Energy Gas Oil

Petrobras re-nationalizes oil refinery in Brazil's Northeast

2023-11-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

Fabiane Ziolla Menezes

Nov 28, 2023

Synopsis

Petrobras cancels Lubnor refinery sale to Grepar Participações, citing contract non-compliance by November 25. The 2022 deal, valued at USD 34 million, aimed to fulfill Petrobras' 2019 commitment to sell eight refineries. Land ownership complexities in Fortaleza may have contributed to the termination.

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In a securities filing, Brazilian state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras announced it was unilaterally terminating the contract to sell its Lubnor refinery, located in the northeastern state of Ceará, to Grepar Participações, a company belonging to asphalt producers from southern Brazil.

Petrobras cites “the lack of compliance” with some provisions in the contract, which should have been met by November 25, “despite the best efforts undertaken by Petrobras to conclude the transaction.”

Lubnor has a production capacity of 8,200 barrels per day, making it a national leader in asphalt production and the only plant in the country to produce naphthenic lubricants, most commonly used in electrical transformers and equipment that operate at low temperatures.

The deal, signed in 2022, was worth USD 34 million, including a USD 3.4 million down payment. Petrobras decided to sell Lubnor as part of a 2019 agreement with Cade, Brazil’s antitrust agency, in which the company committed to selling eight of its 13 refineries or face an investigation into alleged anticompetitive actions in the oil refining business, which is under a de facto Petrobras monopoly.

Land issues may have hindered the sale. Lubnor is located in Fortaleza, the state capital of Ceará, on land that is co-owned by the federal government and the Fortaleza City Hall. Uncertainty around whether Petrobras could sell the plant to a third party was raised by officials.

Source: https://brazilian.report/

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How to save the planet without ruining your life

2023-11-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

Susan Nugent

2023-11-26

Synopsis

To combat climate change, alternative energy like solar and wind can replace fossil fuels without affecting lifestyles. Despite global subsidies of $7 trillion to the fossil fuel industry, a shift to alternative energy is slow. The suggestion is to pay the fossil fuel industry not to drill, akin to agricultural practices. Incentives like the Inflation Reduction Act aim to promote alternative energy, but change is gradual. Individuals adopting clean energy, such as solar power and electric cars, report reduced carbon footprints without lifestyle sacrifices. The negative impact of gas stoves on childhood asthma is highlighted. Electric lawnmowers are suggested for eco-friendly yard maintenance. The urgent need to address rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere is emphasized.

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We know we must reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, but some of us still believe that reducing our carbon footprint means sacrificing our lifestyles. Alternative energy need not be about sacrifice. Instead, alternative sources such as clean solar, wind and geothermal simply replace dirty energy.

But, thinking our lifestyles will be affected, we drag our feet instead of taking action now. Fossil fuels still dominate the energy industry, and taxpayers subsidize them. In 2022, countries provided $7 trillion to the industry globally. The U.S. reportedly uses $20 billion of taxpayer money toward this bill. How counterproductive it is that we are trying to reduce the use of fossil fuels but still make sure the industry continues.

If the economy will suffer without this ongoing production, maybe we should take a lesson from agricultural practices. When farmers produced too much corn, some were paid not to have a crop. Perhaps we should pay the fossil fuel industry not to drill.

Despite the Inflation Reduction Act and its many incentives to switch to alternative energy, change is slow to build momentum. Yet those who take advantage of this program are reducing their carbon footprint without any sacrifice. When I switched from fossil-fuel energy to solar power for electrifying my home, my lifestyle did not change. If anything, my disposable income increased as my electric bills decreased.

Similarly, friends who now drive the newest electric cars just changed one means of transportation for another. They lowered their carbon footprint with no change in their travel plans.

Some claim cooking with gas is much better, while others admit they really aren’t good enough chefs to notice much difference. But what they do notice is that statistics show us childhood asthma increases in homes with gas stoves.

As far as yard maintenance goes, lawn mowers have not changed their combustion technology while regulations have demanded that cars do so. Electric lawnmowers work just fine. Also, leaf blowers not only destroy pollinators but also use gas inefficiently.

Our climate is getting hotter and hotter because of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We need to wake up and act now.

Susan Nugent is a Climate Reality Project leader from Gainesville. This opinion piece was distributed by The Invading Sea website (www.theinvadingsea.com), which posts news and commentary on climate change and other environmental issues affecting Florida.

Source: https://www.tampabay.com/

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India’s solar installations hit 8.5 GW in first 9 months of 2023

2023-11-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

UMA GUPTA

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Synopsis

India's solar capacity installation for Jan-Sept 2023 dropped by 25% YoY to 8.5 GW, with projections reaching 11 GW by December. Notable shifts include an 84% decrease in utility-scale solar and a rise in rooftop solar to 3 GW. Adani leads in cumulative solar and wind installations, and Jinko dominates solar module supplies. Future projections anticipate adding 4.8 GW of solar and 2.2 GW of wind capacity in the next two quarters, targeting a total annual installation of 11 GW for solar and 3 GW for wind in 2023.

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India installed 8.5 GW of solar capacity from January to September 2023, down 25% year on year, with a projected total of 11 GW for the 12 months to the end of December.

India installed about 8.5 GW of solar capacity in the first nine months of 2023, which is about 25% less than the PV installations during the same period in 2022, according to a new report by JMK Research.

The 8.5 GW of capacity additions included 5.06 GW of utility-scale solar, 3 GW of rooftop solar, and 0.4 GW of off-grid solar. Utility-scale solar installations in the January-September period fell 84% to 5.06 GW, from 9.3 GW installed during the same period in 2022. Rooftop solar installations, on the other hand, rose to 3 GW.

In the wind segment, 2.28 GW of new capacity was added from January to September 2023. This is 123% higher than the 1.02 GW capacity installed in the first nine months of 2022, according to JMK Research.

Adani holds the top spot in cumulative solar and wind installations as of Sept. 30, 2023, boasting 8.3 GW of operational capacity and 20.4 GW in pipeline projects. The third quarter saw additions of 0.85 GW of utility-scale solar capacity and 0.7 GW of rooftop solar.

Sungrow was the leading inverter supplier followed by Sineng and FIMER.

Jinko topped in solar module supplies with about 23.5% share of total shipments.

Projections

JMK Research analysts expect the installation activity to pick up with about 4.8 GW of solar and 2.2 GW of wind capacity likely to be added in the next two quarters.

Annually, India is expected to install about 11 GW of new solar capacity in 2023, including 7 GW from utility-scale, 3.5 GW from rooftop solar, and another 500 MW from off-grid component. Whereas in the wind segment, around 3 GW of new capacity is likely to be added in 2023.

Source: https://www.pv-magazine.com/

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Vestas secures 270MW wind turbine order in US

2023-11-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

Power Technology

November 24, 2023

Synopsis

Danish company Vestas secures a 270MW wind turbine contract for a US project owned by Engie North America. Vestas will deliver and commission 60 V163-4.5MW turbines, with a 20-year service agreement. The project aligns with both companies' commitment to the energy transition. Delivery begins in Q3 2024, commissioning in Q1 2025. Additionally, Vestas has a contract with OX2 for an 115MW wind farm in Sweden, supplying 18 V162-6.2MW turbines and providing 35 years of service, aiming to generate 315–355 gigawatt hours of green energy.

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The Danish company will deliver and commission 60 V163-4.5MW wind turbines.

Danish wind turbine maker Vestas has secured a 270MW wind turbine contract for an undisclosed wind project in the US.

The project is owned by a subsidiary of Engie North America.

Engie North America chief renewables officer and country head Dave Carroll stated: “We are excited to collaborate with Vestas as we both focus on the acceleration of the energy transition in North America.”

Vestas will deliver and commission 60 V163-4.5MW wind turbines.

The Danish company has also signed a 20-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement to ensure optimised performance of the wind turbines.

Vestas North America president Laura Beane stated: “We look forward to working with ENGIE as it expands its wind energy portfolio across the US and continues to advance the clean energy transition.

“The V163-4.5MW is our newest high-capacity factor turbine and is optimised for low-to-medium wind speeds, making it ideally suited for the US market.”

Vestas will begin the wind turbine delivery in the third quarter of 2024, with commissioning scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.

In October 2023, Vestas was awarded a contract by Swedish company OX2 to supply turbines for its 115MW Anglarna wind farm in Sweden.

Vestas will supply, deliver and commission 18 V162-6.2MW wind turbines in 6.4MW operating mode for the project.

It will also service the wind turbines for 35 years under an AOM 5000 agreement.

The wind turbines will be delivered in the second quarter of 2026 and commissioning is scheduled for the fourth quarter of the same year.

The wind farm will generate 315–355 gigawatt hours of green energy, enough to power 69,000 homes annually.

Source: https://www.power-technology.com/

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Oil and Gas Discoveries Spark Debate in the Democratic Republic of Congo

2023-11-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

By Felicity Bradstock

Nov 23, 2023

Synopsis

Massive oil and gas reserves in the DRC attract global interest. Government sees development as vital for economic growth but faces opposition from environmentalists and local communities fearing ecological damage in sensitive areas. Recent discoveries make DRC second in crude oil reserves in Central and Southern Africa. Oil majors eye untapped opportunities, but concerns arise about environmental and social impacts. Current oil projects involve Perenco, Total, and SONAHYDROC. Widespread worry about potential harm to gorilla habitats and rainforests if drilling proceeds.

