Freeport LNG restores Quintana Island Plant after Outage
Freeport LNG announced on Monday that its plant in Quintana, Texas has resumed full operation following an outage caused by unstable electricity from its supplier Center Point Energy last week. Last Tuesday, the third largest U.S. supplier of super-cooled gas halted its liquefaction operations after announcing that it had intermittent power outages following winter storm Enzo and would be offline until transmission conditions stabilised. Freeport is among the most closely monitored LNG export plants around the world, as the start-up or halting its operations can cause large price swings on global gas markets.
Philippines communities challenge dash for fossil gas
The government claims that LNG is an alternative to coal, and the capacity to generate it is required to meet the energy demands of Luzon Island, which is also home to Manila, the capital city, located 110 km (68 mi) north. Many people in Santa Clara, an area adjacent to the port's terminal, claim that respiratory illness has increased dramatically, even among children as young five years old. They attribute this to the LNG plants. Welita Abanil is a 69-year-old Santa Clara healthcare worker. Gas plants in the area have also reduced our fishing income. We have nowhere to go.
Renewable Energy: First Floating Tidal Power Delivered to Nova Scotia Grid
Sustainable Marine said it has successfully harnessed the tidal currents in Canada’s Bay of Fundy, delivering the first floating in-stream tidal power to Nova Scotia’s grid.Nova Scotia has allocated circa 30MW of capacity via demonstration permits and berths at FORCE (Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy) for developers to demonstrate their energy generation prowess. “Achieving ‘first power’ to the grid from our new platform in Grand Passage signals a real inflection point for our business,” said Jason Hayman, CEO, Sustainable Marine.
Ship Power: MAN Energy Solutions Unveils New LNG Dual-fuel Engine
In a live-stream presentation from its Copenhagen Research Center, MAN Energy Solutions has demonstrated advanced dual-fuel engine technology for low-cost, fuel-efficient operation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and other vessels where low capital outlay is a priority. Tom Mulligan, science &and technology correspondent, reports.MAN Energy Solutions has demonstrated its latest low-speed, dual-fuel engine, the MAN B&W ME-GA type, an Otto-cycle variant of the company’s successful ME-GI engine, at a ceremony live-streamed from its Copenhagen Research Center.
Virus Lockdowns Pummel Global Gas Demand, Force LNG Output Cuts
Lockdowns to slow the coronavirus pandemic are pummelling gas demand in the world's biggest buyers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), pushing Asia's spot prices to record lows and forcing some suppliers to start cutting output. Economies worldwide have ground to a halt as virus containment measures have taken their toll, slashing gas demand for power generation, heating, cooking, vehicles and chemical manufacture. The world's biggest LNG markets - Japan, China, South Korea, and India - are all seeing a drop in demand.
Schottel Merges Tidal Units to Sustainable Marine Energy
Schottel, the manufacturer of propulsion and steering systems for ships and offshore applications, has made a strategic decision to merge its tidal energy businesses into Sustainable Marine Energy (SME), including UK subsidiary TidalStream Ltd and Canadian subsidiary Black Rock Tidal Power Inc (BRTP)."Following the successful collaboration between SME, Schottel Hydro and Black Rock Tidal Power to develop and demonstrate the PLAT-I floating tidal energy system, with deployments in Scotland and in Canada…
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Backs Offshore Wind
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) is remaining committed to supporting the state’s goals of generating 3.5GW of offshore wind by 2030 and reaching 100% of renewable energy by 2050.The Offshore Wind Supply Chain Networking Event at Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment provided information about the state’s plans for offshore wind, supply chain opportunities, available incentives, and workforce development programs.The event was co-sponsored by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority…
NRCAN Grant Triggers Major Investment in the Bay of Fundy
The next wave of tidal energy development at the FORCE facility in the Bay of Fundy Nova Scotia has been triggered by a substantial grant of $29,750,000 under the Emerging Renewable Power Program (ERPP) from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).European based renewable energy developer DP Energy is managing two berths in the Bay of Fundy through its Canadian registered company, Halagonia Tidal Energy Limited. It intends to develop both berths together as a single project under the banner Uisce Tapa (pronounced Ish ka Ta Pa) which means fast running water in Gaelic.
China Move to Drop Crude off Tariff List a Relief for Sinopec
China's decision to remove crude oil from its latest tariff list in an escalating trade war with the United States was a relief to state oil firms prompted by a strong lobbying effort by main importer the Sinopec Group, Beijing-based oil sources said.Dropping crude oil from the final tariff list on $16 billion in U.S. goods announced late on Wednesday underscores the growing importance of the United States as a key global producer and critical alternative supply source for top importer China…
Most US Oil Execs See Prices below $60/Barrel through 2018
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. oil executives see crude oil prices remaining below $60 per barrel through 2018 and not hitting $70 until at least the next decade, according to a survey published on Wednesday by consultancy Deloitte Services LP. The survey, based on a poll of 250 executives at companies that produce, transport and refine oil and natural gas, reflects a shift from last year when many respondents forecast commodity prices would rise and capital spending budgets grow. U.S. oil prices fell slightly on Wednesday to $50.79 per barrel.
