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Ukraine claims it has hit Russian oil installations and military airfield
Ukraine's Military said Saturday it had hit oil facilities in Russia. This included a major refinery, a drone airfield and an electronics manufacturing factory. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces released a statement via Telegram stating that they had struck the oil refinery at Ryazan (about 180 km southeast of Moscow) and caused a fire in its premises. The USF also said that the Annanefteprodukt storage facility, which borders the northeastern Ukraine, had been hit. The USF is a specialist in drone warfare and long-range attacks. Russia has not yet commented on the reported attack on its infrastructure. Separately the Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU said that its drones have hit Russia's Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield which is used to launch long-range drones against targets in Ukraine. The SBU also said that it had hit a Penza factory, which it claimed supplied electronics to the Russian military-industrial complex. Ukraine did not have a response at the beginning of Russia's full scale invasion in 2022 to Moscow's massive long-range strike capability. But it has built a fleet of kamikaze drones capable of carrying explosive warheads over hundreds of kilometers (miles). In its daily report, the Russian defence ministry stated that its defense units had shot down 338 Ukrainian drones over night. The reports don't say how many Ukrainians drones are launched at a given time. Ukraine's Air Force said that it has shot down 45 of the 53 Russian drones that were launched at its territory over night. The Russian defence ministry announced that Russian forces captured Oleksandro-Kalynove, a village in Donetsk's Donetsk Region, on Saturday. Could not verify immediately the battlefield report. After three and a half years of brutal war, the Russians now control nearly 20% of Ukraine's east and south. Max Hunder, with additional reporting from Alexander Marrow and Mark Heinrich; edited by Louise Heavens & Mark Heinrich
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Dangote names an ex-Shell executive as refinery manager amid expansion drive
Nigeria's Dangote Group announced on Saturday that David Bird, an ex-Shell executive and former CEO of the 0Q8 Refinery in Oman was appointed as chief executive officer of its refinery division and petrochemicals. The company is accelerating its pan-African expansion strategy. Bird's appointment, which took effect on 1 August, brings with it over 30 years of experience in the industry, including 14 years at Shell, where he was responsible for the $12 billion Prelude project. His appointment coincides with the expansion of Dangote's $20-billion refinery complex, which is the largest single-train facility in the world, in Lagos after its commissioning in 2024. Nigeria's Business Day reported Bird's appointment as first on Friday. Lagos' refinery, despite its increased output, has experienced operational problems, such as design flaws or unit breakdowns. This led to the shift from a single crude oil product to a diverse range of crudes. Bird stated in a LinkedIn posting that he would focus on increasing efficiency and expanding the footprint of the company across Africa. Dangote plans to list his refining company on the Lagos and London stock markets, but hasn't given a timeline. According to S&P Global’s Commodities at sea Data, Dangote exported 220,000 bpd of jet fuel and gasoline in July. He plans to expand the refinery’s capacity to 700,000. He will also launch a CNG truck fleet to improve domestic distribution. Aliko Dangote is Africa's richest person and he also wants to get regulatory approval for the construction of a deep sea port in Ogun State. (Reporting and editing by Ben Ezeamalu)
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NYT reports that India will continue to buy Russian oil in spite of Trump's threats
The New York Times reported that Indian officials said they would continue to buy oil from Russia, despite the threats of sanctions that U.S. president Donald Trump had said he would impose. Could not verify immediately the report. Requests for comments were not immediately responded to by the White House, India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. In a Truth Social posting last month, Trump said that India could face additional sanctions for purchasing Russian oil and arms. He later stated that he didn't care what India did with Russia. Trump informed reporters on Friday that he heard India was no longer buying oil from Russia. According to the NYT, two senior Indian officials stated that there was no change in policy. One official added that the government "had not given any directions to oil companies" regarding the reduction of imports from Russia. Had earlier reported The Indian state refiners have stopped buying Russian oil over the last week, as the discounts on Russian oil are decreasing. On July 14, Trump threatened Tariffs of 100% on all countries who buy Russian oil, unless Moscow agrees to a major deal for peace with Ukraine. Russia is India's top oil supplier, accounting for 35% of its total supplies. (Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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Deepsea Mira Spuds Third Well in Orange Basin License off Nambia