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The DRC has massive oil and gas reserves, attracting interest from international companies for exploration and development.

Environmentalists and local communities oppose oil exploration due to potential ecological damage, particularly in sensitive areas like the Congo Basin and Virunga National Park.

The DRC government sees oil and gas development as crucial for economic growth but faces pressure to balance this with environmental protection and community concerns.

Recent oil and gas discoveries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) mean that the country has the second largest crude oil reserves in Central and Southern Africa, after Angola. Several international oil majors have been eyeing Africa for the development of new operations in a largely untapped region. New oil and gas projects in the DRC could provide energy companies with massive new reserves and allow them to develop lower-carbon operations. However, there is widespread opposition in the country, as environmentalists worry about the ecological impact of drilling, and residents are concerned about the effect on the community, as well as the potential for corruption.

The DRC’s proven oil reserves of 180 million barrels are mainly located in the four major lakes bordering Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. Its reserves are thought to include a total of around 30 billion cubic metres of methane and natural gas. In Lake Kivu, bordering Rwanda and Burundi, there are also almost 60 billion cubic metres of dissolved methane in the waters. The DRC currently exports all its crude production and imports all its petroleum products, something that could change to boost the country’s energy security if its oil and gas industry is developed further.

Three major oil companies currently operate oil projects in the region, the Anglo-French firm Perenco, French oil major Total, and state-owned SONAHYDROC. There has been great optimism around oil discoveries in the region in recent years, with estimates for petroleum reserves as high as three billion barrels. Therefore, further exploration could prove fruitful for companies looking to break into Africa.

However, many are worried about the potential environmental and social impacts of developing the DRC’s oil reserves. Earlier this year, the New York investment firm EQX Biome, a biodiversity fintech company, made a bid of $400 million in an auction for oil concessions in the Congo basin rainforest and Virunga National Park with the idea of converting them into conservation projects. It signalled its interest in 27 oil exploration blocks put up for auction in July last year to the DRC government. The region includes a critically endangered gorilla habitat, as well as parts of the world’s largest tropical peatlands, and some of the world’s second-largest rainforest in the Congo basin. Environmentalists worldwide have warned of irreversible environmental harm should drilling go ahead in the region.

Source: https://oilprice.com/

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Will Battery Storage Make Gas Power Generation Redundant?

2023-11-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

By Irina Slav

Nov 22, 2023

Synopsis

Government penalties on hydrocarbon-based power and incentives for battery storage are reshaping energy economics. Battery technology progress is causing the cancellation of gas generation projects, driven by uncertain long-term viability compared to declining battery costs. Subsidies and legislation are boosting battery storage, with forecasts predicting substantial growth. Despite advancements, challenges remain in achieving cost-effective long-term battery storage, keeping gas power plants relevant for energy security in the transitional phase.

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Government penalties on hydrocarbon-fueled power and incentives for battery storage are changing the economics of energy generation.

Short-term battery storage is advancing, but long-term storage solutions are still costly and under development.

Gas power plants continue to play a crucial role in ensuring energy supply security, even as the focus shifts towards renewable energy sources.

Back in 2017, Tesla switched on the world’s biggest battery storage facility. Located in South Australia, the 159 MWh battery array can supply 30,000 homes with electricity in case of a blackout. For about one hour.

Fast forward five years, and we have Reuters reporting that battery storage technology has advanced so far that utilities are now canceling plans for new gas generation capacity. But that’s not the whole story.

Energy companies, Reuters said in that report, had shelved or straight out canceled 68 new gas generation capacity projects in the first half of the year. The reason for the cancellations, per the sources that the news outlet interviewed, was the uncertain long-term economics of this capacity in light of declining costs for battery storage.

Indeed, the long-term economics of any baseload electricity generation capacity have changed in the past decade or so, excluding nuclear. The reason the economics have changed is that governments in Europe and, more recently, the United States and Canada, have started penalizing generation fueled by hydrocarbons.

The penalties are officially called carbon permits but are essentially payments on the part of power plant operators for using a fuel that emits greenhouse gases. In contrast, operators of wind and solar farms that need storage to offset their intermittency are not only not getting penalized but are being actively supported by these governments in terms of financing.

In the U.S., the Inflation Reduction Act was a massive help in that respect. As Utility Dive reported at the time, the IRA “significantly improves the economics for large-scale battery storage projects in the U.S.”

The way that the new legislation did that was by offering an investment tax credit of 30% for standalone battery storage systems, with additional incentives that could see the price tag of a battery storage array covered at up to 70%.

Subsidies are obviously an important way to improve the economics of certain technology, especially if there is no other way to do that. Research is ongoing in various research and business environments to improve on existing battery tech and make it cheaper and better, but for now, lithium-ion remains king, and there are limits to how much you can improve a lithium-ion battery or lower its cost.

Here’s where the subsidies come in as governments splurging on wind and solar realize that on their own, these are not the reliable electricity source a grid needs. No wonder BloombergNEF has forecast that new battery storage additions will hit a record this year and grow by a compound annual growth rate of an impressive 27% by 2030.

“Targets and subsidies are translating into project development and power market reforms that favor energy storage,” BloombergNEF wrote in its battery storage report. “Our increase in deployments is driven by a wave of new projects prompted by energy shifting needs. Markets are increasingly seeking energy storage for capacity services.”

With all that support, and notably financial support, for battery storage, it is only to be expected that utilities might choose to build a battery array that will be heavily subsidized by the government instead of a gas power plant, which will be taxed for being a gas power plant.

In fact, this is exactly what one company in the UK did, per the Reuters report. Carlton Power had planned to build a gas power plant in Manchester back in 2016. This year, the company decided to instead build a battery storage facility. The reason: the company was not certain about the gas power plant’s future revenue stability in light of expectations it would not run as baseload capacity but rather as backup for when the sun and the wind are down.

This is the general expectation of the politicians and activists promoting the energy transition. As wind and solar generation capacity grows, reliance on coal and gas generation will decline, with these power plants becoming a supplementary rather than default capacity. For this to happen, however, batteries will need to become even more giant than they are now. And they will need to become safer.

For now, most battery storage is short-term storage. It could help in an accidental blackout, but it can’t supply power to a town with a solar farm during the night. That’s why the focus should shift to long-term storage. Indeed, BloombergNEF mentioned in its report that long-term battery storage capacity is on the rise.

However, the forecast outlet added, “The case for long-duration energy storage remains unclear despite a flurry of new project announcements across the US and China.” There could only be one reason that the case for long-duration storage remains uncertain: cost. After all, if the cost was palatable, everyone would be building long-duration storage to accelerate the shift away from gas and coal generation.

Yet it appears this is not the case, at least not yet. Until it becomes the case, chances are that despite the penalties, gas power plants will continue to make sense, at least from the energy supply security perspective, if not from the transition perspective.

Source: https://oilprice.com/

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Gazprom aims for 15-year gas supply deal with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan

2023-11-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Rachael Rajan

Nov 13, 2023

Synopsis

Gazprom aims to strengthen natural gas supplies to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan over a 15-year period, consolidating its role as a key energy supplier in the region. This move is part of Russia's broader strategy to expand its influence in the Central Asian energy sector, fostering regional integration and economic ties.

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Gazprom (MCX:GAZP), Russia's state-controlled energy giant, is setting its sights on a 15-year strategy to bolster natural gas supplies to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The company's CEO, Aleksey Miller, emphasized this long-term plan during a broadcast on Russia 1 TV Sunday, underscoring the move as part of Russia's broader strategy to expand its influence over the Central Asian energy sector.

The initiative aims to cement Russia's role as a key energy supplier in the region through the Central Asia-Center (CAC) pipeline system. This pipeline extends nearly 5,000 kilometers from Turkmenistan to Russia and is poised to play a pivotal role in the proposed increase of gas supplies. Gazprom is working towards finalizing a cooperation contract by mid-2024 and expects that Russian gas deliveries to Central Asian markets could surge to approximately 20 billion cubic meters by the year 2030.

Miller's announcement reflects Russia's commitment to enhancing energy security and fostering economic development within Central Asia. The proposed expansion via the CAC pipeline system is seen as a strategic move to strengthen regional integration and economic ties. By increasing natural gas supplies, Gazprom aims to drive sustainable growth and ensure stability throughout the region.

This development comes at a time when Russia is actively seeking to diversify its energy partnerships and solidify its position as a world leader in natural resource exports. The long-term relationship with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan marks a significant step in this direction, potentially transforming the dynamics of the Central Asian energy market and offering mutual benefits for all parties involved.

InvestingPro Insights

Gazprom, or GAZP, is a prominent player in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry, with an impressive gross profit margin of 76.02% over the last twelve months as of Q4 2022, according to InvestingPro data. This aligns with the company's strategy to strengthen its role as a key energy supplier in the Central Asian region.

An InvestingPro Tip worth noting is that GAZP is trading at a low earnings multiple, with a P/E ratio of 3.32. Additionally, the company's stock generally trades with low price volatility, which could be an attractive feature for investors seeking stability amidst the company's ambitious expansion plans.

GAZP's market cap stands at 43,404.53M USD, with a revenue growth of 13.99% over the last twelve months as of Q4 2022. This growth, coupled with the company's liquidity situation where liquid assets exceed short term obligations, paints a promising financial picture for the energy giant.

