conflict in Ukraine. This sent shockwaves throughout Europe where Lukoil operates a network filling stations and stores, transports and refines crude. Lukoil, Bulgaria's largest crude importer.
Prime Minister says nuclear power and perovskite as Japan's energy sources are important
Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese prime minister, told the parliament on Friday how important it is for Japan to have its own sources of energy such as nuclear power and solar cells made from perovskite. Takaichi (64), the first woman to be elected as prime minister in Japan, was elected this week. After her ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost recent elections due to rising consumer prices, she faces a persistent inflation problem. Takaichi stated that "a stable and affordable supply of energy is essential for the livelihoods of citizens and domestic industries and to increase our competitiveness".
EU sanctions against Russia include two Chinese refineries and the trader Chinaoil
The EU has added Chinaoil Hong Kong (a trading arm for PetroChina) and two Chinese refineries with a combined daily capacity of 600,000.00 barrels to its list of sanctions against Russia, according to the EU Official Journal published on Thursday. Liaoyang Petrochemical is one of the two refineries, and Shandong Yulong Petrochemical is another. Although the Chinese listings were not the first in the EU, they were the most important from an economic perspective. The EU, along with the Group of Seven nations is trying to drain Russia of its means to finance its war in Ukraine. This includes squeezing essential oil and gas revenue.
Woodside signs Williams as an investor for Louisiana LNG construction to accelerate
Woodside Energy, a company based in Australia, has hired U.S.-based Williams to be an investor and operator of the Louisiana Liquefied Natural Gas Plant. This is to benefit from its infrastructure expertise and reduce costs as construction increases. Williams will receive a 10% stake of Louisiana LNG Holding Company and 80% ownership in the Driftwood Pipeline, which will provide feed gas for the $17.5 billion project. Williams, which operates over 33,000 miles (53.108 km) of pipe across 24 U.S. States, will pay Woodside $1.9 billion and contribute $378 million towards the project's costs.
South Africa plans to revive its small-nuclear reactor technology
The electricity and energy Minister said that South Africa expects its Pebble Bed Modular Reactor to be removed from the status of care and maintenance by the first quarter next year, or even sooner. South Africa, once considered a leader in the field of small modular reactors (PBMR), halted research on PBMR in 2010, after spending over 10 billion rand (577 million dollars) and without building a planned demo model. Kgosientsho RAMOKGOPA, the minister of electricity and energy told a press briefing that "we are far advanced (in) our internal processes" to make the case for lifting the care and maintenance to the PBMR.
Energy Minister: Orenburg plant in Russia restarts gas imports from Kazakhstan field
Kazakhstan's Energy Minister said that the Russian Orenburg gas plant was damaged by a drone strike on Sunday. It has since resumed receiving natural gases from Kazakhstan's Karachaganak gas field. As part of Kyiv’s campaign to destroy Russian energy infrastructure, the strike on Orenburg, located approximately 1,700 km (1.056 miles east of Ukraine), marked the first disruption known for Western oil majors that operate in Russia. The Orenburg incident highlighted the vulnerability of energy assets across the border to the growing conflict.
Woodside Energy reaches two-week peak after increasing 2025 production forecast
Woodside Energy shares rose to their highest level in two weeks on Wednesday, despite a 9.4% drop in revenue for the third quarter due to lower average realized prices. The largest independent energy company in the country expects its fiscal 2025 production will be between 192 and 197 millions barrels of oil-equivalent, higher than their previous forecast of 188 to195 mmboe. The company's shares rose up to 4.1%, reaching A$23.31 at 2316 GMT. If current trends continue, this will be the best day for the stock since late July, while the overall market fell 0.7%.
Venture Global receives permission to add natural gas to the final LNG block of Plaquemines Plant
Venture Global has received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to add natural gas to the final block at its Plaquemines LNG Export Facility in Louisiana, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission filing. Venture Global's approval by FERC means that it could begin producing liquefied gas at its Plaquemines facility this week. This is more than a full year before the company expects to deliver its first batch of long-term clients with the gas they have contracted. Venture Global, which is the second-largest LNG exporter in America…
US Natural Gas Hits High Amidst Cooler Outlook
U.S. natural gas futures hit a two-week high on Tuesday, underpinned by sharply colder 1–2 week forecasts that are lifting heating demand expectations, a month-to-date dip in output and strong LNG feedgas demand.Front-month gas futures for November delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 4.7 cents, or 1.4%, to $3.44 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) as of 10:09 a.m. ET, its highest level since October 8.Prices rose as much as 13% in the previous session."Further revisions to the 11-15 day outlooks…
Poland, US Look to Boosting US LNG to Central Europe
Top Polish and U.S. energy officials discussed a potential boost of supplies of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) via Poland to Central Europe to reduce the region's dependence on Russian gas, Poland's energy ministry said on Tuesday.Last week, Poland's Deputy Energy Minister Wojciech Wrochna and U.S. energy secretary Chris Wright discussed in Washington LNG supplies and the construction of Poland's first nuclear plant to be built by Westinghouse, it said."An important topic of the talks was the potential to increase supplies of American LNG through the Polish gas hub for domestic needs and to make Central European countries…
Urals Crude Differentials Steady; Russia Ships Oil to New Georgia Refinery
Urals crude differentials were steady again on Tuesday, while Russia has supplied a first oil cargo to the newly built Kulevi oil refinery in Georgia this month, according to LSEG ship-tracking data and industry sources.According to LSEG and a trader, the tanker Kayseri delivered 105,340 metric tons of Siberian Light oil grade from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk to the Kulevi Oil Terminal on October 6.Hungarian oil and gas company MOL was gradually restarting units at its Danube refinery following a late Monday fire at one of the plant's crude units.PLATTS WINDOWNo bids or offers were reported in the Platts window on Tuesday
EBRD may lend up to $1,5 billion for Central Asia Hydro Plant
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) could lend up $1.5 billion for an Central Asian hydropower station, according to its president. He also noted that the demand for renewable energy is increasing despite some resistance to funding green energies. Kambar-Ata 1 is one of Central Asia's largest renewable energy projects, with a combined 1,860 megawatts. Megawatts of power is expected to boost agricultural output in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and provide electricity. The bank, along with the European Union and the European Investment Bank…
Russell: The US-Australian critical minerals deal highlights the gap with China
It is not the game changer needed to reduce Western dependence on China. But it is a first important step. U.S. president Donald Trump and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese signed a deal in Washington on Monday that could see up to $8 billion invested in projects for the development and refinement of metals essential to industries such as defence, advanced manufacturing, and energy transition. You can dismiss this as political hyperbole and spin, given China's dominance in the majority of global supply chains for critical minerals. China produces 90% of rare earths refined, 90% of graphite and just over 80% of cobalt.
