Mozambique's election winner faces financial strain
The economy of Mozambique will be impacted by the worsening cyclones and insecurity as well as delays to gas projects, high debt levels, and delayed gas projects. Daniel Chapo, the candidate of the ruling party, is currently the frontrunner. However, there are also three other candidates who want to succeed Felipe Nyusi in the role of president for the nation. Mozambique is under pressure to adopt fiscal discipline due to rising borrowing costs, especially as it has run out of options for refinancing its debt.
What are the main issues in Mozambique's elections?
Next week, Mozambicans are voting in legislative and presidential elections. It is almost certain that the Frelimo Party will extend its half-century in power. The party has been fighting a longstanding Islamist insurgency within one of Africa's biggest gas fields. Daniel Chapo is the candidate of the ruling party and a former law professor. He will replace Filipe Nyusi, who was previously a radio announcer. Here are the key issues that face one of the poorest countries in the world and its 34 million citizens as they head to elections.
Exxon Q4 Earnings Poised to Exceed Pre-pandemic Level
Exxon Mobil Corp's fourth quarter profit should top Wall Street's consensus and surpass its pre-pandemic levels, lifted by better-than-expected earnings from oil and gas, analysts said.Credit Suisse, Scotiabank and JPMorgan have raised their fourth quarter earnings estimates following Exxon's flagging of sharply higher oil and gas operating profit last week. Official results are due on Feb. 1.The higher earnings outlooks lifted Exxon shares 3.8% on Monday to $63.51 on top of Friday's less than 1% gain.
Shell to Write Down $22B in Wake of Coronavirus
Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday it would write off assets worth up to $22 billion after the coronavirus crisis knocked oil and gas demand and weakened the energy price outlook.The impairments follow the Anglo-Dutch company's decision to shift from fossil fuel and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, as laid out by CEO Ben van Beurden in April.Global travel restrictions to prevent the virus spreading affected more than 4 billion people at one point…
Shareholder base Expands on Fortum's Nordic Wind Portfolio
Finnish state-owned energy company Fortum and Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners (CSEIP) have today signed an agreement whereby funds advised by CSEIP will acquire an 80% stake in Fortum’s Nordic wind portfolio.Fortum will retain a 20% minority ownership in this wind power portfolio, continue to manage the construction, and serve as long-term asset manager for the wind portfolio.The portfolio consists of the operational Nygårdsfjellet (32 MW…
Investors Still Unclear on Saudi Aramco IPO Value
Saudi Aramco's blockbuster listing remained shrouded in mystery on Monday, a day after the company finally announced its plans, with scant details disclosed and expert valuations varying wildly from around $1.2 to $2.3 trillion.The state oil giant, the world's most profitable company, fired the starting gun on a domestic initial public offering (IPO) on Sunday after a series of false starts that had kept the investment world guessing.However potential investors…
Oil Search Boss to Retire in 2020
Papua New Guinea's biggest company Oil Search Ltd said on Tuesday long-serving Managing Director Peter Botten will retire from the firm next year after 25 years in the role, just as the company enters a major growth phase in PNG and Alaska.Botten will be succeeded by senior executive Keiran Wulff in February and will step down from the board on Aug. 25."Under his leadership, Oil Search has grown from a small exploration and production company to a regionally significant oil…
Mitsui Looks to Sell BassGas Stake
Japan's Mitsui & Co has put its 40% stake in the BassGas project off southeastern Australia up for sale, the company said on Thursday.Mitsui's stake in the BassGas project, which includes the undeveloped Trefoil gas project, could be worth about A$360 million ($244 million), according to Credit Suisse. However, a person with knowledge of the asset estimated it at about A$140 million.Mitsui Australia's spokesman said Rothschild has been engaged to advise on the sale of the stake…
ExxonMobil Looks to Sell Australian Assets
Exxon Mobil Corp said on Wednesday it was looking to sell its 50% stake in the Gippsland Basin oil and gas development in Australia's Bass Strait as part of a broader review of its global portfolio of assets.The sale could fetch up to $3 billion, however decommissioning costs for the ageing fields could dent the price tag, analysts and bankers said.The Gippsland Basin joint venture, off the state of Victoria, has long been the mainstay oil and gas supplier for southeastern Australia…
Shell Sees More FLNG Opportunities
Royal Dutch Shell sees more opportunities for floating liquefied natural gas projects, but not necessarily like its $17 billion Prelude operation off Australia, which shipped its first cargo last week, over two years behind schedule.Shell Australia Chair Zoe Yujnovich said on Wednesday that it was too early to tell whether Prelude, one of two floating LNG (FLNG) projects in the world, would be replicated in future, as the company was still commissioning the project."I think that there's an opportunity for the floating concept.
