Alberta has eliminated the gas flaring limit in 2024.
Calculations show that energy producers in Alberta, Canada’s largest oil producing province, exceeded the self-imposed provincial limit for annual gas flaring by 2024, for the second consecutive year. Alberta's energy regulator announced late last week that it would be ending the flaring limit. The regulator, who quietly posted a bulletin to its website, is the first one to report this change. The regulator confirmed Monday that the limit had been removed and stated it was in response to the direction of the provincial government.
On Monday, France and Germany saw a decline in demand
German and French spot price had not traded on Friday early, while demand in both countries is expected to drop on Monday and renewable output shows divergent trends throughout the region. LSEG data shows that the German and French Monday basis power contracts had not been traded by 838 GMT. LSEG data indicated that German wind power production was expected to drop by 1.2 gigawatts to 15.9 GW Monday, while French supply was projected to increase by 2.2 GW up to 5.2 GW. LSEG data indicated that residual load in Germany is expected to rise on Monday.
Germany proposes grid fees overhaul to better fit renewables
The German network regulator started Monday a formal procedure to rethink electricity grid fees, with the goal of a system that is better suited for renewable energy. The use of the electricity network accounts for around 20% in Germany's consumer bills. This contributes to the high energy prices in Europe that hurt the economy and industry. Reform is needed to increase revenue and include more stakeholders in the costs of network expansion. Industry experts claim…
Baker Hughes reports that the US oil and gas rig counts have fallen to their lowest level since January.
Baker Hughes, a leading energy services company, said that the U.S. oil and gas companies have reduced their number of operating oil and natural-gas rigs to its lowest level since January. The number of oil and gas rigs, a good indicator of future production, dropped by six in the week ending May 9 to 578. Baker Hughes reported that the total number of rigs is down 25 or 4% from this time last week. Baker Hughes reported that oil rigs dropped by five this week to 474, the lowest level since January. Gas rigs remained unchanged at 101.
Cenovus Energy, a Canadian energy company, beats its quarterly profit forecasts on the back of higher production
Cenovus, a Canadian oil and natural gas company, reported a decline in its first-quarter profits on Thursday. However it managed to surpass Wall Street expectations on the strength of increased production and improved refining profit margins. Following the results, shares of the Calgary-based company listed in America rose nearly 1.4% during premarket trading. The completion of the pipeline has been a boon to Canadian energy producers. The project is the only way to export products outside the U.S. The capacity of the pipeline has been increased to 890 000 barrels per day.
US to revise offshore oil and natural gas bonding rules era Biden
The Trump administration is revising a Biden era rule which required the oil and natural gas industry to provide new financial guarantees of nearly $7 billion to cover the costs of decommissioning older infrastructure. This was announced by the Interior Department on Friday. The agency stated in a press release that it would be developing a new regulatory framework, but gave no specifics. This move aligns with the efforts of President Donald Trump to reduce federal regulation and increase domestic energy production.
French up and German down on mixed weather signals
On Wednesday, European power prices took different directions. Germany's fell due to higher wind generation while France's rose along with increased demand caused by the colder weather. The German power price for the day ahead fell by 2.8% at 0900 GMT to 122.8 Euros ($134.10) per Megawatt Hour. The French baseload rate for the day ahead was up 6.2% to 116.3 euros/MWh. LSEG data indicated that Germany expected wind output to increase to 5.9 gigawatts on Thursday. This is an increase of 600 megawatts. The French nuclear capacity remained unchanged at 77%.
World Bank and other lenders criticise Pakistan’s energy negotiations
A group of eight development financing institutions warned that Pakistan's unilateral renegotiation will damage investor confidence in the clean energy sector and harm its long-term prospects. Last year, Pakistan announced that it would renegotiate contracts with independent energy producers in order to reduce "unsustainable" electric tariffs. In a letter, the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Islamic Development…
Officials in Malaysia have announced that they will take action against fraud in the export of used cooking oil.
Malaysia's deputy commodities minister said that it would crack down on fraud within the used cooking oil sector, while western governments investigated whether the shipments of biofuels from Asia contained virgin oil. According to Deputy Plantation and Commodities Ministry Chan Foong Hin, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board is revising its policies and standards governing palm industry waste (SPO), also known as used cooking oil. This will help to distinguish between them and prevent discrepancies when exporting.
Sources say that the US will issue a hydrogen credit rule next week with a path for nuclear.
Two sources with knowledge of the situation say that the U.S. Treasury Department will release guidance this week on how to obtain tax credits under the 2022 inflation reduction act for the production of hydrogen. Sources said that the long-awaited guidance would provide a way for hydrogen produced by nuclear power to be eligible for credits. However, details were not made clear. Environmentalists have argued that only hydrogen generated with clean energy sources such as solar and wind should qualify for the subsidies.
Russia's Oil Tsar: Trump's actions to defend US Producers are 'fitting.'
