Shell Restarts Operations in Vaca Muerta Block
Oil company Royal Dutch Shell Plc said on Tuesday it had resumed activities at its Bajada de Añelo block in Argentina's Vaca Muerta area after seismic activity in the region led to a halt late last week."Shell Argentina resumed its activities on Pad 22 of the Bajada de Añelo block, after determining that the conditions for a safe and sustainable return to work were guaranteed," the company said in a statement.The oil firm said on Saturday it had suspended activities after seismic movements in an area of Argentina's Neuquén province near the Andes mountains bo
Denmark's Vestas Breaks Wind Turbine Installation Record, Woodmac Says
Danish wind farm turbine builder Vestas became the first wind turbine manufacturer to install more than 10 GW of wind capacity in a single year (2019), according to new analysis from Wood Mackenzie.The Danish OEM’s grid-connected capacity of 11.3 GW in 2019 is an increase of 1.5 GW on 2018, with installations completed in over 35 markets. The company’s installations in the Americas region contributed more than 50% of capacity for the first time. This was driven by the US…
Europe Dominates LNG Import Story in 2019
Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) production jumped in 2019, triggering oversupply and low prices that are expected to persist in 2020. Initial full-year data from LNG Edge shows exports at 355 million tonnes in 2019, up from 314.9 million tonnes in 2018.This represents the largest ever increase in production.While East Asian, especially Chinese, demand increased in 2017 and 2018 to absorb additional production, there was little change this year. Instead…
First Commercial Cargo Loaded from Tango FLNG
Argentine oil company YPF SA has loaded its first commercial liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo for export from a new floating facility, trade sources said on Friday.Argentina's export joins a wave of new supply flooding the spot market which has depressed Asian spot prices to their lowest in a decade for this time of the year.The state-owned firm issued a tender which closed on Nov. 6 to sell 2.1 trillion British thermal unit (Tbtu) of LNG for loading from FLNG Tango…
Equinor Eyes Brazil Natural Gas Infrastructure
Norway's Equinor ASA is scouting locations on Brazil's coast to install new natural gas infrastructure, the company's Brazil chief said, as the firm's gas-heavy offshore fields come on-line in the coming years.Natural gas is considered both a promising opportunity and a vexing problem in Brazil. The Latin American oil powerhouse is rapidly developing a prolific oil area off the nation's southeastern coast known as the pre-salt.Many of the region's assets have significant amounts of natural gas…
Schlumberger Debuts At-bit Steerable System
Schlumberger Introduces At-Bit Steerable System for Drilling Horizontal Wells in a Single RunNeoSteer at-bit steerable system design integrates a unique cutting structure and steering mechanismsSchlumberger introduced today the NeoSteer at-bit steerable system (ABSS) at Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (SPE ATCE). The NeoSteer ABSSs improve horizontal well drilling performance by providing high-dogleg capability and increased rate of penetration in the curve and the lateral.Developed as a fit-for-basin solution…
Schlumberger CEO Outlines Digital Strategy
Schlumberger NV's newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer Olivier Le Peuch on Wednesday outlined his vision for the world's largest oilfield services company, vowing to exit unprofitable businesses, restructure some units and focus on returns.In his first public remarks since taking office in July, the 32-year company veteran also warned the company would record a sizeable, non-cash charge to write down assets in the current quarter. He did not specify the size of the writedown.Le Peuch…
FLNG Innovations Boost Gas Industry Growth
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) technologies, such as floating LNG (FLNG) innovations, driven by its shorter construction lead times and lower capital investment costs, are increasingly becoming a viable option for increased gas deployments.FLNG helps mitigate siting constraints that shore-based infrastructure may face, pointed out the Kansas City-based engineering firm Black & Veatch.The provider of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services…
Equinor,YPF Pact on Argentina Wind Power
Norwegian multinational energy company Equinor ASA and Argentine power producer YPF Luz have joined for the development of the Cañadón León wind farm in Santa Cruz in Argentina.As per agreement, a subsidiary of Equinor will subscribe to shares in Luz del León. The shareholders of YPF Luz are YPF S.A and an affiliate of General Electric.The agreement establishes that Equinor will have a 50% stake of Luz del León, with an equity contribution of USD 30 million.
