The FCA of the UK is investigating energy company Drax for its disclosures about biomass sources
The UK's financial watchdog has launched an investigation into Drax Group's disclosures about the biomass it sources, following a previous investigation conducted by the energy regulator of the country. This sent its shares plummeting more than 12% in Thursday's trading. Ofgem fined Drax 25 million pounds ($33.77m) for reporting incorrect data about wood from Canadian forests. Drax supplies around 5% of Britain’s electricity through biomass-converted plants, and has received billions in green energy subsidies.
China's coal production in July fell to its lowest level for over a year
Data from the Statistics Bureau showed that China's output of coal in July dropped to its lowest level since April 20,24. This is the first decline year-over-year in 2025, a sign China's output may be easing due to an oversupply. China produced 380.99 millions metric tons coal in July, a decrease of 3.8% compared to the previous year. The first seven months of this year saw a total output of 2,78 billion metric tonnes, an increase of 3.8% compared to the previous six months.
Watch out for firms that are reducing their renewable energy output due to the hot weather
The European power prices for the day ahead rose on Wednesday, as forecasts of lower renewable production in Germany's main market coincided with rising temperatures that pushed up local demand. We expect a bullish outlook for Germany. "Both wind and solar supplies are decreasing", said LSEG Analyst Xiulan She. The French contract for baseload electricity on Thursday rose 4.3% to 97.0 euros ($113.49 per megawatt-hour) at 0710 GMT. Meanwhile, the German equivalent contract increased 18.4% to 111.3 euros/MWh.
Endesa reports 30% increase in profits but warns that Spain's grid plans lack incentives
Spanish power utility Endesa announced on Tuesday that its net profit for the first half of this year rose by 30% to 1,04 billion euros ($1.20billion). However, it warned that a proposed framework to reward power grid investment in Spain does not offer sufficient incentives. Enel, the majority owner of the company, has focused on upgrading and expanding power networks in response to the soaring demand for electricity and requests for connection, while reducing its spending on renewables.
Repsol exceeds expectations in the second quarter despite a blackout.
Repsol, a Spanish energy company, announced on Thursday that its adjusted second-quarter profit exceeded expectations despite being hit by a massive power outage in April as well as other minor issues with the supply of electricity. The blackout of April 28, which caused chaos on the roads and left thousands of people stranded in trains and elevators in Iberian Peninsula, also affected power supplies to Repsol's refineries and chemical plants.
Canada's New LNG Exports Have Yet to Lift Gas Prices
Last month's start-up of LNG Canada, the country's first large-scale liquefied natural gas export facility, has failed to lift Western Canadian natural gas prices as quickly as some market participants and observers expected, due to a persistent supply glut and the gradual pace of the facility's ramp-up.Shell-led Canada shipped its first cargo of 70,000 metric tons from the country's Pacific coast on June 30, to South Korea.The export facility…
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.
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…
Mixed market trends amid tighter winds and slowing demand
The European power market was mixed on Wednesday, ahead of Ascension Day. This was partly due to the expectation of a sharply declining wind power generation that would be partially offset by an increase in solar power. The German power price was lower, and the French indicated were higher for today. LSEG Research also found that the availability of coal was a factor that would affect markets in the future. By 0825 GMT the German…
Ukraine Approves Gas Import Via Transbalkan Pipeline To Avoid High Transit Fees
Ukraine's energy regulator has approved a gas import mechanism that will avoid high transit fees when supplying gas through the Transbalkan pipeline from Greece to Ukraine, the Ukrainian energy ministry said on Tuesday.Ukraine has faced a serious gas shortage since a series of devastating Russian missile strikes this year, which significantly reduced domestic gas production.Ukraine now imports gas via Slovakia and Hungary, but does not use the southern route because of its higher transit tariffs…
There Is An Estimated 6 Billion Barrels of Shale Oil Reserve in Southeast Turkey
U.S. oil producer Continental Resources estimates there is a shale oil reserve of 6.1 billion barrels in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakir Basin, the Turkish energy minister said.If confirmed, such reserves would place Turkey above some OPEC members such as Congo or Gabon, and other major producers such as the UK.Continental Resources and Turkish national oil company TPAO signed a joint venture agreement in March to develop shale fields in the basin."Turkey's current annual (crude) oil import amounts to 365 million barrels.