Karachaganak, a Kazakh gas producer, reduces output after a drone strikes a Russian gas plant
The operator of Kazakhstan's Karachaganak Oil and Gas Condensate Field said in an email on Tuesday that production levels have been reduced following "an accident" at Russia's Orenburg Plant. Two industry sources said that on Monday, a Ukrainian drone strike against the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, one of the largest in the world, forced Kazakhstan to reduce its production at the Karachaganak Field by 25 to 30 percent. Ukraine has intensified its strikes against Russia's energy infrastructure in recent months. It confirmed that it had hit a gas station in the Orenburg area, located 1,700 km (1 060 miles) east from the Russian border.
Russell: The US-Australian critical minerals deal highlights the gap with China
It is not the game changer needed to reduce Western dependence on China. But it is a first important step. U.S. president Donald Trump and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese signed a deal in Washington on Monday that could see up to $8 billion invested in projects for the development and refinement of metals essential to industries such as defence, advanced manufacturing, and energy transition. You can dismiss this as political hyperbole and spin, given China's dominance in the majority of global supply chains for critical minerals. China produces 90% of rare earths refined, 90% of graphite and just over 80% of cobalt.
Santos' GLNG facility will stop purchasing Australian domestic gas by 2027
Santos' Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas plant (GLNG) in Australia will cease buying gas produced domestically to meet export contracts, according to its CEO on Tuesday. This could help ease the supply shortages on Australia's east coast. GLNG's CEO Stephen Harty stated that the company spent about A$1billion ($650m) a year on developing its own tenements, building its own supply and eventually would cease all domestic purchases of gas. "We have been on the path of phasing out purchases for a while, and we've had…
Venture Global to add natural gas to final part of Plaquemines LNG Plant, a filing shows
Venture Global asked federal regulators to allow it to inject natural gas into the final section of its Plaquemines Liquefied Natural Gas plant by Thursday, according to an official filing made on Monday. Venture Global, if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gives the permission, will be producing LNG soon from its entire Plaquemines facility, and more than a full year before it's expected to deliver its first batch of long-term customers their contracted quantities of gas. The Plaquemines Export Facility in Louisiana, once completed, will reach its maximum capacity of 27,2 million metric tonnes per year (mtpa).
EUROPE GAS-European gas prices rangebound amid milder outlook
Dutch and British gas price were looking for a direction on Monday, as weather forecasts indicated a milder November start that could help Europe to fill its gas storage. Ukraine, meanwhile, said it would need to import additional gas this winter. LSEG data shows that the benchmark Dutch front-month contract was lower by 0.10 euros, or 10.87 cents per megawatt hour at TTF hub, at 0821 GMT. The Dutch day-ahead contracts was up by 0.08 euros at 31.80 Euro/MWh. The British gas front-month contract dropped 0.68 pence, to 80.28p per therm. Meanwhile, the day-ahead contract decreased by 1 pence and is now at 78.40p/therm.
After a drone attack in Ukraine, a giant Russian gas plant has suspended its intake of Kazakh gas
Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said that a drone attack in Ukraine forced the Orenburg gas processing facility, the largest of its kind anywhere, to stop receiving gas from Kazakhstan. Yevgeny Solntsev, the regional governor of Orenburg, had stated earlier in the day that the drone attack had partially damaged the plant and caused a fire at an atelier at the plant. Kommersant, a Russian media outlet, reported that the fire was put out later, citing an operator. Ukraine has intensified its attacks against Russian refineries…
Vestas shelves Polish turbine plant amid weak European demand, FT reports
The Financial Times reported that Vestas, a Danish wind turbine manufacturer, has shelved its plans to build its largest factory in Poland due to a lack of demand on its main European market. The report could not be verified immediately. Vestas has not responded to the request for comment. Vestas announced plans to build a second offshore wind farm in Poland last summer. The factory was to produce blades in 2026 and create over 1,000 jobs. The company informed the FT that investment in the facility had been suspended "due to a lower than expected demand for offshore winds in Europe".