McDermott Wins Pre-FEED Gig by YPF
American multinational engineering company McDermott International announced it has been awarded a contract by Argentina-based YPF to provide pre-front-end engineering design (Pre-FEED) services for a five million tons per annum (MTPA) LNG Liquefaction Facility, with a potential expansion to 10 MTPA, at the Vaca Muerta Shale field in Argentina.The scope of work is a continuation of a previous conceptual study developed for the YPF LNG Export Facility…
Exxon to Proceed with Argentina Development
US based ExxonMobil said on Tuesday it is proceeding with a long-term oil development in Argentina’s Bajo del Choique-La Invernada block.The project is expected to produce up to 55,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day within five years and will include 90 wells, a central production facility and export infrastructure connected to the Oldeval pipeline and refineries.“We are encouraged by the excellent results of our Neuquén pilot project and look forward to increased production through this significant expansion…
Exmar Commissions Tango FLNG
Belgian owner and operator of gas carriers Exmar has completed the commissioning of the 16,100 cbm Tango floating liquefaction unit (FLNG).The performance acceptance tests has been successful, the first cargo has been offloaded and will be exported out of Argentina, said a release from the provider of specialized floating assets.With this first shipment the start-up of the Tango FLNG is accomplished in a record time following the contract signing in November 2018 and delivery acceptance of the unit in Bahia Blanca in February 2019.
Argentina Grants Offshore Exploration Permits
Argentina awarded permits to begin hydrocarbon exploration in 18 areas off the coast of the country in the Malvinas West basin to companies including Exxon Mobil Corp, Total SA, YPF SA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the government said on Friday.The winning companies offered bids totaling $724 million, the government said, to explore the areas that are located in the South Atlantic, some near the Malvinas Islands under the control of the British government…
Pemex Requests $8bn Loan Amid Heavy Uncertainty
Petróleos Mexicanos’ (Pemex) US$8 billion bank loan comes amid heavy investor uncertainty over the oil company’s debt load, but lenders wanting to maintain links with Pemex and the left-wing administration overseeing the firm may have little choice but to commit to the financing.The state-backed oil producer is tapping its relationship banks to refinance a chunk of liabilities, a big ask when there is minimal visibility over Pemex’s refining capabilities…
Wintershall Wins Argentina Offshore Bid
Germany's largest crude oil and natural gas producer Wintershall won the bidding process for two blocks in the promising Malvinas Basin off the coast of Tierra del Fuego as part of the “Costa Afuera” licensing round.In addition to the CMA-1 exploitation concession, with this award, the company will participate in further offshore exploration projects in Argentina. The exploration licenses are located approximately 300 km off the southeast coast of Argentina.Wintershall will hold a 27 percent interest in the licenses MLO-114 and MLO-119.
ExxonMobil Wins 3 Blocks Off Argentina
U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil Corp said that its unit and an affiliate of Qatar Petroleum had won three exploration blocks offshore Argentina.ExxonMobil has increased holdings in Argentina after its subsidiary ExxonMobil Argentina Offshore Investments B.V. and an affiliate of Qatar Petroleum won three exploration blocks during Argentina’s first offshore bid round.The award adds approximately 2.6 million net acres to its existing holdings in Argentina…
Equinor Launches High-Tech Buoy
Equinor Wind US has announced deployment of a cutting-edge, specialized buoy designed to gather information, an important step in the development of its offshore wind lease site in the “New York Bight,” which will provide wind energy to New York and the region to help achieve the renewable energy goals recently set forth by Governor Andrew Cuomo.The Floating LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device will measure wind speed, wind direction, wave conditions…
Exmar's Tango FLNG Arrives in Argentina
Belgian shipowner Exmar said its first floating LNG (FLNG) production unit Tango FLNG, to be renamed Tango FLNG, has berthed in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.The Nicolas Saverys-led shipowner said in a press release that the Caribbean FLNG will stay in Bahia Blanca and produce LNG for export for YPF over a ten-year period.After contract signing in November 2018, the unit was transported from China to Argentina onboard a heavy lift vessel.The next major project milestone will involve outfitting and commissioning the unit.
Halliburton Profit Beats on International Demand
Halliburton Co beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit on Tuesday, as higher demand for its oilfield services in international markets offset a slowdown in North America.Clients in North America, Halliburton's biggest market by revenue, began pulling back on some drilling services last year amid transportation bottlenecks in the largest U.S. production region and after oil prices slid sharply in the fourth quarter.An oil glut and concerns about a global economic slowdown have pushed U.S.
QP, Exxon to Build $10B LNG Plant in Texas
Exxon Mobil and Qatar Petroleum announced a final decision to finance a $10 billion-plus project to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Texas Gulf Coast.Construction of the Golden Pass LNG export project located in Sabine Pass will begin in the first quarter of 2019 and the facility is expected to start up in 2024, said a press release.“Golden Pass will provide an increased, reliable, long-term supply of liquefied natural gas to global gas markets…
