Natural Gas








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Natural Gas

MPLX will buy the remaining interest in BANGL Natural Gas Pipeline for $715 Million

MPLX, a midstream company that focuses on expanding its Permian presence, announced Friday that it will purchase the remaining 55% of the BANGL pipeline from affiliates WhiteWater and Diamondback Energy. The deal is worth $715 million. The pipeline sector is booming with deals as companies seek to reduce costs, increase scale, and gain access attractive oil and natural gas producing regions on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The 425-mile BANGL Pipeline transports natural gasliquids from the Permian Basin of Texas to fractionation marketplaces along the Gulf Coast. The pipeline will allow liquids to reach MPLX Gulf Coast fractionation facility, which is...

Fossil Fuels

Expand Energy's profit beats expectations for the fourth quarter on higher production and prices

Expand Energy, a U.S. natural-gas producer, surpassed its fourth-quarter profit expectations on Wednesday after a slight rise in gas prices. The natural gas price rose during the first quarter of this year, reaching a record high. This was due to an increase in gas flow to export plants for liquefied gas. Prices were also boosted by the forecast of continued cold weather in January which increased heating demands. The Oklahoma City company that acquired Southwestern for $7.3 billion and became the largest independent U.S. natural gas producer reported a fourth-quarter production rate of 6.41 billion cubic foot equivalent per day...

Energy Markets

Coterra Energy beats quarterly profit estimates on higher production, raises dividend

Coterra Energy announced Monday that it had beaten Wall Street's fourth-quarter profit estimates and increased its dividend by 5%. The oil and gas company has benefited from a higher production of oil and natural gases liquids (NGLs). U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that the oil production of the United States reached a new record in the last quarter, as improved drilling efficiency helped producers pump out more. Houston-based company announced a production increase of 681,500 barrels equivalent per day (boepd) in the fourth quarter, exceeding its high-end outlook of 630,000-660,000 boepd. This was driven by improved well performance and...

Oil & Gas

Prices of gas in Europe are mixed due to cold weather and stronger winds as the market watches Ukraine talk

On Monday morning the benchmark Dutch gas contract traded in a narrow range, as higher wind speeds reduced gas demand for electricity generation. Meanwhile the market was monitoring updates on the U.S. and Russian talks to end war in Ukraine. LSEG data shows that the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF hub was nearly flat at 50.75 Euros per megawatt hour, or $15.59/mmBtu by 1004 GMT. Last week, the contract dropped to 49.25 Euros/MWh - its lowest level since 29 January. The British day-ahead contracts fell 1.25 pence to 124.55 pence/therm, while the Dutch contract lost 0.32 euros at...

Electric Utilities

AEP's fourth-quarter profits rise as demand for electricity increases due to data centers

American Electric Power, a U.S. utility, posted an increase in its fourth-quarter profits on Thursday as the demand for electricity from commercial customers was boosted by data centers. Big Tech is investing billions of dollars in artificial intelligence and the infrastructure required to develop it. As a result, power utilities are experiencing a massive surge in demand. Bill Fehrman, CEO, said: "In 2024 we saw significant growth in commercial loads, due largely to the economic development of Indiana, Ohio, and Texas." The utility said that it expects retail loads to grow by up to 9% per year over the next...

Natural Gas

EIA raises US oil production forecast for 2025

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Short-Term Energy Outlook Report, released on Tuesday, said that the U.S. production of oil is expected to be higher than previous estimates. However, it did not change its forecast for growth in demand. The EIA now expects U.S. oil production will average 13,59 million barrels per daily (bpd) by 2025. This is up from the previous estimate of 13,55 million bpd. The agency maintained its estimate of U.S. petroleum and liquid fuel consumption at 20.5 millions bpd by 2025. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has pledged to maximize U.S. production while...

