Opinion: Renewable Energy Wins Over Oil and Gas in Post-Coronavirus World
Imagine waking up one morning with a deadly tiger snake in your bed. To make matters worse out of the window you notice an approaching bushfire.Both are a threat to your life, but you are going to deal with the imminent danger of the snake first, and then tackle the more distant but still serious fire. It's the same with the new coronavirus and climate change.Since the rapid spread of the coronavirus beyond its origin in China and the social and economic havoc it's wreaking across the globe…
Offshore to Constitute 25% of Wind Demand
Offshore wind will constitute 25% of total wind demand in 2028, up from 10% in 2019 and will narrow the gap with offshore upstream oil and gas in terms of capital expenditure deployment, said the analyst firm Wood Mackenzie.The possibility of offshore wind becoming cheaper than coal, gas and nuclear in most major countries is a question of when rather than if.With a diverse 314GW global offshore wind portfolio to tap into and cumulative offshore wind capacity expected to increase more than seven-fold by 2028…
China’s Oil Demand Dip is First Since 2009
The near-term impact of the coronavirus outbreak on oil demand remains uncertain as much depends upon when and how China’s manufacturing industry restarts after the currently extended Lunar New Year public holiday.Wood Mackenzie has lowered its oil demand forecast for the first quarter of 2020 by nearly 900,000 barrels per day (b/d) to 98.8 million b/d. Much of the drop is attributable to efforts to contain the outbreak, including flight cancelations.Ann-Louise Hittle…
What Does US-China Trade Deal Mean for Oil Markets?
After over a year of trade tensions, the US and China signed a “phase one” trade deal on 16 January. As part of the deal, China has agreed to increase the value of energy imports by $52.4 billion above 2017 levels over the next two years. What could it mean for the oil market?Ann-Louise Hittle, vice president, macro oils at Wood Mackenzie said, “This trade deal is beneficial to the broader global economy, but will have limited impact…
China’s Wind Repowering Market to Boom from 2023
State-owned enterprises to dominate wind repowering marketChina’s wind repowering market is expected to take off from 2023, finds a new report by Wood Mackenzie. More than 21 gigawatts (GW) (cumulative capacity) of China’s wind turbine fleet is expected to be repowered over the next 10 years (2019-2028).Repowering refers to complete dismantling and replacement of old wind turbines at the original wind site. Wind farms older than 15 years…
China to Launch State Pipeline Group
China plans to launch its long-awaited national oil and gas pipeline company on Monday, part of a sector-wide reform aimed at providing fair market access to infrastructure and boost investment in oil and gas production.Most of the country's pipeline infrastructure is controlled by energy giant PetroChina, CNPC's listed arm, and small, non state-owned oil and gas producers and distributors often don't have access to the pipelines at competitive rates, analysts have said.This also hinders companies from investing in oil and gas exploration
Big Oil Stuns Brazil in Back-to-back Auction Flops
Major global oil firms snubbed a second Brazilian oil auction in a row on Thursday, passing up offshore blocks and forcing officials to reconsider a bidding system that gives a privileged position to state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA.The only block awarded in Thursday's bidding went to Petrobras, as the Brazilian state-run firm is known, and Chinese state firm CNODC, a unit of China National Petroleum Corp, which offered the minimum bid.