Oil and gas firm Rhino Resources and its partners have spudded the Volans-1X exploration well in PEL85 license, offshore Namibia, using Odfjell Drilling-managed Deepsea Mira semi-submersible rig.Drilled by the Deepsea Mira in water depths of around 1,200 meters, the Volans-1X well aims to test a new play fairway that could unlock significant development potential and strengthen Namibia’s energy future.Rhino Resources is the operator of the PEL85 license, holding 42.5% interest, with partners Azule Energy, a joint venture between Eni and BP, with 42.5% stake, National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) with 10%, and Korres Investments with 5% interests.The Volans-1X is the third successive well to be drilled on PEL85 license by Rhino and its partners.“With the Volans-1X exploration well Rhino and our partners are strategically advancing our understanding of PEL 85's potential. Once again, we’re proud to emphasize our commitment to local upliftment through the execution of another well in Namibia with all associated construction services and equipment uniquely sourced in-country.“Our focus remains on safely delivering a third consecutive well, with an emphasis on operational excellence and environmental stewardship,” said Travis Smithard, Rhino’s CEO.Built in 2019, the Deepsea Mira is a sixth generation dynamically positioned/anchor-moored semi-submersible drilling rig of Moss Maritime CS60E design. It is designed to operate in both benign and harsh environments, with a maximum operational water depth of 3000 meters.The drilling rig is owned by Northern Ocean and managed by the Norwegian drilling firm Odfjell Drilling.
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US: Rwanda and Congo agree on outline of economic integration framework in peace deal
According to the U.S. State Department the U.S. State Department reported that the U.S. State Department and the U.S. State Department announced on Friday an outline of the regional economic integration frame work. The two countries are taking steps towards implementing the peace agreement signed last month in Washington. The framework includes elements on energy, infrastructures, mineral supply chains and national parks, as well as public health. In June, Rwanda and Congo signed an agreement in Washington, DC, at the talks hosted by President Donald Trump. The deal aims to end fighting that has claimed thousands of lives and to attract Western investment worth billions of dollars to a region with tantalum and gold deposits, as well as copper, lithium, and cobalt. The agreement stated that Kinshasa, Kigali and the other parties to the agreement agreed to launch an economic integration framework for the region within 90 days. Sources familiar with the issue said that a draft framework had been approved and now there will be a period of input to gather feedback from the civil society and private sector before the final version is released. The White House is planning to sign the framework at a summit of head of state. The source stated that no date had been set for the meeting. According to a copy of the statement seen by, Rwanda and Congo stated that each country had "full sovereign control" of the exploitation and processing of their natural resources, and acknowledged the importance of developing the mineral processing and transformation capability within each country. Kinshasa sees the looting of its mineral resources as the key factor in the conflict between their forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 M23 rebels of eastern Congo. In May, it was reported that Congolese minerals, such as tungsten tantalum, and tin which Kinshasa accuses the neighbouring Rwanda for illegally exploiting. exported legitimately Sources claim that the U.S. is negotiating a deal to send the shipments to Rwanda to be processed. According to the joint statement, the two countries have committed themselves to making sure that the minerals trade does not provide funding for armed groups, to creating a world class industrial mining sector in this region and to improving cross-border interoperability of mineral supply chains. The two countries also agreed to link new infrastructure with the U.S.-backed Lobito Corridor to demonstrate Washington's desire to gain greater access to resources and counter China. The Ruzizi hydropower project, and the Lake Kivu methane extraction were the only projects specifically mentioned in the U.S. statement despite the emphasis placed by the U.S. on critical minerals. The countries stated that they would prioritize funding for Ruzizi, and work together in order to sustainably exploit methane gas.
