Santos Australia reports 7% decline in first-quarter revenue
Santos, an Australian oil and natural gas company, reported a 7% drop in its first-quarter revenue on Thursday. The fall was attributed to lower crude oil sales and weaker realised prices of domestic gas and LNG contracts linked to oil. Since China's first 15% retaliatory tax shut down U.S. imports, in February, global LNG prices have fallen. Meanwhile, mounting trade tensions are causing concern about demand erosion on major gas markets that could face economic contraction. According to Jarden’s data compilation…
China will import more Russian LNG by 2025, says ambassador
China will increase its LNG imports from Russia this year, according to its ambassador in Russia. "I can tell you that there are many buyers." "I think that there will be more (imports)", said Zhang Hanhui. He told reporters there was also discussion between Russia and China about the proposed Power of Siberia-2 pipeline project, but that the route had not yet been defined. Since years, Russia has sought an agreement with Beijing on the construction of the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline to transport 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from the Yamal Region in northern Russia through Mongolia to China.
Indian gas firm GAIL seeks 26% stake in US LNG
GAIL India Ltd. issued a tender Friday for a maximum 26% stake in an American liquefied gas project, along with a 15 year gas import agreement. This will help New Delhi to reduce its trade surplus. India is racing to be the first country to sign a deal with the United States after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs. This has led to a trade conflict with China, and other countries are now trying to negotiate. Trump has made it clear that he views U.S. gasoline as a bargaining tool.
Want to reduce your trade surplus with Trump Russell
There are certain trends that will likely emerge amid the chaos and confusion created by U.S. president Donald Trump's global tariff rollout and retreat. One is that countries looking to make a deal will purchase more U.S. products in order to reduce their trade surpluses. Even relative successes like Boeing aircraft highlight the lack of U.S. products that are competitive. Energy commodities like crude oil, LNG and coal are one area that countries could increase their imports of the United States. If every country that wants to do a deal will commit to buy more U.S.
Want to reduce your trade surplus with Trump Russell
There are certain trends that will likely emerge amid the chaos and confusion created by U.S. president Donald Trump's global tariff rollout and retreat. One is that countries looking to make a deal will purchase more U.S. products in order to reduce their trade surpluses. Even relative successes like Boeing aircraft highlight the lack of U.S. products that are competitive. Energy commodities like crude oil, LNG and coal are one area that countries could increase their imports of the United States. If every country that wants to do a deal will commit to buy more U.S.
Shell reduces its first-quarter LNG Production Outlook
Shell has lowered its outlook for first-quarter LNG production in a trading report on Monday. It cited the impact of bad Australian weather, before publishing results on May 2nd. The British company forecasted that the LNG production would be between 6.4 and 6.8 millions metric tons. This is a decrease from its previous forecasts of 6.6 to 7.2 tons. In the fourth quarter last year, it produced 7.1 millions tons of LNG. The company stated that the downward revision was due to cyclones in Australia and unplanned maintenance.
Albanese, an Australian company, has pledged A$2.3 billion in order to assist homeowners with solar batteries
The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged A$2.3billion ($1.39billion) on Sunday to help homeowners purchase batteries to store solar energy and reduce their energy costs. This is a key issue for the 3 May general election. Albanese’s center-left Labor is neck-and-neck with the Liberal-National Opposition led by Peter Dutton in opinion polls. Dutton has been campaigning on a plan for lower electricity bills by forcing LNG producers to divert some of their exports to domestic use.
Panic selling hits Australian energy stocks; Woodside, Santos slump
Australian energy stocks were hit hard by fears of further oil price declines after U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs roiled global markets. The energy subindex fell 7.6% at 0434 GMT and plunged to its lowest level since November 10, 2020. It was on course for its worst day in more than five years. The benchmark ASX200 index fell 2.3%, to a nearly eight-month low level of 7,681.1. Eight OPEC+ nations agreed to move forward with their plan to increase oil production following Trump's announcement. This could put pressure on prices.
Glencore asks Australian Government to bail out local copper assets
Anglo-Swiss commodities company Glencore has said it has spoken to both Queensland and the Federal Government of Australia regarding the future of the Mount Isa Copper Smelter and Townville Copper Refinery assets. Glencore announced in October 2023 that its Mount Isa underground copper mines would be closed by the second half 2025. They cited studies and reviews which stated it was impossible to extend the mine's life. Sam Strohmayr said in a speech to Mount Isa local communities on Wednesday that the impact of the work is expected to be around 500 people.
As Chinese demand slows, mining consolidation will accelerate.
The mining industry is expected to consolidate due to the decline in industrial metals demand, especially in China, the top consumer. Investors said that for now, the high costs of mergers and acquisitions among diverse miners and the significant chance of rejection could hinder full-scale activity. This is ahead of the global gathering of the Copper Industry for the CESCO in Santiago, Chile, next week. LSEG data shows that M&A activity in the mining sector dropped 27% in terms of value to $15 billion during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2024.
