What Does US-China Trade Deal Mean for Oil Markets?
After over a year of trade tensions, the US and China signed a “phase one” trade deal on 16 January. As part of the deal, China has agreed to increase the value of energy imports by $52.4 billion above 2017 levels over the next two years. What could it mean for the oil market?Ann-Louise Hittle, vice president, macro oils at Wood Mackenzie said, “This trade deal is beneficial to the broader global economy, but will have limited impact on the global oil market and the Asian regional refining…
Freeport LNG Kicks Off Train 2
US-based Freeport LNG has started commercial operations at its second of three planned liquefaction trains.Freeport LNG Train 3 remains on track to meet its previously announced schedule, with initial production of LNG scheduled for Q1 of 2020, said McDermott International, Inc. with its partners, Chiyoda International Corporation and Zachry Group."We continue to advance the Freeport LNG Project with another significant accomplishment, the commercial operation of Train 2," said Mark Coscio…
Global Demand Lifts Schlumberger Profits
Schlumberger NV reported a 9.4% rise in adjusted quarterly profit on Friday, as buoyant demand in international markets helped the world's largest oilfield services provider make up for lower drilling activity in North America.Net income fell to $333 million, or 24 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec.
Nordex Wind Energy Orders Top 6.2GW in 2019
The turbine manufacturing and installation company Nordex Group booked turbine orders totaling 6207MW in 2019, up 31% on the 4754MW in 2018.The German manufacturer secured deals with a combined capacity of 1477MW in the fourth quarter of last year, which was down on the 1679MW in the last three months of 2018.Overall, the Nordex Group received orders to deliver 1,616 wind turbines with a total output of 6,207 MW in 2019, representing a 31 percent increase on the previous year (2018: 4…
NOAA: Oregon LNG Pipeline Will Have Minimal Impact
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said its analysis found that the construction and operation of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Coos Bay, Ore. and its associated pipeline will have minimal impact on protected species and their habitats.NOAA Fisheries issued a final biological opinion on construction and operation of the Jordan Cove terminal and the associated 229-mile long Pacific Connector LNG pipeline. After conducting a thorough review,…
China Opens Up to Foreign E&P Firms
For the first time, China will this year allow foreign companies to explore for and produce oil and gas in the country, opening up the industry to firms other than state-run energy giants, as Beijing looks to boost domestic energy supplies.The long-awaited opening accompanies a reshuffle of the so-called "midstream" pipeline business, but experts say it may not excite immediate interest from global drillers because of the poor overall asset quality of China's hydrocarbon resources.From May 1, foreign firms registered in China with net assets of 300 million yuan ($43 million) will be allowed to take part
Apache Makes Major Discovery Offshore Suriname
Apache Corp and Total SA said on Tuesday they had made a major oil discovery in a closely watched area off the coast of South America's Suriname, sending Apache's shares surging nearly 27%.The discovery, dubbed "among the most anticipated in the world" by one brokerage, is seen as central to Apache's efforts to reduce its reliance on the Alpine High venture in Texas' Permian basin, which has suffered from a dive in natural gas prices.Analysts said it was impossible to ascertain as yet…
Sempra LNG, Aramco Sign Deal
North American energy infrastructure company Sempra Energy and Saudi Aramco's Aramco Services Company, signed an Interim Project Participation Agreement for the Port Arthur LNG export project under development in Jefferson County, Texas.According to a press release, the IPPA represents another milestone for both companies after having signed a heads of agreement in May last year for the purchase of 5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a 25% equity investment in the Port Arthur LNG project.Jeffrey W.
Castleton Closes Shell Shale Deal
Houston-based Castleton Resources said that its subsidiary Castleton Commodities International LLC (CCI) has closed on the acquisition of the East Texas and North Louisiana Haynesville Shale assets of BG US Production Company LLC, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc. Pro forma for the acquisition, Castleton Resources will hold approximately 222,400 net acres in the region and produce approximately 334 MMcfe/d (net). Castleton Resources is owned by CCI and Tokyo Gas America Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. Concurrent with the transaction, Tokyo Gas America Ltd.
Louisiana LNG Unit Starts Production
Train 2 of the Cameron LNG project in Hackberry, Louisiana, has begun producing liquefied natural gas (LNG), announced McDermott International and its joint venture partner, Chiyoda International Corporation, a U.S.-based wholly-owned subsidiary of Chiyoda Corporation, Japan.While production is in the initial phases, this significant project accomplishment is a precursor to substantial completion of Train 2."This accomplishment is attributable to the entire team's unwavering commitment to project delivery and steadfast focus on safety and quality performance as we work toward completion of Train 2…
Offshore Wind: Decisions Needed Sooner, not Later
On September 26, the State University of New York Maritime College hosted a conference on the emerging east coast offshore wind industry. “Offshore Wind Power, Planning for America’s Ocean Energy” focused on four fundamental topics:• East Coast Wind Farm Overview – Status of the Industry.• Jobs and Supply Chain Technical Working Group.• Wind Farm Port Development.• Offshore Wind Maritime Operations.In some ways, actually clocking in for a day’s work on an offshore wind turbine is tantalizingly close. Ditto for power flowing from an offshore substation to a mainland interconnection.