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Meta shares AI infrastructure costs with $2 billion in asset sales
Meta Platforms continues to push forward with its efforts to find outside partners who can help fund the massive infrastructure required to power artificial intelligent. In a Thursday filing, Meta Platforms revealed plans to sell $2 billion worth of data center assets to achieve this strategy. This strategy is part of a wider shift in the tech giants' approach to growth. They are no longer self-funding their own growth, but instead they have been forced to deal with the rising cost of data centers and energy for generative AI. The social media giant announced earlier this week it was looking into ways to collaborate with financial partners in order to co-develop its massive capital expenditure for next year. Meta's Chief Financial Officer Susan Li stated on Wednesday during a conference call following the company's earnings. Li stated that while the company will continue to fund a large portion of its capital expenditures internally, certain projects may attract "significant" external financing and provide more flexibility as infrastructure needs change over time. She said that the company had no finalized transactions she could announce. Meta's quarterly report, however, indicates that plans are becoming more concrete. In its quarterly filing on Thursday, Meta said it had approved a plan in June to dispose of certain data center assets and reclassified $2.04 billion worth of land and construction-in-progress as "held-for-sale". The assets would be transferred to a third-party within the next 12 months to co-develop data centers. Meta did not report a loss for the reclassification. The assets are valued at the lower value of the carrying amount or the fair value less the costs to sell. According to the filing, total assets held for sale stood at $3.26billion as of June 30. Meta declined to comment on this article. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, has announced plans to invest hundreds billions of dollars in building "superclusters", or AI data centers for superintelligence. He said that "just one of these covers an important part of Manhattan's footprint." Instagram and WhatsApp's owner raised its forecast for annual capital expenditures by $2 billion on Wednesday, from $66 billion to $75 billion. It reported stronger-than-expected ad sales, boosted by AI-driven improvements to targeting and content delivery. The executives said that these gains helped offset the rising costs of infrastructure associated with its long-term AI initiative. (Reporting and editing by Sayantani ghosh and Marguerita choy in New York)
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Sources say that Trump is looking to bring Azerbaijan and Central Asian nations under the Abraham Accords.
Five sources familiar with the situation say that the Trump administration is in active discussions with Azerbaijan about the possibility of bringing this nation and other Central Asian allies to the Abraham Accords. The goal is to strengthen their current ties with Israel. In the Abraham Accords signed in 2020 and 2021, during Trump's initial term, four Muslim majority countries agreed to normalize their diplomatic relations with Israel, after U.S. mediated. Azerbaijan, and all countries in Central Asia have had long-standing relations with Israel. Therefore, an expansion of the Abraham Accords to include these countries would be largely symbolic. It would focus on strengthening ties such as trade and military collaboration, according to the sources who requested anonymity for private conversations. This expansion would show Trump's willingness to accept pacts less ambitious than the administration's goal of convincing regional giant Saudi Arabia to restore relations with Israel as war rages on in Gaza. The Kingdom has said repeatedly that it will not recognize Israel until Israel acknowledges a Palestinian State. The Arabs are furious over the escalating death toll and the starvation of Gaza due to Israel's military actions and blockade of aid. This has complicated efforts to include more Muslim majority countries in the Abraham Accords. Global anger has been sparked by the war in Gaza where, according to local authorities, over 60,000 people, including tens and thousands of women, children, have died. Canada, France and United Kingdom announced in recent days plans to recognize an independent Palestine. Azerbaijan and Armenia's conflict is another key sticking point, as the Trump administration views a peace agreement between the two Caucasus countries as a condition for joining the Abraham Accords. Sources said that while Trump officials had publicly floated a number of potential participants in the accords the Azerbaijan talks were among the most structured. Two sources said a deal might be achieved within months, or even weeks. Steve Witkoff was the special envoy of Trump for peace missions. He traveled to Baku in Azerbaijan to meet President Ilham Aliyev. Three sources claim that Aryeh lightstone, a Witkoff aide who is a major player in the Abraham Accords discussion, met Aliyev in the spring to discuss this issue. Sources said that as part of the discussion, Azerbaijani representatives had contacted officials from Central Asian nations including Kazakhstan to gauge their interest for a broader Abraham Accords extension. Sources said that it was unclear which other Central Asian countries were contacted, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. When asked to comment, the State Department did not mention specific countries but stated that expanding the accords was one of Trump's key goals. A U.S. official said, "We're working to get more nations to join." The Azerbaijani Government declined to comment. Requests for comment were not answered by the White House, Israel's foreign ministry or the Kazakhstani Embassy in Washington. The Abraham Accords, which Israel signed in the past, will not be affected by any new agreements. OBSTACLES REMAINS Original