Q&A: Is Venezuela on the verge of losing its prized foreign asset, Citgo?
After at least three consortia revised their bids in June and a U.S. Court completed the second round of bidding in an auction of shares of Citgo Petroleum, owned by Venezuela, creditors are hopeful that they will receive payment for some outstanding Venezuelan debt. The auction of the seventh largest U.S. refiner was organized by a court in response to a case Crystallex, based out of Canada, brought eight years ago against Venezuela. Citgo Holding's parent company, PDV Holding was found liable by the federal court for Venezuela's past expropriations and debts.
Canada's TC energy erases $199 Million damages in Delaware appeal against Columbia takeover
Delaware's top court on Tuesday overturned a judge’s order requiring Canadian pipe-line operator TC Energy, which purchased Columbia Pipeline Group for $13 billion in 2016, to pay damages of $199.2 millions. Columbia shareholders brought the case against TC Energy, claiming that it was responsible for lowering the takeover price from $26 to $25.50. This allowed former Columbia Chief Executive Robert Skaggs to collect large payments to change control known as golden parachute.
The new Texas wastewater regulations could increase costs for oil producers
The new guidelines for permitting wastewater disposal wells are likely to increase the costs of oil producers, as the crude price is low. This will be the latest challenge faced by an industry that has seen its output growth slow down as it matures. U.S. oil production has soared to a record 13,4 million barrels a day (bpd), thanks to technological advances that allowed companies to tap into its vast oil reserves. The growth is slowing down, though, as the best oil resources are exhausted…
CEO Seeking to Build Philadelphia LNG Terminal Meets with White House
The CEO of a company seeking to build a liquefied natural gas terminal near Philadelphia told Reuters on Wednesday he met officials at the White House this week to "provide intelligence" about the project in the works for years despite local opposition.Penn America Energy Holdings wants to export 7.2 million tons a year of LNG from a site near Philadelphia to markets in Europe and Asia. Franc James, the CEO, said he had a meeting at the White House on Tuesday and that the company is considering several locations other than the original site in Chester…
The White House meets with the CEO of a company seeking to build a Pennsylvania LNG terminal
The CEO of the company that wants to build a terminal for liquefied gas near Philadelphia said on Wednesday that he had met with officials at the White House in this week to provide "intelligence" about the project, which has been in the works despite local resistance. Penn America Energy Holdings plans to export 7.2 millions tons of LNG per year from a facility near Philadelphia to European and Asian markets. Franc James said that he met with the White House Tuesday, and the company is looking at other locations than Chester, Pennsylvania.
After hearing, US judge decides on bid starting price in Citgo parent sale
In the coming days, a U.S. Court is expected to confirm and reject a $3.7billion offer made by an affiliate of Contrarian Funds. The offer was intended to set a floor price for a second round of bidding for shares in Citgo Petroleum's parent company. Citgo, America's seventh-largest refiner, was the subject of a Thursday hearing at which creditors made their case. PDV Holding is auctioned off to cover the up to $21 Billion owed to Venezuela and PDVSA, its state-owned oil company.
EOG Resources exceeds profit expectations for the fourth quarter on higher production
EOG Resources surpassed fourth-quarter profit expectations on Thursday as higher production helped offset lower oil price. The company's shares were down 3.5% in after-hours trading as the net income fell by more than half, to $1.25 Billion from $1.998 Billion the previous quarter. The overall quarterly revenue dropped 12%, to $5.59 Billion. This was due to lower oil revenues as well as losses on derivative contracts. Operating expenses rose by 3.6% compared to last year.
First Solar launches legal action against JinkoSolar for forecasting higher sales in 2025
First Solar, a solar panel manufacturer, forecasted higher sales for the current year and reported a rise of its fourth-quarter profits on Tuesday. It also announced that it had taken legal action against JinkoSolar over patent infringement. Extended trading saw shares up by 3.8% to $153.00. In November, the Biden administration imposed tariffs on imports of solar panels from four Southeast Asian countries after American manufacturers complained that companies were flooding markets with cheap products, which benefited U.S.
Devon Energy's production increases help it beat the fourth-quarter profit forecast
Devon Energy, a Devon Oil subsidiary, beat the analysts' estimates for its fourth-quarter profits on Tuesday as higher production offset lower prices. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that total oil production reached a record of 13.6 millions barrels per day during December. This was due to improved efficiency, which allowed oil producers to pump more. Devon's quarterly production increased by 28% compared to the same period last year, reaching 848,000 barrels equivalent per day (boepd).
Colombia's Ecopetrol extends joint venture agreement with Occidental Petroleum for Permian Basin
Ecopetrol, a Colombian energy firm, announced on Monday that it had reached an agreement with Occidental Petroleum to renew their oil joint venture in the U.S. Permian Basin in Texas. The future of the joint-venture was uncertain after Ecopetrol – which is majority owned by the Colombian government – backed out from a separate agreement last August, to purchase $3.6 billion worth of assets in the Permian Basin from Occidental, on President Gustavo Petro's orders. Petro's government has set as a priority the weaning of Andean countries off fossil fuels.
