Fairplay Towage bags German LNG terminal gig

Energy News Beat

State-owned LNG terminal operator Deutsche Energy Terminal has awarded a contract to compatriot tugboat owner Fairplay Towage.

Under the contract, Fairplay will be in charge to provide all assisting tugs for the DET-operated FSRU-based LNG import terminals located in Brunsbüttel, Stade, and Wilhelmshaven.

Fairplay said the contract started effective January 1, 2024 and would run for “several years” with extension options.

In November last year, DET issued a public tender for the provision of tug services, and the award of the contract follows a “quite exhausting” tender process and negotiations on terms and conditions, Fairplay said.

Fairplay did not provide the price tag of the contract

Besides this deal, DET recently awarded a contract to Lithuanian LNG terminal operator KN for the commercial management of its four terminals.

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action established Düsseldorf-based DET in January 2023 to manage FSRU-based LNG import terminals.

DET currently operates Germany’s first LNG terminals on the North Sea coast, the Wilhelmshaven 1 LNG terminal, developed by Uniper, and the Brunsbüttel LNG terminal, developed by RWE.

Additionally, DET will operate two upcoming terminals: the second LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven and the LNG terminal in Stade.

The German government, helped by Uniper, RWE, and TES chartered in total five FSRUs from Hoegh LNG, Dynagas, and Excelerate Energy.

Uniper and RWE already installed Hoegh LNG’s FSRUs Hoegh Esperanza and Hoegh Gannet in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel.

Also, the government sub-chartered the FSRU Transgas Power, owned by Dynagas, to private firm Deutsche Regas. This FSRU will serve the planned LNG import terminal in the port of Mukran.

DET previously told LNG Prime it is planning to commission both its FSRU-based facilities in Stade and the second terminal in Wilhelmshaven in the first quarter of 2024.

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India’s LNG imports rise

Energy News Beat

India’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports rose in December compared to the same month in 2022, according to the preliminary data from the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell.

The country imported about 2.39 billion cubic meters, or about 1.8 million tonnes of LNG, in December, a rise of 12.1 percent compared to the same month in 2022, PPAC said.

During April-December, India took 23.93 bcm of LNG, or some 17.4 million tonnes, up by 14.2 percent, PPAC said.

India paid $1.1 billion for December LNG imports, the same amount as in the year before, and $9.9 billion in April-December, down from $13.7 billion in the year before, it said.

As per India’s natural gas production, it reached 3.13 bcm in December, up by 6.1 percent compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.

During April-December, gas production rose by 5.2 percent to about 27.2 bcm, PPAC said.

At the moment, India imports LNG via seven facilities with a combined capacity of about 47.7 million tonnes.

India’s Adani and France’s TotalEnergies started supplying natural gas in April 2023 to the grid from their 5 mtpa Dhamra LNG import facility located in Odisha, on India’s east coast.

During April-November, Petronet LNG’s 17.5 mtpa Dahej terminal operated at 94.4 percent capacity, while Shell’s 5 mtpa Hazira terminal operated at 34.6 percent capacity, PPAC said.

The Dhamra LNG terminal operated at 25.4 percent capacity, it said.

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China’s LNG imports increased 12.6 percent in 2023

Energy News Beat

China’s liquefied natural gas imports rose 12.6 percent in 2023, and the country overtook Japan as the world’s largest LNG importer.

Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that China received about 71.32 million tonnes in the January-December period.

This is a rise compared to about 63.44 million tonnes of LNG in 2022 when imports dropped due to very high spot LNG prices and Covid lockdowns.

China’s 2023 LNG imports dropped compared to record 78.93 million tonnes in 2021.

Last month, China received about 8.40 million tonnes, a rise of 28.4 percent compared to December 2022.

This is the highest monthly figure for Chinese LNG imports last year, the data shows.

Prior to that, LNG imports in November were the highest last year reaching 6.80 million tonnes, a rise of 6.6 percent on the year.

Including pipeline gas, China’s gas imports rose by 9.9 percent to about 119.97 million tonnes in 2023.

The country’s pipeline gas imports rose by 6.2 percent in January-December to 48.65 million tonnes, the data shows.

Japan was the world’s top LNG importer in 2022, overtaking China, but both of the countries took fewer volumes when compared to the year before.

China has overtaken Japan this year. However, official data for Japan’s December LNG imports is not available yet.

During the January-November period, Japan imported some 59.85 million tonnes, down by about 3.14 million tonnes compared to China’s volumes.