Igor Sechin is the president of Rosneft - Russia's biggest oil producer. He said on Saturday that he agreed with Donald Trump's plans to protect domestic energy producers. He said at a Qatar conference that Trump's election campaign promises included "fitting" measures to protect domestic energy producers, the market, and other economic factors. Some Russians are cautiously optimistic about Trump's return on Jan. 20, while others believe that another U.S. President will not make much of a difference.
US soyoil prices jump as China reduces export incentives for biofuel feedstocks competing with US soyoil
U.S. Soyoil Futures rose 2% on the Friday after China announced it would reduce export incentives for certain products, including used cooking oils. Used cooking oil is a low-cost source of feedstock that U.S. Biofuels Makers use instead domestically produced soybean oil. China's Finance Ministry said that it will reduce or cancel export-tax refunds beginning next month. This includes some refined oil products, which traders have said include used cooking oil (UCO). This announcement is the latest wildcard in the U.S.
Oil Dips 2% as Hurricane Fears Ease
Oil prices fell more than 2% on Friday as traders grew less fearful of prolonged supply disruptions from a hurricane in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, while China's latest economic-stimulus packages failed to impress some oil traders.U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 led the decline, down 2.8%, or $2.01, at 70.35 per barrel by 1:32 p.m. ET (1832 GMT) . Global benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 2.3%, or $1.77, to $73.86 per barrel.Energy producers shut in more than 22% of oil output in the U.S.
Statkraft reports net loss due to currency weakness and lower power prices
Statkraft, a Norwegian state-owned energy company and one of Europe's largest renewable energy producers, reported Thursday a net loss in the third quarter, primarily due to a lower Norwegian currency against euro, as well as lower electricity prices and output. The group reported a net loss for the quarter of July-September of 225 millions Norwegian crowns ($20.41million), down from 4,47 billion Norwegian crowns a year ago. Statkraft recorded a negative exchange rate effect of 2,64 billion crowns compared to a positive level of 1,64 billion crowns a year ago.
Hurricane Rafael has caused a shutdown of 17% of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Oil Production
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced on Wednesday that Hurricane Rafael had shut down approximately 17% of crude production and 7% of gas output in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Bureau reported that energy producers have shut down 304,418 barrels of oil per day and 131,000,000 cubic feet of gas production from Gulf waters. According to the latest U.S. National Hurricane Center advisory, Rafael, a hurricane of Category 3, was located approximately 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Havana, Cuba.
Canada's renewable fuel projects are hit by a surge in US imports
Canadian renewable fuel producers will see lower returns from new facilities as a result of a slump in British Columbia’s low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS). This trend is expected to continue amid an influx of US exports. The weakness in British Columbia's LCFS Credit Market reflects the growing pains of the international biofuels sector, where many regulators are clamping down on imports in order to protect their nascent national markets from an oversupply. Low-carbon fuels cost more to produce than gasoline or diesel based on petroleum.
Bloomberg News: Transocean and Seadrill in merger talks
Bloomberg News reported Wednesday that offshore drilling provider Transocean was in merger talks with Seadrill Ltd. The report came from people who were familiar with the situation. It said that the companies are currently discussing the possible structure of a merger. Bloomberg reported that a final decision had not yet been made, and the companies may choose to remain independently. Seadrill or Transocean didn't immediately respond to comments. Transocean shares listed in the U.S. rose by 4.1% following the bell, while Seadrill grew by 10.3%.
MARA, a cryptominer, taps the power generated by U.S. Shale Patch in a new pilot program
MARA Holdings Inc. has announced that it is now producing electricity in the U.S. Shale Patch as part of a program pilot to power 25 megawatts for its mining operations using excess natural gas. The company said that the move was made in response to the intensifying competition between Big Tech AI data centers for electricity, which has caused the crypto industry to change its business strategy and either market AI or find a way around the power battle. Fred Thiel, Chief Executive Officer of MARA, said: "The AI guys will pay any price to meet their energy demand.
EU limits Chinese participation in hydrogen auctions by changing the rules
In a bid to reduce the EU's dependence on China for its renewable energy supply, new terms published by the European Union on Friday revealed that it had made changes to its rules regarding auctions of hydrogen grants. China is a major player in the solar and electric vehicle industries, and it has also become more competitive with European wind energy producers. The European Commission has taken steps to prevent a systemic dependence on Beijing through new rules, investigations, and possible tariffs for Chinese EVs.
Sources say that Citizen Energy, a producer of shale oil and gas, will buy Validus in a deal worth more than $2 billion.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Validus Energy, a privately held oil and natural gas producer, has agreed to purchase Citizen Energy, a rival company, for over $2 billion including debt. The U.S. Shale industry has seen a record wave of consolidation. After the COVID, oil prices surged and buyers were eager to secure the best drilling locations. Sources who requested anonymity because the talks are confidential said that Validus won the auction for Tulsa's Citizen Energy.
