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Perenco Launches Reactivation Program for Two Mothballed Capos Basin Fields
Perenco has started active field reactivation program for the Cherne and Bagre fields in Campos Basin, acquired from Petrobras earlier in 2025, helping meet the industry’s mature field challenges and unlocking in excess of 50 mmstb of reserves.The multi-dimensional, two-year, reactivation program was designed to be executed in three linked stages with operational safety as the main guideline.The first step, which is already underway, entails the full integrity revitalization of the PCH-1 and PCH-2 platforms, systems and associated equipment.This integrity revitalization effort will take place throughout the two-year program, with workstreams ranging from the replacement or renovation of turbines and the water treatment systems to the modernization of the metering systems and maintenance or replacement of the upper deck flowlines. The main objective is to prepare for production resumption in a safe environment.The second phase will consist of installing a new 10-inch pipeline connecting the 27 km distance from PCH1 to the Pargo platform, and from there to the FSO Pargo through the existing export line.As part of the plan to upgrade the water injection system, Perenco will also install a water injection line between the PCH1 and PCH2 units. The third stage will focus on well interventions and re-entries to enable the resumption of production with 36 wells set to come back onstream. This will include 21 workover campaigns and a further evaluation effort for the best application of gas lift or ESP methods, the company said.This ambitious redevelopment plan of Cherne and Bagre has an anticipated 2025-2027 CAPEX of circa $250 million and will achieve a mid-term production from zero to 15,000 barrels of oil per day from the two concessions which were hibernated in 2020 ahead of their originally proposed decommissioning. “The work to safely resume production from the dormant Cherne and Bagre Concessions has now begun. This two-year program will lead to direct and indirect jobs being created, as well as the economic contribution from royalties and taxes.“We are very pleased to be able to invest and build upon our footprint in Brazil, where production from the new fields combined with Pargo will be 35,000 barrels of oil per day,” said Damien Szyszka, General Manager Perenco Brazil.Petrobras Completes Divestment of Cherne and Bagre Fields to Perenco
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SRE Picks Siemens Gamesa Turbines for Formosa 4 Offshore Wind Farm
Synera Renewable Energy (SRE) Group has selected Siemens Gamesa to supply 35 of its 14 MW wind turbines for the 495 MW Formosa 4 offshore wind project, off the west coast of Taiwan.The turbines will be provided from Siemens Gamesa’s industrial nacelle factory in Taichung, Taiwan.Formosa 4 was awarded capacity in the first auction round of Phase 3 Zonal Development in late 2022.The project marks SRE’s third offshore wind farm in Taiwan since entering the sector in 2012, and represents the company’s third partnership with Siemens Gamesa.Formosa 4, planned off the coast of Miaoli County, obtained its establishment permit in late 2024, becoming the first project among all first-round winners to achieve this milestone.Once completed, the wind farm is expected to generate enough clean energy to power around 500,000 households annually.“Over the past six years, we have delivered Formosa 1, Taiwan’s first offshore wind farm, and Formosa 2, the first among Phase 2 projects to reach commercial operation. Now we’re building on that success with Formosa 4.“Given the strong partnership forged with Siemens Gamesa during Formosa 1 and 2, we’re pleased to have them on board again for Formosa 4, deepening the collaboration and advancing sustainability together. With projects spanning every phase of Taiwan’s offshore wind journey, we have firmly established ourselves as the country’s leading offshore wind developer,” said Lucas Lin, Chairperson at SRE.