For those interested in more comprehensive insights, InvestingPro offers numerous additional tips and real-time metrics for Gazprom and many other companies.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Source: https://www.investing.com/

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Iraq expects deal to resume Kurdistan oil output within three days

2023-11-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

By Ahmed Rasheed

November 12, 2023

Synopsis

Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani expects to reach an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and foreign oil companies within three days to resume oil production from the Kurdish region's oilfields after an "understanding" was reached with Turkey regarding the resumption of northern oil exports.

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BAGHDAD, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani expects to reach an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and foreign oil companies to resume oil production from the Kurdish region’s oilfields within three days, he said on Sunday.

Abdel-Ghani said during a visit to Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan, that Iraq has reached an "understanding" with Turkey in relation to resumption of northern oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline.

Turkey halted 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of northern exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline from March 25 after an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration ruling.

The ICC ordered Ankara to pay Baghdad damages of about $1.5 billion for unauthorised exports by the KRG between 2014 and 2018.

Abdel-Ghani and top federal oil officials on Sunday started meetings with the KRG's ministry of natural resources and senior Kurdish energy officials to discuss the matter.

"The purpose of this meeting is to resolve all issues to facilitate resumption of oil production and exports," Abdel-Ghani told reporters in Erbil.

"First step is to agree with the region and companies on adjusting their existing contracts to be consistent with Iraq's constitution. We could reach a deal in three days."

Iraqi government oil officials met representatives of the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) for the first time on Wednesday to discuss a resumption of flows to Turkey.

APIKUR's members include international oil and gas companies that have a direct or indirect interest in upstream oil or gas contracts in Iraq's Kurdistan region, many of which have had to stop output because of the pipeline closure.

Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed Editing by William Maclean and David Goodman

Source: https://www.reuters.com/

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Liontown awards LNG supply contract

2023-11-10T13:23:00.005-08:00

by Theodore Reed-Martin,

Friday, 10 November 2023

Synopsis

Liontown Resources has signed a 15-year LNG supply contract with Mid-West LNG, facilitating their goal of operating their Hybrid Power Station on 100% renewable energy during times of high wind and solar penetration. LNG will be produced at the CEFA Mount Magnet Mid-West LNG Hub and supplied through the Mid-West Gas Pipeline. The contract provides flexibility and supports Liontown's aim of being at least 60% renewably powered while ensuring thermal power redundancy.

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Liontown Resources Ltd has entered a contract for supply of LNG to Mid-West LNG Pty Ltd, a group company of Clean Energy Fuels Australia (CEFA). The LNG supply contract is a key deliverable for the 95 MW Hybrid Power Station (the power station) at Kathleen Valley. The power station comprises wind turbines, solar panels, battery storage, diesel and gas fired generators, which is designed to operate in ‘engine off’ mode enabling Liontown to operate from 100% renewable energy during periods of high wind and solar penetration.

LNG will be produced at the CEFA Mount Magnet Mid-West LNG Hub (the Hub) located at Mt Magnet, around 370 km from Kathleen Valley. The Hub is directly connected to the Mid-West Gas Pipeline, which connects to the Dampier to Bunbury Gas Pipeline, providing access to natural gas fields in the mid-West and North-West.

The 15-year supply contract aligns to the Zenith Power Purchase Agreement1 and enables flexibility for quantities and access to ‘sprint’ capacity as required throughout the contract period. This will support Liontown’s target to be at least 60% renewably powered from start-up, whilst having 100% thermal power redundancy for the operation. The contract comprises fixed and variable charges for gas supply, liquification and transport.

LNG supply will commence in January 2024 to support planned early plant commissioning activities.

Source: https://www.lngindustry.com/

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ExxonMobil doles out $1.26 billion for FPSO operating off Guyana

2023-11-10T05:43:00.002-08:00

by Melisa Cavcic

November 10, 2023

Synopsis

ExxonMobil has paid $1.26 billion to SBM Offshore for the purchase of the FPSO Liza Unity, operating off the coast of Guyana. ExxonMobil assumes ownership while SBM Offshore continues to operate and maintain the vessel. The cash proceeds will be used to repay project financing and decrease SBM Offshore's net debt. The Liza field in the Stabroek block now has two FPSOs, with plans for six FPSOs by 2027 to develop the estimated resources of over 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - OIL - NOV - 10 - 2023

U.S.-headquartered energy giant ExxonMobil has paid around $1.26 billion to SBM Offshore, a Dutch FPSO operator, for a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which is working on the oil major’s first oil development project located off the coast of Guyana.

This transaction is related to the purchase of the FPSO Liza Unity, which the two players completed a few months before the end of the maximum lease term, in February 2024. The purchase allows ExxonMobil Guyana to assume ownership of the unit while SBM Offshore will continue to operate and maintain the FPSO up to 2033.

The net cash proceeds, comprising a total cash consideration of about $1.26 billion, will primarily be used for the full repayment of the $1.14 billion project financing, decreasing SBM Offshore’s net debt position.

The FPSO Liza Unity, which has been on hire since February 2022, has been operated since 2023 through the integrated operations and maintenance model combining SBM Offshore and ExxonMobil’s expertise and experience delivering outstanding operational performance.

Currently, the Liza field in the Stabroek block has two FPSOs. The first one, Liza Destiny, started production back in December 2019 as part of the Liza Phase 1 development. The second FPSO, Liza Unity, started production in February 2022, as part of the Liza Phase 2 development.

The Stabroek block covers 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers) and is operated by ExxonMobil’s affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana with a 45% interest. The company’s partners in the block are Hess Guyana Exploration (30%) and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana (25%).

The Liza Unity vessel arrived in Guyana in October 2021 following construction in shipyards in China and Singapore. Moored in a water depth of about 1,650 meters, the FPSO is able to store around 2 million barrels of crude.

This was the world’s first FPSO to be awarded the SUSTAIN-1 notation by the American Bureau of Shipping in recognition of the sustainability of its design, documentation, and operational procedures and the first unit with a design based on SBM Offshore’s Fast4Ward program.

Recently, SBM Offshore got its hands on a contract to perform front end engineering and design (FEED) for another FPSO vessel, which is destined to work on ExxonMobil’s sixth deepwater oil development project on the Stabroek block offshore Guyana. This will be the fifth FPSO built by the Dutch player for operations in Guyana.

Based on ExxonMobil’s plans, six FPSOs with a gross production capacity of more than 1.2 million barrels of oil per day are expected to be online on the Stabroek block by the end of 2027, with the potential for up to ten FPSOs to develop the estimated gross discovered recoverable resources of more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

Source: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/

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Latest Oil Prices, Market News and Analysis for Nov. 9

2023-11-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

Alex Longley

2023-11-09

Synopsis

Oil prices recovered from a three-month low as technical indicators suggested a possible end to the price slump. Concerns over global demand and increased supply have weighed on the market. However, Saudi Arabia's energy minister and the Secretary General of OPEC have highlighted that consumption remains healthy. Refining margins have fallen, stockpiles in China have increased, and Asia's largest economy has returned to deflation, leading to growing bearishness in the oil market. The prompt spread for US crude narrowed, indicating reduced concerns about scarcity.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - OIL - NOV - 09 - 2023

Oil recovered after plunging to a three-month low on concerns about global consumption.

Brent futures edged back above $80 a barrel, as some technical gauges suggested the slump in prices may be overdone. Markets globally have been looking for clues on whether the Federal Reserve will dial back a higher for longer stance on interest rates, while for oil in recent days the focus has shifted to softness in demand and higher supplies.

Still, on Thursday Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said consumption remains healthy. That echoed remarks from the Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries earlier in the week.

Oil prices have tumbled sharply over the past three weeks amid growing concerns over weaker demand. The focus has returned to fundamentals, with refining margins falling and stockpiles swelling in China, the biggest importer. Asia’s largest economy returned to deflation, according to data released Thursday.

“It’s an interesting shift from most of October, when the oil market did not seem overly concerned about the macro picture,” said Anurag Maheshwari, head of oil options at Optiver. “Now we’re in a place where the market is back to paying attention to the supply-demand balance outside of the Middle East.”

The growing bearishness has been reflected in the prompt spread for US crude, where the premium for near-term contracts disappeared on Wednesday. That indicates markets are less concerned about scarcity than they were a few weeks ago.

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/

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EV Batteries Have a Dirty Secret. This Company Has a Plan to Clean Them Up

2023-11-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

Rob Reddick

08.11.2023

Synopsis

European manufacturer Northvolt aims to revolutionize global battery production, addressing the environmental impact of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Current production emits substantial carbon, hindering net-zero goals. Northvolt's strategy involves green energy locations, low-carbon supply chains, and innovative recycling. By regionalizing production and achieving scale, they believe they can compete with China, anticipating increased demand not only for EVs but also energy storage. The future of battery tech includes sodium-ion alternatives for sustainability and addressing challenges posed by current lithium-ion technologies.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - BATTERIES EV - NOV - 08 - 2023

European manufacturer Northvolt has plans to distribute a low-carbon, sustainable battery-manufacturing process across the world.

Here’s the inconvenient truth about your electric vehicle: Making its battery has a big impact on the environment. Producing an EV often generates more emissions than building a conventional car, with the benefits of going electric realized only after a good amount of driving.

“Building batteries is creating a very large amount of carbon,” says Peter Carlsson, CEO of European battery manufacturer Northvolt.

