Latest News
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BP and Partners Secure Rights for 450MW Offshore Wind Farm in Japan
BP and its consortium partners have been selected to develop a 450 MW offshore wind farm in Japan.Aside from BP, the consortium partners include Tokyo Gas, Marubeni Corporation, Kansai Electric Power, and Marutaka Corporation.The 450 MW project will be developed offshore Yuza Town, in Yamagata Prefecture, through a special purpose company established by the partners under the name of Yamagata Yuza Offshore Wind.The project involves the construction, maintenance and operation of a bottom-fixed offshore wind farm that will feature 30 Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbines, each rated at 15 MW.The scheduled start of operations for the wind farm is June 2030.To remind, Japan selected another consortium, led by JERA, as part of the same call for projects to develop a 615 MW offshore wind farm in the Sea of Japan.JERA-Led Consortium to Develop Japan’s 615MW Offshore Wind Project
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Toyota worldwide production down for 10th month regardless of increasing sales
Toyota Motor's global production decreased for a 10th straight month in November, the Japanese carmaker said on Wednesday, although its around the world sales grew for the 2nd successive month on solid demand in the United States and China. The world's greatest car manufacturer made 869,230 lorries globally in November, down 6.2% from the same month in 2015, a. bigger fall than October's 0.8% dip. Toyota's U.S. output was down 11.8%, making a sluggish healing. although the production of Grand Highlander and Lexus TX SUV. models resumed in late October after a four-month interruption. China production dropped 1.6%, which was nevertheless better than. a 9% decrease in the previous month, as Toyota saw greater local. sales of its Granvia and Sienna minivan models and the electric. sedan bZ3 collectively established with BYD. Amid the rise of BYD and other Chinese brand names, Toyota has. chosen to construct an independent plant in Shanghai and start. manufacturing electric automobiles for its Lexus high-end brand from. around 2027, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Monday. In Japan, which represents about a 3rd of Toyota's. worldwide output, production was down 9.3% in November, due in part. to a two-day production halt at its Fujimatsu and Yoshiwara. plants. Toyota saw its worldwide sales increasing for a 2nd straight. month, by 1.7% to 920,569 lorries, setting a new record for the. month of November. In the January-to-November duration, Toyota's international output. was 5.2% lower than the very same duration last year at around 8.75. million lorries, while worldwide sales were down 1.2%. The production and sales figures include vehicles of. Toyota's Lexus brand name but leave out those of group companies Hino. and Daihatsu.
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SHFE base metals increase on positive domestic financial news
Most base metals on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) edged up on Wednesday, buoyed by positive macroeconomic news from the Chinese federal government. China plans to enhance financial support for intake next year by increasing pensions and medical insurance subsidies for homeowners, and expanding trade-ins for durable goods, according to a finance ministry announcement on Tuesday. On the other hand, Chinese authorities have consented to release 3 trillion yuan ($ 411.04 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, Reuters reported on Tuesday, pointing out two sources. The most-traded January copper agreement on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 0.2% to 74,080 yuan ($ 10,149.61) a heap by 0330 GMT, the close of Asia early morning trade. SHFE aluminium increased 0.2% to 19,880 yuan a lot, nickel rose 0.6% to 125,230 yuan, zinc climbed 1.2% to 25,420 yuan, lead slid 0.2% to 17,385 yuan, and tin edged up 0.6% at 245,550 yuan. The London Metal Exchange (LME) will be closed for Christmas on Wednesday, and for Boxing Day on Thursday. For the leading stories in metals and other news, click or
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KKR, Bain quotes varied from $4.8 bln to $7.6 bln for 7 & i properties, sources state
Personal equity firms including KKR and Bain Capital offered from around 750 billion yen ($ 4.8 billion) to around 1.2 trillion yen ($ 7.6 billion) in a. preliminary of bidding for the noncore possessions of Japan's Seven. & & i Holdings, according to individuals familiar with the. matter. KKR provided around 800 billion yen, individuals said. Rival. U.S. company Bain used around 1.2 trillion yen, one of the. individuals said. Regional buyout company Japan Industrial Partners provided. around 750 billion yen, one of the people said. All three firms succeeded in the first round of bids. for the supermarket assets of the 7-Eleven operator, according. to the people, who declined to be determined due to the fact that the. info hasn't been made public. The size of the quotes hasn't. formerly been reported. A spokesperson for Seven & & i decreased to comment, saying the. bidding procedure wasn't public. KKR, Bain and Japan Industrial. Partners also decreased to comment. 7 & & i is looking to hive off its non-core services,. including its vast supermarket operations, as a different. unit called York Holdings. The retailer's founding family is in different talks to take. 7 & & i personal through a management buyout to fend off a $47. billion takeover from Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard .
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Dalian iron ore rangebound in thin trade, caution on China stimulus
Dalian iron ore futures consolidated in a tight variety on Wednesday, as emerging hopes of more stimulus from leading customer China reinforced belief while thin trade because of the Christmas vacation in lots of areas curbed gains. The most-traded May iron ore contract on China's Dalian Product Exchange (DCE) traded 0.13% lower at 775 yuan ($ 106.18) a metric load, as of 0247 GMT. It hit an intra-day high at 782 yuan a load earlier in the session. The Singapore Exchange was closed for Christmas. Cautious stance versus demand outlook and high portside stocks functioned as headwinds, restricting upside prospective, analysts at Xinhu Futures stated in a note. But the continuous winter equipping from steel mills and expectations that the falling rate of hot metal output will slow down likewise provided some support, so ore costs are likely to be rangebound. Hot metal output is typically utilized to gauge iron ore need. Other steelmaking components on the DCE were blended, with coking coal up 1.05% and coke down 0.23%. Many steel criteria on the Shanghai Futures Exchange posted gains. Rebar ticked up 0.27%, hot-rolled coil nudged up 0.09%, wire rod added 0.94% while stainless steel shed 0.42%. In general, there is very little contradiction in supply and demand fundamentals in the steel market, analysts at Galaxy Futures said in a note. Steel items continued to destock in part because the construction steel consumption has revealed unusual durability in a slow demand season thanks to more capital streaming into building projects.
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SHFE base metals increase on positive domestic financial news
Most base metals on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) edged up on Wednesday, buoyed by positive macroeconomic news from the Chinese federal government. China plans to increase financial support for usage next year by increasing pensions and medical insurance coverage aids for residents, and expanding trade-ins for consumer goods, according to a financing ministry statement on Tuesday. On the other hand, Chinese authorities have actually agreed to issue 3 trillion yuan ($ 411.04 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, Reuters reported on Tuesday, pointing out two sources. The most-traded January copper agreement on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 0.2% to 74,100 yuan ($ 10,154.44) a ton by 0134 GMT. SHFE aluminium increased 0.2% to 19,890 yuan a heap, nickel increased 0.7% to 125,390 yuan, zinc climbed up 1.1% to 25,380 yuan, lead moved 0.3% to 17,365 yuan, and tin edged up 1.0% at 245,410 yuan. The London Metal Exchange (LME) will be closed for Christmas on Wednesday, and for Boxing Day on Thursday. For the leading stories in metals and other news, click or
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China, Japan foreign ministers satisfy in Beijing, seafood trade on agenda
Talks on seafood trade are anticipated to be on the agenda on Wednesday when Japan's. foreign minister gos to China, Japan's largest export market for. aquatic items until Beijing positioned a blanket ban in protest. against Tokyo releasing dealt with radioactive wastewater into the. ocean. It would be Takeshi Iwaya's very first check out to the Chinese. capital considering that he ended up being Japan's foreign minister in October and. he is set up to hold talks with China's Foreign Minister Wang. Yi and meet other Chinese authorities. A major sticking point in bilateral trade has been Japan's. Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater discharge. Beijing had. strongly opposed and condemned Tokyo's decision on that and. tightened assessments on Japanese items in reaction. China imposed a full ban in August in 2015 after Japan. started releasing the dealt with radioactive water but both. federal governments reached an arrangement in September that would set a. course toward rebooting seafood shipments from Japan to China. Nikkei reported today that China was contemplating. raising the import ban on Japanese seafood. But China still wants peace of minds from Tokyo that it would. satisfy its commitment to establishing a long-term worldwide. monitoring arrangement and allowing stakeholders such as China. to carry out independent sampling and monitoring of the dealt with. water. With enough tracking, China will adjust appropriate. measures and slowly restore imports that fulfill standards and. guidelines, a foreign ministry representative stated on Tuesday. The one-day visit follows an arrangement in between leaders of. both nations that they will work towards a mutually useful. tactical relationship, reinforcing interaction at numerous. levels. Relations in between the neighbouring countries are in a. vital duration of improvement and advancement, Chinese. President Xi Jinping stated last month when he met Japanese Prime. Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific. Economic Cooperation online forum in Lima, Peru. Xi stated both ought to be partners, not threats. Trade partners with close economic and financial investment ties however. competitors in security and territorial claims, China-Japan ties are. complicated with enduring geopolitical arguments and. historic wartime sensitivities. The first Japanese foreign minister to visit given that April. in 2015, Iwaya may raise his nation's concerns about Chinese. military activities around Japan in addition to regional concerns. consisting of North Korea. Japan revealed serious issue last month over North. Korea's security alliance with Russia in which North Korea. stands to gain advanced military innovation and battle. experience. Ukrainian and allied evaluations reveal Pyongyang has sent out. around 12,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukraine. cautioned today that North Korea might send more personnel and. equipment for Moscow's army. On less testy subjects, China might prod Japan for reciprocity. in visa policies. China last month expanded its visa-free plans to. consist of Japan until completion of 2025, restoring a policy that was. suspended throughout the pandemic. The nation, which has been including nations to its. visa-free list, likewise extended the stay duration from 15 days to. 30. Japanese residents had the ability to get in China without a visa. for up to 14 days before COVID-19. Japan has actually not selected a mutual move but China has. stated it hopes Japan would work towards enhancing people. exchanges between the two countries.
