Data shows that Russia's LNG imports fell by 1.2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2018.
LSEG's preliminary data on Tuesday showed that Russia's LNG exports in the first quarter of this year fell by 1.2% compared to a year ago, reaching 8.1 million metric tonnes. Due to U.S. sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been unable to increase its LNG exports. The new Arctic LNG 2 facility has effectively been frozen due to the Western sanctions. According to two sources, Arctic LNG 2 resumed processing in the last month.
Belgium's king meets Vietnam's leaders, hydrogen deals signed
On Tuesday, King Philippe of Belgium and Vietnamese leaders signed agreements to collaborate in areas such as green hydrogen. The first visit by a Belgian royal to Vietnam is accompanied by a large delegation of businessmen, academics and politicians. According to Vietnamese state-run media, Vietnam's president Luong Cuong described Philippe's visit as a landmark in bilateral relations. According to the EU Council's website…
Tokyo Gas, Japan expands its US shale-gas business with Chevron
TG Natural Resources LLC, co-owned by Tokyo Gas, Castleton Commodities International and Castleton Commodities, announced on Tuesday that it had purchased a 70% stake of east Texas gas assets for $525m from Chevron, in order to expand its U.S. Gas business. TGNR, which is the fourth largest producer in the Haynesville shale region, will be able to benefit from synergies worth over $170m during the development of the asset, according to Craig Jarchow.
Freeport-McMoRan reduces its first-quarter gold sales estimate
Freeport-McMoRan, a gold miner in the United States, lowered its first-quarter forecast on Monday after timing issues with Indonesian shipments led to deferrals of some of its quarterly production. Freeport, which operates Indonesia's Grasberg mine, one of the largest gold and cobalt mines in the world, had built a smelter as part of a operating agreement with Jakarta officials. The smelter in question was destroyed by fire last year, and it was closed.
Washington has revoked Repsol's license to operate in Venezuela
A company spokesperson announced on Monday that U.S. officials had notified Repsol of the revocation of its license to import oil from Venezuela. Meanwhile, Spain's Foreign Minister promised to protect Repsol's interest. The spokesperson for President Donald Trump said that the administration of Repsol told the company it had until the 27th of May to end its operations in South America. The U.S. government informed Italian companies that they were no longer authorized to operate in Venezuela.
The US has revoked the specific license of French oil company M&P for its activities in Venezuela
Maurel et Prom, a French oil company, announced on Monday that the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department has revoked its specific licence to operate in Venezuela. Last week, U.S. president Donald Trump issued an order declaring any country that purchases oil or gas from Venezuela would pay a 25% duty on all trades with the United States. Former President Joe Biden’s administration granted individual…
Texas oil and gas upstream jobs increase in February, says industry group
The Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association, or TIPRO, announced on Friday that upstream oil companies increased hiring in February. This is the second consecutive month of growth. Hiring in upstream, which includes drilling and producing oil activities, can be an indicator of how the oil and gas sector is doing. More drilling could be expected if companies hire more staff. TIPRO represents more than 3,000 independent producers in Texas.
Sources say India is considering scrapping the import tax on US LNG to boost purchases.
Four government and industry sources have said that India is considering scrapping the import tax on U.S. LNG to increase purchases and reduce the trade surplus, which is a major irritation for President Donald Trump. Both sides want to increase volumes in order to meet the energy needs of India's fast-growing economy. Qatar is India's top LNG supplier. India and the United States agreed that they would increase their energy purchases in the U.S. by $10 to $25 billion over the next few years.
Alaska Governor briefs Trump on Asia Gas Push as Tariffs Bite
Alaska's Governor said that he would brief U.S. president Donald Trump's Administration after returning from Japan in the next week about progress made to secure Asian support for a project to develop natural gas, which has been part of a larger discussion on tariffs and trade. Governor Mike Dunleavy and the leaders of the state-run Alaska Gasline Development Corporation and Glenfarne Group visited Taiwan, Thailand and Japan to seek investors and long-term purchasers for a Trump-inspired project.