Electric Utilities

WEC Energy profits jump on lower operating costs

WEC Energy Group announced on Tuesday that its profit had more than doubled during the fourth quarter. The utility was able to achieve this due to lower operating costs and increased revenue. Nearly 4.7 million customers are served by the company in Wisconsin, Illinois Michigan and Minnesota. The power companies will benefit from the rise in electricity usage, which is mainly driven by artificial intelligence and data centers. Also, homes and businesses are increasingly using electricity to heat their homes and for transportation. Energy Information Administration (EIA), a U.S. government agency, expects that power consumption will reach new records in...

Energy Markets

China's tariff retaliation is aimed at its modest US energy imports

China is the largest energy importer in the world, but its purchases of US crude oil, LNG and coal are relatively modest. This reduces the impact of Beijing’s Tuesday move to impose retaliatory duties on the imports of U.S. natural gas, LNG, and coal. China's Finance Ministry announced that, on February 10, it will impose tariffs of up to 15% on the importation of U.S. coal, LNG, and crude oil, as well as some autos and farm equipment. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration revealed that Chinese imports of U.S. Crude Oil fell 52% in the first eleven months...

Oil & Gas

Trump expects Canada to pay less duty on oil after Feb. 18,

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that he expected his administration to implement tariffs on oil and gas by February 18th. It could also reduce the planned tax on some Canadian crude. Refiners in the Midwest of the United States process about 70% of this oil imported by the U.S. Analysts and companies have warned that a tariff on oil imports may lead to a decrease in fuel production at these facilities, and increase costs for consumers. Trump didn't specify a country that would be affected by the new tariffs or give any further details. Trump told reporters at the...

Environment

Mexico accelerates plans to double its gas storage capacity amid Trump Supply Fears

Three sources familiar with this matter have said that the Mexican government wants to accelerate plans to double the strategic storage capacity of natural gas amid concerns that U.S. president Donald Trump may use Mexico's dependency on U.S.-produced gas as a form of leverage. Mexico, as a net natural gas importer, only has a natural gas storage capability of 2.4 days. Two government sources and an industry source both said that the country was looking to increase its capacity of storage to at least five-days' domestic consumption, in places such as salt caverns or depleted fields. Comparatively, France stores natural...

LNG

Trump states US will guarantee LNG materials for Europe

President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States would ensure supplies of liquefied natural gas to Europe, even amidst concerns that the flourishing export market might enhance prices of gas for U.S. consumers. TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne asked Trump, who was speaking remotely at the World Economic Forum on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, what he would do if expected development in U.S. LNG jobs improved the domestic gas cost. He likewise asked Trump if he would consent to guarantee security of LNG materials to Europe, which is lowering its reliance on gas from Russia. I would ensure that you...

Environment

Senate panel approves Trump's choices to run energy, interior departments

U.S. Senate committees on Thursday authorized President Donald Trump's options to run energy and environmental policy officials who, if backed by the full Senate, will look for to take full advantage of fossil fuel output and scrap chunks of environment policy. The panel voted 18-2 to authorize previous North Dakota guv Doug Burgum to lead the U.S. Department of Interior and a new national council on energy, expected to boost production of oil and gas. The committee also voted 15-5 to approve Chris Wright, the Energy Department choice and the CEO of oilfield services company Liberty Energy. In addition, the...

Europe

Oil & Gas

EU Commission delays announcement of plan to phase-out Russian energy imports

A schedule released on Wednesday showed that the European Commission had, for a third time, postponed its announcement about its plan to reduce the region's dependence on Russian energy imports. The original date was March 26, but it has now been pushed back to an unknown date. The Commission refused to comment on the new date. In November, Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen stated at a parliament hearing that the plan would be presented during his first hundred days as a commissioner. However, this date has been delayed twice. Originally, the plan was to be unveiled in February. After Russia's full-scale...

Oil & Gas

Shares rise as oil is found in Mopane's Galp new well

The Portuguese oil company Galp announced on Tuesday that it had discovered significant amounts of light oil and condensate gas in a well at Namibia's Mopane Field, creating new exploration opportunities. This has sent its shares sharply up. Initial estimates of the Mopane oil and gas discovery by Galp were at least 10 billion equivalent barrels. The company has drilled four wells in 2024 in order to explore and appraise the first hub of the Mopane Complex in the northwest region. A fifth well was drilled last month in the southeast region. In a press release, it said that the...