Including China’s December volumes, the difference is about 11.54 million tonnes.

According to reports, Japan imported between 6-7 million tonnes of LNG in December.

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Daily Energy Standup Episode #289 – Biden’s Export Dilemma, Indonesia’s Renewable Struggles, and the Call for IEA Reform

Energy News Beat

Daily Standup Top Stories

Biden Weighs Banning Natural Gas Exports to Save the Climate

Climate Test for Natural Gas Exports Politco notes Biden’s Aides Weigh Climate Test for Natural Gas Exports. The Biden administration is launching a review that could tap the brakes on the booming U.S. natural gas export […]

Indonesia to abandon 23% renewable energy target by 2025

JAKARTA – Indonesia is planning to slash the targeted share of renewables in the national energy mix, a move seen by experts as a step back in the country’s ambition toward clean energy, while signaling its light-hearted […]

Progressive Lawmakers Line Up Behind Costly Fix For Error They Made In Renewable Energy Plan

When Congress voted to spend hundreds of billions to switch electricity production to solar and wind, it forgot something: transmission lines. New ones will be needed going to the locations of the new power sources, […]

Market to be short oil from 2025 onwards, Occidental CEO at Davos

“In the near term, the markets are not balanced; supply, demand is not balanced,” Hollub said, adding that: “2025 and beyond is when the world is going to be short of oil”. Hollub said that […]

Energy Information Has Never Mattered More—So It’s Time to Reform the IEA and the EIA

The International Energy Agency (IEA) turns 50 this year. Doubtless there will be champagne-infused celebrations at its Paris headquarters. But on this side of the Atlantic, it’s past time for the United States, the biggest […]

Highlights of the Podcast

00:00 – Intro
01:26 – Biden Weighs Banning Natural Gas Exports to Save the Climate
03:26 – Indonesia to abandon 23% renewable energy target by 2025
05:26 – Progressive Lawmakers Line Up Behind Costly Fix For Error They Made In Renewable Energy Plan
07:46 – Market to be short oil from 2025 onwards, Occidental CEO at Davos
10:18 – Energy Information Has Never Mattered More—So It’s Time to Reform the IEA and the EIA
14:26 – Markets Update
16:03 – Outro

 

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Video Transcription edited for grammar. We disavow any errors unless they make us look better or smarter.

Michael Tanner: [00:00:14] What’s going on? Everybody, welcome in to the Thursday, January 18th, 2024 edition of the Daily Energy News Beat standup. Here are our top headlines. First up, Biden weighs banning natural gas exports to save China. I’m not kidding you. That’s the headline. Next up Indonesia to abandon 23% renewable energy target by 2025. Next up progressive lawmakers line up behind costly fix for error they made in the renewable energy plan. Again not kidding you. Next up market to be short oil from 2025 onwards. According to Occidental CEO at Davos. And finally energy information has never mattered more. So it’s time to perform the IEA and the EIA. We will then hop over and quickly cover what’s going on in the finance department. Um, specifically what happens with oil and gas prices. We did see the API, uh, projecting crude oil inventory numbers, which you will get, uh, along with natural gas storage numbers as you listen to this on Thursday. And then we will let you guys get out of here again for Stuart Turley, I’m Michael Tanner. We are looking forward to kicking this off. Stu, where do you want to begin? [00:01:25][70.7]

Stuart Turley: [00:01:25] Oh my goodness. Let’s start with our good buddy Biden. He weighs in banning natural gas exports to save the climate. Holy cow. Batman, this is out of politico. The Biden administration is launching a review that could tap the brakes on booming U.S. natural gas exports. We’re the largest exporter of natural gas in the world. We’re really hoping that the Doe will pause any new permits for industry, because we know that the Biden administration really needs a climate win in order for them to win the public, win the election. This is criminal. If these politicians want to be elected or reelected in this upcoming presidential election, they’re going to have to make some bold choices and some bold moves. In the words of Scooby Doo Retro. Second order of effects are going to go horribly on this one. [00:02:30][64.9]

Michael Tanner: [00:02:31] Yeah. I mean, I think here’s the problem. The problem is, natural gas is probably the only thing that can save us from climate change with, with, while also not absolutely destroying the communities when it comes to how much energy we have available. So it’s absolutely insane that they want to do this. You know, we’re about to cover why the EIA and the IEA need reform. The Department of Energy need some reform. [00:02:58][27.0]

