France

TotalEnergies has begun a 60-day planned overhaul of the small crude distillation units (CDUs), as well as a reformer, and hydrotreaters, at its Port Arthur, Texas refinery that produces 238,000 barrels per day, according to people familiar with plant operation. Sources said that the 35,000 bpd continuous catalyst reformer (CCR), along with three diesel hydrotreaters, with a combined output of 84,000 bpd and a naphtha hydrotreater with a throughput 42,000 bpd and a sulfur unit were closed along with the ACU-2 CDU with its 51,000 bpd vacuum distillation unit-1 (VDU-1), they added. A TotalEnergies representative did not respond to a...

The head of the Brazilian oil lobby IBP said on Wednesday that energy companies in Brazil will resume oil exports to the United States following the exemption from U.S. duties for several oil products. The top Brazilian export to the U.S. is oil. It was exempted from the 10% tariff on Brazilian exports in April, but the uncertainty about whether it would be exempted under the new tariffs announced on the 9th of July led to a stoppage in shipments throughout the month. Despite the fact that President Donald Trump's Wednesday decree increased tariffs on Brazil by 50%, several Brazilian...

Roberto Ardenghy of the oil lobby group IBP told reporters on Wednesday that energy companies in Brazil have suspended oil exports to the United States following President Donald Trump's announcement of 50% tariffs against Brazil. The U.S. is Brazil's largest export market. Oil was exempted from the 10% tariff on Brazilian exports in April, but it remains unclear if the commodity will be exempted under the new tariff of 50% that is set to take effect on Friday. Ardenghy said, "This time there is no way to know." IBP represents Brazilian oil companies such as Petrobras, Shell, TotalEnergies ExxonMobil, Equinor,...

Three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday that the head of Americas gas for TotalEnergies trading arm Atlantic Trading & Marketing Inc has left to join a hedge-fund. Two sources confirmed that Gregory Galimberti resigned in the last few days from his position at ATMI to join Verition Fund Management. This hedge fund is based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Sources requested anonymity in order to discuss personnel matters. Galimberti didn't immediately respond to an inquiry on LinkedIn. TotalEnergies ATMI and Verition did not respond immediately to comments. According to his LinkedIn profile, Galimberti has been the manager of...

TotalEnergies announced a 23% drop in earnings for the second quarter on Thursday. This was the worst performance of four years by this French oil major. Higher upstream production could not offset lower earnings in oil, gas and refined fuels. The adjusted net income for the three-month period ending June 30 fell from $4.7 billion a few months earlier to $3.6 billion, which is in line with analyst expectations as reflected in LSEG consensus. It was $4.2 billion lower than the first quarter. Brent crude prices are down 20% from a few months ago. This is because OPEC+ producers, including...

The Norwegian company DNO announced on Wednesday that it had sold all of its gas production from the Norwegian continental shelf over a period of four years to French utility Engie at an undisclosed price. The deal was facilitated by an American bank loan, as U.S. banks are increasing funding for the fossil fuel sector. It also said it is in talks over a similar agreement and financing facility related to its North Sea oil production. The agreement will take effect on October 1, and it covers DNO’s increased gas production following its March acquisition of assets from Sval Energi....

Igor Krasnov is the Russian Prosecutor-General, who led the government's effort to seize property valued at 2.4 trillion rubles ($31 billion). He said that foreign companies returning to Russia would be closely monitored to ensure Russia benefits. In the three years since Russia began its war in Ukraine, Moscow has taken over a dozen assets owned by foreigners under its management. This year, prosecutors have increased the seizure and confiscation of assets in Ukraine. As the economy slows down after two years of high growth, fueled by military spending, Russian officials try to strike a balance between protecting the economy...

The Niger government announced on Thursday plans to nationalize Somair, a joint venture between French nuclear fuels firm Orano and the Niger. A statement was read out on the national television of the West African country. The statement listed a number of grievances, including the expiration in December 2023 of the most recent mining agreement. The statement read: "Faced by this irresponsible and illegal behaviour of Orano, owned by the French government -- an openly hostile state toward Niger from July 26, 2023...the Niger government has decided to nationalize Somair in its full sovereignty." This decision represents an intensification of...