Natural Gas Utilities

The price of gas in Europe has risen on the news that EU is working on flexible storage targets

Dutch wholesale gas contracts recovered earlier losses which sent prices to near four-week lows. Prices also rose after an EU draft will be working on more flexible targets for filling gas storage. A draft EU document revealed that the European Commission would work to develop more flexible targets so EU countries can fill their gas storage before winter. This follows concerns from some governments about Europe's strict deadlines for filling up. According to LSEG, the benchmark front-month contract for the Dutch TTF Hub reversed earlier losses, and rose by 1,63 euros, or $15.16/mmBtu to 49.45 Euros per megawatt hour The...

Western Europe

East Asia

Natural Gas Liquids

Tohoku Electric aims to eventually stop Russian LNG purchases

Kojiro Higachi, the president of Tohoku Electric Power in Japan, said that Tohoku Electric Power should review its LNG procurement strategy if it is to stop buying from Russia. Under a contract that runs for 20 years, the utility will import 420,000 metric tonnes of LNG per year from Russia's Sakhalin-2 Project. Higuchi stated that this accounted for approximately 10% of the LNG produced by his company. He said at a press conference that "we must think about (our future procurement plans) assuming we will eventually stop purchasing from Russia." Later, the company stated that no decision had been made...

LNG

Russell: China's impact on US energy trade is minimal at first.

After Beijing retaliated to President Donald Trump’s tariffs by imposing its own measures, the trade between China and the United States in crude oil and liquefied gas is now effectively dead. China, which is the largest importer of three energy commodities in the world, imposed import duties on Tuesday of 15% for U.S. coal and LNG, and 10% for crude oil and farm machinery. Beijing made its move after the Trump administration imposed a 10% additional tariff on all Chinese imports into the United States. The 10% tax was less than the 60% Trump had threatened during his last-year campaign...

Energy Markets

Japan's JERA, Toho Gas to build 2 gas-fired power plants in Chita

Japanese power generator JERA and city gas supplier Toho Gas stated on Monday they will develop the No. 7 and No. 8 gasfired power systems at JERA's Chita thermal power station in central Japan, targeting operations in 2029. The 2 new systems, each with a capability of 659.9 megawatts ( MW), will replace the decommissioned No. 1- No. 4 gas-fired systems, which had actually an integrated capacity of 225.8 MW, a JERA spokesperson said. Ownership of the new units will be split in between the 2 business, with JERA taking a 75% stake and Toho Gas 25%. Electrical energy output...

Energy Markets

Japan targets 40-50% power supply from renewable energy by 2040

Japan wants renewable energy to account for approximately 50% of its electrical energy mix by fiscal year 2040 with nuclear power using up another 20%, according to a. draft of its revised standard energy policy, as it makes a tidy. energy push while meeting rising power need. As the world's second-largest importer of melted natural. gas and a major consumer of Middle Eastern oil, Japan and its. fundamental energy plans are drawing worldwide attention from oil, gas. and coal producers. Thermal power usage, particularly from inefficient. coal-fired power plants, is set to decrease to in between 30% and. 40% by...

Energy Markets

Russia's crude oil and LNG shipments to Asia slip a little in 2024: Russell

Asia's imports of Russian crude oil and melted natural gas are set to log little declines this year and while coal had a bigger drop, there's little evidence that Western sanctions are working well. Russia has concerned depend on Asia, the world's most significant purchaser of energy products, to absorb freights that are no longer able to be sold to buyers in Europe and elsewhere as an outcome of sanctions put against Moscow in the wake of the February 2022 intrusion of Ukraine. China and India became significant buyers of Russian crude, coal and LNG after the invasion, taking freights...