This is a problem, given battery production is about to explode to meet rising demand for EVs and energy storage. Phasing out internal combustion engines—a must for reaching net zero—will require roughly a tenfold increase in battery production over the next decade, Carlsson says. If the world continues making batteries as it does today, the emissions of this transmission would be equivalent to “pretty much the full carbon footprint of Spain.”

Making an average battery today can release over 100 kg of CO2 per kilowatt hour of energy provided across its lifetime, according to Carlsson. But by shaking up how and where batteries are produced, Northvolt believes it can slash the footprint of battery production. “ You can actually get down to around 10 kg of CO2 per kilowatt hour, which is our very clear goal for 2030,” Carlson says.

Ahead of the Northvolt team speaking at WIRED Impact in London on November 21, WIRED caught up with Carlsson to find out more about the company’s plan to green the battery sector. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

WIRED: Slashing the emissions of battery production—how does that work?

Peter Carlsson: It basically comes from three things: You put manufacturing—of cathode active material, the cell—into locations with an abundance of green energy.

You also develop your own supply chains for critical things—like manufacturing of graphite, processing lithium into lithium hydroxide, the mining and refining of key metals—with very low-carbon or carbon-free setups. Half of battery production’s carbon footprint is in the supply chain: mining, refining, preparing materials.

And you combine it with a high degree of recycling. And not just the traditional way. We’ve developed, through a collaboration with several universities, a process for hydrometallurgical separation of the black mass—that is, the recyclable material of a battery.

Where we have Northvolt’s first gigafactory in northern Sweden, you’re looking at the very unique setup where you have the full circle of raw material in active cathode manufacturing on-site, going into cell manufacturing, and delivery to customers. And at the end of life those cells come back, are fully recycled, and you feed the raw materials back into the manufacturing setup.

Reducing emissions in your supply chain seems like a huge task. How do you do that?

A very large amount of the supply chain is directly controlled by us.

To be clear, we’re not starting mines, we are not doing refining. But we actually did go into a joint venture with Galp in Portugal to build one of Europe’s first lithium hydroxide refineries. We saw there was such a concentration of this field in China, and that it came with a pretty hefty carbon footprint, since it also is a very energy-intensive process.

Portugal is an area which has both good logistics from the sea but also lithium assets. And by building a lithium-refining plant where we are using offshore wind and some hydropower, we could develop a strategic lithium hydroxide processing plant in Europe: a more independent supply chain with a very low carbon footprint.

You mentioned China. It dominates battery manufacturing and the processing of battery materials. A lot of Northvolt’s strategy focuses not just on greening the battery sector, but also regionalizing it—spreading it out from China. Why is this important?

Let me start by saying, you know, we have a lot of really, really good collaborations with Chinese companies. China has scaled this industry to a maturity that you can’t find in either Europe or North America. We are at least 10 years behind.

But because we’re seeing demand for batteries and battery production capacity regionally, it is also going to be developed regionally. This has to do with energy independence, but also very practical things—like, that the automotive industry needs just-in-time setups.

So there’s no doubt that in both Europe and in North America, over time, you will see a regionalization of the supply chain to support industry development. From a security of supply, and from a sustainability point of view, there’s a strategic need to also build these supply chains regionally. It’s not just to reduce dependency on China, it’s also because of the need for shorter logistics, more reliable setups, and setups with lower carbon footprints.

But can regionalized battery producers really compete with China?

When we looked at the opportunity of challenging the incumbents, we recognized that if you do a vertical integration, and put infrastructure in locations where you have both access to renewable energy and electricity at a very low cost, and you do this with the vertical integration and at scale, you could actually offset the the lower labor cost of Asia with a lower total processing cost of batteries. What is important is scale. It’s a little bit like: go big or go home.

It’s important to recognize the head start that China, and to some extent South Korea, has. It will take a little time to build up the scale and the supply chains and get them as efficient as they are working in China today.

Most batteries are used in EVs right now. What comes next?

Right now, obviously, the vehicle transition is driving the majority of the volume. But not far thereafter comes energy storage and grid storage. The North American market is evolving incredibly fast, both in managing grid bottlenecks but also managing the increased amount of intermittent energy produced by wind and solar power.

The more renewables, the more electric vehicles, the more that industry is transforming—furnaces, ovens, and all sorts of industrial heat generation—that is going to drive a lot of energy storage needs. In almost all areas where you today see some kind of combustion engines—forklifts, materials handling, underground mining, marine areas—you see electrification plans. We are underestimating how fast and how big energy storage will need to be in order to balance the market.

And what will happen next in battery tech. Is lithium ion set to dominate?

The core battery technologies being developed today—whether it's lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides, lithium ion phosphates—and the massive amount of infrastructure that is being invested in right now will provide a baseline of needs for a long period going forward.

You will see a continuous strong technology evolution, but you need to integrate any technology evolution with the infrastructure that is currently being built.

The one thing I do see really coming up is, basically, batteries where you use sodium instead of lithium as the energy transmitter. You won't get the energy densities that you can get from high nickel, but you can basically develop batteries that have really, really good thermal capabilities, that have really good cyclability, and do not contain lithium, nickel, cobalt. I see that as a pretty big opportunity for the further evolution of grid storage.

With very high metal prices right now, you're also seeing a very strong growth of lithium ion phosphates.

They serve a need because they're quite cost-effective. But they have certain challenges: They come with a pretty large carbon footprint, and because of their content, they are not naturally as attractive to recycle as high nickel-type batteries.

So there's a big risk that unless we start to see some pretty strong regulations around this, we will see a challenge with the end-of-life of LFP batteries that are coming to market. The LFP segment is growing really, really strong right now.

With sodium ion, you can develop a really, really sustainable battery—both because of the abundance of these metals and their carbon footprint, and because you can utilize alternative materials for the anode. You can do hard graphite out of wood fiber, or we've seen samples of hard graphite made of coconut fiber. So the ability to build a really sustainable setup with sodium ion is definitely there.

Join Northvolt and our world-class speaker lineup at WIRED Impact on November 21, at Magazine London, as we examine the opportunities for organizations to innovate and tackle humankind’s most pressing challenges. Get tickets now: events.wired.co.uk/impact

Source: https://www.wired.co.uk/

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Texas produces twice as much methane as better regulated neighbor, study finds

2023-11-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

Oliver Milman

Wed 8 Nov 2023

Synopsis

Satellite data reveals that oil and gas production in Texas is emitting double the amount of methane compared to New Mexico, raising concerns about the impact on climate change. Methane leaks from drilling sites in Texas are significantly higher due to inadequate regulation, unlike in New Mexico, where a 2021 law has curtailed methane emissions. Urgent action is needed to curb methane emissions in order to address the climate crisis and mitigate global warming.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - OIL - NOV - 08 - 2023

Oil and gas production in Texas is spewing out double the rate of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, than in the more regulated state of New Mexico, new satellite data shared with the Guardian shows, prompting calls for tougher curbs of “super-emitter” sites that risk tipping the world into climate breakdown.

Satellite imaging of methane leaks across the Permian basin, a vast geological feature at the heart of the US oil and gas drilling industry, show that sites in Texas have emitted double the amount of the gas than in New Mexico, per unit of production, since 2019.

‘We don’t feel safe’: US community in shock after record methane leak

Methane is a potent planet-heating gas, around 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, and is routinely released via leaks or intentionally vented and burned, in a process called flaring, by fossil fuel companies when drilling for oil and gas. Scientists have warned of a “scary” surge in methane emissions in the past two decades, posing a major threat to efforts to contain dangerous global heating.

The new satellite data, gathered by Kayrros, a French climate technology company, shows that methane is being leaked at a far higher rate from sites in Texas compared with neighboring New Mexico. Despite increasing its own oil production in recent years, New Mexico has no site with repeated methane leaks, unlike in Texas, which Kayrros said is likely due to a 2021 state law aimed at curtailing methane emissions from industry.

“The effect that methane has on the global climate is devastating,” said Antoine Rostand, chief executive of Kayrros. “Good operators will re-inject the gas while others will vent it, which means it’s very easy to eliminate leaks of methane that would have a massive impact upon the climate.”

Rostand said the difference between visible leaks in Texas and New Mexico is “huge” and should spur governments in the US and other countries to crack down on this pollution. “It seems the regulation in New Mexico has had an impact without hurting business,” he said. “It’s a message of hope because it shows that if you have regulation it works. Governments need to take up their responsibilities with this.”

Methane is emitted from various activities, such as from the raising of livestock, but oil and gas production is the biggest source of the pollutant in the US and emissions have surged amid a frenzy of new drilling, some of it for fossil fuels to be exported overseas.

Texas, despite being at the epicenter of the oil industry, has scant measures to prevent companies from dumping their unwanted methane into the shared atmosphere. It is “really frustrating that Texas continues to allow oil and gas companies to pollute with impunity when we’ve got a great solution staring us in the eye”, said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas. “Unfortunately it’s clear that Texas is not going to stand up to big oil and adopt sensible standards to cut methane.”

Environmentalists have pinned their hopes, therefore, on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is finalizing a new federal rule for new and existing drilling sites that it says will slash methane emissions from these sources by 87% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. The regulation is expected to be unveiled later this month.