Abraham Accords - signed between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan – were centered around restoration of ties. The second round of the expansion seems to be evolving into a wider mechanism to expand U.S. soft power and Israeli hard power. Azerbaijan, sandwiched between Russia and Iran in the north, and Central Asia and Europe to the south is a vital link for trade between the two regions. Oil and gas are abundant in Central Asia and the Caucasus, which has led to a competition between major powers for influence. Extending the accords to countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel could also be a way to give a symbolic win to a President who is known for praising even small victories. Two sources describe the Central Asia discussions as embryonic, but the Azerbaijan discussions as fairly advanced. There are still challenges and no guarantee that a deal can be reached. This is especially true given the slow progress of talks between Armenian and Azerbaijan. Both countries gained independence from the Soviet Union, in 1991. Since the late 1980s, when Nagorno Karabakh, an Azerbaijani area with a majority ethnic Armenian population, broke away from Azerbaijan, they have been at odds. Azerbaijan will retake Karabakh in 2023. This will cause 100,000 ethnic Armenians fleeing to Armenia. Since then, both sides have said that they would like to sign a peace treaty to end the conflict. The U.S. and Armenia have strong ties, but the Trump administration does not want to upset the authorities in Yerevan. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both argued for a near-term peace between the two nations. Trump said to reporters in early July, "Armenia and Azerbaijan...we worked magic there." It's close." (Reporting and editing by Humeyra Pauk and Deepa Babyington; Additional reporting and editing by Steve Holland in Washington and Humeyra and Humeyra in Jerusalem, Nailia Bagirova and Nailia Rose in Baku)
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BlackRock fails to dismiss Texas climate conspiracy claims
A U.S. Judge on Friday rejected in large part a request from top asset managers, including BlackRock, to dismiss a suit filed by Texas and twelve other Republican-led States that claimed the companies had violated antitrust laws through climate activism which reduced coal production and increased energy prices. U.S. district judge Jeremy Kernodle, in Tyler, Texas, agreed to dismiss only three of the 21 count in the states' suit, which also names institutional investors State Street, Vanguard, and others. This is one of the most high-profile lawsuits aimed at promoting environmental, social, and governance goals. Requests for comment from the companies were not immediately responded to by representatives. Kernodle was appointed by Donald Trump and his ruling means that states can continue with their claims against asset managers for violating U.S. Antitrust Law by joining Climate Action 100+ an investor initiative to take actions to combat climate changes, as well as using their shareholder advocacy to further its goals. The companies deny wrongdoing, and have called the case "half baked." The theories of the states were supported by Trump's antitrust enforcers, who are now at the U.S. Department of Justice (DJ) and Federal Trade Commission. The result of the case could have major implications on how companies that together manage $27 trillion in passive funds and holdings approach their investments. BlackRock, the fund firm that is suing the plaintiffs, has stated that the plaintiffs could seek a remedy by asking the fund firms not to hold coal companies. This would likely increase energy prices and harm companies' access capital. Reporting by David Shepardson and Jody Godoy, both in Washington; editing by David Holmes
Worldwide offshore wind market poised to miss out on big targets as challenges install
After a year of canceled projects, damaged turbines, and abandoned lease sales, the worldwide offshore wind market no longer has much opportunity to hit the lofty targets set by federal governments in the U.S., Europe and somewhere else, marking a. obstacle for efforts to combat climate change.
The technology forms a huge part of federal government techniques to. advance renewable resource and decarbonize the global power. industry due to the fact that it can produce large amounts of electrical energy. near largely populated coastal regions. Missing targets by a. large margin will leave a gap that might be hard to fill.
Reuters spoke to 12 offshore wind companies, market. researchers, trade associations, and government authorities in six. countries to come up with an international image of the state of the. market and its outlook, and discovered soaring expenses, project. delays and restricted supply chain financial investment were hobbling. setups.
We're pretty far from these targets, Soren Lassen,. head of overseas wind research at energy research study company Wood. Mackenzie, stated in an interview. He stated offshore wind farms now. have an international typical cost of $230 per megawatt-hour (MWh)-- up. 30% to 40% in the previous two years and more than triple the. average of $75/MWh for onshore facilities.
That has companies pulling back. BP last month stated it was. considering selling a stake in its overseas wind service, and. Equinor earlier this year abandoned investments in Vietnam,. Spain and Portugal. Meanwhile GE Vernova, among the. industry's leading turbine suppliers, is not taking brand-new orders.
We do not predict adding to (our) stockpile without. substantially various industry economics than what we see in. the marketplace today, GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik said on a. current financier call.
World federal governments had actually set a global target in 2015 of. tripling total renewable energy use by 2030, something the. International Renewable Resource Firm (IRENA) stated would need. offshore wind capacity to rise to 494 GW by the end of this. decade, from 73 GW presently.