Australia Dominates China's LNG Supply
Australia's fast-expanding liquefied natural gas industry has this year been supplying the lion's share of China's growing demand for imports of the commodity, with appetite surging as Beijing shifts away from dirtier fuels such as coal.Australia supplied over 53% of China's LNG imports during the first five months of 2019, shipping data in Refinitiv showed, up from around 40% in 2016 when a previous round of new Australian export projects…
Chevron to Buy Anadarko for $33 Bln
Chevron Corp on Friday said it will buy oil and gas producer Anadarko Petroleum Corp for $33 billion in cash and stock in a deal that doubles down on its bet on U.S. shale and LNG as U.S. energy production is shattering records.The deal makes Chevron the second-largest major by crude production, behind Exxon Mobil Corp, up from fourth. It expands Chevron's reach in two areas where U.S. energy output is surging - shale from the Permian Basin of west Texas and New Mexico, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) - which have helped make the U.S.
Woodside Raises Dividend
Australia's Woodside Petroleum Ltd surprised investors with a fat dividend on Thursday after reporting a 36-percent percent rise in annual profit, underpinned by stronger oil prices.The higher-than-expected payout came after shareholders stumped up $2.5 billion to buy new shares a year ago at a time when Australia's biggest independent oil and gas producer expected oil prices to average $65 a barrel.By the end of the year it was flush with cash as oil prices had averaged $71 and the Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) project…
Oil Surges 8% After Steep Slide
Oil surged on Wednesday, posting its strongest daily gain in more than two years in a partial rebound from steep losses that pushed crude benchmarks to lows not seen since 2017.Both U.S. and Brent crude rose about 8 percent, their largest one-day increase since Nov. 30, 2016, when OPEC signed a landmark agreement to cut production. It was unclear whether follow-through buying would push prices higher again once trading desks are more fully staffed after the new year begins.Crude has been caught up in wider market weakness as the U.S.
Prelude FLNG Starts Production in Australia
Royal Dutch Shell said on Wednesday it has begun output at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility in Australia, the world's largest floating production structure and the last of a wave of eight LNG projects built in the country over the last decade.Though the project started up later and cost more than originally estimated, it is expected to further cement Australia's lead as the world's biggest LNG exporter, after the country took the crown in November.In a statement…
LNG Import Terminal Proposed for Australian port
A South Korea-based company has proposed building a terminal on Australia's east coast to import liquefied natural gas, the fifth proposal for such a project in the world's No.2 LNG exporter.The proposals have come after three new LNG export plants on the east coast have sucked gas out of the southeastern market and nearly tripled wholesale gas prices in places such as Sydney over the past two years.EPIK, a newly-formed LNG floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) project development company…
Papua New Guinea Paves Way for LNG Expansion
A long-awaited project led by France's Total SA that will help double liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from Papua New Guinea has come another step closer, with the government agreeing to set financial terms early next year.The LNG expansion, which analysts estimate will cost $13 billion, is crucial to the Pacific island nation's economy as LNG is its biggest export earner, while demand for the fuel is surging in international energy markets.Prime…
Carlyle Group Acquires EnerMech from Lime Rock Partners
Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group announces that it has agreed to acquire EnerMech Group Ltd, an international services company providing critical asset support to the energy, infrastructure and industrials sectors, from Lime Rock Partners.The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2018, subject to customary anti-trust and regulatory approvals.Equity for this investment will come from Carlyle International Energy Partners (CIEP), a $2.5 billion fund that invests in the global oil and gas sector outside North America.
Transocean to Buy Ocean Rig in $2.7 bln Deal
Drilling rig contractor Transocean Ltd said on Tuesday it would acquire peer Ocean Rig UDW Inc in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $2.7 billion, including debt.The deal will help Switzerland-based Transocean enhance its fleet of ultra-deepwater and harsh environment floating rigs."The combination of constructive and stable oil prices over the last several quarters, streamlined offshore project costs, and undeniable reserve replacement challenges has driven a material increase in offshore contracting activity," said Transocean Chief Executi
Glencore Gets U.S. Subpoena on Compliance with Money-Laundering Laws
U.S. demands documents on business in Nigeria, DRC, Venezuela; Glencore shares fall as much as 13 percent. U.S. authorities have demanded the U.S. arm of Glencore Plc hand over documents relating to its business in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuela, sending shares in the parent company down more than 10 percent. The Swiss-based commodities trader and miner said its subsidiary had received a U.S. Department of Justice subpoena requesting documents and records on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and U.S.