A trade union warned on Wednesday that more than 500 jobs were at risk after Stellantis, an Italian automaker, switched from Malaysia's Petronas brand to France's Total. Stellantis did not respond to a request for comment immediately. Petronas is the owner of the Selenia motor oil brand, an Italian supplier that was previously a part of Fiat and sold products under the name "Olio Fiat". Stellantis, a new company created in 2021 by the merger of Fiat-Chrysler and France's PSA (maker of Peugeot and Citroen vehicles), was formed from the merger between Fiat-Chrysler and France's PSA. Also included in the...

International Resources Holding, based in the UAE, has agreed to purchase a controlling interest in Alphamin Resources, a major tin producer in Africa. The deal is valued at C$503million ($367million), and comes as it expands its presence on the continent. IRH, a division of International Holding Co., has entered into an agreement with Tremont Master Holdings to purchase a 56% share in Alphamin for C$0.70 or approximately $367 million. The companies announced the deal in a joint press release. Alphamin's Bisie mine is located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an area rich in tantalum and tungsten, as well as...

In recent weeks, refiners around the world have made unexpected profits by producing fuels that are essential to summer demand. This is a welcome respite for a sector in trouble, before a predicted weakening of this year. Fuel markets are strong in contrast to crude oil prices that fell in May to a 4-year low after OPEC+ increased output faster than expected. This also indicates that demand has remained resilient despite concerns over tariffs. Neil Crosby, analyst at Sparta Commodities, said that margins are high because supply and demand balance is tight. The refining margin is the profit a refinery...

ExxonMobil, the energy giant from Canada, announced on Wednesday that it had entered exclusive negotiations with North Atlantic's French unit to divest its French majority-owned subsidiary Esso. Esso announced that the sale would take place during the fourth quarter of 2018. The price per Esso Share before distributions is 149.19 Euros ($168.82), or 32.83 Euros after distributions. Esso stated that ExxonMobil wants Esso make an additional distribution up to 63.36 euro per share before the completion of the deal. ExxonMobil, the current majority shareholder of Esso with an 82.89% stake in which it intends to divest, plans to divest this...

Data from EDF showed that the electricity output of the French utility was cut by 2.6 gigawatts on early Wednesday morning. This was due to workers cutting power production as part of an industrial action aimed at pensions and wages in the gas and power sector. The industrial action is expected to expand in the next few weeks due to the low approval rating of the government. It faces a vote of confidence on Monday. The data revealed that nuclear power production fell by 2.1 GW, with three reactors being affected. Hydropower production also decreased by 510 megawatts. France's total...

German baseload day-ahead power prices increased compared to last Monday, as the renewable energy supply is expected fall and demand to rise. The French contract dropped due to higher wind power production. LSEG data shows that the German baseload electricity contract for Tuesday is 113.90 Euros per megawatt-hour, as at 0832 GMT. The equivalent French contract is 29 euros/MWh. The Friday contracts for both Mondays were not traded. Last Monday, the German contract closed for 89.10 euro/MWh and the French contract closed for 75.90 euro/MWh. Marcus Eriksson, LSEG analyst, says that residual load in Germany is expected to increase on...

Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies announced on Monday that the first volumes of CO2 have been injected into and stored in Norway's Northern Lights Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project, marking the beginning of operations. Companies said that the CO2 was being stored in a 2,600 meter reservoir (8,530 feet) below seabed. This marks a significant milestone for CCS. In a press release, Anders Opedal said that the industry of carbon capture transport and storage is scalable. The facility is a part of the heavily-subventioned Longship carbon storage and capture project in Norway, which aims to commercialise CCS to reduce CO2...