Stuart Turley: [00:02:59] Oh, absolutely. And and also when you they’re they’re looking at $34 trillion in debt. But when you talk about the export, the math for exports, you got to have exports when you’re in debt, $110.5 billion in exports this year. Geez. All right. Anyway, uh, this has got so much in it. We could go for another hour, but let’s go ahead and go to Indonesia. Indonesia is really having to under have some problems. Indonesia to abandon 23% renewable energy targets by 2025. They can’t afford it. Yeah. Flat out. They just can’t afford it. Indonesia. This is a, uh, quote from, uh, Arlen Tassler. Uh, he’s the mineral resources, uh, minister. We have to be realistic, our friend said when asked about the plan to lower the renewable energy. We will adhere to the commitment we made, but we have to work toward it with what we have. You gotta. You gotta stay within your limits. I mean, and I applaud them. It’s not that it’s dead. Ding dong. The wicked commitment is dead. This is, you know. Hey, we gotta we have to go ahead and do this gradually. This is like the UK Prime Minister that says, hey, we’re going to delay it. And everybody absolutely went nuts. In contrast, he saw his coal come, uh, production reach an all time high at 775 million tons. More than 66% of it was exported to other folks. You know, King Coal is going to be around. We just gotta have the technology and the money spinning the, you know, clean coal, natural gas, nuclear until the wind and solar technology can be sustainable. [00:04:53][113.8]

Michael Tanner: [00:04:54] Yeah. And we also figure out what’s going on with the grid. I mean, it’s no surprise Indonesia is switching back and trying to combat their rising energy usage by using less renewables, because that’s harder to do. So, I mean, this is this only is shocking if you don’t listen to the show. So I’m sure everybody who listened. The show is well aware, um, that this is coming down. Um, and we’ll start probably seeing this around the globe. [00:05:19][24.8]

Stuart Turley: [00:05:19] Exactly. It’s just it’s starting. It’s one of the things is a pattern, Michael. It next one here. Progressive lawmakers line up behind costly fix for error they made in renewable energy plan. Michael Holy smokes Batman, what an error. Grab your wallet. Here are the details. Um, okay. No cap was placed on the tax credits in 2022. They passed the IRA, the Inflation Reduction Act, and as Dan Bongino calls it, the killers Bill. With a cost of an estimated $1.2 trillion, far exceeding the, uh, original claims. The biggest elements of the law are expected now to be $263 billion. So in those tax that didn’t have caps on it, 30% of the price of the project was given to them by the government in subsidies. That is what this is all about. [00:06:30][70.4]

Michael Tanner: [00:06:30] It’s almost like they wanted to do this in the first place. [00:06:34][3.5]

Stuart Turley: [00:06:35] Uh, and it is, uh, listen to this. Uh, Casten, also an avid, uh, IRA supporter, now admits to the gravity of the problem, saying that 80% of the clean energy progress we’ve made with the Inflation Reduction Act will be lost unless we reform transmission, transmission and permitting. So we have gone into bankruptcy as a country to put the IRA into, uh, motion inflation as at a effective rate, I’m going to say 17% because of food and everything else. And then you take a look at this. It’s worthless. It is absolutely worthless. And the only way that we’re going to get out of here is out of inflation and lower our debt is lower energy prices. How do you do that? You use natural gas. You use nuclear. You do the regulatory issues. This was a telling, total telling. [00:07:38][62.8]

Michael Tanner: [00:07:39] And all I gotta say is, what’s a few trillion between friends? [00:07:41][2.7]

Stuart Turley: [00:07:42] Oh, we’re going to have that t shirt. Maybe we are having that deal. What’s next? Let’s go to market to be short of oil from 2025 on onwards, says Occidental CEO at Davos. Hey, I was surprised to see her there. Um, I said hi to her in the hall, but she, uh, kind of was a little busy. I I’m surprised I’m not surprised by her comments. Um, and I’m not surprised that she’s there, quite honestly, is because Occidental has done a great job. You’ve in order to survive in this carbon nutty world, they’ve gone down the carbon route and are getting the carbon subsidies and everything else. Um, Hollub said that the near term, the markets are not balanced, supply demand is not balanced, adding that 2025 and beyond is when the world is going to be short of oil. So this is what she is saying is indirect, contrary to what the EIA or saying in the IEA, both of those are, you know, like missing zoom cookies upstairs. I think this is another quote from her. I think the industry is going is looking at a scenario where we will be able to do all the right things we need to do as part of the transition. She’s got a level head on her shoulders. Even though she’s at Davos. I hope she takes a bath on the way out. [00:09:05][83.0]