IRENA Director-General Francesco La Video camera informed Reuters. offshore wind is now projected to disappoint its target by a. third. Price quotes by 3 other prominent research firms job. that the world will not reach 500 GW of overseas wind. installations up until after 2035.
TRUMP EFFECT
Governments in Europe, the Americas and Asia have sought to. prop up the sector with national targets aimed at drawing in. deep-pocketed developers including major international energy business. Equinor, Orsted, RWE and. Iberdrola.
The United States, for example, set a goal in 2021 of 30. gigawatts of offshore wind by the end of this years, but had. less than 200 megawatts running as of May of this year,. according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
The outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. issued permits for 15 GW of tasks, held 6 lease sales on. numerous coasts, and extended tax credits to the industry.
But U.S. overseas wind has been roiled since in 2015 by. canceled projects and agreements, suspended government auctions,. and a high-profile construction accident at the nation's very first. major commercial project
The market is now stressed that Biden's replacement,. President-elect Donald Trump, will follow through on an election. project pledge to dismantle the market's progress, perhaps. by withholding lease auctions.
Provided the outcomes of the U.S. elections, we see higher. risks than before for the timely execution of offshore wind. jobs there, Michael Mueller, financing chief of German. offshore job developer RWE, told journalists on a profits. call this month.
Energy research company Rystad stated it expects the United. States to reach less than half of its 2030 target.
Representatives of the Biden administration and Trump's. shift group did not provide comment for this story.
Carl Fleming, a partner at law practice McDermott Will & & Emery. who recommends the White House on renewable energy policy, informed. Reuters the U.S. would have a hard time to miss its target despite. who remains in the White Home, given market conditions.
EUROPE ALSO FALLING SHORT
In Europe, Petra Manuel, overseas wind expert at Rystad,. anticipates nations with the greatest overseas wind targets - the. UK, Germany and the Netherlands - to reach about 60%. to 70% of their objectives. Nations with less ambitious targets,. consisting of Belgium, Denmark and Ireland, are also anticipated to. come up short, he said.
Industry trade group WindEurope, meanwhile, said it expects. the European Union to have 54 GW of overseas wind capacity by. 2030, about half of the 120 GW North Sea nations promised.
EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told Reuters that delays. in meeting targets could not be dismissed, but that none had. been formally flagged by member states.
Britain, the second-biggest offshore wind market after. China, will also miss its objective of 60 GW by 2030, stated Damien. Zachlod, managing director of offshore wind designer EnBW. Generation UK.
The UK held its best-funded auction yet in September, adding. 4.9 GW of brand-new arrangements. However future auctions will need far. larger volumes to reach 60 GW on time, he stated.
It will be very, really tough and we will not hit the. target by 2030, he said.
A representative for the UK federal government did not right away. offer remark.
CHINA BUCKS THE PATTERN
China, which ended up being the international leader in offshore wind in. 2022, is bucking the global trend.
Beijing has actually supercharged its industry with aids and low. funding costs. Most of the sector's gamers are state-owned,. and have access to locally-made offshore wind components.
China accounted for majority of 2023 offshore wind. installations, with 6.3 GW, and the International Wind Energy council. trade group estimates the nation will set up 11 to 16 GW. each year in the next two to three years.
Sourcing inexpensive equipment from China would help reduce expenses. for designers in Europe, Japan and the United States, but. governments there have looked for to encourage regional production to. minimize reliance on Beijing.
Elsewhere in Asia, countries consisting of Vietnam, Japan, South. Korea and Taiwan have looked for to broaden overseas wind however also. face troubles linked to soaring expenses and regulatory. unpredictability.
Japan, for instance, has actually set aspirations of building up to 45. GW of overseas wind capacity by 2040, up from less than 1 GW. today. But the country's auctions to date have been little, and. the market is constrained by laws preventing non-Japanese. vessels from operating in overseas wind locations.
Rebecca Williams, deputy CEO of the Global Wind Energy. Council trade group, acknowledged there is a risk the market. might miss its targets, but said striking them is still possible. with the right policies.
Naturally, whenever there's a target, there's a risk that. that target might not be satisfied, Williams stated on the sidelines of. the COP29 conference in Baku.
However the target is not the thing that's going to get the. turbines in the water..
(source: Reuters)