Venezuelan request for annulment of Conoco award dismissed by arbitration court
The World Bank arbitral tribunal dismissed Venezuela's request to annul an $8.37 billion arbitration decision in favor of ConocoPhillips. This cleared the way for ConocoPhillips to claim compensation for its expropriation assets from Venezuela. In 2019, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes made a final ruling declaring that Conoco's expropriation was 'illegal' and ordering it to compensate Conoco. Venezuela then filed a request for rectification of the amount and for annulment.
European firms exposed as Trump targets US offshore wind
U.S. President Donald Trump in his first day of office on Monday suspended new federal offshore wind leasing pending an environmental and economic review, saying wind mills are ugly, expensive and harm wildlife.Former President Joe Biden supported the offshore wind industry, setting a target for 30 gigawatts (GW) of projects by 2030, up from 42 megawatts at the end of 2023, prompting many European project developers to acquire leases and plan wind farms in the United States.Trump's executive order is not expected to stop existing U.S.
Judge rejects bids to block Gramercy Fund lawsuits
A U.S. court ruled on Monday that three companies can continue their lawsuits to increase their chances of receiving proceeds from an auction of Citgo Petroleum's parent shares. In a motion to block parallel lawsuits, the court officer who oversees the auction at federal court in Delaware said that the decision could reduce any proceeds from a sale. Citgo parent PDV Holding shares are up for auction to pay $21 billion of claims by Venezuelan and PDVSA state oil company PDVSA. PDV is an American subsidiary of PDVSA, and the sole indirect stockholder in Citgo.
Wall Street Journal, Dec 3,
These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. A Delaware judge ruled Monday that Tesla CEO Elon Mots is not entitled to a $56 billion package of compensation despite the fact that shareholders of the electric car company voted to reinstate it in July. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger was forced to resign less than four months after taking over the company. He has handed control of the company to two lieutenants…
US Court Ready to restart Citgo Auction
A court advisor recommended Tuesday that the auction of shares in Citgo Petroleum's parent company to pay Venezuelan claims needs to be reworked. He acknowledged that a year-long process had been in disarray and needed a fresh start.The U.S. District Court in Delaware auctions shares in PDV Holding in order to pay $21.3 billion in claims made against Venezuela and the state oil firm PDVSA due to expropriation and default on debt.A court filing made the recommendation…
Grid operator PJM faces a new complaint regarding power supply
Consumer advocacy group filed a complaint with PJM Interconnection. They claim that the U.S.'s largest grid operator unfairly awards record-high payments to power plants, driving up electricity prices for households and businesses. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission received a complaint on Monday, the second in recent times regarding PJM Interconnection’s capacity market auction for 2025-2026. This auction set prices that were over 800% higher than those of the previous year.
Elliott Affiliate's Citgo Bid to be Challenged
Companies seeking to claim proceeds from a court auction of shares in a parent of Venezuela-owned Citgo Petroleum are pressing a U.S. court to lift an exclusivity deal with an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management, which could pave the way for at least two new bids, sources close to the matter said.The auction of shares in the U.S. oil refiner's parent PDV Holding, aimed at paying 18 creditors up to $21.3 billion in awards against Venezuela, has become…
US Extends Protections for CITGO to March 2025
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday extended a license protecting Venezuela-owned Citgo Petroleum from bondholders to March 2025, a key decision amid a seven-year-long legal case in which the refiner's parent might be auctioned to pay creditors.Citgo's parent, PDV Holding, was found liable by the court for Venezuela's debts from asset expropriations and debt defaults. The case has opened a route for creditors to fight for a piece of Venezuela's crown jewel - Citgo's 807…
Sources say ConocoPhillips is exploring the sale of Permian Shale assets worth more than $1 billion.
ConocoPhillips has been looking at selling some of its Permian basin shale assets worth more than $1billion, after two unsuccessful years of trying to sell the same assets. Houston-based oil producer, Texas, is preparing to complete its $22.5 billion acquisition of Marathon Oil before the end of the year. As part of the deal it will assume approximately $5.4 billion in debt from Marathon Oil and plans to raise an additional $2 billion by selling assets. Sources…
US Governors push back against PJM following record-high prices for power plants
Five governors urged PJM Interconnection on Tuesday to change its process for determining the price of power plants, after the auction that saw record prices. Prices in the most recent PJM auction were almost 10 times higher than last year. This was largely due to a shrinking supply of electricity and an increasing demand for electricity. Prices were set at levels that raised concern about the cost of electricity for homes and businesses on PJM territory. Environmental groups filed a complaint to PJM over its pricing process.