Michael Tanner: [00:09:05] She really does. I mean, we did the the Oxy Crown ROC deal we did on the deal spotlight. Little expensive little expensive. But if prices are going to rise significantly maybe the deal doesn’t look that bad to begin with. Um, but yeah, it’s surprising to see her at Davos, but also not oxy. Uh uh uh, if you had to say a progressive oil and gas company, they’d qualify as one from the standpoint of they dabble in ESG. They dabble in, you know, the carbon capture space. They’ve got their stuffs in there. They’re more you know, it doesn’t surprise me that oxy there I did see on CNBC this morning. Uh Michael Wirth Chevron is well represented there. So they’re all there man. [00:09:42][37.0]

Stuart Turley: [00:09:43] Hey I gotta give a shout out to Jamie Diamond. Uh, this morning he had a, uh, also an interesting comment. He said, why can’t we all just get along and say, uh, quit having, uh, the Democrats start, you know, yelling at the the mag is because the mag has actually had some good ideas. And so he just says, hey, why don’t we all have discussions? I liked what he had to say. I don’t always like what he has to say, but I want to give a shout out to folks when they do say something, and I. I don’t agree with everything, Maggie, but I don’t. Agree with me and yelled at either Joe. All right. Let’s go to the next one. This one’s kind of funny, Michael. Energy information has never mattered more. So it’s time to reform the IEA in the IEA. This one’s a little bit wild on the story because they have said, Michael, trust us, we need to be trusted is the the the whole Davos thing. And I’m like what you think I wouldn’t trust you with my dog. Uh, and so I’m sitting here thinking then they come back and say we’re going to take on news and media outlets and, and we’re going to have the disinformation come in. So anybody that doesn’t own their own channels will not be able to get out their own story. And guess who they kept mentioning? Elon and Twitter. They hated that they he’s evil. He is like Holy smokes. Okay, so let’s go in here. Uh, why is reform needed? Start with. In fact, the creation of the IEA was triggered by energy shock, which caused the global recession in 1974 because of the oil embargo. Oil prices shot up 400%. Uh, and then. Unbelievable. I’m going to go ahead. And this is all leading up. So you have the weaponization of the media and the controls are trying to put in place. They’re trying to control your carbon. We notice that we had the other story in this red carbon, uh, with Occidental and that she’s very big into the carbon. We have this one. I’m going to play this video here. And it is amazing. Michael, let’s go ahead and Miss Producer, can you play the video. [00:11:57][134.2]

Video: [00:11:58] We’re developing through technology and ability for consumers to measure their own carbon footprint. What does that mean? That’s. Where are they traveling? How are they traveling? What are they eating? What are they consuming on the platform? So, individual carbon footprint tracker Hmhm. Stay tuned. We don’t have it operational yet, but this is something that we’re working on. [00:12:22][24.2]

Michael Tanner: [00:12:25] Holy smokes. [00:12:26][1.0]

Stuart Turley: [00:12:27] Holy smokes. Batman. [00:12:28][0.9]

Michael Tanner: [00:12:29] Are you downloading that app? [00:12:30][1.0]

Stuart Turley: [00:12:30] Oh absolutely not. That means that not only are they going to censor everything. They’re going to track whether or not you eat a bug today. Did you eat your bug, Billy? Holy smokes! Again. And I know I keep saying that, but, Billy, you didn’t meet your buddies. Now you know. And so you can’t go out and, like, dodge bullets in the yard. This is ridiculous. [00:12:54][23.5]

Michael Tanner: [00:12:55] Ridiculous? I’m with you. It’s absolutely ridiculous. This guy just says it nose nonchalantly. Yeah, you’re a carbon tracker will tell you. You know, I tell you when we, you know, tell you when you step outside how much carbon you’re it’s is unbelievable. [00:13:06][11.8]

Stuart Turley: [00:13:07] And one last thing. Did you see the guy? He is one of the funniest comedians I’ve ever seen. He stood up and he has a backdrop. He stands up and says, uh, in the video, I would I’m going to put it in the show notes. He stands up and goes, I’d like to thank everybody at Davos. And it looks right over at our Schwab and, uh, Ursula and says he drops that F-bomb right on. [00:13:29][21.2]

Michael Tanner: [00:13:29] I was an edited stooge just not to burst your bubble. That was completely edited. [00:13:32][3.3]