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BHP suspends operations and cuts jobs at Australian Coking coal mine
BHP announced on Wednesday that it would suspend operations and eliminate 750 jobs in a Queensland coal mine, which it shares with an affiliate of Mitsubishi. It blamed low prices and high royalties from the state government for its poor returns. BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), Saraji South, a part of the Saraji Mine Complex will be put into care and maintainance from November 2025. The Saraji Complex produced 8,2 million metric tonnes of coking coal during the year ending June 2025. BHP is one of the top exporters in the world of coking coal, which is used to make steel. It also owns, under the BMA name, four other mines in Queensland with Mitsubishi Development. This unit of Mitsubishi Corp. BHP, Mitsubishi Development and BMA Asset President Adam Lancey made a statement saying that they did not want operations to be halted or jobs to be lost. However, these decisions were necessary due to the combined impact on the Queensland Government’s unsustainable coal royalty rates and the market conditions. BHP stated that while the medium-term demand for hard coking coal is strong, it was not feasible to continue operations in areas with lower margins of the mine footprint under the current conditions. Queensland increased royalties to 20% in July 2022 for coal prices above A$175 ($117), with a 40% top tier for prices exceeding A$300. BHP CEO Mike Henry criticized the move as being made without consultation of industry. Prior to this, the top tier of royalty rates was 15% for coal prices above A$150 per ton. The price of coking coal has since normalised. It was last traded at around $190. Prices were above $600 per ton after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The decision came days after the Mining and Energy Union was successful in a Federal Court ruling that rejected BHP's request to delay pay increases under Australia's Same-Job, Same-Pay regulations which were introduced under the Labor Government. This legislation ensures that workers hired by companies to perform the same tasks as employees of the company are paid the exact same amount. The union announced last week that as a result, around 1,800 employees from mining service firms who are contracted to BMA will see their pay increase by A$20,000-A$30,000. This would be in addition to an average coal salary that is A$120,000 per year, according the salary comparison website Payscale. Mitch Hughes, President of MEU Queensland, said that BHP should not use coal workers or communities as pawns to fight the Queensland Government about royalties.
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Syrah Resource, a company in Australia, gets Tesla a reprieve on a graphite deal
The Australian miner Syrah said that on Wednesday it had agreed with Tesla to extend a deadline for addressing an alleged breach in their crucial graphite agreement. This will give the miner valuable time to salvage the deal, which is vital to its U.S. growth. Tesla, led by Elon Musk, issued a default notification in July when Syrah failed to deliver active anode samples that were conformant from its Louisiana facility processing Tesla's EV Batteries. The original deadline of September 16 has been moved to November 15 The company said that while Syrah did not admit it was in breach of the offtake contract, the parties had extended the cure date until 15 November 2025. Both sides were working together to resolve the dispute. The 2021 Tesla contract is worth 8,000 tonnes per year for a period of four years. It supports Syrah Louisiana Vidalia's Louisiana Vidalia plant and its strategy to become America’s first non-Chinese major graphite provider. The facility is the only large-scale, vertically integrated anode material manufacturer outside of China. This will help reduce U.S. dependency on Chinese supplies, which currently dominate the industry. The extension provides temporary relief for Syrah as it battles to establish its position in the strategic batteries materials sector amid intensifying U.S. - China trade tensions. Tesla could terminate the agreement if Syrah fails to qualify its anode materials at Vidalia by February 9, 2026.
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BHP suspends operations and cuts jobs at Australian Coking coal mine
BHP announced on Wednesday that it would suspend operations and eliminate 750 jobs in a Queensland coal mine, which it shares with an affiliate of Mitsubishi. It blamed low prices and high royalties from the state government for its poor returns. BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), Saraji South, a part of the Saraji Mine Complex will enter a care and maintenance period from November 2025. BHP and Mitsubishi Development, an arm of Mitsubishi Corp., jointly own the mine. The Saraji Complex produced 8,2 million metric tonnes of coking coal during the year ending June 2025. BHP, Mitsubishi Development and BMA Asset President Adam Lancey made a statement saying that they did not want operations to be halted or jobs to be lost. However, these decisions were necessary due to the combined impact on the Queensland Government’s unsustainable coal royalty rates and the market conditions. BHP stated that while the medium-term demand for hard coking coal is strong, it was not feasible to continue operations in areas with lower margins of the mine footprint under the current conditions. Queensland will increase royalties to 20% in July 2022 for coal prices above A$175 ($117). 30% for prices above A$225. And 40% for prices exceeding A$300. Prior to July 2022, the top tier of royalty rates was 15% on coal prices above A$150 per ton. The price of coking coal has normalized, trading last at $188.80. Prices for the commodity, which had soared to over $600 per ton after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, have now returned back down. BMA, the largest private employer in central Queensland, paid out more than A$6.4billion to its suppliers in fiscal year 2025.
