Business & Markets

Russia's Arctic LNG 2 to Ship First LNG Cargo to Asia Despite U.S. Sanctions

Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project is set to load its first LNG tanker for Asia at the end of January, two industry sources said on Tuesday, despite disruptive U.S. sanctions, while initial volumes are expected to be small.

North Dakota Sees 425,000 bpd Oil Drop, 1.1 Bcf/d Gas Output Decline Due to Extreme Cold

North Dakota oil production has fallen by 400,000 to 425,000 barrels per day (bpd) and gas output is down 1.0 billion to 1.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) on extreme cold and related operational issues, the North Dakota Pipeline Authority estimated on Monday.

Canadian Regulator Clears Trans Mountain Pipeline Change, Allowing Early 2024 Completion

Trans Mountain had asked to be allowed to install smaller-diameter pipe in a 1.4-mile (2.3-km) section of the pipeline's route after encountering challenging drilling conditions due to the hardness of the rock in a mountainous area between Hope and Chilliwack in the province of British Columbia.

QatarEnergy Pauses Red Sea LNG Shipping Amid Attacks, Seeks Security Advice

QatarEnergy, the world's second largest exporter of LNG, has stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea although production continues, a senior source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.

Frigid Temps Cut U.S. Natural Gas Supply as Demand Soars, Texas Faces Possible Shortfall

U.S. natural gas output fell to a preliminary 11-month low on Sunday as frigid weather froze wells across the country, while gas demand for heating and power generation was on track to hit record highs.

Santos Receives Approval to Construct Subsea Pipeline for $4.3 Billion Barossa Gas Project

Australia's Santos can proceed with construction of an undersea pipeline vital to its $4.3 billion Barossa gas project after a court on Monday ruled in favor of the oil and gas firm in a dispute with an Indigenous man looking to pause the work.

U.S. Proposes Fee on Methane from Big Oil and Gas Producers

The U.S. on Friday proposed a fee on emissions of methane from big oil and gas producers as required under the 2022 climate law and as a backstop to wider regulations on the greenhouse gas from energy operations.

U.S. Energy Firms Prepare as Extreme Freeze Could Hit Natural Gas Supplies

U.S. power and natural gas companies were preparing on Friday for extreme cold over this Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend that is expected to cause record gas demand while also cutting supplies by freezing wells.

$720 Billion in Pipeline Projects Defies Global Energy Transition Momentum for More Gassy Future

The investment - which has been committed to projects that are underway or are planned for the near future - reveals the powerful momentum that remains in traditional fossil fuel industries even as clean energy supplies are deployed at an accelerating rate.

Marie Tecnimont, Newcleo Team Up to Produce Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen

Newcleo has signed an agreement with Maire Tecnimont's units NextChem Tech and Tecnimont to use its nuclear reactors to decarbonize the chemical industry, including hydrogen production, the two companies said on Wednesday.

TotalEnergies Texas Refinery Faces Shutdown as Crude and Distillation Units Halt Operations

Both crude distillation units (CDUs) and two vacuum distillation units (VDUs) shut down on Thursday at TotalEnergies 238,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas refinery, sources familiar with plant operations said.

Bulgaria Replacing Russian Crude with Oil from Kazakhstan, Iraq, Tunisia

Bulgaria is replacing Russian oil imports with crude from Kazakhstan, Iraq and Tunisia in January, according to traders and LSEG data.

Commonwealth LNG Urges Biden to Support Pending LNG Export Application

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer Commonwealth LNG on Thursday called on President Joe Biden to support its long-pending LNG export application.

China's 2023 Crude Oil Imports Hit Record as Fuel Demand Recovers

China's annual crude oil imports hit an all-time high in 2023, customs data showed on Friday, as fuel demand recovered from a pandemic-induced slump despite economic headwinds.

BlackRock Strikes $12.5 Billion Deal for Global Infrastructure Partners

Once the deal closes, the firm will hold approximately $150 billion in infrastructure assets across a portfolio, including the U.S. liquefied natural gas export market.