The oil and gas industry, and its political allies, have complained that new regulations would be too onerous and risk pushing up fuel costs. “The current administration has made its intentions clear – it is determined to target our flourishing oil and gas sector, despite its substantial progress in reducing methane emissions, irrespective of how it might impact American energy security, reliability, and consumer cost,” Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat and coal company owner, wrote to the EPA leadership recently.

But Rostand said that governments, set to gather at the Cop28 United Nations climate talks later this month, need to deliver quick and rapid cuts in methane if the world, on track to experience its hottest year ever recorded, is to act on the climate crisis.

“Cutting methane would have the same benefit to the climate as removing all cars and trucks from the road,” he said. “This really should be the ‘Cop of methane’. If the US and Europe, which is the largest importer of natural gas, act, then it will just be the best possible news for the climate.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/

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SpinDrive Raises €3.8M to cut Industrial Energy Waste and Pollution with MAGNETIC LEVITATION BEARINGS

2023-11-07T20:36:00.002-08:00

By BearingNews

November 7, 2023

Synopsis

Finnish company SpinDrive secures €3.8M in funding to revolutionize industrial energy efficiency with magnetic levitation bearings. Their frictionless bearings outperform traditional ones, offer predictive maintenance, eliminate the need for oil, and reduce energy consumption, potentially saving 15% of industrial electricity. This innovation aims to cut CO2 emissions and improve industrial machinery efficiency while entering new markets. SpinDrive has gained international recognition and plans to contribute to a more sustainable future.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - WASTE ENERGY - NOV - 07 - 2023

Finnish Cleantech Company SpinDrive Raises €3.8M to Cut Industrial Energy Waste and Pollution with Magnetic Levitation Bearings

SpinDrive will use the funds to boost its global growth, helping industrial machinery manufacturers affordably achieve higher energy efficiency and productivity by providing a frictionless alternative to high-maintenance, oil-dependent, and energy-wasting bearing technologies. The company will also develop a new range of Active Magnetic Bearings for new applications.

LAPPEENRANTA, Finland SpinDrive, a Finnish company providing affordable active magnetic bearings for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), has secured a €3.8M Series A funding round. The round was led by U.S.-based, hardware companies-focused investor Rhapsody Venture Partners, with existing investors Innovestor from Finland and Born2Grow from Germany also participating. The funding will enable SpinDrive to ramp up its commercial growth and improve industrial efficiency in factories worldwide.

SpinDrive’s frictionless bearings are smaller, more energy efficient, and more affordable than its competitors. The bearings work through magnetic levitation, where there is no contact between rotating and stationary parts. No friction means no bearing maintenance for up to 20 years, even in high-speed applications, meaning high rotational speeds and energy efficiency without the risk of equipment downtime or maintenance breaks.

In striking contrast, traditional ball bearings in industrial high-speed applications have a 12-18 month maintenance cycle, requiring bearing replacement. SpinDrive’s bearings also provide condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of the whole machine, removing the need to install external sensors to monitor system health and reducing overall equipment maintenance costs by over 80%.

“We have seen increasing international demand for more energy efficiency and cleaner solutions in industrial production, and we are excited to build SpinDrive to meet those customer needs with our active magnetic bearing systems and controllers. With its specialization in industrial technologies and global reach into industrial companies, Rhapsody Venture Partners is an ideal partner for us, and we’re thrilled to be working with them,” says Nikita Uzhegov, COO and Co-founder of SpinDrive.

Furthermore, the bearings require no oil to work, eliminating the need for polluting lubricants from industrial production. EU factories consume 5 million tons of oil-based lubricants each year, and traditional bearing-based machinery suffers from high leakage and contamination risk. This lubricant-free operation makes production significantly more ecological. It also allows manufacturers to enter new markets, such as food, beverage, pharma, semiconductors, and hydrogen-based production, where hygienic, contamination-free processing is essential.

Another significant advantage is the energy-saving capability of frictionless bearings. For example, large machinery operating at 100kW to several MW requires considerable energy, and ball bearings limit machinery efficiency due to friction. Traditionally, OEMs’ use of AMB technology has been restricted by its size, cost, and complexity. By offering an affordable solution to overcome these limitations, SpinDrive’s AMBs and controllers enable manufacturers to reduce energy needs by as much as 15% by allowing increased rotational speeds in a vast array of systems beyond previously possible. This is a significant saving, as industrial electric motors currently stand for 46% of the world’s electricity consumption.

Improved energy efficiency is a key element in reducing industrial emissions. SpinDrive sees CO2 emission mitigation as one of its most significant contributions, and the company aims to help cut 500Mt of CO2 by 2050 annually by improving the energy efficiency of industrial machinery. New innovative technologies for fundamental machinery components, such as SpinDrive digital bearings, are essential in striving towards a carbon-negative future.

“Climate change is the biggest challenge of our time, but we often get stuck thinking about technologies like carbon capture when it comes to CO2 emissions. Industrial production is a massive part of the world’s energy consumption and climate emissions, so we must create energy-efficient and clean components to turn this tide. By improving the energy efficiency in existing and new machinery, we tackle the problem in a massive area and provide a significant impact,” adds Janne Heikkinen, CEO and Co-founder of SpinDrive.

The global bearing industry is currently worth €120bn. SpinDrive’s typical applications include turbo blowers, compressors, expanders, process machinery, flywheels, and energy recovery systems. High rotational speed yields high energy efficiency in transferring and compressing gases with turbo machinery, and frictionless operation cuts energy losses of spinning rotors.

“We scour the world for great hard science breakthroughs and love innovations that sell. SpinDrive’s system is much cheaper and better than anything else in the market. We are excited to partner with the team and to help grow SpinDrive internationally. ” says Carsten Boers, Managing Partner at lead investor Rhapsody Venture Partners.

The company has raised a total of €8M to date from a syndicate of VCs and private investors, as well as public funding. SpinDrive has the most advanced control systems for active magnetic bearings, with customers in Finland, Germany, the USA, Denmark, France, Italy, China, and the United Kingdom. The company has offices in Finland and Germany. SpinDrive has seen significant improvements in efficiency in its cooperation with current clients, such as global pulp and paper vacuum solutions provider Runtech Systems.

“Active magnetic bearing technology is a major leap towards more sustainable papermaking, with a very affordable total cost of ownership. 1 MW unit offers an unbeatable small footprint and material efficiency combined with low energy consumption over the product’s lifetime. We look forward to deepening our cooperation with SpinDrive and continuing the application of Magma AMB controller in other machine models,” says Ville Lahdensuo, R&D Director at Runtech Systems.

Source: https://www.bearing-news.com/

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Novel molecular bridge strategy boosts efficiency of perovskite solar cells

2023-11-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

by Zhao Weiwei,

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Synopsis

Researchers at the Institute of Solid-State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced a strategy to enhance perovskite solar cells by using ammonium cations as molecular bridges to improve the fill factor. This strategy improved the connection between different layers of the solar cell, leading to better carrier extraction and transport, potentially advancing perovskite solar cell commercialization.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - SOLAR CELLS - NOV - 07 - 2023

Recently, a research team by Professor Pan Xu from Institute of Solid-State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HIPS) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) proposed a novel strategy to enhance the performance of perovskite solar cells. Their strategy involves the creation of a robust connection between different layers of the solar cell using a molecular bridge made of ammonium cations.

The results were published in Energy & Environmental Science.

Perovskite solar cells have garnered considerable attention due to their remarkable power conversion efficiencies, which have surpassed 25%. Nevertheless, there remains ample room for improvement, particularly in terms of enhancing the fill factor (FF) of these devices. The FF represents the capacity of a solar cell to deliver maximum current under optimal conditions, and any advancements in this area are highly sought after.

To overcome the limitations associated with FF, the team focused on optimizing the bottom interface of the solar cell. They ingeniously developed a strategy to redistribute localized electrostatic potential by employing ammonium cations as a molecular bridge with various degrees of substitution.

The key to this strategy lies in creating a strong connection between different layers of the solar cell using a molecular bridge made of ammonium cations. The researchers used ammonium cations with different degrees of substitution as the molecular bridge to create a robust connection between layers.

Theoretical analyses revealed that the molecular bridge molecules helped flatten the localized potential and establish efficient contacts between layers. Experimental results showed that the robust bottom interface improved the extraction and transport of photo-generated carriers, enhancing overall device performance.

The interfacial molecular bridge strategy presented in this work could potentially offer a fresh optimization direction for top-performing perovskite solar cells and propel them towards commercialization. By addressing the limitations associated with the FF, this research contributes to the ongoing development of high-performance perovskite solar cells and their potential widespread use in clean energy generation.

More information: Huifen Xu et al, Constructing robust heterointerfaces for carrier viaduct via interfacial molecular bridges enables efficient and stable inverted perovskite solar cells, Energy & Environmental Science (2023). DOI: 10.1039/D3EE02591H

Source: https://techxplore.com/

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China’s Fuel Exports Drop to June Low as Refiners Use Up Quotas

2023-11-07T04:05:00.000-08:00

Bloomberg

5h ago

Synopsis

China's exports of gasoline, diesel, and other fuels dropped to a four-month low in October, potentially leading to a tightening of global markets and higher fuel prices. The government has not increased export permits, risking a shortage for refiners. In contrast, crude oil imports rose to the highest level since August, driven by increased import permits for private refiners and more cargoes from Saudi Arabia.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - OIL - NOV - 07 - 2023

(Bloomberg) -- China’s exports of gasoline, diesel and other fuels fell to the lowest in four months in October as refiners risk exhausting government quotas that expire at the end of the year.

