Natural Gas








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North America

LNG

Australia's review of the market rules includes a gas reservation for the east coast

As part of an extensive review of the market rules, the Australian government announced on Monday that it would consider creating a reserve of gas on Australia's east coast. The Competition Regulator has warned about looming shortages on the east coast of the country. According to the most recent forecast, a gap will be created by 2028 if no new investments are made. The majority of reserves are in the remote north-west. The review will also aim to preserve Australia's reputation as an important reliable exporter of LNG. The market regulations are being reviewed. They include export controls, an east...

Natural Gas Utilities

Prices of EUROPE GAS have fallen by over 10% following the news that Iran and Israel had reached a ceasefire

The wholesale gas price in the Netherlands and Britain fell by more than 10% Tuesday morning, following the news that Iran had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel. This removed the premium for risk the market had built into the market due to potential disruptions of oil and gas supplies. The benchmark Dutch front month contract at the TTF Hub fell by 4.86 euro to 36.38 Euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh), which is $12.38/mmBtu by 0939 GMT. It had traded as low 35.45 Euros/MWh earlier, LSEG's data showed. The British front-month contracts was down 13.72 pennies at 84.85 cents per...

Fossil Fuels

Rosatom will explore the construction of a high-capacity reactor in Uzbekistan

Rosatom, the state-owned nuclear corporation of Russia, signed a deal with Uzbekistan’s Atomic Energy Agency on Friday to examine the feasibility and cost of building a nuclear power plant capable enough to generate large amounts in this Central Asian nation. Rosatom has already planned to build smaller nuclear units in Uzbekistan. The agreement was signed with the Uzbek Government at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Over the weekend, the Kazakh government also asked the Russian energy company to lead a group to build the country's first nuclear power station. The five former Soviet Central Asian republics do not have...

Energy Markets

World Bank will end nuclear energy ban, but still debate upstream gas

Ajay Banaga, president of the World Bank, said that its board had agreed to lift a ban on financing nuclear energy projects for developing countries. This is part of an effort to meet the growing demand for electricity. Banga sent an email outlining the bank's new energy strategy to its staff following what he described as a constructive meeting with the board. Banga said that the board had not reached a consensus on whether or not the bank should be involved in upstream natural-gas projects. He wrote, "This will need further discussion." In 2017, the global development bank, a lender...

Power Markets

EIA: Data centers will drive US electricity use to new highs by 2025 and '26.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Tuesday that data centers, which are power-hungry and provide computing power to artificial intelligence and crypto currencies, will drive U.S. electric consumption to new records in 2025 and in 2026. EIA projects that power demand will increase to 4,193 billion Kilowatt Hours (kWh) by 2025, and 4,283 kWh by 2026. This is a significant rise from the record 4,097 kWh of 2024. The United States is expected to increase its electricity consumption for heating and transportation, in addition to data centres. EIA estimates that by 2025, residential customers will consume 1,517 billion kWh...

Climate Change

Trump's proposal will lift Biden's limits on Alaskan oil drilling

On Monday, the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump proposed rolling back Biden's limits on oil drilling in Alaska. This area is the largest undeveloped public land tract in America. This move is in line with Trump's energy agenda, which includes reducing regulations on oil and gas production and increasing domestic fuels. The Alaska National Petroleum Reserve is made up of 10.6 million acres (4.39 million hectares). NPR-A is the name given to a 23 million-acre (9,3 million-hectare) area of Alaska's North Slope, which was designated in 1923 for emergency oil supplies by the U.S. Navy. In the 1970s, the...

Environment

Prices largely stable but market risks persist

The Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas were mostly stable on Friday, as Norwegian flows stabilized and the low demand allowed storage to be refilled. However, the tighter market conditions continued to support these prices. LSEG data shows that the benchmark Dutch front-month contract was up 0.26 euros at 35.18 Euro per megawatt hour or $11.68/mmBtu at 0816 GMT. Auxilione, a consultancy, said that with the June contract ending on Friday, market attention is now shifted to July. The Dutch July contract increased by 0.14 euros to 35.40 Euro/MWh. The British front-month contracts were down 1.21 pence, at 83.25...