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Dundee's Ecuador Mine Project protested by tens of thousands near a key water reserve
Residents and local leaders from Ecuador's central Azuay Province took to the streets Tuesday to call for the suspension of an mining project by Canada’s Dundee Precious Metals. They claim that the project will have a negative impact on a crucial water reserve. Dundee had been granted an environmental permit by the government of President Daniel Noboa to begin construction of the Loma Larga Gold Mine there. However, as the community's pressure grew, the country’s energy minister suspended construction in August until Dundee provided an environmental management plan. Provincial authorities rejected the project because it would affect the 3,200-hectare Quimsacocha Reserve and the surrounding paramos, which act as giant sponges to supply drinking water for major cities. The authorities estimated that more than 90,000 people marched through the provincial capital Cuenca, chanting, "Hands Off Quimsacocha!" Water is more valuable than anything! Cuenca mayor Cristian Zamora stated, "We want to the national government revoke the environment license." "The streets are roaring in Cuenca... they will need to listen to us." Dundee refused to comment on protestors' demands. Ecuador has significant gold and cobalt reserves. However, only two mines operate in the country. These are owned by Lundin Gold, a Canadian mining company, and EcuaCorriente by a Chinese mining group. Noboa has withdrawn from the project and said that the responsibility for the next steps lies with local authorities. In a Friday radio interview, he stated that "the municipality and prefecture have to take responsibility" if Dundee took them to arbitration court. There is a high probability that the project won't go forward, but there is also an increased probability of future problems. In Ecuador, the relative lack of mining project is due to strong community opposition and environmental concerns. Residents of Azuay have rejected mining plans at the polls and the courts have ruled to stop mining in the area. (Reporting and writing by Alexandra Valencia, Editing by Richard Chang).
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IAEA says shelling reported near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Tuesday that its team, based at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the southeast Ukraine, heard shelling near the plant and saw black smoke rising out of three locations nearby. IAEA released a statement saying that the team of the U.N. nuclear watchdog had been informed that several artillery shells were fired in an area 400 meters (437 yards), away from its offsite diesel fuel storage facility. The incident, which did not result in any injuries or damage to equipment, once again highlighted the dangers that nuclear security and safety face. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi stated. Officials from Russia and Ukraine have not made any statements about the incident. In the first few weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, Europe's biggest with six reactors. Both sides accuse each other routinely of taking actions that threaten nuclear safety at the facility. Shelling incidents are frequent. Although the reactors of the plant are off, they still need to cool down their nuclear fuel. A governor appointed by Moscow in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Region said last week that a Ukrainian drone was detonated into the air. The staff had reported earlier two attacks on a nearby training centre in the previous week. IAEA monitors are permanently stationed at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as well as at Ukraine's other three nuclear plants. (Reporting and editing by Surbhi Misra, Bengaluru.
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Von der Leyen: EU proposes faster phase-out for Russian energy
The European Commission will make a proposal Accelerating the phase-out Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Union's executive branch, said Tuesday that she was concerned about Russian fossil imports after speaking with U.S. president Barack Obama. Donald Trump Von der Leyen stated that she spoke with Trump about a joint effort to increase economic pressure against Russia by taking additional measures. The U.S., and the European Union, import Russian energy and commodities worth billions of Euros, from liquefied gas to enriched Uranium. Von der Leyen posted a message on the social media platform X saying that "the Commission will present soon its 19th package sanctions, targeting cryptos, banks, and energies." She added, "The Commission will propose accelerating the phase-out Russian fossil imports." The bloc originally intended to stop purchasing Russian oil and gas on January 1, 2028. The U.S. increased pressure on Europe to take a stronger role in ending Russia's conflict in Ukraine. Trump told the EU that it should impose tough tariffs on India, China and other major buyers of Russian oil and cease importing Russian energy. U.S. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent Has said The Trump administration will not impose any additional duties on Chinese products to stop China from buying Russian oil until the EU countries have imposed their own punitive duties against China and India. Reporting by Ananya Palyekar in Bengaluru; Lili Bayer, Julia Payne and Leslie Adler in Brussels. Editing by Leslie Adler, Marguerita Chy and Marguerita Adler.
Exxon lobbyist examined over hack-and-leak of ecologist emails, sources state
The FBI has been examining a longtime Exxon Mobil consultant over the professional's supposed function in a hackandleak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company's greatest critics, according to 3 individuals knowledgeable about the matter.
The operation included mercenary hackers who successfully breached the e-mail accounts of ecological activists and others, the sources told Reuters.