Overseas shipments of oil products fell 5% from a month earlier to 5.17 million metric tons in October, according to customs data released Tuesday. Imports of crude rose.

Refiners in the world’s biggest oil consumer are facing a shortage of export permits after the government told them in September it wouldn’t increase the number, which is already above last year’s total. That could potentially tighten global markets and increase fuel prices in a boost to processors outside China that are grappling with declining margins.

Oil processors had used up 80% of their export allowances by end-September, according to Li Chunyan, an analyst with industry consultant OilChem. That rate could rise to 95% by the end of this month on the basis of preliminary export plans, she said.

China will publish a breakdown of oil product exports on Nov. 18. The category also includes fuel oil, jet fuel and naphtha.

Meanwhile, crude imports rose 7% from the previous month to 48.97 million tons in October, the highest level since August, Tuesday’s data showed. That’s equivalent to about 11.6 million barrels a day. The increase comes as private refiners were granted more import permits and state plants received more cargoes from top supplier Saudi Arabia under long-term contracts.

Source: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

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2 Clark County farms get grants to add solar power

2023-11-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

By Lauren Ellenbecker,

November 4, 2023

Synopsis

Two rural businesses in Clark County, Washington, will collectively receive around $150,000 in federal aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enhance their power efficiency. One business will install a 36.48-kilowatt solar array, replacing 36,000 kilowatt hours annually, while the other will purchase a 47-kilowatt solar array estimated to generate 55,000 kilowatt hours per year.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - SOLAR POWER - NOV - 04 - 2023

They collectively will receive nearly $150K from USDA

Two rural Clark County businesses are collectively set to receive roughly $150,000 in federal aid to more efficiently power their operations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday it awarded more than $3 million to 18 rural businesses across Washington. Statewide, the collection of projects is estimated to generate 10.07 million kilowatt hours, or enough to power 900 homes, according to the agency.

A horse-boarding facility, located at the eastern edge of Ridgefield, will use $51,447 to purchase and install a 36.48-kilowatt solar array on a hay barn, replacing 36,000 kilowatt hours a year, the equivalent of powering three homes.

Ron Kuiper of Salmon Creek, who owns the facility, initially pursued energy-efficiency projects to lower costs. What first began as replacing the property’s light fixtures with LEDs eventually led to wanting to install a solar system, he said, which is estimated to save nearly $3,000 a year.

“I’m excited to see this whole thing come to fruition,” Kuiper said.

Legacy Farms, another rural Clark County business, will use $99,930 to buy and install a 47-kilowatt solar array. The project is estimated to generate 55,000 kilowatt hours a year, an amount of energy that can power five homes.

Source: https://www.columbian.com/

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DNV issues quality certification to Swedish wave energy company

2023-11-03T20:29:00.001-07:00

by Amir Garanovic

November 3, 2023

Synopsis

Wave energy technology developer CorPower Ocean has received ISO 9001 certification from DNV, demonstrating their commitment to maintaining and improving quality standards, as well as their ability to monitor performance and drive continuous improvements.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - WAVE TIDAL - NOV - 03 - 2023

Wave energy technology developer CorPower Ocean has received ISO 9001 certification through DNV – one of the leading global providers of accredited management systems certification and training.

The ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification reflects the ongoing commitment to enhancing internal procedures and processes. CorPower Ocean is dedicated to maintaining and improving our quality standards as the company moves forward.

ISO 9001 is an international standard which specifies a set of requirements for operating a quality management system that meets the needs of customers and other stakeholders.

Holding the certification demonstrates that CorPower Ocean has standardized processes to monitor performance and take corrective actions to maintain and improve the quality of its operations, products and services. It further illustrates the company’s attention to driving continuous improvements combined with an active role guiding all employees through company growth.

Tord Jonsson, CorPower Ocean’s supply chain and quality manager, said the award crucially illustrates the company’s ability to reach product development goals more quickly and with greater accuracy, saving time and cost.

“IS0 9001 represents an important milestone as we endeavor to consistently improve our management systems and ensure the highest possible standards. Certifications of this kind provide an essential layer of independent analysis, both for us as a company and for our stakeholders.

“As a team we have been highly motivated to achieve this ISO certification, which forms part of the pathway to securing DNV Type Certification verifying the overall performance and safety of our wave energy technology. ISO9001 certification is a requirement throughout our supply chain, ensuring that all suppliers are audited by a notified body,” said Jonsson.

To remind, CorPower Ocean has recently deployed its first commercial-scale wave energy device – the C4 – offshore Portugal. In October 2023, the device withstood two major storms along the Portuguese coast, despite being battered by waves up to 13 meters.

Source: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/

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Microsoft and Siemens join forces to bring generative AI to manufacturing

2023-11-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Omer Dursun

Nov 1, 2023

Synopsis

Microsoft and Siemens are deepening their partnership to develop Siemens Industrial Copilot, an AI assistant that utilizes Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service and Siemens' industrial expertise to improve productivity in manufacturing. The copilot enables the rapid generation, optimization, and debugging of complex automation code through natural language interactions, significantly reducing simulation times. The collaboration also includes the integration of Siemens' Teamcenter with Microsoft Teams, using generative AI to connect frontline workers to engineering design teams. The companies envision AI copilots supporting various industries in the future.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - MICROSOFT - SIEMENS - NOV - 01 - 2023

Microsoft and Siemens have announced plans to deepen their partnership around generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its application in industries worldwide. In a move that promises to revolutionize human-machine collaboration, the companies are launching Siemens Industrial Copilot, an AI assistant jointly developed to improve productivity in manufacturing.

Siemens Industrial Copilot utilizes Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service alongside Siemens' industrial expertise and data from its Xcelerator platform. It allows to rapidly generate, optimize, and debug complex automation code through natural language interactions. The companies say this can shorten tasks that took weeks to minutes, such as simulation processes.

“ Siemens Industrial Copilot will allow users to rapidly generate, optimize and debug complex automation code and significantly shorten simulation times. This will reduce a task that previously took weeks to minutes. “

The copilot promises a significant efficiency boost across the industrial lifecycle by assisting maintenance workers with repair instructions and engineers with rapid simulation access. Automaker Schaeffler Group will be among the first to adopt it to generate reliable robot programming code for their engineers.

In a statement, Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said:

“ With this next generation of AI, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation across the entire industrial sector. We're building on our longstanding collaboration with Siemens and bringing together AI advances across the Microsoft Cloud with Siemens' industrial domain expertise to empower both frontline and knowledge workers with new, AI-powered tools, starting with Siemens Industrial Copilot. “

In addition, Siemens will integrate its Teamcenter product lifecycle management software with Microsoft Teams. The app uses generative AI to connect functions like frontline workers to engineering design teams virtually. It aims to make product data more accessible for the estimated millions of factory and service workers without product lifecycle management (PLM) access.

The companies envision various AI copilots supporting industries like manufacturing, infrastructure, transportation, and healthcare in the future.

Source: https://www.neowin.net/

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Overall coal production in October touches 78.65 MT; dispatches faster too

2023-11-03T16:55:00.005-07:00

ANI

NOV 04, 2023

Synopsis

Coal production in India increased by 18.6% in October 2023 compared to the same month last year, and the cumulative coal production in FY' 23-24 rose by 13% compared to the same period in FY' 22-23. Similarly, coal dispatch saw significant growth, with a 14.83% increase in October 2023 compared to October 2022, and a cumulative dispatch growth of 11.98% in FY' 23-24. This surge in production and dispatch highlights India's progress towards energy self-sufficiency and commitment to meeting future energy demands.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - ANI - COAL - NOV - 03 - 2023

New Delhi [India], November 4 (ANI): The overall coal production during the month of October this year in the country, rose by 18.6 per cent to 78.65 million tonnes from 66.32 MT in the corresponding month last year.

According to data released by the Ministry of Coal, during the period April to October, the production shot up by 13 per cent to 507.02 MT, significantly up from 448.49 MT in the first seven months of the last fiscal.

The production of Coal India Limited (CIL) has increased to 61.07 MT in October this year as compared to 52.94 MT in October 2022 with a growth of 15.36 per cent. The cumulative coal production (up to October 2023) has seen a significant increase to 507.02MT in FY' 23-24 as compared to 448.49 MT during the same period in FY' 22-23. Attaining a growth of 13.05 per cent.

Additionally, coal dispatch witnessed a significant boost in October 2023, reaching an impressive 79.30 MT, showcasing outstanding progress compared to 67.13 MT recorded in October 2022, with a growth rate of 18.14 per cent.

"CIL dispatch indicates note-worthy performance, reaching 61.65 MT in October 2023, compared to 53.69 MT in October 2022, representing a growth of 14.83 per cent. The Cumulative Coal Dispatch (up to October 2023) has seen a significant jump to 541.73 MT in FY' 23-24 as compared to 483.78 MT during the corresponding period in FY' 22-23 with a growth of 11.98 per cent," the ministry said.

The notable surge in both coal production and dispatch underscores the nation's advancing energy self-sufficiency and reinforces our determination to meet forthcoming energy demands.