Natural Gas

Sempra Port Arthur Phase 2 receives US approval for LNG export

The Department of Energy announced on Thursday that Sempra’s Port Arthur Phase 2 Project in Texas had won U.S. approval for exporting liquefied gas to Europe and Asia. The first final LNG export approval was given by President Donald Trump, reversing a pause in the approvals ordered by former President Biden to study the environmental and economic impacts of this booming industry. According to U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, the project is "a significant expansion of a first phase that was already under construction – turning more liquid gold underneath our feet into energy for the American public." Port...

Electric Utilities

NextDecade: JERA signs 20-year LNG Supply Deal

NextDecade, a U.S. producer of liquefied gas, announced on Thursday that it had signed a deal for supplying Japan's largest power generator JERA 2 million tonnes of LNG per year from the fifth liquefaction plant in its Rio Grande Project. Early trading saw NextDecade shares up 5.5% to $8.11. The United States will be the largest LNG exporter in the world in 2024. It is expected to ship 11.9 billion cubic foot per day. This has been boosted by President Donald Trump lifting a moratorium in January on new export licenses. NextDecade’s deal with JERA - Japan's largest LNG buyer...

Fossil Fuels

Prices of European Gases remain stable as a weaker demand offsets Norwegian Supply Cuts

The Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas were not much different on Tuesday morning, as the warmer weather helped to reduce demand and offset a weaker Norwegian supply due to maintenance at Troll gas fields. LSEG data shows that the benchmark Dutch front-month contract was 36.84 euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh) or $12.25/mmBtu at 0818 GMT. This is a decrease of 0.31 euros. The Dutch July contract increased by 0.06 Euros to 36.88 euros/MWh. The British day-ahead contracts rose 0.35 pence, to 87.60p/therm. In a daily research report, LSEG analyst Saku Jusli stated that "demand is slowly decreasing with...

Renewable Energy

Prices for Europe GAS hit a six-week high due to tighter supplies, Middle East and Ukraine concerns, and concerns about tighter supply.

The Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas rose on Wednesday to their highest level in over six weeks, boosted by a lower Norwegian supply, the competition for liquefied gas, and concerns about peace talks in Ukraine and unrest in Middle East. The benchmark Dutch front month contract rose 0.48 euros to 37.63 euros per Megawatt Hour at 0813 GMT. This was its highest level since 7 April. The British contract for the month of June increased by 1.29 pence, to 90.31 p/therm. This is the highest price since April 4. Day-ahead gas rose 0.70 pence to 90.50 p/therm. A...

Refined Products

APA sells New Mexico assets at $608 million following quarterly profit success

APA Corp announced on Wednesday it would sell New Mexico Permian assets to focus on its core business. This was in an effort for the company to streamline its operations and concentrate on areas of strength. It also beat Wall Street's expectations for first-quarter profits. These assets, which generate about 12,400 barrels equivalent of oil per day (boepd), are less than 5% APA's overall Permian production. The company stated that the deal with Permian Resource is expected to close by the end of the second quarter and proceeds will be used to reduce the debt. This move comes after APA...

Europe

Energy Markets

EU envoys are expecting to resolve the blockage of new Russia sanctions by this week

The European Union said that they expected to reach an agreement during a summit of the EU this week regarding an 18th package against Russia. Slovakia and Hungary use it as a bargaining tool for concessions about Russian energy. The European Commission proposed the package to encourage Russia to negotiate with Ukraine a ceasefire after EU leaders demanded "massive sanction" in May. The package aims to target more of Russia's revenues from energy by listing its banks and destroying its shadow tanker fleet. Hungary and Slovakia announced on Monday that they will not support new sanctions unless the proposal to...

Energy Markets

Budapest: Hungary and Slovakia reject Russian sanctions package

Hungary and Slovakia decided to not support the EU plan for an 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto announced this on Monday during a live press conference broadcast on Facebook. The minister stated that Hungary and Slovakia have decided to block the package of sanctions in response to European Union plans for phasing out Russian energy imports. Szijjarto stated, "We did it because the European Union... wants to prevent member states including Hungary and Slovakia from buying cheap Russian natural gas or cheap Russian oil, as they had done in the past." Hungary and Slovakia...

LNG

Germany does not plan strategic gas reserves, Economy Ministry says

A spokesperson for the Economy Ministry said that Germany does not plan to create a national reserve of gas, as recent legislation requiring different filling levels in the winter months will encourage private companies to provide supply security. In order to avoid a supply disruption, European Union nations have increased their storage capacity in anticipation of the energy crisis that will follow Russia's invasion and occupation of Ukraine. Germany is the largest gas consumer in mainland Europe. Last month, German pipeline lobby group FNB suggested a new strategy for gas storage that included a permanent reserve. The spokesperson responded in...

Western Europe

Middle East

Energy Markets

IEA: World oil demand will continue to grow this decade despite China's peak in 2027

The International Energy Agency announced on Tuesday that global oil demand would continue to grow until the end of the decade, despite a peak in China's top importer in 2027. Cheaper gasoline and a slower adoption of electric vehicles in the United States will support oil consumption. The IEA which advises industrialised nations did not alter its prediction that oil demand would peak in this decade. This is a stark contrast to the view of the producer group, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, who say consumption will continue to grow and have not predicted a peak. A table...

Fossil Fuels

Mubadala Energy is ready to sell South Andaman Gas to Indonesia at the right price

A senior executive at Mubadala Energy said that the company would be happy to provide all of the natural gas produced in its South Andaman Block for Indonesian domestic consumption, and do so at the best possible price. Indonesia wants producers of gas to increase their supplies to domestic consumers as the demand is increasing. The producers have been focusing on exports of LNG and asked the government to revise price caps for domestic gas. They argue that it is not a good business decision when spot LNG prices are so high. Abdulla Bu Ali (President Director of Mubadala Energy...

Natural Gas Utilities

Bloomberg News reports that Woodside is in talks with Kuwait Petroleum to sell its Louisiana LNG stake.

Bloomberg News reported Monday that Woodside Energy was in discussions with an overseas division of Kuwait Petroleum about selling a stake in their Louisiana liquefied gas plant. The report was based on people familiar with the matter. Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration is also looking at securing LNG from the project. Other companies are interested in both LNG and equity, according to the report. Woodside Energy and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration did not respond immediately to comments. Woodside, Australia’s largest gas producer, agreed earlier this month to sell a 40 percent stake in its Louisiana Liquefied Natural Gas plant to U.S....

Oil & Gas Drilling

Executives say AI will lead to cheaper and faster oil production.

Executives at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston explained that artificial intelligence has accelerated oil and gas drilling, and prompted companies to reconsider areas they previously deemed too expensive or difficult to develop. AI was a major topic in several sessions of the largest energy conference. Oil producers are looking for ways to stay profitable amid a plummeting price of oil and concerns that U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs may slow down global energy demand. Ann Davies, BP’s senior vice-president of wells, revealed that the UK oil giant BP uses AI to predict problems and steer drill bits before they occur....

Oil & Gas Equipment

Continental Resources, a US-based producer, will help Turkey develop its shale gas fields

On Wednesday, Turkish Energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on the social media platform X that TPAO, Turkey's national oil company, had signed a joint-venture agreement with U.S. producer Continental Resources for the development of shale deposits in Diyarbakir Basin. This cooperation will contribute greatly to our goal to bring Turkiye’s oil and natural gas resources into our economy. "I hope that this agreement will benefit all parties, as it opens up a new phase in Turkiye's exploration," he wrote in the blog. The Turkish oil and gas industry is not very large. Continental Resources CEO Doug Lawler stated in an...