Rebooting What’s Possible in India’s Gas Market
‘To lose patience is to lose the battle’ -Mahatma GandhiIndia is something of a conundrum for global LNG players. I recently returned from a week in Delhi, just as the capital was making headlines for one of the worst episodes of air pollution, while the country’s energy mix remains dominated by cheap domestic coal. At the same time, gas price sensitivity continues to stymie investment and contracting negotiations. Progress has been…
GasLog Sees Tighter LNG Shipping Market
GasLog, an international owner, operator and manager of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, is predicting a tighter LNG shipping market, as increasing United States LNG output combines with a seasonal uptick in demand for gas, resulting in rising demand for shipping and higher utilization of the global fleet.These underlying trends in the LNG commodity and shipping markets point towards a structurally tighter market through 2020 and into 2021.As of October 28…
Mozambique LNG Project Moves Ahead
With a second Final Investment Decision (FID) in just 2 years, Mozambique has officially positioned itself as a key player in the global gas and LNG market for years to come.The latest FID on the US$20 billion Mozambique LNG project, makes it the largest sanction ever in sub-Saharan Africa oil and gas.Described by His Excellency President Nyusi as “one of the most important and transformational projects in the country’s history”, Mozambique…
Santos Acquires ConocoPhillips’ Northern Australia Interests
Santos announced it has acquired ConocoPhillips’ northern Australia business with operating interests in Darwin LNG, Bayu-Undan, Barossa and Poseidon for US$1.39 billion plus a $75 million contingent payment subject to FID on Barossa.Matt Fox, ConocoPhillips executive vice president and chief operating officer, said, “While we believe the Darwin LNG backfill project remains among the lower cost of supply options for new global LNG supply…
Var Energi Buys Exxon's Norway Assets for $4.5 Bln
ExxonMobil said on Thursday it will sell its Norwegian upstream oil and gas assets to independent exploration and production company Vår Energi for $4.5 billion as part of an ongoing large-scale global divestment plan.The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, includes ownership interests in more than 20 producing fields in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea with a combined production of approximately 150,000 barrels of oil equivalents per day (boepd) in 2019.
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…
Inpex Eyes Australia Expansion
Inpex Corp, Japan's top oil and gas company, wants to expand in Australia at its Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and through potential acquisitions, as part of a plan to become a major regional gas company, its Australian boss said."In Australia our focus is on fully utilizing our Ichthys LNG facilities while creating a solid base for future expansion," Inpex's president director for Australia, Hitoshi Okawa, told Reuters in an interview on Friday.Inpex completed construction last year on its first LNG project…
BP Exits Alaska in $5.6 Bln Sale
British oil major BP Plc on Tuesday agreed to sell all its Alaskan properties for $5.6 billion to privately held Hilcorp Energy Co, exiting a region where it operated for 60 years.The deal, which includes interests in the most prolific oil field in U.S. history at Prudhoe Bay, and the 800-mile (1,300-km) Trans Alaska Pipeline, is part of BP's plan to raise $10 billion over the next two years through asset sales to further strengthen its balance sheet…
Global LNG Demand 16% Up in Q2
Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand was 86 million tonnes (mt) in the second quarter, compared with 74 mt in the second quarter of 2018, an increase of 16%, said GasLog Ltd.The Monaco-headquartered international owner, operator and manager of liquefied LNG carriers said that higher European imports (up 110% year-on-year) accounted for most of the growth, while demand from Northeast Asia (Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan) was flat year-on-year…
Global LNG Demand Up 16%: GasLog
Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand was 86 million tonnes (mt) in the second quarter, compared with 74 mt in the second quarter of 2018, an increase of 16%, said GasLog Partners, the international owner and operator of LNG carriers.Monaco-headquartered company quoted a Poten report which says that higher European imports (up 110% year-on-year) accounted for most of the growth, while demand from Northeast Asia (Japan, China, South…
Top Turbine Makers to Spend $2.6bln on R&D
Research and development (R&D) expenses among the world's top ten wind turbine manufacturers are expected to exceed $2.6 billion by 2023.The R&D expenses more than doubled in the last four years, reaching $1.8m in 2018, as demand grows for ever-bigger on- and offshore models, according to the latest research from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.The analyst said that over 90 new onshore and offshore turbines are expected to be launched…
China to Overtake Japan in LNG Imports
Japan could lose its position as the world’s top LNG importer to China as early as 2022, said a new report by consultancy group Wood Mackenzie.By then, LNG imports in Japan are expected to decline 12 per cent to 72.8 million tonnes per annum (mmtpa) compared to 2018, while China’s import volume rises 37.5 per cent to 74.1 mmtpa.The consultancy firm said that despite losing this leadership position, Japanese buyers will continue to take a lead in contracting innovation with developments such as hybrid deals…
Permian Midstream Bottlenecks May Choke Output
Rapidly rising production in the Permian basin has led to soaring levels of associated gas, outpacing pipeline infrastructure and placing increasing slowdown pressure on other production streams like crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs), Dr. Eugene Kim, Wood Mackenzie Research Director, Americas Gas, told delegates at the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC) in Denver.Natural gas pipelines hit a takeaway pipeline capacity wall in late March 2019…