Stuart Turley: [00:13:33] Oh, I know what I know. It was me. Oh, no, he is a comedian. I mean, he also does the same thing at The View and he just drops right on it. And he is a heck of a comedian. I love me so. Anyway, I thought it was funny. [00:13:46][13.3]

Michael Tanner: [00:13:47] And absolutely is hilarious. [00:13:48][0.8]

Stuart Turley: [00:13:49] All right, after you dude. [00:13:50][1.1]

Michael Tanner: [00:13:50] All right. We’ll we’ll shift to finance here guys. But before we do, that will quickly pay the bills here. As always, this podcast, uh, the news and analysis you just heard and are about to hear is brought to you by the world’s greatest website, Energy News Beat.com the best place for all your, uh, energy and oil and gas news. Stu and the team do a tremendous job of keeping that website up to speed with everything you need to know to be at the tip of the spear when it comes to the energy business here, we’ve got a lot of great stuff. Hit the description below. You can check out all the timestamps, emailed the show [email protected], dashboard.Energynewsbeat.com. [00:14:23][32.6]

Michael Tanner: [00:14:26] I mean when I look at the the markets today do we saw S&P 500 down about 5/10 of a percentage point. Same with Nasdaq down about a half a percentage point. Bitcoin fairly flat down to 42,677. Crude oil is actually fairly flat on the day. But after uh touching below $71 to see us now sitting as we record this about 550 here on the 17th at 7282, it feels like there’s some later strength in the markets throughout the night. We did see it about, um, noon today on the 17th. Price is all the way again, a little bit below 71 in that upper 70. So um, continue to find support there, you know, despite a lot of this cold weather. Again, part of the reason why, as we move to natural gas, we’re now down at 288 is not necessarily because of the freeze that we just had, but because of what is looking going to be a end of January is going to be a little bit warmer than I think a lot of people expected. So that’s part of what’s floating in here. All pretty quiet on the Western Front when it comes to oil and gas news, we did see the IRP, um, weekly crude inventory estimates. You will hear both that and natural gas storage drop tomorrow. Um, they forecast about a 500,000 barrel, uh, build in the petroleum reserve. So I didn’t have much movement on the markets that came out about 230, um, yesterday. So good to know there, stew, but pretty much all quiet. You know, there’s a lot of potential M&A that could be going on. Everyone’s kind of wrapped up in Davos right now. Um, so you know, we’re uh, we’re looking forward to but this is our uh, our last hope for the week. [00:15:51][85.3]

Stuart Turley: [00:15:52] Oh yeah. It but I’ll tell you what. We got us some uh let’s see. We got some really cool folks to drop here real quick. [00:15:58][6.3]

Michael Tanner: [00:15:58] Yeah. What’s on the podcast? I was going to say Friday. You hear the podcast, Saturday, you’ll hear the weekly roundup. What do we got? [00:16:03][5.0]

Stuart Turley: [00:16:04] Let me see what they got on production. And I’ll tell you here in just sick. We got us some great people coming around the corner in here. And then, uh, get a drum roll. And it is, uh, Barbara Denton. Okay. We have, uh, Shane Stall. He’s with West Comm. This was a van tastic, uh, discussion. I, I love him. He is absolutely great. We have Ron Miller from, uh, the, um, he’s, uh, he’s got a big event at the School of Mines. Absolutely a great guy. They’re working on John Cash with uranium. Yes. I got another nuclear guy that I’m getting ready to interview. And we’re working next week on Michael Yon and the grid and political problems at the border. So the grid is under attack, baby. Live from the border. Uh, from the border. Hey, who would have guessed? Anyway, we got a lot of great stuff going on. [00:17:00][56.8]

Michael Tanner: [00:17:01] We do have a lot, guys. You who? The weekly recap on Saturday will be back. In your, um, ears on Monday morning, recapping everything and getting you prepped for the week, guys. But with that, will let you out of here. Get back to work. Appreciate you checking this out for Stuart Turley. I’m Michael tanner. [00:17:01][0.0]

[983.0]

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US Lawmaker Expects Donald Trump to Become ‘a Lot More’ Crypto Friendly in Second Term as President

Energy News Beat

U.S. Representative Tom Emmer expects former U.S. President Donald Trump to become “a lot more” friendly toward cryptocurrency if he returns to the White House. Trump has launched three non-fungible token (NFT) collections since leaving office. Meanwhile, some analysts predict that bitcoin’s price could reach record highs if Trump wins the presidential election this year.