Jain and Boersma: US LNG exporters may run into a methane problem in Europe
New methane regulations may be a hindrance to the Trump administration's goal of "energy dominance", which is the United States' largest export market. The EU's President Ursula von der Leyen indicated that they may be willing import more U.S. LNG, in part to lower the EU's trade deficit. However, the process of making this happen can become complicated. Many utilities in the EU hesitate to sign long-term LNG agreements due…
On Monday, expect a rise in wind pressure.
On Friday, German and French power prices for the following Monday were not traded. However, a rise in wind energy supply and a slight drop in demand are seen as putting downward pressure on the beginning of the week. LSEG data shows that the German and French baseload power prices for Monday were not traded by 1002 GMT. LSEG analyst Florine Engl stated that residual load was decreasing in the entire region on Monday as wind supply and demand are both increasing.
Sources say that EU is targeting energy laws to reduce red tape.
Sources familiar with the matter said that the European Commission is examining changes to EU energy law as part of its next set of proposals to reduce the regulatory burden on struggling industries. Brussels has started a campaign to eliminate layers of bureaucracy, which European businesses claim puts them at a competitive disadvantage with China and the United States where the Trump Administration is aggressively rollingback regulation.
Trinidad: Key gas project in Venezuela is not slowing down, despite US pressure
Trinidad Prime Minister Stuart Young stated on Thursday that companies planning an offshore gas project between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago have "not slowed down" their work despite increased pressure from the United States on Venezuela and uncertainty regarding the extension of the license for the project. After talks with U.S. Young, who spoke to South American and Caribbean nations this week, said that the "landscape" is changing.
Sources say that EU is targeting energy laws to reduce red tape.
Sources familiar with the matter said that the European Commission is considering changes in EU energy laws to reduce the regulatory burden on struggling industries as part of its next set of proposals. Brussels has started a campaign to eliminate layers of bureaucracy, which European businesses claim puts them at a competitive disadvantage with China and the United States where the Trump Administration is aggressively rollingback regulation.
Vucic: Serbia will lose access to oil imports when the deadline for sanctions looms.
Serbia may lose access to essential oil imports as of Friday, after discussions to stop the imposition by the United States of sanctions on its sole oil refinery failed. President Aleksandar Vucic stated this in an interview published. The waiver of sanctions expires at midnight. If it is not extended, NIS, which is owned by Russia's Gazprom and Gazprom in majority, may face a reduction in crude oil supply. NIS is the sole oil refinery in Serbia, with a capacity of 4.8 millions tons per year.
UK watchdog warns SLB-ChampionX could harm competition
The British Competition Regulator said that the proposed $8 billion acquisition of smaller competitor ChampionX by oilfield services firm SLB could lead to a significant lessening in competition in the United Kingdom. SLB and ChampionX will not be allowed to proceed with an in-depth investigation unless they offer corrective measures, said the Competition and Markets Authority. The companies have until April 3, 2019 to provide these remedies.
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.
Australia pours billions into missile procurement amidst global shortages
Australia's plans for developing its own missile component capability will likely be slowed by the Ukraine war and increased European defense spending, even though it is pushing ahead with a multi-billion dollar effort to purchase long-range attack missiles. Last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed A$74 billion (46.68 billion dollars) for missile acquisition. This included A$21 billion towards the establishment of a Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise.
Can Trump's drive for critical minerals pass the test of copper? Andy Home
The executive order issued by U.S. president Donald Trump on increasing domestic mineral production is designed to cut through the mine permit maze in the United States. According to S&P Global, it takes on average nearly 29 years to bring a new mine from discovery to production. This is the second longest lead time in the entire world, after Zambia. The U.S. Government is uniquely qualified to address the problem of granting permits on federal land.
Nigeria’s Refining Revolution is Reshaping West Africa’s Energy Landscape
The launch of the Dangote Refinery near the Port of Lagos presents an exciting opportunity to transform the energy and shipping markets in West Africa. And it stands to boost Nigeria’s role as an influential player in the global oil industry, fostering economic growth and regional development.Nigeria’s standing in the global energy landscape is getting a boost with domestic refining capacity expanding in 2025. The Dangote…