Oil & Gas Refining

PetroChina's Q3 profit down 5.3% on fuel sales decrease, lower oil prices

Asia's biggest oil and gas manufacturer PetroChina Co Ltd reported a 5.3% yearonyear decline in thirdquarter net revenue as weaker fuel sales and lower oil rates exceeded growing gas and oil output. Net revenue was up to 43.91 billion yuan ($ 6.15 billion), the business said in a stock filing on Tuesday. Revenue fell 12.4% to 702.4 billion yuan. PetroChina's net profit stayed the highest amongst domestic peers. Offshore oil and gas manufacturer CNOOC Ltd posted record quarterly revenues of 36.93 billion yuan while top Asian refiner Sinopec Corp's halved to 8.5 billion yuan in the exact same three-month duration....

LNG

Japan's JERA H1 earnings halves, complete year projection unchanged

Japan's leading power generator, JERA, said on Tuesday its AprilSeptember internet earnings halved, hit by a steep drop in gains from lagged fuel price modifications and its U.S. power generation organization. The utility adhered to its annual earnings price quote of 200 billion yen ($ 1.3 billion), that included the impact of the shutdown of its Taketoyo coal-fired power plant following a fire on Jan. 31. No date has been set yet for rebooting the plant. JERA, an unlisted business jointly owned by Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power, reported internet profit of 138.9 billion yen for the six...

Natural Gas

United States FTC enables Chevron-Hess offer, bars John Hess from board

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission allowed Chevron's $53 billion purchase of Hess Corp on Monday, in an order that disallowed Hess CEO John Hess from Chevron's board. The FTC's order leaves Exxon Mobil's difficulty to the deal, which is anticipated to stretch deep into next year, as its final difficulty. The proposed merger included a Chevron board seat for Hess when it was first revealed last October, and the FTC sent a. second details demand to Chevron 2 months later on. Hess had actually interacted publicly and privately with members of. the Company of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). group...

Refined Products

Inpex H1 revenue falls 14.5%, unveils dividend walking, share buybacks

Japan's biggest oil and gas explorer Inpex on Thursday reported a 14.5% drop in its firsthalf net profit, but raised its yearly dividend forecast and revealed an additional share buyback strategy to improve shareholder returns. For the complete year, it stayed with its earnings forecast of 360 billion yen ($ 2.5 billion) regardless of lower than predicted output at its crucial Ichthys liquefied natural gas project in Australia. Net profit for the 6 months through June 30 was up to 212.6 billion yen from 248.5 billion a year previously due to increased expedition expenditures in Australia and higher tax payments....

Oil Refineries

China's product imports reveal economy struggling for momentum: Russell

China's imports of major products continued to lose momentum in July, with petroleum arrivals plunging to the weakest in almost 2 years, while those of iron ore, coal, copper and gas were mostly consistent. The headline-grabber in Wednesday's official information release was the drop in petroleum imports to 9.97 million barrels per day in July, the lowest daily given that September 2022. China, the world's biggest importer of crude, has seen arrivals slump this year, with imports of 10.90 million bpd in the very first 7 months of the year, down 2.9% from the 11.22 million bpd over the very...

Electric Utilities

JERA's April-June revenue halves, Taketoyo plant stays shut

Japan's biggest power generator JERA stated on Wednesday its AprilJune web earnings almost cut in half on smaller sized gains from a timelag impact in a fuel cost modification mechanism, and adhered to its yearly forecast even though its Taketoyo coalfired power plant stays shut. The 1,070-megawatt (MW) Taketoyo power station in Aichi prefecture in central Japan has been shut given that it was hit by a. fire on Jan. 31. JERA, an unlisted business collectively owned by Tokyo Electric. Power and Chubu Electric Power, reported 93.4. billion yen ($ 619 million) in earnings for the April-June quarter,. down 48%...

Natural Gas

Australia's Origin Energy reports APLNG revenue dip on lower rates, volumes

Shares of Origin Energy significant their most significant intraday loss in eight months on Wednesday after the firm posted a drop in quarterly income from its stake in the Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) project, reflecting a fall in gas sales and prices. The decline was partly due to a weaker average understood rate for liquefied natural gas (LNG), which dropped to $11.70. per metric million British thermal systems (mmBtu) in the quarter,. compared to $12.17/ mmBtu in the previous quarter. The energy seller stated its share of income from APLNG, a. joint venture with U.S.-based oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips....