LNG Trading Made The Difference For Oil Supermajors In Q3

Energy News Beat

By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com,

The European oil and gas majors, which are also the world’s top LNG traders, reported a mixed bag of third-quarter results, with some beating or meeting estimates and others missing expectations amid diverging gas trading opportunities in Europe and Asia.

Shell and TotalEnergies, the world’s largest and second-largest LNG traders, respectively, reported strong gas trading earnings thanks to the open arbitrage to Asian markets in the third quarter. But BP, another major with a typically strong gas trading business, saw weak results in the division between July and September, which dragged overall earnings below analyst estimates.

The difference between BP, on one hand, and Shell and TotalEnergies, on the other hand, was that BP is more exposed to the European and U.S. markets where inventories were high while volatility was not.

Shell reported last week adjusted earnings of $6.224 billion for the third quarter, generally in line with expectations. The higher adjusted earnings and EBITDA for the third quarter compared to the second quarter reflected favorable trading and optimization results combined with higher realized liquids prices, offset by lower volumes. Shell had already said a month ago that it expects its third-quarter earnings to receive a boost from stronger trading results in its natural gas and products divisions compared to the second quarter.

“Shell delivered another quarter of strong operational and financial performance, capturing opportunities in volatile commodity markets,” Shell’s CEO Wael Sawan said in a statement.

TotalEnergies, for its part, reported a third-quarter net income above expectations, thanks to higher oil prices, strong trading, and stronger refining margins in the summer.

“The Asian buyers are back in the LNG business: today, the JKM is at TTF plus $2 to $3, which means that they are ready to buy. And today, most of the cargoes are going to Asia because the spot market is in favor of Asia,” TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanné said on the earnings call, commenting on the natural gas prices in Europe and Asia and their differentials.

“So you might have in this type of market, more call for LNG coming from Asia, so it puts an additional tension on this LNG market.”

While Shell and TotalEnergies benefited from the open arbitrage to the Asian market, BP said that its gas trading performance was weak in the third quarter.

BP reported lower-than-forecast earnings for the third quarter as weak gas marketing and trading and a charge in offshore wind weighed on the results and couldn’t offset a strong oil trading business.

“If you think back to the year, in the first quarter we had an exceptional performance, in the second quarter we had exceptional performance, and then in the third quarter – we’re calling it weak. That was really due to lack of structure in the market,” BP’s interim CEO Murray Auchincloss said on the earnings call.

“So there was a little bit of volatility in the prompt, but the actual structure of the market as you looked out across multiple months wasn’t moving around.”

Auchincloss noted that “It’s just a situation where inventories are very full in Europe, inventories are quite full in the United States, and that just means there’s much less money to make on volatility.”

With the bigger exposure to Europe’s gas market, BP’s trading was weaker than the similar divisions at Shell and TotalEnergies, which took full advantage of the return of Asian buyers and the open arbitrage this summer.

Looking forward, BP’s Auchincloss said “volatility will tell” how the gas trading division would perform in the fourth quarter.

“Weather will determine it, outages will determine it, and you know that our business is poised to do well when volatility occurs,” he said.

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Oil up as Saudi Arabia and Russia stick to supply cuts

Energy News Beat

Yahoo Finance

(Bloomberg) — Oil gained after Saudi Arabia and Russia reaffirmed they will stick with oil supply curbs of more than 1 million barrels a day through the end of the year. West Texas Intermediate crude increased more than 2% to trade above $82 a barrel.

Source: Reuters

The announcement by the OPEC+ heavyweights on Sunday came after concerns about weaker global demand pushed oil prices down by almost 6% last week.

Crude is trading at prices seen before the Israel-Hamas war began as the fighting fails to disrupt output from the Middle East, the source of about a third of the world’s oil.

While the conflict still could spread, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners are keeping tight control over supplies amid a shaky demand outlook, underscored by a surprise contraction in Chinese manufacturing last month. Saudi Arabia has slashed daily production by 1 million barrels, and Moscow is curbing exports by 300,000 barrels, on top of earlier cuts made with fellow OPEC+ nations.

“We believe these voluntary supply cuts are likely to be extended into the first quarter of 2024 — given seasonally weaker oil demand at the start of every year, ongoing economic growth concerns, and the aim of producers and OPEC+ to support the oil market’s stability and balance,” said Giovanni Staunovo, a commodity analyst at UBS Group AG.

Saudi Aramco, meanwhile, kept its December official selling prices for two of five oil grades unchanged to Asian customers. However, the kingdom slashed its prices for Europe, a further sign of the concern over consumption in the region.

In a bearish signal, more traders are paying a higher premium for contracts that profit from a price decline rather than a rally. The gauge known as the put skew widened to levels last seen in mid-October. Hedge funds also slashed bullish bets on US crude by the most since July 2021.

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Venezuela in talks with oilfield services firms to revive oil production

Energy News Beat

Oil Price

After the sanctions relief from the U.S. last month, Venezuela is in contact with domestic and international oilfield services providers to help it ramp up crude oil production, Reuters reported on Monday, citing sources close to the negotiations.

Source: Reuters

Venezuela’s state-controlled oil firm PDVSA is discussing hiring equipment and services from oilfield services suppliers now that the United States has lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry after the Nicolas Maduro government reached a deal with the opposition that could see elections held next year.

Some of the international oilfield services firms that have inactive equipment in Venezuela are SLB, Evertson International, and Nabors Industries, according to two Reuters sources.

Still, Venezuela will need years to recover its crude oil production to the levels from before the U.S. sanctions as it needs a lot of investments, analysts say.

Venezuela is expected to raise its crude oil production by less than 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) until the end of 2024 as years of underinvestment and mismanagement will hamper rapid output growth following the effective lifting of most oil sanctions on Venezuela for six months, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said last month.

The U.S. has issued a six-month general license until April 18, 2024, temporarily authorizing transactions involving the oil and gas sector in Venezuela. The license will be renewed only if Venezuela meets its commitments under the so-called electoral roadmap, the U.S. Treasury noted.

Venezuela’s crude oil production, at 735,000 bpd in September 2023, per EIA estimates, is unlikely to jump above 900,000 bpd by the end of 2024, the administration reckons. Most of the near-term growth is expected to come from Chevron’s joint ventures, which could raise production to 200,000 bpd by the end of 2024 from 135,000 bpd in 2023, according to the EIA.

Joint ventures operated by Eni, Repsol, and Maurel & Prom could increase production by an additional 50,000 bpd in the near term, according to IPD Latin America cited by the EIA. As a result, Venezuela’s total crude oil production could grow to about 900,000 bpd by the end of 2024.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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How the U.S. is pumping more oil with fewer rigs

Energy News Beat

Oil Price

Despite the falling and flatlining rig count, U.S. crude oil production managed to hit a monthly record-high in August 2023, boosted by productivity gains and more efficient operations. U.S. exploration and production companies are drilling longer laterals and deploying rigs to the most promising areas to get more bang for their buck.

Source: Oil Price

U.S. field production of crude oil reached 404.6 million barrels during the month of August, new EIA data showed this week, for an average of 13.05 million barrels per day—squarely breaking the previous record U.S. drillers set in July of 401.73 million barrels.

Increases in production were seen in PADDs 1, 2, 3, and 4, with the largest percentage increase in production seen in PADD 4, which comprises Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. The largest actual increase was seen in PADD 2, which includes North Dakota, Illinois, and Kentucky, among other states.

In Texas, the top oil-producing state, crude oil production reached a record high of 5.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in August, per the most recent monthly energy economic analysis by Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) Chief Economist Dean Foreman.

“Texas’ production of oil and natural gas has achieved records despite relatively modest drilling activity. Productivity gains and leveraging wells that have been drilled but not yet completed have provided a tailwind,” Foreman wrote at the end of September.

Producers in the Permian in Texas and New Mexico and the other shale plays have boosted production of crude oil despite a loss of 117 rigs so far this year, per Baker Hughes data as of October 27.

U.S. crude oil producers have been shedding rigs for most of the year, while the rig count largely stabilized in October.

Part of the production gains were due to the time lag between a significant shift in oil prices and actual production—as Reuters columnist John Kemp notes, “it takes on average about 12 months for a change in prices to filter through into a change in output.”

But the main driver of production gains has been higher efficiency in drilling and other operations.

The U.S. shale patch is now looking to do more with less as it seeks capital and operational efficiency to prove to shareholders that it has turned the page from growth at all costs to measured growth accompanied by higher returns to investors.

The oil and gas firms operating from the Permian to Marcellus shale plays are drilling increasingly deeper lateral wells as drilling rigs are fewer, but wells are longer.

Despite the loss of active drilling rigs, shale firms are producing more oil and gas and have even exceeded some skeptical projections from earlier this year.

Between July and September, activity in the oil and gas sector in Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Louisiana increased and was driven by the exploration and production (E&P) side of the business, according to oil and gas executives responding to the latest Dallas Fed Energy Survey.

Most executives, 84%, said they expect the number of U.S. oil rigs six months from now to be near current levels, with 14% anticipating a much higher number of oil rigs six months from now and only 1% expecting the number to be much lower.

Despite expectations of a flat number of rigs, U.S. crude oil production is growing, although at a slower pace than before the pandemic. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has been raising slightly its estimates for American oil output in recent months.

In the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the administration expects U.S. crude oil production to average 12.92 million bpd this year and 13.12 million bpd next year.

In the August outlook, the EIA noted that despite the falling rig counts, “increased well productivity has offset the decline in active rigs so far in 2023.”

“In 2024, we expect the number of active rigs to increase, helping to grow crude oil production in the second half of the year.”

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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U.S. investors rebuff big oil climate shareholder resolutions

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U.S. investors rebuff big oil climate shareholder resolutions – Oil & Gas 360

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Energy Workforce and Technology Council: Interior’s abuse of Endangered Species Act will curtail U.S. energy production

Energy News Beat

World Oil

(WO) – The Energy Workforce and Technology Council issued a statement applauding the passage of H.R. 4821, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024. This bill passed in a bipartisan vote of 213 to 203.

Source: World Oil

The legislation includes provisions advanced by Energy Workforce, including limiting the abuse of the Endangered Species Act. Provisions specific to endangered species include the prohibition of listing both the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and Lesser Prairie-Chicken.

“The passage of H.R. 4821 is a resounding win for landowner rights and American energy security,” said Tim Tarpley, President of Energy Workforce and Technology Council. “As energy demand continues to grow, we must fight for policies that are friendly to American oil and gas, allowing increased production to match global demand. We have serious concerns that a listing of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and the Lesser Prairie Chicken may be used as a tool to curtail U.S. energy production. We cannot allow governance by red tape to imperil prosperity in the Permian basin.”

Further, the package requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales, directly responding to the administration’s recently released offshore five-year leasing plan. The administration’s new plan decreases the number of offshore lease sales from eleven to three over a span of five years. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico boasts approximately half the carbon intensity of other producing regions and supports the jobs of 375,000 Americans.

“Oil and gas produced in the Gulf is some of the cleanest energy produced anywhere in the world,” said Tarpley. “The recently released offshore five-year leasing plan is insufficient to meet U.S. energy needs. Under this new appropriation package, at least 20 lease sales would be required, granting oil and gas companies the ability to continue offshore production, providing American energy security and saving the jobs of thousands of workers.”

 

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US invites Russia to APEC

Energy News Beat

The State Department said it would be “surprised” if Vladimir Putin were to personally attend the summit in San Francisco

The US has sent invitations to the other 20 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to take part in a leaders summit slated to kick off on Saturday. Washington does not expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to represent his nation at the event.

The upcoming week-long gathering was discussed by the senior American official for APEC, Matt Murray, during a press conference on Monday. He stressed that as the host of the summit, the US was looking forward to welcoming foreign delegations, provided that US sanctions are observed.

“We’ve been very consistent [and] clear that participating in APEC will be in accordance with US laws and regulations, and we have been working towards appropriate participation of all APEC member economies,” he told journalists.

The sanctions issue came up specifically regarding two member economies, Hong Kong and Russia. The autonomous Chinese territory announced last Tuesday that it would be sending Financial Secretary Paul Chan to the event, rather than Chief Executive John Lee, who is sanctioned by the US.

Lee was penalized in 2020, after Beijing cracked down on mass protests and rioting in the city, which Washington characterized as an attack on the democratic aspirations of Hong Kongers. Beijing at the time accused Washington of inciting the disturbances.

Putin’s hypothetical arrival in San Francisco was virtually ruled out by the US Department of State. Spokesman Matthew Miller said last month he would be “highly surprised” if the Russian leader chose to come.

The US official claimed that Putin was “reluctant to leave his own borders recently” out of fear of arrest for alleged war crimes. Putin visited Kyrgyzstan and China in October.

The arrest threat mentioned by Miller was apparently posed by the International Criminal Court, which charged the Russian president in March with mass abductions of Ukrainian children. Moscow has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated and unsubstantiated.

Washington has sought to isolate Moscow diplomatically over the Ukraine conflict, including by boycotting Russian delegations at international events. According to the Russian government, the campaign has been a failure, as non-Western nations have refused to toe the US line and maintained bilateral relations with Russia.


READ MORE:
US blocking Russians from key Pacific forum – Moscow

The US has said that inviting Russia to San Francisco was about being “good stewards” to APEC.

First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov represented Russia at the APEC leaders summit in Thailand last November.

 

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How an Asheville nonprofit is working to reduce energy burdens in Buncombe County, N.C.

Energy News Beat

As the first frost visits the mountains of western North Carolina, thousands of households are bracing themselves. Thinly insulated manufactured homes will provide little barrier to the cold. Gaps around doorways will invite it in. Old furnaces, if they work at all, will consume already strained monthly budgets.

A lucky fraction of these families will benefit from a flood of federal weatherization dollars headed to the state thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law passed two years ago.

But for Buncombe County residents who don’t or can’t take advantage of the decades-old Weatherization Assistance Program, there’s an innovative nonprofit in Asheville working to fill the gaps.

Since 2017, Energy Savers Network has helped some 1,000 households cut down on energy waste by tightening air seals, adding DIY storm windows, and performing other upgrades at no cost to occupants.

Designed to help complement, not supplant, federal weatherization funds, the project’s success is due in part to its speed and simplicity. And its track record has earned it a prominent place in Buncombe and Asheville’s plans for 100% renewable energy. 

“By embracing local, clean energy sources, going electric and saving energy,” said Buncombe County Council Chairperson Brownie Newman, in a press release, “we’re taking essential steps toward combating the climate crisis while ensuring a just transition for all residents.”

Distributed largely by community action agencies formed during the War on Poverty, weatherization assistance has evolved to become one of the federal government’s most successful energy efficiency programs, helping some 7 million low-income households nationwide reduce energy waste since 1976. 

But deploying assistance still presents a host of challenges: identifying potential recipients and earning their trust, hiring and training the workers who can perform the work, and remediating homes with immediate health and safety repair needs. Clients-to-be in Buncombe County may spend a year or more on a waitlist. 

Though southwestern North Carolina is set to receive $4.8 million over five years as part of the state’s $90 million share of the infrastructure law, just 440 single-family households are expected to benefit over the 13-county region. 

With some 18,000 families living in energy-inefficient manufactured homes in Buncombe County alone, the demand for energy efficiency upgrades far exceeds the supply of assistance. 

That’s where Energy Savers Network comes in. The concept began 100 miles west in Hayesville, where members of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church “answered a combined moral calling to help the poor and be good stewards of Creation,” Interfaith Power and Light wrote.

The team of parishioners and other volunteers helped families cut their energy use by 10% to 20% — first conducting an audit, then tracking down free or low-cost materials, and finally performing simple upgrades like replacing lighting or adding weather stripping free of charge.

When church member Brad Rouse, a one-time financial and utility consultant, decided to devote his time to climate causes and move to Asheville, he brought Good Shepherd’s idea with him.

Today, the Energy Savers project is staffed by a small team at the Green Built Alliance, but the volunteer spirit and the simplicity remain. 

At farmers’ markets, community events, and through word of mouth, potential clients indicate interest. Staff then follow up to ensure they meet the income guidelines and can otherwise benefit from energy efficiency upgrades. 

“We do a lot of the intake over the phone,” said Hannah Egan, the project’s outreach and resource manager, “explaining what we might be doing, what we need from them, how long the appointment could last.”

A visit is scheduled. A staff person and two to three volunteers arrive and do what they can accomplish in a day. “Once we’ve qualified the client over the phone, we just go there with our crew,” Egan said. “It’s just a lot easier to do it all in one go.” 

They seal air leaks. They replace lightbulbs, insulate hot water heaters, and reinforce single-paned windows. “And then more as we see fit,” Egan said, “because every home is different. Our goal with that is to make homes more comfortable, reduce their energy usage and their utility bills.”

On average, the improvements help occupants cut energy use about 15%, fueling a virtuous cycle. “A lot of times, when we do get in their homes,” Egan said, “they’re really happy with the work we do,” prompting friend and family referrals. “That’s been a main source of client recruitment since COVID.” 

Hiring building performance expert Kelvin Bonilla onto the Energy Savers team, Egan said, “drastically improved the quality of our work.” A native of Honduras, Bonilla has also helped spread the word to the county’s sizable Spanish-speaking community.

“He’s a really good people person,” Egan said. “He’s very professional, and he knows how far to go and when to stop.” 

Many times, Energy Savers refers clients to Community Action Opportunities, the local provider of weatherization assistance. In some cases, they can return to repair or replace ailing furnaces with high-efficiency heat pumps. Dogwood Health Trust also funds minor home repairs, such as replacing a door or damaged flooring.

With additional support from Duke Energy, the city and the county, the team serves roughly four households a week and nearly 200 a year. From start to finish, the process takes between two and six weeks. 

Moving forward, the hope is to both expand the scope of work and serve as a model to other communities. “We asked for an increase,” Rouse said. “There’s still a little bit of a hole. In order to expand the way we would really like to expand, we need more money.”

 

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Daily Energy Standup Episode #246 – China-Russia Gas Agreement, Southeast Asia’s LNG Peak, Mideast War Impact, BP Exit, and Canadian Deal

Energy News Beat

Daily Standup Top Stories

China, Russia Intensify Efforts to Expedite New Gas Route Supply Agreement

(MENAFN) China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Vice President, Xie Jun, has disclosed that Russian energy giant Gazprom is collaborating with China to fast-track the implementation of a new gas supply route known as the Far […]

Southeast Asia’s LNG investments predicted to peak by 2040: Study

More natural gas facilities than ever will be firing in Southeast Asia almost two decades from now, according to a report by Singapore-based research firm Asia Research & Engagement (ARE). Led by Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, the region currently […]

Mideast War Turns Spotlight on Arab Gas Pipeline

The Israel-Hamas war has not significantly impacted Mideast oil and gas flows so far, but critical energy infrastructure such as the Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP) is being watched closely. The pipeline connects Egypt with Jordan and […]

Following BP’s exit, operatorship of giant gas discoveries changes hands, as US player takes the reins

U.S.-headquartered oil and gas exploration and production company Kosmos Energy has boosted its working interest and taken the operatorship helm of giant gas discoveries offshore Senegal, after BP’s withdrawal from the field. This is subject […]

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

Michael Tanner: [00:00:15] What is going on, everybody? Welcome to another edition of the Daily Energy News Beat Standup here on this gorgeous Tuesday, November 7th, 2023. As always, I’m your humble correspondent, Michael Tanner, coming to you from an undisclosed location here in Dallas, Texas, joined by the executive producer of the show, the purveyor of the show and the director and publisher of the world’s greatest Web site, energynewsbeat.com, Stuart Turley, my man, how are we doing today. [00:00:36][21.8]

Stuart Turley: [00:00:37] It’s a beautiful in the neighborhood in our news desk was crazy today. [00:00:42][4.7]

Michael Tanner: [00:00:43] Absolutely we have an absolutely stacked menu lined up for you guys. First up on the show, china Russia intensify efforts to expedite new gas route in new supply agreement. Next up, Southeast Asia’s LNG investments predicted to hit peak by 2040. That’s according to a new study out of the Asia Research and Engagement Institute there in Singapore, says dual cover what all they’re saying. Next up are Mideast war turns Spotlight on Arab gas pipeline. That’s big for all. You know, speaking of LNG development, that’s huge. And finally, following BP’s exit, operatorship of giant gas discovery changes hands as US player takes the rings. Dun dun dun. So we will still will dive into exactly who’s taking over that big BP gas position over there. He’ll toss it over to me. I’ll quickly cover what happened in the oil and gas markets today and then touch slightly on a deal that happened in Canada. Interesting. I was familiar with the Canadian M&A market as as I am the U.S. But this is an interesting deal. And we’ll we’ll cover it from from a few different angles. And then we will let you guys get out of here and start your gorgeous Tuesday. Before we do all that, guys, remember everything you are about to hear. The stories and analysis are brought to you by the world’s greatest website. www.energynewsbeat.com The best place for all of your energy news. I highly recommend checking it out soon. The team does a great job of curating that website, making sure it stays up to speed to make sure you’re at the tip of the spear when it comes to the energy business. Appreciate the team’s hard work for that. You can hit us up [email protected] that’s our data news combo lead us some comments email the show questions@energynewsbeat@com. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Check us out on YouTube at Energy News Beat and again, appreciate everybody who supports the show. Check out the description below. Timestamps links everything you’ll need to do to stay informed with the show. I’m out of breath tho Stu. Where do you want to begin? [00:02:35][112.0]

Stuart Turley: [00:02:35] Okay, let’s start with my buddy. The producer can slide in pictures that we have for us. This is actually what I think I look like. But I know. [00:02:45][9.4]

Michael Tanner: [00:02:45] Do you think this is what you think? You look like the dude. [00:02:48][2.5]

Stuart Turley: [00:02:49] The dude. This is actually Jeff Bridges. I mean, he looks good. And so now it’s a little different. He goes, Oh, it’s the best Scooby I’ve seen in a long time. And Anonymous is actually a wonderful resource on Twitter. And so we’ll have his contact information. But let me read this one phrase to you because I really had to go. But it made sense. If the Biden administration is trying to bring additional oil supplies from Venezuela and Iran to avoid high end gasoline, oil and gasoline prices next summer before the 2024 elections, they will not succeed unless we have a recession. End of story. What do you think? [00:03:40][51.5]

Michael Tanner: [00:03:42] I mean, it’s I think what we’re doing with it with with Venezuela and trying to bring the I mean, it’s it’s pretty backwards considering what we should be doing, exporting our own energy resource. So pretty crazy. [00:03:53][10.9]

Stuart Turley: [00:03:54] I don’t get it. And quite honestly, I think I have a nice debt on. Right. Because if in order for it to work, they’re going to have to have a recession. In order to have a recession, they’re going to people are tired. All right, let’s run on down the road. I just I live in a nice China Russia intensify efforts to expedite new gas route supply agreement. Michael, this is a 30 year agreement that is just nuts. When you sit back and take a look at the collaboration between china and Russia, it is going crazy. So right now, the 30 year agreement deliveries commenced in 2019. It will reach full capacity of 38 billion cubic meters in 2025. My hope that is a lot of gas and a lot of energy for through Siberia to China in that crazy. [00:04:45][51.4]

Michael Tanner: [00:04:46] Well, what it really does is it is it you know, it shows a few things. I think the first thing it shows that sanctions as much as we wish they work, don’t and not to patch you on the back against do but sanctions don’t work because if you don’t have every single country commit to them, it doesn’t mean anything. So, you know, we try to cut off oil supply here. We try to cut off gas supply via the Nord Stream. I mean, we didn’t bomb it. It was somebody else. So just put that out there. The sarcasm. Course it was the Ukrainian SEALs. But we they’re going to find a way to sell their product because it’s a valuable commodity in the market. I do find it funny, you know, in my opinion, the real question is they’re striving to build a closer energy partnership. I mean, that’s a middle finger to the U.S., to a big middle finger to the U.S. and the West. [00:05:31][45.3]

Stuart Turley: [00:05:32] Oh, it is. And that is increasingly something we see in all the articles. There’s a couple of great ones on in Newsbeat today where they’re having the whole everybody is flipping their finger off at the U.S., So. All right, let’s see what’s next to the next one. Southeast Asia LNG investments predicted to peak by 2040. So we have a peak hour here on the show. He just happened to walk in. I think it was Jerry Nadler’s. He was walking off stage more natural gas. That was funny, by the way. More natural gas facilities will be firing in Southeast Asia in more than two decades. That is just nuts. Here comes if allowed to continue. The expanded LNG stands to thwart efforts to keep global warming below 1.5. Growing investment in LNG by the Philippines, Vietnam and other Southeast Asians will not only help push the world the world further beyond this critical target. People don’t understand that the only successful markets that will be rolling will be the Asian markets, because they’re going to continue to use low cost energy and they’re going to actually have lower input imprint than using renewables. Look at this, Michael. The Philippines received a shipment in April to fuel a 1200 megawatt power plant, even though through its declining reserves in the natural gas field, the LNG is saving Asia. [00:07:10][97.9]

Michael Tanner: [00:07:10] Yep. Well, because it’s it’s it provides again, that baseload energy that people so desperately need, specifically where you’re in a part of the world where access to low cost energy can drastically improve your standard of living. You know, I think it’s interesting. Kurt Metzger, he’s the energy transition director for that Asian Research Council. He said Southeast Asia’s limited legacy LNG infrastructure makes the pivot to low carbon power sources a viable option compared to investing in new LNG infrastructure. So I think what they’re attempting to do is say since they don’t have any LNG, we might as well go build some unprofitable wind and solar. So we know where that’ll end up. [00:07:51][40.7]

Stuart Turley: [00:07:51] Oh, absolutely. It’ll be back into Germany shooting themselves in the foot and, you know, providing some extra shoes for them to eat in the winter. Okay. [00:08:00][8.3]

Michael Tanner: [00:08:00] What’s next? [00:08:01][0.3]

Stuart Turley: [00:08:01] Go to let’s go to the next one. We’re going to go to the Mid Midwest. Mideast War Turns Spotlight on Arab Gas Pipeline. Boy, I got all choked up on that one. Michael. The Israel-Hamas war has not significantly impacted Middle East oil and gas flows. But I’ll tell you what, it’s shaking everybody up and really bringing energy security to the forefront. Jordan imports almost all the energy it needs if it would have serious socioeconomic implications. I mean, that’s just amazing if we take it. There’s a map on this. If we could have the producer slide it in. You take a look at that pipeline. You have the Egypt pipeline around port side, you have the Arab pipeline, you have the gas future, the extended the dotted line there. And then you take a look at that, you eliminate that pipeline. It becomes a whole horrible problem there. [00:09:02][61.1]

Michael Tanner: [00:09:02] Well, and I think I’ve been covering this for the past week. I think the sentiment on the street has been wild. This this Israel Gaza war that’s going on right now, has it really moved prices upward? If anything, we’ve seen a softening of prices and why? Well, on a macro level, it doesn’t look like it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a huge effect on the overall supply and demand considering that Strait of Hormuz will always stay open. And we’ve deployed a nuclear submarine to the Mediterranean, if only because we understand the vital importance of making sure things like these gas flows and oil flows continue. But I think what’s interesting is that doesn’t mean that countries inside this Arab gas pipeline and who are connected to could experience short bursts of them not having the available gas that they need. I mean, specifically along that Egypt Gaza border right there, as you mentioned from Port Said to Ashley Kahn up there, you know, really right there north of the Gaza Strip. So it’ll be very interesting. Yes. Overall, worldwide gas flows and oil flows may not be affected so much to the point where we’ve seen a softening of prices. But that doesn’t mean something crazy could happen. And I think this article does a really good job of of kind of separating the two and say, sure, overall world supply. I might stay the same, but we may have spurts of zero supply going through this key area which could lead for massive terminal. They mentioned Lebanon, specifically Syria. You know, there are other things. Jordan, as we mentioned earlier, So lots going on in this region. [00:10:27][84.4]

Stuart Turley: [00:10:28] Oh, it is. And so buckle up. We don’t know. We hope for the best. But Michael, that brings us to the next one coming around the corner. Following BP’s exit, operatorship of giant gas discoveries changes hands as U.S. player takes the reins. I really like this one. And Cosmos is the, I believe, Dallas based energy firm that’s taking over for this. And I was looking around on their Web site today. And they are a offshore firm. Do you know much about them? [00:11:02][34.8]

Michael Tanner: [00:11:03] I mean, I know a little bit about Cosmos. I know the fact that, you know, they’re they’re they’re what I would call a cash flow style company, which means they’re going to live and die off cash flow. And if they’re going in and acquiring this 90% working interest specifically in this gas field. Right. They plan to produce the heck out of this 25 trillion cubic feet that they’ve got. So I think it’s an interesting move, you know, from BP, it probably is more of a consolidation of their assets to the Gulf of Mexico versus a, you know, a move that maybe makes operational economic sense. We know they’ve been pulling off wind farm. This is probably a shift away from heavy natural gas wind assets typically to be able to invest more in their oil business. But it will be interesting to see how this goes. You know, these large project, you won’t know if this is a good deal or not for two or three years, but in two or three years it’ll be obvious whether or not it’s a good deal and we’ll be able to look back and see if that that 25 trillion cubic feet is actually a legitimate number. [00:11:59][56.3]

Stuart Turley: [00:12:00] Yeah, that field your car Tangier gas field heat. They got 90% working interest in that bed. Doug Mm hmm. That’s a lot. [00:12:09][9.3]

Michael Tanner: [00:12:10] Yeah, it’s it’s a lot. They can. They’ll be able to crank it up. [00:12:13][3.0]

Stuart Turley: [00:12:14] I’m going to reach out to Andrew in English and see if I can get him on the podcast. That would be a really good one to visit with. See what his thoughts are on it. [00:12:23][9.0]

Michael Tanner: [00:12:23] Would you want to talk about people in the forefront of energy security. [00:12:25][2.3]

Stuart Turley: [00:12:26] Right there, baby? All right. That’s all I got, man. [00:12:28][2.3]

Michael Tanner: [00:12:29] All right. Well, we’ll go ahead and quickly shift over to finance here. Overall, markets were fairly slim today. S&P only up about about a 10th of a percentage point. Nasdaq up 3/10 of a percentage point, really as as the market, you know, comes under and really is digesting a lot of the data that happened last week. We obviously saw the Fed come out and keep interest rates the same. We saw a few other data points, specifically unemployment come up, you know, weaker than what we would have expected or a stronger than what we would have hoped for. Specifically the fact that rising unemployment rate will probably help lower interest rates. But as as we know that we’ll see how the Fed decides to play that one. Looking at oil prices, too, we actually had a little bit of a choppy day. We were up about two and, you know, maybe a percent percent and a half on towards the latter half of the day, saw a little bit of a tumble currently sitting at 8092. You know, here as we record this about 545 here on Monday evening. So, you know, interesting movement down. Really what we’re what we’re seeing in that is over the week. And I think the big news, Stu, was that Saudi reaffirmed both on Sunday that they’re going to continue the additional voluntary cuts of 1 million barrels per day in hopes of keeping their output about 9 million barrels. That really kind of buoyed prices early, late, you know, early on in the trading session. But then we saw a big fall off again. I think a lot of this production cut news has really been baked into the market. And I read somewhere that Saudi is considering another drop and they will continue to reevaluate as they go. You know, and specifically, here’s what this is. UBS strategy strategist Giovanni Serrano. The cuts could be extended into the first quarter of 2024 because what seasonal weaker oil demand at the start of every year, ongoing economic growth concerns in the aim of producers in OPA to support the oil markets stability imbalance could mean that these cuts will continue and that will only help keep prices where they’re at. But again, with the overall market really not pricing in much of what’s going on in the Israel-Hamas conflict right now, it’s going to be it’s going to be interesting to see how things continue to play out. Gas prices did open up a little bit lower today. Natural gas currently trading at $3.28 after opening a little lower, after closing a little under $3.50, again, mainly due to a little bit of of of warmer weather. We are in warmer weather is expected to kind of come through here and specifically in the winter, that’s going to lead to slightly softer prices. I think the only other interesting thing of note still we saw was a you know, we did see some you know, Sandridge Energy went ahead and announced earnings. We saw Terra Energy announce earnings yesterday. We specifically covered kind of our last peek at what Pioneer is doing. But I thought there was one interesting deal north of the border, a.k.a in Canada, which our second favorite. Country. You know, we love Alberta and that, you know, not so much maybe Ontario or wherever. Wherever. Quebec is it Quebec? Is that where their capital is. So maybe maybe Quebec, Quebec. In California, they’ve got a lot in common. But we love everybody up in Alberta. I’m not as familiar with where we were with the Canadian M&A market, but but a private oil and gas company, hammerhead ing, they’re actually a public company here trading on the Nasdaq. RS They’ve gone ahead and announced in a definite agreement to go ahead and sell to Crescent Point, pretty large oil and gas operator with a significant stake up there specifically in that Montney Shale. You know, that’s big way it’s been described to me. The Montney is the equivalent of the Permian Basin stew. It’s thick zones. Couple different pay zones you can target. You know, you can kind of wine rack the wells. You get a lot per location, everything. Well, everyone loves a good little Montney Shale buy. [00:16:08][219.0]

Stuart Turley: [00:16:08] So I also love the accent. Whenever you’re talking to anybody up there with the CEOs I was with Montney. [00:16:14][5.2]

Michael Tanner: [00:16:15] Montney, Montney, it’s a Hammerhead and Chris Boyd, both public companies, Hammerhead majority, actually owned by Riverstone, though. So they’re going to go ahead and cash out. This deals about 2.55 billion and assumes a 70% premium over the five day weighted trading value average. Yeah, they’re doing about five 56,000 body per day. So if you do the math on that deal, Stewart’s about 45,000 per flowing body, which is, you know, not horrible considering the fact that they’ll claim there’s 800 locations available to drill. So, you know. [00:16:47][32.2]

Stuart Turley: [00:16:48] I guess tier one. [00:16:48][0.7]

Michael Tanner: [00:16:49] I don’t want to make a 1 to 1 comparison between the Permian and the Montney, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say there’s probably not 800 locations that are worth drilling. We’ll probably cut that number in half. But this, again, is another consolidation move. You know, I’m surprised we’re not seeing more of this, to be honest, when it comes to Canadian oil and gas, considering we’re seeing a lot of it, you know, in the United States where you would consider the returns are going to be a little bit better considering the diversification. But, you know, good for the Hammerhead. You know, I’m never one to stand up for Riverstone. They’re not necessarily known to you know, as much as I want to stand up and and cheer that a private equity company got paid, I think it’s a good deal for the management team there. You know, that 17% premium, not horrible is a little bit better than what I pay, a little bit better than what Exxon paid for pioneer So you know, good for good for Riverstone able to negotiate. But you know, we’ll be following this one closely. And again, what a whoa, what is this, a good deal or not? And only time will tell, but we’ll we’ll be following this one. Congrats to the Crescent Point team and Hammerhead all in one channel. I’ve got Stu. What else? What what else should we be worried about this week? [00:17:55][65.9]

Stuart Turley: [00:17:55] Oh, more coming around the corner. I get to visit with some more folks from Norway. I got a few others coming up, so it’s going to be a lot of fun. We just dropped Captain Kelly’s. He was a hoot. I actually got a little choked up on that one as a staff got that one out there. That was a little rough as he was talking about it. But it is about energy solving the energy problems. So it’s pretty cool. Humanitarian. [00:18:22][26.4]

Michael Tanner: [00:18:23] Absolutely. So. Well, we appreciate everybody sticking with us here on this Tuesday. You know, stay strong. Week is almost done here, but we’ll let you get out of here and finish and start your day. For Stuart Turley, I’m Michael Tanner. We’ll see you tomorrow, folks. [00:18:23][0.0][1068.7]

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The post Daily Energy Standup Episode #246 – China-Russia Gas Agreement, Southeast Asia’s LNG Peak, Mideast War Impact, BP Exit, and Canadian Deal appeared first on Energy News Beat.

 

Africa’s Geothermal Power Sector Set To Overtake Europe

Energy News Beat
Total geothermal power generation capacity in Africa may reach 13GW in 2050.
Kenya and Ethiopia will lead the growth of Africa’s geothermal sector, accounting for close to 90% of total capacity.
Many African countries with geothermal potential rely heavily on hydropower for their electricity supply.

Africa’s geothermal sector will attract at least $35 billion in investments by 2050, showing the critical role geothermal is set to play in meeting the continent’s rapidly growing energy demand. Rystad Energy’s latest projections reveal this significant investment will see Africa’s installed geothermal capacity surpass Europe by the end of the decade.

Despite being home to only about 1 gigawatt (GW) of geothermal capacity in 2023 – half of Europe’s total – Africa’s total installed capacity will more than double by 2030, based solely on already announced projects. If we also consider yet-to-be-announced projects needed to meet government targets, capacity could triple by 2030. By 2050, we expect geothermal power generation capacity in Africa to expand to 13 GW, more than double the expected 5.5 GW of installed capacity in Europe. Kenya and Ethiopia will lead the growth of Africa’s geothermal sector, accounting for close to 90% of total capacity.

The geothermal industry in Africa is picking up steam and could help meet soaring demand across the continent in the decades to come. Analyzing already announced projects signals significant growth on the horizon, but developments that we project to come online given economics and demand really highlight the rapid build out. This growth will take the continent from being the sixth largest geothermal power generator in 2023 to the third largest in 2030.

Daniel Holmedal, senior supply chain analyst, Rystad Energy

Geothermal power has contributed to Africa’s energy sector since the 1950s. The Democratic Republic of Congo was the third country in the world to build a geothermal power plant, with the commissioning of the Kiabukwa power plant in 1952. Today, international players are increasingly looking to the East African Rift for growth opportunities as geothermal energy provides a stable energy source that complements intermittent sources like wind and solar. Rystad Energy forecasts that investments in Africa’s geothermal sector will reach at least $35 billion from 2024 to 2050, driven by rapidly growing energy demand in East Africa.

International expertise and technical assistance have helped contribute to the growth of East Africa’s geothermal sector, in turn fostering the development of domestic expertise. Kenyan companies such as the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) and Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) are playing key roles in helping neighboring countries establish their geothermal industry.

Kenya and Ethiopia will lead the growth of Africa’s geothermal sector, accounting for close to 90% of total capacity. This is due to their rich geothermal resources and the need to diversify Ethiopia’s power mix. The power supply in the two countries is expected to increase six-fold from 2023 to 2050, rising from 34 terawatt-hours (TWh) to 222 TWh. Rystad Energy projects that geothermal supply from the pair will rise well above 10 GW by 2050, potentially reaching as high as 12 GW.

Many African countries with geothermal potential rely heavily on hydropower for their electricity supply. Ethiopia, for instance, currently sources 88% of its electricity from hydro. However, this dependency places these countries at risk to external weather conditions such as droughts. By incorporating more geothermal energy into their power mix, African nations can help reduce their dependency on hydropower and mitigate these risks. While Kenya has limited potential for large-scale hydropower projects, estimated at around 1-1.5 GW, Ethiopia has significant potential for hydropower generation. Its controversial Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile, for example, has a capacity of more than 5 GW.

To achieve a 13 GW geothermal capacity in Africa by 2050, Rystad Energy’s base case scenario relies heavily on the development of geothermal resources in Kenya and Ethiopia. Kenya has already demonstrated its commitment to incorporating geothermal energy into its power mix. With abundant geothermal resources, strong local expertise and increasing interest from international players, it is expected that Kenya will exceed 8 GW of geothermal capacity by 2050. Ethiopia faces several challenges, however, and it is imperative that projects like Tulu Moye, Aluto-Langano and Corbetti prove their worth if the country is to exceed 3.5 GW of installed geothermal capacity by 2050.

Source: Oilprice.com

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