The scheme presumably started in late 2015, when U.S. authorities compete that the names of the hacking targets were assembled by the DCI Group, a public affairs and lobbying company working for Exxon at the time, one of the sources said. DCI supplied the names to an Israeli private detective, who then contracted out the hacking, according to the source.
In an effort to press a story that Exxon was the target of a political vendetta targeted at damaging its company, some of the stolen material was consequently dripped to the media by DCI, Reuters determined. The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered that DCI shared the info with Exxon before dripping it, the source stated.
Some environmental activists talked to state the hacking operation interfered with preparations for claims by cities and state chief law officers versus Exxon and other energy business. Those suits were modeled on lawsuits against the tobacco industry in the mid-1990s, which resulted in a watershed settlement and sweeping limitations on cigarette sales.
The stolen material continues to be used today to counter lawsuits declaring the oil giant misguided the public and its financiers about the dangers of climate modification. As just recently as April, a market trade group that has actually gotten funding from Exxon pointed out one of the hacked files-- an internal memo strategizing the proposed litigation method of the ecologists-- in an effort to get the Supreme Court to quash a claim filed by the city of Honolulu versus Exxon and other energy business. The case is pending.
The group, the National Association of Manufacturers, stated it was not knowledgeable about the claims the material had been hacked and will consider whether to stop utilizing it in future briefs.
Exxon and DCI parted methods around 2020, according to 2 individuals familiar with the matter.
In a statement, Exxon stated it has actually not been involved in or aware of any hacking activities, calling accusations to the contrary conspiracy theories. Reuters could not figure out whether Exxon itself has also been the topic of the FBI examination.
DCI said: We direct all our employees and specialists to comply with the law.
The leaks sent out a shudder through the ecological neighborhood, stated Kert Davies, director of examinations for an ecological group, the Center for Climate Integrity. Davies was amongst those targeted by the hackers. Matt Pawa, a lawyer whose technique drove much of the anti-Exxon lawsuits, stated the leakages fueled a legal counteroffensive that almost knocked him out of organization.
Those files were directly used by Exxon to come after me with all weapons blazing, he stated in a recent interview. It turned my life upside down.
The investigation into the hack-and-leak operation comes amid growing concern among police worldwide about how such cyberespionage schemes threaten to taint judicial proceedings.
The FBI has actually been examining the broader use of mercenary hackers to damage lawsuits considering that early 2018, Reuters has formerly reported. The Israeli private detective worked with by DCI, Amit Forlit, was apprehended this year at London's Heathrow Airport and is battling extradition to the United States on charges of hacking and wire fraud.
U.S. law enforcement authorities declined to comment on their efforts. They have not spoken publicly about the case against Forlit, which remains under seal. But in court hearings previously this year, British lawyers acting upon behalf of the American government declared that Forlit had actually performed hack-for-hire work for a Washington-based PR and lobbying company and that he dealt with behalf of an oil and gas corporation which wished to reject individuals associated with environment modification lawsuits. In those hearings, the energy company and the lobbying company were not recognized.
Federal prosecutors have actually protected a related conviction: that of Forlit's former service associate, private investigator Aviram Azari. Azari pleaded guilty in 2022 to wire fraud, conspiracy to dedicate hacking and exacerbated identity theft, which included targeting the environmental activists. In court files, prosecutors did not assert any link between Azari and Exxon, DCI or Forlit. However one of the sources with understanding of the FBI investigation stated Forlit contracted out the hacking of the ecological activists to Azari.
Forlit's attorneys did not respond to messages from Reuters seeking comment. A legal representative for Azari, Barry Zone, declined to remark.
Resolving his victims after he was sentenced in 2015 to 80 months in prison, Azari said that there will come a day when he could provide more details about what he had actually done. You don't know whatever, he stated. CODENAME FOX HUNT
The hack-and-leak operation began the heels of a series of media reports in 2015 contending that scientists at Exxon knew for years that fossil fuels were warming the Earth as the business's magnates publicly said otherwise. Exxon has actually said that its internal research and public positions on environment change have been misinterpreted.
Under the hashtag ExxonKnew, groups such as Greenpeace required legal action. So did then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who said the Department of Justice need to probe the firm because there's a lot of proof they deceived people. In November 2015, New York's attorney general of the United States, Eric Schneiderman, announced he was examining Exxon. Other matches followed.