The ministry further said that it remains resolute in its commitment to ensuring continuous coal production and distribution, thereby securing a dependable energy supply that bolsters the nation's ongoing development. (ANI)

Source: https://www.aninews.in/

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FTSE 100 movers: Ocado surges again; BP and Shell gush lower

2023-11-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Michele Maatouk

03 Nov, 2023

Synopsis

London's FTSE 100 index declined by 0.5% due to falling crude oil prices. Online supermarket Ocado and BT Group saw significant gains while oil companies Shell and BP experienced decreases.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - OIL - SHELL - BP - NOV - 03 - 2023

London’s FTSE 100 was down 0.5% at 7,412.67 in afternoon trade on Friday.

Online supermarket Ocado surged to the top of the index for the second day in a row, with traders pointing to likely short-covering.

BT Group was on the rise again, having surged on Thursday on the back of half-year results.

Flutter Entertainment was also a high riser. CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said it was doing well "after US sector peer DraftKings posted better-than-expected Q3 revenue and upgraded its full year guidance for 2023".

Oil giants Shell and BP were both under the cosh, having reported third-quarter results earlier in the week. Hewson said they were "slipping back with crude oil prices on course to close at a four-week low".

FTSE 100 - Risers

Ocado Group (OCDO)563.00p10.57%

Kingfisher (KGF)225.20p4.79%

BT Group (BT.A)122.50p4.30%

Flutter Entertainment (CDI) (FLTR)13,915.00p4.27%

Rentokil Initial (RTO)444.50p4.20%

SEGRO (SGRO)777.80p3.90%

Sainsbury (J) (SBRY)282.30p3.86%

Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.)755.00p3.85%

Endeavour Mining (EDV)1,716.00p3.50%

Barratt Developments (BDEV)446.60p3.28%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Shell (SHEL)2,656.50p-4.03%

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)5,730.00p-2.39%

BP (BP.)487.25p-2.28%

Centrica (CNA)154.30p-2.09%

Relx plc (REL)2,832.00p-1.97%

Compass Group (CPG)2,069.00p-1.57%

BAE Systems (BA.)1,088.50p-1.54%

Reckitt Benckiser Group (RKT)5,466.00p-1.37%

Whitbread (WTB)3,267.00p-1.36%

Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (PSH)2,944.00p-1.21%

Source: https://www.sharecast.com/

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Canadian Solar to Build 5GW PV Plant in Indiana

2023-11-01T18:24:00.002-07:00

by Paul Anderson

Wednesday, November 01, 2023

Synopsis

Canadian Solar Inc. is building a $800 million solar PV cell manufacturing plant in Indiana with a 5 GW annual output, supplying their Texas assembly plant. The Mesquite facility, investing over $250 million, will create 1,500 jobs and start production in 2023. It marks Canadian Solar's first U.S. manufacturing facility. Local officials and the company emphasize its significance in advancing clean energy and boosting the local economy.

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Energy Gas Oil · EGO - SOLAR CANADA - NOV - 01 - 2023

Canadian Solar Inc. is building a solar photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturing plant with an annual output of five gigawatts (gW), equivalent to approximately 20,000 high-power modules per day.

The company said in a media release that the facility located at the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, represents a projected investment of more than $800 million.

The solar cells produced at this facility will be used at the previously announced five GW module assembly plant in Mesquite, Texas. Production at the Jeffersonville facility is expected to begin by the end of 2025, the company said.

The Mesquite facility will have an output equivalent to approximately 20,000 high-power modules per day. The new facility represents an investment of over $250 million and will create approximately 1,500 skilled jobs once it is fully ramped up, Canadian Solar said. Production is expected to begin around the end of 2023. This will be Canadian Solar's first United States manufacturing facility, following its successful track record of production in Canada, China, Brazil, Thailand and Vietnam, the company said.

"Indiana's strong advanced manufacturing sector positions the state to help lead the global energy transition, developing and powering new solutions in batteries, solar and hydrogen," said Governor Eric Holcomb. "Canadian Solar's new U.S. location in Jeffersonville will put our skilled Hoosier workforce at the center of cultivating solar power, making energy efficient panels more accessible to consumers across the country”.

"Indiana is a proud leader both in the Midwest and the country in manufacturing and innovation. I'm pleased to know that this new solar manufacturing facility opening in Jeffersonville will create many new jobs for Hoosiers and stimulate the local economy," United States Senator Mike Braun stated.

Emphasizing the importance of this new facility, Thomas Koerner, Senior Vice-President of Canadian Solar, said, "Establishing this factory is a key milestone that will enable us to better serve our U.S. customers with the most advanced technology in the industry. This is the second of the anticipated long-term investments we expect to make in the U.S. as we think strategically about a local, sustainable and clean energy supply chain and to fulfill the long-term requirements of the local-content rules of the recently established IRA. We thank the State of Indiana, Clark County, and the City of Jeffersonville for their critical support and look forward to working with them as we grow”.

"The city of Jeffersonville is pleased that Canadian Solar has chosen River Ridge Commerce Center as home for their newest critical production facility in the United States," said Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore. "Not only are they making a large financial investment into our community, but they will also become one of the largest single-site employers in the Greater Louisville region. When in full production, their total employment base will include over 150 engineers at this facility".

Source: https://www.rigzone.com/

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One Dead After Building Collapse at Abandoned Mine Site

2023-11-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

By Sathish Raman

Thursday, November 2, 2023,

Synopsis

One man died as an 11-story building collapsed during demolition at an abandoned Kentucky coal preparation plant. Rescue efforts are ongoing, with one worker still missing. The governor declared a state of emergency, and rescue teams are facing challenges due to the rubble's weight and confined spaces. The lack of cell phone and internet service hinders communication, highlighting the risks in such jobs. The incident also brings to mind the area's history, including a past environmental disaster.

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Energy Gas Oil · IGO - COAL MINE DEAD-

INEZ, Ky. (AP) — One man has died after he and a coworker were trapped beneath tons of concrete and steel when an 11-story building being demolished collapsed at an abandoned eastern Kentucky mines coal preparation plant.

The building at Martin Mine Prep Plant in Martin County collapsed around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Teams used cameras, listening devices, and search dogs to try to rescue the men, but Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday that one of the men had died.

Rescue Efforts Ongoing

"It’s a terrible day for us. We’ve seen tragedies like this before associated of course with the industries that were involved in. So it’s not foreign to us, but it’s still a terrible day any time we see a tragedy,” Martin County Judge Executive Lon Lafferty said during an afternoon news conference at the scene.

Lafferty said the workers were working to demolish the building at the abandoned mine site on Wolf Creek when the collapse occurred. He said the workers were trapped under a "tremendous pile of rubble.”

Martin County Sheriff John Kirk told WHAS-TV that first responders made contact with one of the trapped men, but he died shortly afterward. The plant hasn’t been in use for several years and the men were on the bottom floor when it collapsed.

"We never were able to locate the other man, still haven’t been able to locate him,” Kirk said Wednesday. "We are still attempting to locate him, we are still considering this a rescue operation.”

State of Emergency Declared

In a social media post Wednesday morning, Beshear said he had declared a state of emergency in the county — mobilizing state resources to help with the rescue. The governor asked for prayers for the safety of the workers and the rescue teams.

"Kentucky, keep praying — but the scene is bad,” Beshear said in a post about two hours later.

Several rescuers were inside the rubble as part of the rescue effort. The rescue could take days, Kirk said.

"This is a lot of weight. A lot of large metal structures, a lot of concrete, and very confined space last. Very tight spaces,” he said.

Battalion Chief Chris Ward of the Lexington Fire Department said rescue crews have been using search dogs and cadaver dogs to look through the rubble.

"We’re in under that structure and we’re just trying to search all the voids with cameras, listening devices, just trying to see if we can get any idea of where that individual might be. But as of now, we haven’t located anything,” Ward said during an afternoon news conference.

Lack of Cell Phone and Internet Service

Officials lamented the lack of cell phone and internet service in providing timely updates to various agencies as well as moving necessary equipment on small, rural roads.

In a statement, State Sen. Phillip Wheeler, whose district includes Martin County, said he was saddened by the news.

"This incident is a stark reminder of the inherent risks in any job and the unexpected nature of tragedy,” Wheeler said.

Area's History

President Lyndon Johnson visited Inez during his "War On Poverty” in 1964. In 2000, a coal-sludge impoundment in Inez collapsed, sending an estimated 300 million gallons into the Big Sandy River and its tributaries. A byproduct of purifying coal, the sludge oozed into yards and streams for miles in what was considered one of the South’s worst environmental disasters at the time.

Source: https://www.oneindia.com/

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Qatar's Europe Deals Signal Long Life For Gas

2023-11-01T08:03:00.014-07:00

Energy Intelligence Group

Tue, Oct 31, 2023

Synopsis

Long-term LNG supply deals between QatarEnergy and European oil and gas majors Shell, TotalEnergies, and Eni have raised discussions on contract terms and the future of fuel. Despite forecasts of declining gas demand in Europe, the deals running past the EU's 2050 net-zero target indicate sustained demand for gas. The contracts align with the majors' concession contracts and suggest that LNG will replace Russian pipeline gas imports in the long term. The flexibility of the deals allows for volume redirection, priced indexation is uncertain, and low-cost Qatari assets remain competitive even in a low-demand scenario.