As Chinese demand slows, mining consolidation will accelerate.
The mining industry is expected to consolidate due to the decline in industrial metals demand, especially in China, the top consumer. Investors say that for the moment, mergers and acquisitions among diversified miners may be hindered by prohibitively high costs and a significant chance of rejection. LSEG data shows that M&A activity in the mining sector dropped 27% in terms of value to $15 billion during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2024. BHP shares are down 26% since the beginning of 2024. Rio Tinto shares are down 23%, while Glencore shares have fallen 42%.
Gas giants claim that Australia's opposition plan to reserve supplies may worsen the shortage
Gas giants around the world said that a proposal made by Australia's coalition of opposition to force producers to divert more gas from exports into the domestic market in an attempt to win votes would discourage investment and not solve the looming gas shortages. The conservative Liberal-National Coalition has pledged to lower power bills by implementing a gas reservations scheme. The center-left Labor government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has introduced a cap on wholesale gas prices…
Shell warns that Australia's gas reservations plan could worsen shortages
Shell warned Tuesday that Australia's proposal to force more gas from export onto the domestic market would end up discouraging investment and worsening shortages. Energy has become a major issue in the campaign ahead of Australia's general election on May 3. The conservative Liberal-National Coalition pledged to lower power bills and avoid a shortage on the East Coast through a reservation scheme. Shell Australia Chair Cecile wake said that export controls are not the best solution. She also questioned if they would have a material impact on consumer prices.
Sources say India is considering scrapping the import tax on US LNG to boost purchases.
Four government and industry sources have said that India is considering scrapping the import tax on U.S. LNG to increase purchases and reduce the trade surplus, which is a major irritation for President Donald Trump. Both sides want to increase volumes in order to meet the energy needs of India's fast-growing economy. Qatar is India's top LNG supplier. India and the United States agreed that they would increase their energy purchases in the U.S. by $10 to $25 billion over the next few years. Both leaders also agreed to reach $500 billion of bilateral trade by 2030.
Sources claim that Indian state firms are interested in SQM’s lithium projects in Australia.
Four sources have confirmed that four Indian state firms were in discussions with Chilean mining company SQM about acquiring a 20% stake of its two projects in Australia. The deal would cost $600 million. This is New Delhi's largest effort to secure supplies for the metal used in EV batteries. Sources said that Khanij Bidesh India Ltd, a government-backed company, has partnered up with Coal India Ltd, Oil India Ltd, and ONGC Videsh in order to secure a 20% stake in SQM’s Mount Holland Lithium Project and Andover Lithium Project in Western Australia.
Australia pours billions into missile procurement amidst global shortages
Australia's plans for developing its own missile component capability will likely be slowed by the Ukraine war and increased European defense spending, even though it is pushing ahead with a multi-billion dollar effort to purchase long-range attack missiles. Last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed A$74 billion (46.68 billion dollars) for missile acquisition. This included A$21 billion towards the establishment of a Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise. His Labor government had reshaped Australia's defence policy to counter China's military buildup.
Australia's east Coast could experience gas shortages during winter, warns regulator
The Australian Competition Regulator warned on Thursday that the East Coast could be left with a shortage of gas during its winter period spanning from July to September if LNG producers export all their gas not contracted. In its quarterly update, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that the east coast may face a shortage of 9 petajoules while the southern states might face a 40 PJ deficit. Winter in Australia is a time of peak demand for gas due to the colder temperatures. Unexpected weather events and power plant failures can also increase the risk of shortages.
The prize is worth billions of dollars, but winning it is the key: Russell
Decarbonising steel is one of the biggest challenges to meeting climate goals. However, it could be extremely profitable for those companies and governments willing to take on the risk. Steel value chain is responsible for 7 to 9% global carbon emissions. It is the biggest industrial contributor, and therefore a primary target for many countries' and companies' goals for net-zero in 2050. About 80% of the steel emissions are caused by one single process. This is the removal of oxygen and other impurities from iron ore to produce pig iron, or crude iron. The process now requires vast amounts of coal.
Trafigura cancels plans to build a $471 million hydrogen facility in South Australia
Trafigura, the global trading company for commodities, has canceled plans to build a green hydrogen plant worth A$750m ($471.2m) at its Port Pirie Lead Smelter in South Australia. A spokesperson said this on Tuesday. Trafigura, a Swiss company, had commissioned a design study, funded jointly by the South Australian government and Trafigura, in order to reduce the carbon emissions of the plant. Trafigura has completed a feasibility study worth A$5million for a green hydrogen project in Port Pirie.
The EU Commission has told Spain that it will not pay in a long-running case of renewable subsidies
The European Commission gave Spain a win on Monday when it told the country that they would not be paying any compensation for claims in the billions of Euros for renewable energy subsidies cut over a decade earlier. After the conservative government of Spain cut renewables subsidies to reduce an artificially low power tariff deficit that had been built up over years, foreign investors, mainly investment funds, filed a lawsuit against Spain. In 2018, French infrastructure-focused private equity…