Donald Trump Expected to Become Much More Crypto-Friendly

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) believes that former U.S. President Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House could usher in a regulatory landscape more favorable to the crypto industry. Emmer, who endorsed Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, is a vocal crypto supporter. The congressman was quoted as saying:

If the second Trump administration takes place, [the] president will be a lot more friendly to the crypto industry.

Trump was no fan of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies while he was president. “I am not a fan of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated crypto assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity,” he wrote on Twitter (now X platform) in July 2019.

However, since leaving office, the former U.S. president has launched three non-fungible token (NFT) collections. The most recent one was the Mugshot Edition unveiled in December last year. His first NFT collection was a digital card collection featuring art of his life and career. His second NFT digital card collection was launched in April, which was 19 days after he was indicted with 34 felony counts of allegedly falsifying business records. According to an on-chain analysis, Trump recently sold ETH worth millions he acquired from the NFT sales.

Brian Brooks, a former chief legal officer at crypto exchange Coinbase who served as Acting Comptroller of the Currency from May 2000 to January 2021, commented:

The people that [Trump] would put in regulatory roles are much more likely to at least be crypto-open, if not overtly crypto-friendly, than this administration.

Trump recently warned of a stock market crash and another Great Depression if he doesn’t win the presidential election this year.

Asset management firm Vaneck’s analysts predict that the price of bitcoin will hit record highs if Trump wins the presidential election this year. “We think the bitcoin price will reach an all-time high on November 9th,” the firm wrote in its 15 crypto predictions for 2024. Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official John Reed Stark noted in September last year: “Crypto-voters might be one-issue voters and are a powerful and passionate constituency, so perhaps former President Trump will change his crypto-tune dramatically.”

Source: News.bitcoin.com

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Texas set three records for power demand and supply during winter storm

Energy News Beat

The Texas grid and energy companies set three all-time records for demand and supply to meet energy needs during subfreezing temperatures that began early Monday, expecting to last through Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott said.

“Texas set 3 all-time records for power demand & supply this winter storm,” Abbott said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The ERCOT power grid performed flawlessly, never failing. No Texan lost power b/c of the grid. This is b/c of reforms that added more power generation, winterized the grid & gave more tools to ERCOT.”

The Texas grid not only handled increased demand during winter conditions this week but also during last year’s polar vortex.

ERCOT reported normal operations Tuesday, noting that it had sufficient reserves to serve peak demand. Peak demand is expected at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. ERCOT says available capacity is expected to be 80,930 MW to serve a demand forecast of 73,407 MW. ERCOT is forecasting a peak demand of 81,387 MW Wednesday morning.

According to the National Weather Service, although precipitation had ended Tuesday with some areas receiving snow and ice, a localized hazardous travel potential continues through Wednesday morning mainly across East Texas. Temperatures statewide were between 20 and 30 degrees below normal; sub-freezing temperatures are expected to continue into Wednesday morning in the northern half of the state, it said.

Temperatures are expected to increase to above freezing on Wednesday afternoon into Thursday. Some regions of Texas will still have cold weather on Friday and into the weekend with no wintery precipitation expected, according to the NWS.

Texas breaking energy records to meet demand comes after the legislature implemented reforms to address deficiencies that occurred during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021. Ice and wind conditions from a 100-year storm caused statewide power outages that lasted weeks in some areas; millions of Texans were without electricity, heat and water. Some died.

As was the case last year, Texas’ natural gas production, processing, transmission, and storage sectors met demand, the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) said in a weather update on Tuesday. So far, “there has been minimal impact to the overall natural gas production and distribution system. Transmission and distribution systems are experiencing stable pressures and receiving needed products.”

Despite cold temperature, “overall conditions have been stable” in the field. “Production and operations are all within the anticipated ranges. A few isolated impacts to operators across the natural gas supply chain such as power outages, third-party take away issues, and some road issues in East Texas have occurred,” TXOGA noted. The conditions were minor and resolved.

“Transportation pressure is reported as stable, and storage and supply are readily available to meet requirements. Conditions are expected to continue to improve in the field and there has been no systemic loss of power to operations,” TXOGA said.

It also explained how operators had implemented winterization practices in the field:

“Oil and natural gas operators begin preparing for cold weather months in advance and have extensive resources in place to monitor and prepare for inclement weather on an ongoing basis and utilize best practices and operational plans in order to maximize product flow,” the association said. “Texas is more fortunate than most states due to our vast natural gas storage infrastructure funded by the private sector. During significant weather events and expected production fluctuations, daily production combined with natural gas storage provides ample access to product for power generation and local distribution companies that have contracted for these services.”