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Informe Basico · EGO - QATAR GAS - NOV - 01 - 2023

The long-term LNG supply deals recently signed between QatarEnergy and European oil and gas majors Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni sparked heated debate in the gas and LNG industry over the agreed contract terms and what they mean for the future of the fuel. The supply agreements also confirm QatarEnergy CEO and Qatar energy minister Saad al-Kaabi’s announcements that European deals will be clinched after the summer in what is expected to be a record year for LNG supply deals for the Middle Eastern supplier.

The three deals — for a combined total of 8 million tons per year of LNG, or 11 billion cubic meters per year— were all for a 27-year duration, with LNG offtake starting in 2026, and delivered ex ship (d.e.s) to European LNG import terminals in the Netherlands, France and Italy. The three majors all hold stakes in QatarEnergy’s North Field expansion projects: TotalEnergies and Shell each hold a 6.25% stake in the 32 million ton/yr North Field East (NFE) and 9.375% in the 16 million ton/yr North Field South (NFS). Eni holds only a 3.125% stake in NFE.

The contracts run past the EU’s 2050 net-zero target and show that the majors are betting on sustained demand for gas in Europe despite forecasts showing the contrary. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) recent World Energy Outlook, for example, said that EU gas demand could fall under 30 Bcm by 2050. The agency, however, also left some room for optimism: “There is still space to contract more gas without falling foul of the European Union net-zero emissions by 2050 target.”

Why 27 Years?

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne confirmed last week during the firm’s third-quarter earnings call that the 27-year duration of the deals are aligned with the majors’ concession contracts for NFE and NFS — where the gas to feed the supply agreements will be sourced from. The concession agreements are for a 30-year duration, starting in 2023, while the LNG offtake will begin in 2026.

“The 27-year duration, in fact, is for all the LNG offtakers, all the partners of the North Field East and North Field South … we take 3 years to invest and then we have 27 years remaining. It covers, in fact, the full concession, which is, I think, a 30-year concession,” Pouyanne said on the Oct. 26 call.

When asked if the company was concerned about locking in LNG supply for such long-term contracts given the IEA’s sharp downgrade for European gas demand, the head of Total said he was “comfortable” with the deal as the IEA “does not tell you no gas” in a 2050 world. QatarEnergy did not respond to questions concerning the terms of the deals.

The low-cost nature of the Qatari projects will keep them in the game even in a potential low-demand world, according to Pouyanne. Analysts agree: “Given that Qatari assets are within the most efficient quartile of the cost curve, we believe that price should remain relatively competitive, even if gas demand was to decline,” Moody’s Investors Service senior analyst Janko Lukac tells Energy Intelligence.

How Viable is Gas in Europe?

Market observers suggest the long-term deals confirm the industry view that natural gas will still be present in the energy mix in a net-zero world and, specifically in Europe, LNG is needed to help fill the void left by the loss of Russian pipeline gas imports. The deals and the low-cost nature of Qatari gas “suggests that a portion of Russian pipeline gas to Europe will be replaced by LNG for the long term,” Lukac says.

“The industry’s view is that LNG will be needed long after gas demand has peaked and gone into decline globally,” according to Akos Losz, senior research associate at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and former IEA gas analyst. “The outlook beyond 2030 depends a great deal on the successful implementation of the EU’s very ambitious targets on a whole range of competing energy sources from solar and wind to green hydrogen, biomethane and heat pumps.”

The “limited progress” made so far in Europe on green hydrogen and other decarbonization sectors is leading some to bet for a longer life for gas and LNG in Europe “until proven otherwise,” Losz notes. The EU is focusing more on the emissions profile of its gas and LNG imports, and Qatar is well placed as it is lowering its emissions through carbon capture and storage, renewable power and a jetty boil-off gas recovery system, he adds. For Qatar as a supplier, the deals extending past 2050 are also important in confirming that its volumes have a market in a net-zero world, an LNG expert says.

How Flexible Are the Deals?

Qatar is well known in the industry for its preference for delivered deals in order to avoid competing with its own volumes in the global market, leading to speculation over whether these new European deals would differ from previous long-term contracts.

But it appears that the contracts do have some flexibility attached. TotalEnergies will be able to redirect volumes if both parties agree, even though the volumes are expected to be delivered into Europe for the duration of the contract, Pouyanne confirmed during the earnings call. "I don't see how you could manage complex power electricity markets in Europe with a lot of renewables without having flexible assets," he added. Shell’s Qatari contract also allows for volumes to redirected, a source at the major confirms to Energy Intelligence. Eni, meanwhile, is not commenting on the commercial terms of its Qatari contract, a company spokesperson said.

The nature of the flexibility is less clear. All three contracts were described as delivering supplies “up to” a certain amount, which the LNG expert suggests they indicate terms resembling a ‘put option’ allowing for uncommitted cargoes to be delivered elsewhere once minimum delivery obligations are met. “This was the term used in contracts for Qatar’s existing capacity that were signed with Centrica, Uniper, Petronas etc. for delivery to Europe, which appeared effectively to be put options for cargoes that were surplus to the requirements of what, at the time of signing, were higher priced markets in Asia. I am not surprised, therefore, that cargoes can be diverted if it meets the interest of both parties,” the expert said.

However, diversions could lead to a loss of revenue in the marketing of regasified LNG for the European majors, the expert warns. “The provisions I have seen in long-term d.e.s contracts are along the lines of: the buyer may request the diversion of a cargo to an alternative destination; the seller will use reasonable efforts to accept the request and if it does agree the buyer will pay any additional cost incurred,” he said. “The extra cost of the voyage is relatively easy to calculate, but what about the potential indirect costs of having to rearrange the sellers’ shipping program?”

But the advantage with the contracts for deliveries to Europe is that shipping distances to Asia from Qatar are roughly similar as Qatar to Europe, the expert notes.

How are the Contracts Priced?

Market observers have diverging views on the pricing indexation for the Qatari deals, as the indexation was not disclosed by the parties involved.

A Singapore-based trader tells Energy Intelligence that it is likely the deals are indexed to the European gas benchmark, the Dutch TTF. He suggests the deals are priced at a discount of $1 or more to TTF in order to take into consideration of regasification costs.

While Asian buyers of Qatari volumes have shown preference for oil indexation, an analyst at a European trader tells Energy Intelligence that he would be “astonished” if the European majors have agreed to an oil indexation given the contracts are d.e.s and for such a long duration. “I’m not sure how they manage that risk unless they got a low [price] slope,” the analyst said.

The contracts probably contain price review clauses if the price formula contains oil indexation in whole or in part, Mark Mangan, partner at law firm Dechert tells Energy Intelligence. “There will also probably be clauses allowing adjustment in the event of hardship/change of circumstances, force majeure etc. With that said, these contracts are not easily renegotiated in practice as one side’s gain will usually be matched by the other side’s pain,” Mangan says.

The LNG expert believes it is unlikely that a hybrid pricing structure has been adopted given the difficulties in hedging the price exposure. He instead thinks the contracts have been linked “predominantly TTF, but possibly other indices.”

Source: https://www.energyintel.com/

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Saudi Arabia may hold Arab Light price to Asia steady for Dec

2023-11-01T00:57:00.001-07:00

Reuters

01 Nov 2023

Synopsis

Saudi Arabia, the top oil exporter, is expected to keep the price of its Arab Light crude relatively unchanged in Asia amidst geopolitical tensions, uncertain supply, and declining demand. However, refining margins have weakened, and oil demand is decreasing, leading to concerns in the market. On the other hand, prices for Arab Extra Light are expected to marginally increase in December. Saudi Aramco's official selling prices influence prices for Iranian, Kuwaiti, and Iraqi crude, impacting approximately 9 million barrels per day destined for Asia.

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Informe Basico · EGO - SAUDI - NOV - 01 - 2023

SINGAPORE : Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia may keep the price for its flagship Arab Light crude little changed to Asia after five months of price hikes, as the market, rattled by geopolitical tensions, juggles supply uncertainty with declining demand.

State oil giant Saudi Aramco may set the official selling price (OSP) for its medium sour crude at around $4 a barrel over the Oman/Dubai average, according to five respondents surveyed by Reuters.

Crude prices soared after a surprise attack by Palestinian military group Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, triggering fears the conflict might escalate in the Middle East and potentially disrupt oil supply.

But the price rally has eased as there has been no physical supply removed from the market and as the outlook for growth in China, the world's biggest oil importer, remains cloudy.

"The geopolitical concerns are still lingering and there is risk of supply tightness. But a more immediate problem is that refining margins are weakening and oil demand is going down," said one respondent.

Saudi Aramco typically takes cues from the Dubai market structure when setting its OSP for Arab Light crude. Dubai's structure, which reflects the price spread between the first and third months, rose 4 cents in October from the prior month.

Profits at a typical Singapore refinery processing Dubai crude fell to an average of $2.75 a barrel in October, down from $10.60 a barrel just two months ago.

Refineries in China are lowering run rates partly as seasonal demand shrinks for refined products and as the country has not issued more quotas for product exports.

But the respondents expected Saudi Aramco to marginally increase prices for Arab Extra Light, by at least 10 cents in December from the previous month, tracking a strong performance of light sour benchmark Murban.

Saudi Aramco's OSPs are usually released around the fifth of each month, and set the trend for Iranian, Kuwaiti and Iraqi prices, affecting about 9 million barrels per day of crude bound for Asia.

Saudi Aramco officials as a matter of policy do not comment on the monthly OSPs.

Below are the expected Saudi Aramco official selling prices for December 2023 (in $/bbl against the Oman/Dubai average):

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/

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