With Exxon on the defensive, DCI swung into action to safeguard what was then one of the company's crucial customers. Reuters talked to a lots previous DCI workers to piece together the company's relationship with Exxon.
Founded in 1996 by veterans of Republican politics, DCI has worked for a variety of tobacco, telecom, hedge fund and energy companies. On its site, DCI says it deals with public relations crises, litigation support, and opposition research study.
5 former DCI workers stated Exxon was long one of DCI's. biggest sources of revenue. One ex-employee said the oil giant. regularly steered more than $10 million in service a year to. DCI. Lobbying work alone for Exxon made DCI a minimum of $3. million between 2005 and 2016, according to openly available. information gathered by the transparency site OpenSecrets.
DCI's staff in Washington tracked social networks chatter. around the ExxonKnew project along with relocations made by state. attorneys general, according to 2 people familiar with the. matter. DCI likewise hired the Israeli detective Forlit, who tapped. Azari to hack the accounts, according to one of the sources. familiar with the FBI examination. The operation's code name. was Fox Hunt, the source said.
Azari was the topic of a 2022 Reuters investigation that. exposed how he and other private detectives used mercenary. hackers in India to help wealthy clients acquire the upper hand in. legal cases. The report drew on a large dataset of Indian. hacking activity, which reveals that the spies tried to burglarize. more than 13,000 e-mail addresses over a seven-year period. Among. the targets were more than 500 email addresses coming from. ecologists, their funders, their associates and their. relative, all of whom were targeted in between 2015 and 2018.
Some information of the hacking project formerly have actually been. revealed. In 2020 the Canadian digital guard dog group Citizen. Lab recognized 10 organizations targeted in a sweeping. cyberespionage effort, including Greenpeace, the Union of. Worried Scientists and the Rockefeller Family Fund.
Reuters has actually discovered the identity of other prominent targets,. that include previous Democratic governmental candidate and. billionaire ecologist Tom Steyer, and the ex-wife of. Schneiderman, New york city's then-attorney general.
Steyer's lawyers did not respond to requests for remark. In. an email, Schneiderman's ex-wife and former political adviser,. Jennifer Cunningham, said she had long thought that Exxon was. behind the hack-and-leak effort.
Starting in April 2016, news reports appeared alleging the. ExxonKnew campaign was a politicized effort pressed by wealthy. benefactors. Within 24 hr of one another, two media outlets. published stories based upon an internal Rockefeller Family. Structure memo. The memo stated activists were working to. persuade the public that Exxon is a corrupt organization and. wanted to delegitimize them as a political star.
The individual with knowledge of the police. examination stated the FBI evaluated that the memo was gotten. by means of the Forlit-led hacking operation. Separately, Reuters. figured out that the memo was consequently dripped to the media by. DCI.
Exxon's legal representatives consistently made use of the hacked files to. support the company's lawsuits.
After the New york city attorney general submitted match versus Exxon. in 2018, for example, the energy company's lawyers pointed out the. stolen Rockefeller memo to argue that the case must be tossed. out.
The legal representative representing Exxon, Theodore Wells, told New. York's Supreme Court in his October 2019 opening declaration that. Schneiderman had actually poorly formed a political positioning with. activists for the function of advancing a program directed at. energy business.
New york city lost the case two months later, when a judge ruled. that the chief law officer stopped working to prove that Exxon had. defrauded financiers by concealing the real cost of environment modification. policy.
In an interview, Schneiderman stated the leaked files were. used to terrific result to strengthen what he called Exxon's. baseless claim that we were participated in a politically motivated. ' witch hunt.'
Wells and his law firm, Paul Weiss, did not respond to. messages seeking comment.
The memo or other hacked files were likewise mentioned in court. filings by Exxon against chief law officers in Massachusetts and. the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as in the company's 2018 effort. to depose environment change attorney Pawa and other legal representatives.
Much of the litigation is ongoing. On Tuesday, Maine ended up being. the ninth U.S. state to file a claim implicating oil business or. allied groups of tricking the public about environment modification. Pawa. said the industry has continued to conjure up the hacked files in. its effort to push back. They were used over and over again,. he informed Reuters. The net result, he said, was chilling people. from exercising their humans rights..
(source: Reuters)