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi is scheduled to speak with his French and British counterparts and German counterparts Friday about nuclear talks and sanctions. This was reported by the state news agency IRNA. Three European powers have warned that they will activate United Nations sanctions against Iran under a "snapback mechanism" if Iran doesn't return to the table to negotiate over its nuclear program. Together with the United States they claim that Iran uses its nuclear program to develop weapons. Tulsi Gabriel, the U.S. director of national intelligence, testified before Congress in March that there was no evidence that Iran...

EDF data revealed on Tuesday that four reactors of France's Gravelines Nuclear Plant will be back in operation this week, a little later than originally planned. They were shut down by a jellyfish swarm in the cooling system. The plant is located in northern France and is the largest of its kind in the country. It is cooled by a canal that connects to the North Sea. The six units each produce 900 Megawatts, totaling 5.4 Gigawatts. EDF data indicated that the first reactor, Unit 6, will be restarted on Tuesday. Each day, one reactor should return to service until...

According to Orano's CEO Nicolas Maes, the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States will not affect the company, because the U.S. government has not yet imposed any tariffs on its uranium fuels. According to the agreement announced on Sunday, the EU has agreed to buy nuclear energy products as well as U.S. natural gas and oil liquefied for a total of $750 billion in the next three year. Maes stated that "we have examined the material and have found that isotopes and uranium as well as enriched uranium have been exempted from the ban." He...

A spokesperson for EDF said that the company is considering options to raise capital in order to expand its renewable energy businesses in North America and Brazil. This could include selling stakes of up to 50%. Bloomberg News reported that people with knowledge of the situation said the state-owned utility is considering a stake sale for 2 billion euros. Mathieu BARTIER, a spokesman for EDF Power Solution, said: "We are examining the possibility of opening the capital of certain of our subsidiaries to partner." EDF's CEO Bernard Fontana has stated that he is evaluating possible asset sales to raise money...

By America Hernandez PARIS, 8 July - France's EDF, the state-owned energy company, has named several new directors to its Board and will reorganise its operations to prepare for its plans to build 6 new nuclear reactors, and to increase investments in hydropower. EDF CEO Bernard Fontana stated in a press release that "this evolution aims at strengthening the Group's performance industrially in support of the revitalization of nuclear power and Hydropower... We must organize ourselves to better identify and deliver on our long-term commitments." Xavier Gruz will be joining the executive committee as director of EDF's Nuclear Programme immediately....

By America Hernandez PARIS, 7 July - French engineering company Fives Nordon received an order on Monday from the state-owned utility EDF for 300 boilermaking pieces to be used in six new nuclear reactors. According to the statement, after 18 months of engineering study, part construction will begin 2027. Deliveries will continue until 2038. Fives Nordon has not disclosed the value of the contract. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has declared that he will expand France's nuclear capability. The flagship project Both by Extending the lifespan In the next decade, we will build at least six new reactors of...

The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that the damage caused by U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nucleus facilities last weekend was still too early to determine. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin, said "No" when asked if Russia held its own data on the extent of damage. I don't believe that anyone has realistic data at this time. "It's likely too early to have such data. We need to wait for them." The U.S. president Donald Trump claimed at the weekend that these strikes "obliterated Iran's nuclear facility". Three sources familiar with the situation said that an initial U.S. Intelligence assessment determined...

The Financial Times reported that the new head of EDF, a French state-owned utility, is considering selling some assets in order to satisfy government demands for new investments in nuclear reactors. The FT, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that Dalkia and Edison may be among the units to be sold. The FT reported that renewable assets are also being considered, except for EDF's hydropower projects. France is the main nuclear champion in Europe, as it sources around 70% of its electricity from this source. EDF's nuclear power fleet generates about 70% of France’s electricity. Bernard Fontana, the new...

Rafael Grossi, the U.N.'s chief nuclear inspector, said that his priority was to get his inspectors to Iran to assess the effects of U.S. military strikes on Iran and to verify its stock of enriched Uranium. Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told a press conference during an Austrian cabinet meeting on security that "this is our number one priority." He wants his inspectors to return to Iranian sites, including the three facilities where it enriches uranium before Israel's strikes on June 13th. When asked if Iran informed him about the status of its stocks, especially...