China's Premier Li in Riyadh calls for an acceleration of Gulf trade negotiations
China's Premier Li Qiang urged Beijing on Wednesday to speed up free trade negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia. Li made these remarks at a meeting with GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi in Riyadh, reported Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua. Li will also visit the UAE later this week. The Saudi Arabian news agency SPA reported later that al-Budaiwi stressed in the meeting the importance of moving ahead and finalising trade talks "in the near future".
China increases coal mining to provide winter power: Kemp
China's coal production has reached record levels, and its imports have also risen. However, the surge in power generated by solar farms and hydro dams has reduced thermal generation. The reliability of electricity is dependent on coal-fired power generation, especially during the winter when solar and hydro output are lower and the system relies more heavily on fossil fuel. Even though wind and solar power have been deployed in record numbers, coal is still the most common source of electricity generation, with winter months seeing a rise to over 75%.
China increases coal mining to provide winter power: Kemp
China's coal production has reached record levels, and its imports have also risen. However, the surge in power generated by solar farms and hydro dams has reduced thermal generation. The reliability of electricity is dependent on coal-fired power generation, especially during the winter when solar and hydro output are lower and the system relies more heavily on fossil fuels. Even though wind and solar power have been deployed in record numbers, coal is still the most common source of electricity generation, with winter months seeing a rise to over 75%.
China's Sinopec Finds Shale Oil at Shengli Field
A unit of state-run oil Chinese and gas major Sinopec Corp has found an initial 458 million tonnes (3.34 billion barrels) of geological shale oil reserves at its Shengli field, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.Shengli, in Shandong province, is one of China's largest conventional oil and gas fields but Sinopec, has been exploring the Jiyang trough at the deposit for unconventional resources in a bid to bolster production.In 2019, the company, which operates China's biggest shale gas project in Chongqing, agreed to study shale oil potential in the Dongying trough at Shengli with Royal Dutch
China Expects Balanced Energy Supply/Demand
China's state planner expects this winter's energy supply and demand to be generally balanced amid increasing natural gas output and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.Citing unidentified officials from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Xinhua reported natural gas demand from residential users will grow by more than 3.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) this winter as China enters a third year of a drive to replace coal with gas for use in winter heating.But the NDRC expects natural gas output to reach more than 170 bcm in 2019…
Asian Producers to Boost Winter Gas Supply
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, known as Sinopec, said it has secured 8.81 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas for northern China for the upcoming winter heating season, state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.That was up 15.5% from 7.63 bcm in the previous heating season.CNOOC Group, China's largest offshore oil and gas producer, plans to supply around 24.5 bcm gas, or 1.5 bcm more than last year, across the country, Xinhua reported.The country's top oil and gas producer, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) did not give the amount of gas it will supply in the winter, but said that it will
China, Philippines: 'Bigger Step' Possible Offshore
Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the Philippines could take a "bigger step" in the joint development of oil and gas resources in the South China Sea if they can "properly" handle their dispute over sovereignty.Xi made the remarks on Thursday in a meeting in Beijing with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has positioned himself as a friend of Beijing but has come under growing pressure at home to push back against China's maritime assertiveness.The visit comes amid a recent rise in tension on multiple fronts, with Chinese vessels challenging energy assets and sea boundaries of Malaysia, Viet
China OKs 6.7GW Offshore Wind
The Chinese province of Jiangsu has approved 24 offshore wind power projects with a total capacity of 6.7 gigawatts (GW).The country's state press agency Xinhua reported citing sources with the State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Company that the newly approved projects, with total investment of 122.29 billion yuan (around 18 billion U.S. dollars), are part of Jiangsu's 10 GW-level offshore wind power plan known as "Three Gorges on Sea."All the projects have been given the greenlight and are expected to be completed before the end of 2020.According to the report…
China's LNG Imports Hit Record High
China's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in November surged to a new record as the country briskly promotes the green fuel to clean its energy mix, said a report in Xinhua.In November, LNG imports totaled 5.99 million tons hitting a new record, rising 48.5 percent year-on-year, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs released over the weekend. The previous record was 5.18 million tons set in January this year, according to media reports.The report said that the country's appetite for natural gas has swelled rapidly in recent years…
CNOOC Gas Supply Hits New Record
CNOOC Gas & Power, a unit of China National Offshore Oil Corp , said on Wednesday its daily supply of natural gas had surpassed 200 million cubic meters for the first time as temperatures in northern China plummet.CNOOC sent 205 million cubic meters of gas to the Chinese market on Dec. 10, 18.5 percent more than the daily high of 173 million cubic meters recorded in 2017, CNOOC Gas & Power says on its website.CNOOC plans to supply 48 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas this year, including 46.5 bcm of base supply and 1.5 bcm of incremental supply…
CNOOC to Build $2.17B LNG Terminal
China National Offshore Oil Company, or CNOOC, plans to build a receiving terminal of liquefied natural gas in the eastern province of Jiangsu- expected to cost $2.17 billion, local media reported .The project, located in the city of Yancheng, will include a berth to anchor 100,000 ton vessels, land-based storage and a pipeline grid.
CNOOC Developing New Deep Sea Gas Block in South China Sea
China's offshore oil and gas producer CNOOC has started developing a new gas field in the South China Sea, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.The Lingshui 17-2 gas field is the first deep sea gas block fully operated by a Chinese company, Xinhua said citing CNOOC officials.The deep sea project, which was discovered in 2014, is 150 km (94 miles) south of China's southern Hainan island, with an average operational depth of 1,500 metres, according to a Reuters report from that year.CNOOC is ready to start building a subsea level platform used for drilling, Xinhua said.(Reporting by Meng Meng an
Asian Shares, Oil Fall as US-China Trade Spat Escalates
Asian shares fell to a 2-1/2 week low on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump cranked up trade tensions by going ahead with tariffs on Chinese imports, prompting Beijing to immediately respond in kind.Fears of a global trade war added to pressure on oil prices, which extended Friday's big fall, while the dollar retreated from near 3-week highs against the safe haven yen.Spreadbetters suggested a subdued start for European shares, with FTSE futures off about 0.1 percent. U.S. E-Mini S&P futures stumbled 0.5 percent…
Nine People Injured in China Gas Pipeline Blast
A gas pipeline exploded late on Sunday in China's southwestern province of Guizhou, seriously injuring nine people, official news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.The blast occurred on a pipeline owned by PetroChina at Jiangbaying, near Shazi in Guizhou province, Xinhua said. No deaths had been reported.The route is a domestic extension of a Myanmar-China gas pipeline.After the explosion at 11.20 pm (1620 GMT), automatic control systems closed the pipeline, Xinhua said.
Sinochem Pilots Blockchain for Gasoline Export Shipment
Sinochem Energy Technology Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Sinochem Corporation, has successfully used blockchain technology for a shipment of gasoline from China's Quanzhou to Singapore, said official news agency Xinhua on Monday. It claimed it was the first time that blockchain applications have been applied to all key participants in the commodity trading process. Sinochem Group claimed to have carried out the first crude oil blockchain import transaction in December 2017. The technology is…
Oil Prices Buoyed by Strong U.S. Refinery Runs, China Data
Brent, WTI crude dip but stay near mid-2015 highs; U.S. stocks fall 4.6 mln bbls, refining surges - EIA. Oil prices dipped on Thursday but stayed close to their highest in 2-1/2 years, as data showed strong demand for crude imports in China and on increased refining activity in the United States that drew more crude from inventories. Trading was typically thin at year end, with many traders on vacation. The U.S. Energy Department said crude stocks fell 4.6 million barrels in the latest week. Inventories excluding the nation's strategic reserve have declined more than 11 percent in the last year. U.S.
Oil Near mid-2015 Highs on Strong China Data
Strong China import quota, lower inventories lift crude; OPEC and Russia-led supply cuts also propping up prices. Oil prices stood near their highest in two and a half years, supported by strong data from top importer China amid thin trading activity ahead of the New Year weekend. Heading into 2018, traders said market conditions were relatively tight because of supply cuts led by the Middle East-dominated Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 8 cents at $59.72 a barrel by 1100 GMT.
China's Giant Floating Solar Plant Goes Live
China's Three Gorges Group started producing power from a 150-megawatt floating solar plant in east China, the largest of its kind in the world, official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday. The solar power project in Huainan in Anhui province, developed by the new energy unit of state-run Three Gorges Group, is expected to be in full operation in May next year, the report said. The one-billion-yuan Huainan project is a new experiment aimed at cutting the cost of constructing and operating solar power plants, Lu Chun, chairman of Three Gorges Group was cited as saying.
Fire Breaks out at Petrochina's Dalian Chem Plant
A fire broke out on Thursday at a chemical plant owned by state oil major PetroChina in Dalian, in northeast China's Liaoning Province, state news agency Xinhua reported. The fire broke out around 6:40 p.m. (1040 GMT), it said. Huge flames and billowing smoke were seen at the spot. No casualties have been reported so far, Xinhua said. Reporting by Josephine Mason
China's Appetite for Crude Could Wane
The sharp slowdown in China's refinery processing in July may be another warning sign that the robust growth in crude oil demand this year in the world's top importer is poised to moderate. Refinery throughput was 45.5 million tonnes of crude in July, or about 10.71 million barrels per day (bpd), the lowest operating rate since September last year, and a drop of 500,000 bpd from June. For the first seven months of the year, refinery runs were 11.04 million bpd, up 2.9 percent from the same period last year.