Oil & Gas Exploration

The President of Lebanon says that he hopes TotalEnergies resumes oil and gas exploration as soon as possible

According to a press release from the president's offices, Lebanon President Joseph Aoun told Qatari Premier Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday that he hoped TotalEnergies would soon resume oil exploration off the coasts of Lebanon. In 2023, the state-owned QatarEnergy will join France's TotalEnergies (ENI.MI), and Italy's Eni in a consortium of three to search for oil and natural gas in two marine blocks off Lebanon's coast. Two sources who were directly involved in the matter said that no hydrocarbons had been found after the exploratory drilling offshore in 2023. TotalEnergies didn't respond to a comment request...

Natural Gas Utilities

Egypt seeks four LNG cargoes for Feb-Mar shipment in tender, sources say

Egypt has issued a tender looking for 4 cargoes of liquefied gas (LNG) for delivery in between February and March, two trading sources informed Reuters. The most populated Arab country has gone back to being an internet importer of natural gas, purchasing dozens of cargoes this year and deserting plans to become a supplier to Europe after a steep decrease in domestic gas output mainly due to the fact that of decreasing production from the Zohr gas field. The tender was released by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and closes on Jan. 27. It is smaller sized than those...

Fossil Fuels

Saudi energy minister commits to unrefined capacity levels and environment targets

Saudi Arabia is devoted. to maintaining unrefined capability at 12.3 million barrels daily,. Energy Minister Prince Abulaziz bin Salman stated on Tuesday. Speaking at the Future Financial Investment Initiative (FII). conference in Riyadh, he said the world's largest oil exporter. would maintain its crude targets while also pursuing its environment. objectives. We will generate income from every molecule of energy this land has,. period, Prince Abdulaziz stated. That policy would be performed. hand in hand with other objectives, such as emission decrease, he. included. We are committed to keeping 12.3 million (barrels per. day) of crude capability and we take...

Fossil Fuels

New Zealand, Cambodia cite political dangers due to high energy shift expenses

Political dangers due to possible loss of public support over increasing power tariffs are a. significant obstacle to transitioning to cleaner electrical energy. sources, ministers from New Zealand and Cambodia told an energy. industry event on Monday. It's incredibly essential to take the general public with you,. considered that end of the day, they need to think that what you're. doing is improving their lives, Shane Jones, Partner Minister. for Energy, New Zealand, stated at the Singapore International. Energy Week conference (SIEW). Jones stated New Zealand's power tariffs are comparable to. Singapore's, ranking amongst the highest in the Asia-Pacific. area....

Natural Gas

OPEC cuts 2024, 2025 global oil demand development view again

OPEC on Monday cut its projection for worldwide oil need growth in 2024 reflecting information received so far this year and likewise decreased its projection for next year, marking the producer group's 3rd successive downward revision. The Company of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in a. regular monthly report stated world oil need will increase by 1.93 million. barrels daily (bpd) in 2024, down from growth of 2.03 million. bpd it anticipated last month. There is a large split in between forecasters on the strength of. need development in 2024, partly due to distinctions over demand. from China and over the...

Fossil Fuels

OPEC+ set to keep output policy the same at panel meeting

An OPEC+ ministerial panel scheduled to satisfy on Wednesday is unlikely to suggest any modifications to policy, allowing the group to start slowly increasing production from December, 2 sources from told Reuters. Ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, or OPEC+ as the group is known, will hold an online joint ministerial tracking committee (JMMC) at 1200 GMT. The 2 sources, who declined to be recognized, said Wednesday's conference is not likely to bring any surprises. One of them said it will reaffirm the requirement for member countries to comply with their production...

Energy Markets

OPEC once again decreases 2024, 2025 worldwide oil need growth view

OPEC on Tuesday cut its projection for global oil demand growth in 2024 reflecting information received so far this year and likewise trimmed its expectation for next year, marking the manufacturer group's second successive downward revision. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in a. monthly report stated world oil demand will rise by 2.03 million. barrels daily (bpd) in 2024, down from development of 2.11 million. bpd it anticipated last month. There is a wider than normal split between forecasters on the. strength of oil need growth in 2024, partially due to differences. over China and more broadly over...