Minister: Estimated 6 billion-barrel shale oil reserves in southeast Turkey
The Turkish Energy Minister said that U.S. oil company Continental Resources estimated there to be a shale-oil reserve of 6.1 million barrels in Turkey’s southeast Diyarbakir Basin. If confirmed, these reserves would put Turkey ahead of some OPEC countries such as Gabon or Congo, as well as other major producers like the UK. Continental Resources and the Turkish National Oil Company TPAO signed a Joint Venture Agreement in March for the development of shale-fields in this basin.
Cornwall Insight reports that Britain's energy cap will fall by 7% in July.
Analysts at Cornwall Insight predicted that Britain's energy price cap would fall by 7% this July, due to lower wholesale prices. The government would welcome a drop in energy prices, as it is under pressure to keep its promise to reduce household costs. However, analysts predicted a larger fall, of 9%, last month. Craig Lowrey said that this was due to "an increase in energy wholesale markets, and updated assessments of various cost inputs, including policy costs, and network costs".
China's thermal energy generation fell 2.3% on an annual basis in April
Official data released on Monday showed that thermal power generation in China fueled primarily by coal fell by 2.3% in April. It also dropped 4.1% between January and April. This is in line with the expectation that China's fossil fuelled power production could drop in 2025, for the first dip in 10 years. The National Bureau of Statistics reported that China generated 449.1 billion Kilowatt-hours last month, and 1.98 trillion in total for the year.
Chilean regulator approves Codelco and SQM joint venture
Codelco announced in a Thursday statement that Chile's competition regulator had approved the deal between Codelco and SQM, the state-run copper company, to create a joint venture for the expansion of lithium production on the Atacama Salt Flats. In a statement, the FNE regulator in China has yet to approve the deal. This approval is expected to be incorporated into the decisions made by the European Union, Brazil and South Korea.
Prices to fall as demand falls ahead of the holiday
The German wholesale electricity price on Thursday was expected to fall over the four-day holidays due to low consumption. The indication for the next day's working day, which is April 22, was nearly half of the price paid for delivery on Friday. The week-ahead contract in France was priced below Wednesday's closing price. LSEG's research noted a reduction in demand during the holiday season, and that it outweighed the effects of a weakening of wind supply. At 0805 GMT, the German baseload electricity for day 5 was not yet traded.
Energy assets affected due to sanctions and standoff between Russia and the West
On Tuesday, the United States and Russia reached separate agreements to stop attacks on energy and maritime targets. Washington also agreed to press for the lifting of some sanctions against Moscow. In the event that a peace agreement is reached between Russia and Ukraine, the potential for a relaxation of U.S. sanctions and EU sanctions has led to the question of what will happen to the disputed assets which were affected by international sanctions.
German Gas Storage Group urges clarification on summer filling policy
Storage operators' group INES warned on Thursday that if the German government does not decide to fill up gas caverns in time for winter, there may be shortages. The ongoing discussions over the formation a new government and the fact that the summer prices are higher than the winter prices complicate the task. Some market participants bet that Germany will need to subsidise feed-in. INES 16 members control about 25% of the gas storage in the European Union.
Ofgem: UK power group Drax does not breach sustainability obligations
LONDON, 12 March - British energy regulator Ofgem announced on Wednesday that its review of audit reports prepared by KPMG had found no evidence of Drax's breach of sustainability obligations. Renewable electricity generators can sell certificates of renewable obligation (RO), which they can use to sell to their customers, to energy suppliers. To qualify for the certificate, biomass power plants must prove that at least 70% their biomass fuel is sourced from sustainable sources.
German contracts untraded
French spot power fell on Thursday as the weather warmed up and demand decreased. German spot power, however, was traded at a premium to France due to lower green energy production. LSEG analyst RiccardoParviero stated that the expected losses in German Wind Power Generation remained a positive factor for the area, even though usage is also declining and thermal availability has strengthened. At 0840 GMT, the French baseload price for the next day was down 18.4% to 62.0 euros (66.96 dollars) per megawatt-hour (MWH).