Source: Justthenews.com

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Norway awards 62 offshore exploration licenses to maintain European natural gas production

Energy News Beat

(Bloomberg) – Norway awarded 62 licenses for exploration acreage in the seas off its coast as Europe’s biggest supplier of natural gas strives to maintain production.

Licenses were offered to 24 different companies, with 16 firms presented with operatorships for the permits, the Energy Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. 29 permits are located in the North Sea, 25 in the Norwegian Sea, and 8 in the Barents.

The awards in predefined areas, or APA, is an annual licensing round for the best-known exploration areas on the Norwegian shelf and comprises the majority of the available geographies. Norway is now Europe’s biggest supplier of natural gas, replacing Russian flows cut in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.

“To see such great interest in further exploration activity is very encouraging,” Energy Minister Terje Aasland said in the statement. “This is important for both employment and value creation, as well as for facilitating Norway’s role as a stable energy supplier to Europe.”

Equinor ASA was awarded 39 licenses, while Aker BP ASA received 27 and Var Energi ASA 16. Wintershall Dea was awarded 13 licenses and Poland’s PGNiG Upstream Norway AS 10.

Source: Worldoil.com

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Biden Weighs Banning Natural Gas Exports to Save the Climate

Energy News Beat

Climate Test for Natural Gas Exports

Politco notes Biden’s Aides Weigh Climate Test for Natural Gas Exports.

The Biden administration is launching a review that could tap the brakes on the booming U.S. natural gas export industry — a move that threatens to pit the president’s climate ambitions against his foreign policy agenda.

The review being led by the Department of Energy will examine whether regulators should take climate change into account when deciding whether a proposed gas export project meets the national interest, according to two people familiar with the action who were granted anonymity to discuss deliberations that have not yet been publicly acknowledged.

U.S. gas exports have jumped four-fold during the past decade as production has surged, turning the United States into the world’s largest natural gas exporter and helping Europe replace Russian shipments after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. But Biden also faces growing pressure from environmental groups to live up to his pledge to transition away from fossil fuels — something the U.S. also promised to do at last month’s climate summit in Dubai.

Roishetta Ozane, the founder of environmental group Vessel Project of Louisiana, welcomed the news that the Biden administration may be rethinking how it determines whether a proposed project is in the public interest. Ozane is among a group of green activists planning to protest next month at the Energy Department headquarters to pressure the administration to change how it evaluates export proposals.

We’re really hoping that DOE will pause any new permits for industry, because we know that the Biden administration really needs a climate win and in order for them to win” the 2024 election, said Ozane, whose hometown of Sulphur, La., is within an hour’s drive of three LNG plants. “If these politicians want to be elected or re-elected in this upcoming presidential election, they’re going to have to make some bold choices and some bold moves.”

Democrats have been asking the Biden administration for months to consider how shipping massive amounts of natural gas overseas affects greenhouse gas emissions. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) asked Granholm in a letter last year to review how DOE weighs whether a project is in the public interest.

Democratic Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said it was a mistake to ignore the pollution produced by the LNG sector.

Climate Win For Biden?

“We know that the Biden administration really needs a climate win and in order for them to win.”

The public is more than a bit sick of the policies of this administration. Banning natural gas exports would hurt Biden’s elections chances.

Biden Threat

Natural Gas Math

91.2 million tons * 0.005367 MMBtu/ton * $10/MMBtu = $48.8 billion. If we look at oil exports (back of the napkin math) 3.99 million b/d (avg) * $80/barrel (avg 2023)* 365 days = $110.5 billion. That seems like a lot of revenue for a country $34T in debt to stifle…just saying.

But what is this really about?

Banning LNG exports would tend to lower prices.

My Guess

Biden will not want to give Trump another energy card.

Nor will he want to risk Pennsylvania.

Addendum

One of my readers noted a point I failed to mention: Russia will sell more natural gas as a result.

Bingo: Reducing exports does not change global demand. It will only shift the source of the supply.

Source: Mishtalk.com

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BP Confirms New CEO after Looney Scandal

Energy News Beat

BP Plc appointed Murray Auchincloss as its permanent chief executive officer, four months after the shock resignation of his predecessor.

The decision ends a period of uncertainty for the London-based oil major, though Auchincloss — who has been serving as interim CEO — is likely to face continued scrutiny as he seeks to move the company on from the scandal that brought down Bernard Looney.