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Ecuador AG to look for charges against 16 members of military over missing out on youths
Ecuador's attorney general's. office will seek charges versus 16 military workers over. their suspected participation in the required disappearance of four. minors, it stated in a message on Tuesday. The four minors, aged between 11 and 15 years old,. disappeared in the Pacific coast city of Guayaquil on Dec. 8,. sparking outrage throughout Ecuador. Their disappearance comes in the middle of a government crackdown on. crime, with President Daniel Noboa designating some 22 wrongdoer. gangs as terrorist organizations and stating a series of. states of emergency situation, allowing members of the military to patrol. streets and help police efforts. Ecuador's attorney general of the United States through its customized unit. for examining the illegitimate usage of force, demands a date. and time to submit charges against 16 soldiers for their declared. involvement in the forced disappearance of 4 minors in. Guayaquil, the workplace said in a post on X. The Defense Ministry stated in a different post on X that. the 16 soldiers come from the Andean country's flying force, and. stated they have been apprehended and are under military stewardship. We're on the side of justice, whether it was a. civilian, a priest, a law enforcement officer, a military officer. included; at the end of the day people need responses, Noboa stated. in an interview with local radio on Monday. In May, the attorney general's office stated it was examining 8 extrajudicial killings allegedly performed by security forces in the middle of the. government's efforts to take apart criminal gangs. Formerly, the defense minister had said the 4 minors,. all young boys, were detained by a military patrol over an alleged. break-in and taken to a base in Taura before later being. released. The four boys left home to play soccer on the day they. disappeared, their families have actually informed regional media.
Asia spot costs hit near three-year lows as weak need weighs
Asian spot melted natural gas (LNG) fell to a fresh low today, easing to its least expensive levels in nearly three years, as weak need in Asia and Europe weighed on costs.
The average LNG price for April shipment into north-east Asia << LNG-AS > fell $0.50 this week to $8.30 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), its weakest levels because mid-April 2021.
Asian and European rates has been decreasing in tandem on the back of basic weakness and the lack of a relative flooring in both basins, said Toby Copson, head of energy, APAC, at products broker Marex.
There could be a brief reprieve as some players cover at attractive spot levels, however this might not sustain and further dips to historical normalcy could prevail.
Asian area LNG prices have lost nearly 30% of their worth given that the start of the year amid warm need and healthy inventories in both east Asia and Europe.
The fall in costs had actually incentivised LNG importers from markets like China and India to increase spot purchases. Thailand energy company Gulf Energy Development Pcl likewise said in its incomes statement last week it is expecting its very first LNG delivery at the end of February.
The freight, which is the very first LNG import by a private company in Thailand, will be for power production at the Hin Kong Power job, added Gulf Energy.
Copson from Marex said that Chinese tier two importers, or non-state backed companies, might see this as an opportune time to book cargoes, however the agreement is that there is more downward threat to come in the absence of any real demand.
In Europe, S&P Global Commodity Insights assessed its day-to-day North West Europe LNG Marker (NWM) rate criteria for cargoes delivered in April on an ex-ship (DES) basis at $6.655/ mmBtu on Feb. 22, a 34-month low in the middle of general bearishness in the gas and LNG complex, and a $0.50/ mmBtu discount rate to the April gas rate at the Dutch TTF hub.
Argus evaluated the cost at $6.850/ mmBtu, while Glow Commodities examined it at $6.858/ mmBtu.
At the moment we have pretty moderate weather scenarios in Europe. As an outcome, gas demand is reasonably low. This, in combination with the fact that Europe gas stocks are above average for the time of the year, continues to weigh on natural gas prices, stated Hans Van Cleef, chief energy economist at PZ - Energy.
LNG inflows remain strong, and as a result, the inventories are declining just gradually. This provides a very good starting position ahead of the filling season, which will begin early April.
Area LNG freight rates in the Atlantic fell to their most affordable levels in eight months, while Pacific rates were almost unchanged, said Henry Bennett, head of rates at Glow Commodities.
Atlantic rates this week were approximated at $49,750/ day on Friday, while Pacific rates were at $58,250/ day.
(source: Reuters)