Heriot-Watt Sets Global Data Landscape for BP Statistical Review
The economics professor who leads the in-depth data collation process for BP’s annual Statistical Review of World Energy has welcomed the energy major’s latest findings as “clear evidence of a major transformation in the global energy landscape”. Professor Mark Schaffer, Director of the Center for Energy Economics and Policy (CEERP), at Heriot-Watt University, said, “The 2017 Review is clear evidence of the interesting interaction between short and long-term energy forces. It demonstrates further progress in long run transitions in international energy production, consumption and trade.
ExxonMobil, Princeton Launch Energy Research Projects
In association with their partnership focused on energy technologies, ExxonMobil and Princeton University have selected five research projects that center on solar and battery technologies, plasma physics, Arctic sea-ice modeling, and the impact of carbon dioxide absorption on the world’s oceans. In June 2015 ExxonMobil committed $5 million over five years to the Princeton E-ffiliates Partnership, a program administered by Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment that fosters research in sustainable energy and environmental solutions.
ExxonMobil Invests $15 Mln in Austin Energy Institute
ExxonMobil announced that it will invest $15 million as a leadership member of the University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute to pursue technologies to help meet growing energy demand while reducing environmental impacts and the risk of climate change. The joint research initiative will study transformational energy innovations including integrating renewable energy sources into the current supply mix and advancing traditional energy sources in ways that improve efficiency and reduce impacts on water, air and climate.
FORCE Prepares for Turbines, Expands Team
With 10 kilometers of power cables installed in the Bay of Fundy, a new environmental monitoring program in development, and turbines set for deployment in the near future, the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) announced new board and staff support. FORCE welcomes Joe Fitzharris as the chair of the board of directors. Fitzharris is Quality Manager at AMEC Black and McDonald, and has previously held senior management positions at Marener Group of Companies and Irving Shipbuilding. Joe has previously served as an independent director at FORCE, and chair of the Maritimes Energy Association.
Sinopec Leads Shale Research Center
State energy group Sinopec will head up a new national shale oil research and development centre that has been approved by the National Energy Administration, official paper China Energy News reported on Monday. China may hold 10-20 billion tonnes of shale oil resource, the paper said, citing preliminary industry estimates. Sinopec has since 2011 been tapping shale oil resource in formations in central China's Qinyang and east China's Jiyang basins for signs of oil flows, it said. Oil and gas development has been ongoing for decades in the two continental basis…
ABB Celebrates 125th Anniversary in Finland
ABB is celebrating today its 125th anniversary in Finland. Founded in 1889 in Helsinki by entrepreneur and inventor Gottfrid Strömberg, ABB Finland is today an innovative automation and power technology company with more than 5,000 employees in 30 locations, with sales of 2.3 billion euros in 2013. “ABB Finland has been driving innovation in power and automation technologies for 125 years. Today, ABB Finland is one of our most dynamic and successful country organisations and we continue to invest substantially in innovation and production facilities” said ABB Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer.
Offshore Failure Turns Cuba's Energy Focus Inland
New contracts signed for onshore oil development; Russia and China balk at deepwater oil exploration. U.S. embargo, ample supplies elsewhere reduce appetite. Cuba has shifted its focus away from offshore oil, concentrating on renewable energy and improving output from onshore wells due to a lack of interest by foreign companies for further deepwater exploration, sources close to the industry say. With so much oil readily available around the world, oil companies including those from allies China and Russia see little incentive in drilling off the Caribbean island…
China Optimistic of Finding Gas off Vietnam
A Chinese oil rig whose deployment to waters claimed by Vietnam early this month triggered a rupture in ties has a good chance of finding enough gas to put the area into production, Chinese industry experts said. That would give China its first viable energy field in the disputed South China Sea, as well as make it a source of friction with Hanoi for years to come. For now, China has said nothing about the potential of the area. The first round of drilling had been completed, the rig operator said on Tuesday, without giving any results from the tapped wells.
Tidal Project Begins Construction on Subsea Platform
Understanding the Bay of Fundy's powerful tides is getting easier, thanks to a new advanced sensor platform being built for the Minas Passage. Simon Melrose, the platform project manager for the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE), speaking at the Nova Scotia Energy Research and Development Forum today, announced construction contracts for a new underwater platform designed to measure the tide in real time via cable connection - a breakthrough for Nova Scotia's tidal energy efforts. "To harness the enormous power of the Bay of Fundy, we have to understand it," said Mr. Melrose.
FORCE Expands Tidal Energy Project Team
Nova Scotia's efforts to harness the power of the highest tides in the world are accelerating this year, and more people are joining the project to help ensure its success. Today, speaking to industry, science, and government representatives at the Nova Scotia Energy Research and Development Forum, Tony Wright, general manager of FORCE (the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy), announced two new staff members and two new volunteer board members have joined the team to help realize the clean energy potential in the Bay of Fundy.