Looney stood down Sept. 12 after admitting he’d failed to fully disclose past relationships with colleagues. The former executive misled the company’s board and will forfeit as much as GBP 32.4 million ($40.8 million) in pay, BP said last month.

Auchincloss has largely stuck with Looney’s strategy of favoring growth in clean energy and a plan to keep oil and gas output flat for the rest of this decade. He’s also batted off speculation that the turmoil created by the ex-leader’s departure has made BP a takeover target.

BP’s US peers have spent more than $100 billion on major acquisitions in recent months and analysts predict more consolidation within the industry.

Auchincloss’s “deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the energy transition will serve BP well as we continue our disciplined transformation to an integrated energy company,” Chairman Helge Lund said in a statement on Wednesday.

Auchincloss, a Canadian, has been at BP since the company’s merger with Amoco in 1998 and held positions including chief of staff to former CEO Bob Dudley. He was named chief financial officer in 2020, a few weeks before Looney unveiled BP’s net zero strategy.

Source: Rigzone.com

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Indonesia to abandon 23% renewable energy target by 2025

Energy News Beat

JAKARTA – Indonesia is planning to slash the targeted share of renewables in the national energy mix, a move seen by experts as a step back in the country’s ambition toward clean energy, while signaling its light-hearted attempt to part ways with fossil fuels.

The new target will hover at between 17 and 19 percent by 2025, as proposed by the National Energy Council (DEN). Previously, the government had set a target of 23 percent for the same period.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif told reporters on Monday that renewable energy development had been painstakingly slow and this was partly due to the domination of coal-fired power plants.

“We have to be realistic,” Arifin said, when asked about the plan to lower the renewable energy target.

“We will adhere to the commitment we made, but we have to work toward it with what we have,” he added.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy has committed to cutting carbon emissions by relying less on coal and more on renewable sources of energy, but progress has been slow.

Renewables only made up 13 percent of Indonesia’s energy mix last year, according to the ministry’s data. It fell short of the 17.9 percent target that the government has aimed for the year to realize its 2025 target.

The figure only marked a minuscule increase from the 12.3 percent achieved the previous year. The latest figure only inched up slightly from the 9.2 percent realized in 2019, energy ministry data also show.

In contrast, Indonesia saw its coal production reach an all-time high, at 775 million tonnes, last year. More than 66 percent of it was exported with the rest for domestic consumption.

“Our coal exports have also increased, based on [rising] demand […] and disruption of other energy alternatives,” Arifin said.

Deon Arinaldo, energy transformation program manager at the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) said revising the target would lead to uncertainty and dampen investor confidence in the country.

He blamed this on Indonesian renewable energy only growing around 0.5 percent annually in the last five years, making the DEN decision not entirely surprising.

“The government needs to implement more transformative policies,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, noting that deployment of PLN’s renewable energy projects was slower than planned in its long-term electricity procurement plan (RUPTL).

Meanwhile, skyrocketing coal production last year signaled that the country remained reliant on the commodity, including as a source of income, he said.

“Indonesia must focus on deploying just energy transition strategies in each region, especially in coal-producing regions. Ideally, the revenue from coal should be used to support energy transition efforts,” he said.

The planned revision also comes after Indonesia decided to lower its ambitions on a coal phase-out, partly due to lack of funding, which was supposed to involve the early retirement of several of its coal fleets to make way for renewable energy development.

The energy ministry said in November that it would instead opt for a coal phase-down, which means the government and PLN would keep coal-fired power plants running until their operational periods end, but they vowed to implement means to reduce carbon emissions, including through carbon capture technology and co-firing.

Surya Darma, chairman of the Indonesia Center for Renewable Energy Studies (ICRES) told the Post on Tuesday that, given the speed of the country’s renewable energy development progress, it would remain difficult to achieve the newly set 17 percent energy mix target.

He urged the government to immediately introduce policies that could improve the sector’s governance, provide legal certainty for businesses and set a competitive price for renewables to ensure the favorable return needed by investors.

“If the government wants to set a lower target, it will still need to put in a strenuous effort to achieve the 70 percent renewables target by 2060,” he said.

Responding to queries about the missed renewable energy target, Arifin said the government would continue pursuing the 2025 goal through various means, including pushing rooftop solar panel usage and building 10.6 gigawatts more renewable energy plants within the remaining time.

“Do we have the adequate infrastructure in place [to achieve the target]? We [stakeholders] must work to perfect the system,” said the energy minister, citing that decreasing renewable energy demand also played a role in the slow adoption.

Source: Asianews.network

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