Oil Consumption Tracking is All About Asia
Oil market analysts must make sense of a bewildering array of statistics about production, consumption and inventories, compiled and published with varying definitions and degrees of accuracy and timeliness.The challenge is to form an accurate and nuanced picture of the whole market capable of generating useful forecasts, without becoming lost in the insignificant details.The World Bank identifies around 200 economies in the world, but on the consumption side, at least, only a handful…
Ocean LNG Leads in Contracted Capacity
Ocean LNG has dominated in terms of long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) import volumes for contracts signed by key purchasing companies for the year 2019, with almost 47% of the global contracted capacity.According to a report by GlobalData, Ocean LNG signed the biggest long-term LNG contract for 2019 with Golden Pass Products. According to the contract, Golden Pass Products will supply Ocean LNG with 15.6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG for a period of 20 years, from 2024 to 2044.The gas will be supplied from the Golden Pass II LNG liquefaction terminal in Texas…
Offshore: OSV Market Report
The environment in oil patches onshore and offshore alike has been challenging throughout 2019; worries about an economic slowdown – whether cyclical or induced by a trade war – have weighed heavily on oil prices, even in the face of reduced production by the big producers. Though storm clouds persist, there appears a clearing on the horizon.The fate of Offshore Service Vessels (OSVs) is, naturally, closely tied to the price of oil. Seacor Marine’s John Gellert, in reviewing its Q2 results, said: “Activity levels in the U.S.
Asian Refiners Strive to Finish IMO Preparations
At SK Energy's largest refinery in South Korea, engineers are rushing to complete a new processing unit ahead of schedule as the firm looks to boost sales of low-emission fuels before new marine fuel standards take effect in just one month.In Japan, the country's second-biggest refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co is taking a more cautious stance, increasing capacity for low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO), but also relying on blending to produce IMO 2020 compliant bunker fuel.The different approaches come…
Texas Petrochemical Fire Continues to Burn
Three workers were injured in a massive explosion on Wednesday that sparked a blaze at a Texas petrochemical plant, the latest in a series of chemical plant accidents in the region.An initial blast at a TPC Group complex in Port Neches, Texas, was followed by secondary explosions that shattered windows, blew locked doors off their hinges and prompted officials to evacuate homes within a half-mile radius of the facility, which about 90 miles east of Houston.Peyton Keith, a TPC spokesman…
Cheap LNG from Qatar Imperils N.American Projects
Proposed projects to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from North America face an uphill battle against Qatar, which announced plans to further ramp up production to hold onto its position as the world's leading LNG exporter.The United States is on track to overtake Qatar and Australia as the top LNG exporter by 2024, but now will only hold that title for a few years as Qatar announced this week it will boost production by 64% by 2027.Qatar's plans add another headwind for dozens of…
Three Injured in TPC Port Neches Explosion
Three workers were injured in an early Wednesday explosion that sparked a blaze at a petrochemical plant in Port Neches, Texas, the latest in a series of chemical plant accidents in the region.An initial explosion at the TPC Group plant was followed by secondary blasts, shattering windows and blowing locked doors off their hinges in homes near the facility, which is about 90 miles east of Houston.Residents within a half-mile radius were evacuated.The fiery blast follows others at petrochemical plants in east Texas.
EIA, IEA Grossly Overestimating US Shale: ESAI
ESAI Energy, an oil & energy data provider, believes both the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) are overly optimistic in their November projections of US crude oil production in 2020, according to the company’s latest North America Watch.ESAI Energy sees a deceleration in growth to about 650,000 b/d next year, in contrast to the EIA and IEA forecasts of 1.0 million b/d and 900,000 b/d, respectively.ESAI points to declining capital expenditures by many shale producers in response to investor pressure to spend within cash flow…
US Signs Highest LNG Export Contract
US signed highest volume of global long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) export contracts in 2019, accounting for around a 67% of global share. Abundant shale gas production in the US has enabled the country to export natural gas as LNG. to global markets. According to GlobalData, the US has signed five long-term contracts in 2019 for the export of 22.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG. Of these, the contract signed between Golden Pass Products and Ocean LNG Limited had the highest…