Glenfarne's Texas LNG and EQT Sign 15-Year Agreement

Texas LNG Brownsville LLC, a subsidiary of Glenfarne Energy Transition LLC, is set to build a four million tonnes per annum LNG export terminal in the Port of Brownsville, Texas. The company has inked an agreement with EQT Corp. for natural gas liquefaction services.

New Alternatives for Noise Reduction in Gas Pipelines

Natural gas pipeline pressure reduction applications pose significant design challenges for engineers. Since flow varies considerably through these stations, control valves are required to throttle over a wide range, with large pressure drops at times, which create the potential for high noise.

PJM Asks Talen Energy to Delay Maryland Fossil Fuel Plant Retirements for Reliability

Talen Energy in October notified the grid operator of its intent to shut three oil-fired units and a natural gas combustion turbine unit at its H.A. Wagner facilities by June 2025.

Iran Seizes Oil Tanker Involved in U.S.-Iran Dispute in Gulf of Oman

Iran seized a tanker with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey on Thursday in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the U.S., Iranian state media reported, a move likely to stoke regional tensions.

Tokyo Gas Anticipates Completion of Australian LNG Asset Sale in Late February

Japan's biggest city gas provider, Tokyo Gas, said on Thursday it expects to close the planned sale of its stakes in a portfolio of four Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects at the end of February.

TotalEnergies Denies Plans to Sell NextDecade Shares Amid Market Speculation

TotalEnergies has no plans to sell its shares in U.S. LNG company NextDecade, the French energy group said on Thursday after market speculation over a potential sale.

Venture Global LNG Explains to FERC Its Failure to Sell Commercial Cargoes

Venture Global LNG has told a U.S. regulator that it cannot meet contracts to provide LNG cargoes to several major customers because its export plant is not yet ready to meet three criteria in the contracts, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Pipeline Giant Enbridge Targets Expanding Offshore Wind Investments in France, Steers Clear of Troubled U.S. Market

Canadian pipeline company Enbridge is keen on further offshore wind investments in France, but will avoid the United States, where cost and supply chain problems have contributed to offshore projects collapsing, a senior executive said.

Chesapeake Energy, Southwestern Energy Merge in $7.4 Billion Deal, Forming Top U.S. Natural Gas Producer

Chesapeake Energy agreed to buy smaller rival Southwestern Energy in an all-stock transaction valued at $7.4 billion, a deal that will make it the largest independent U.S. natural gas producer.

Surging Freight Rates Close the Door on U.S. Crude Oil Shipments to Asia

The economic incentive to import oil from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Asia has closed as the cost of booking supertankers on the route has surged amid a jump in bookings for the vessels, traders said this week.

Spotlight on Supply Chain: How Companies Can Avoid Uncertainty

Supply-chain uncertainty is a major headache for many sectors across the world. Minimizing supply-chain risks could help oil and gas firms better secure their labor and materials while cutting costs by up to 15%.

Oil, Gas Lobby Group Warns Against U.S. Slowing Down LNG Approvals

The head of the leading U.S. oil and gas lobby group, the American Petroleum Institute, said that if U.S. regulators slow down or stop approving liquefied natural gas exports, they will put allies at risk.

Saudi Arabia Commits to Diversified Energy Portfolio Beyond Oil Focus

Saudi Arabia is taking climate change issues seriously and has shifted its focus to all kinds of energy, not just oil. The country maintains that fossil fuel use can continue, provided it is coupled with measures to capture emissions.

Vopak Consortium Selected to Operate New LNG Terminal in South Africa

South Africa has selected a Vopak consortium as the preferred bidder to develop and operate an LNG terminal at the Port of Richards Bay for 25 years, state-owned Transnet National Ports Authority said on Wednesday.

Finland's Gasum Procures LNG Cargo for Inkoo Terminal from SEFE

Finnish energy firm Gasum said on Wednesday it is delivering a U.S. cargo of LNG it procured from Germany's SEFE LNG to the Inkoo floating storage regasification unit (FSRU).