19
Apr
2021

Gas Matters Today | news roundup | w/c 12 April 2021

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​International

Total, the world’s second largest independent LNG player, and energy technology firm Siemens Energy have penned a technical collaboration agreement, under which the pair will work together to cut CO2 emissions from the French major’s LNG plants and associated power facilities.

Chevron has ostensibly become the first US oil major to invest in offshore wind after its venture capital arm and Norway’s Moreld last week agreed to invest in offshore wind design and technology company Ocergy, as Chevron looks to direct USD 300 million in innovative technologies via its Future Energy Fund II.

Shell has urged shareholders to reject a resolution by activist investor Follow This and vote for its energy transition strategy to become a net-zero firm by 2050, a plan which has sparked outrage among environmental groups that slam the firm for failing to set “absolute” targets and relying too heavily on CCS and carbon offsets.

RWE Supply & Trading and Australian developer H2U have signed an MoU outlining plans to ship green hydrogen to Germany from Australia, which has abundant wind and solar resources that can support hydrogen production, but the long voyage to Europe raises questions about cost competitiveness.

​Africa

Mozambique / Tanzania / Uganda – The governments of Uganda and Tanzania, Total and China’s CNOOC have agreed to build the USD 3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline, which may pave the way for a gas pipeline from Mozambique and Tanzania to the surrounding region.

Senegal – Finnish group Wartsila has won a contract to convert the 90 MW Bel-Air plant in Dakar to operate on LNG instead of heavy fuel in the country’s first-ever gas conversion, which is expected to be completed in 2022 – in time for the country’s first gas from domestic offshore fields.

Tanzania – Equinor and Shell’s country managers in Tanzania have told the East African nation’s new president that 2021 “must be the year when action is taken” to conclude key agreements to plan and build the long-delayed Tanzania LNG plant.

​Asia Pacific

Japan – The government last week approved plans to allow utility TEPCO to dispose of 1.23 million tons of water contaminated with the radioactive hydrogen isotope tritium from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, by releasing it into the sea.

Singapore – Pavilion Energy has imported the first carbon-neutral LNG cargo ever sent to Singapore, marking Pavilion’s entry to the low-carbon LNG club after recently penning two deals, under which suppliers will report emissions associated with each cargo delivered.

Vietnam – Eni has strengthened its presence in Vietnam’s upstream sector with the acquisition of KrisEnergy’s 100% stake in Block 115/09 in the offshore Song Hong basin, as the Italian major moves to step up exploration after discovering an estimated 7-9 Tcf in the adjacent Block 114.

​Australasia

Australia – Santos has offered CEO Kevin Gallagher shares valued at USD 4.6 million to prevent Woodside from poaching him, with a Santos chairman saying that Gallagher, who recently oversaw FID on the Barossa gas project, is “critical” to delivering the company’s strategy.

Woodside CEO Peter Coleman will step down and retire in June – much earlier than the previously stated H2’21 exit date – Australia’s largest gas producer announced last week, with observers suggesting the earlier departure will give new leadership more time to decide an agenda ahead of a potentially pivotal year.

Origin Energy and the Port of Townsville in Queensland signed an MoU to collaborate on expanding and developing infrastructure to facilitate hydrogen production and exports, with a view to begin shipping hydrogen to Asia “from the mid-2020s”.

​Central & South America

Brazil – Metals firm Norsk Hydro has revived its interest in securing LNG from the planned Barcarena FSRU in northern Brazil after signing an MoU with the project’s new operator New Fortress Energy, which has now acquired Hygo Energy Transition and Golar LNG Partners.

​Europe

Germany – Uniper has abandoned plans to build an LNG import terminal on Germany’s North Sea coast and has instead launched a feasibility study for a combined green ammonia import terminal and hydrogen production site in the area.

UK – Shell and Harbour Energy have upped their stakes in the Acorn CCS and hydrogen project at the St Fergus terminal near Peterhead in Scotland. The move appears to lend support to the project after Total pulled out earlier this month.

​Middle East

Saudi Arabia – Saudi Aramco has agreed to sell a 49% stake in new pipeline subsidiary Aramco Oil Pipelines to a consortium led by US-based EIG Global Energy Partners in a deal set to see the Saudi firm receive “upfront proceeds” of ~USD 12.4 billion.

​Russia & CIS

Russia – Gazprom appears to have conceded to China by agreeing to route the Soyuz-Vostok trunkline of the 50 Bcm/year Power of Siberia 2 line through Mongolia, rather than across the Sino-Russian Altai border into Xinjiang.

​South Asia

India – H-Energy is poised to become the first firm to launch an FSRU in India after the company confirmed last week that the Hoegh Giant vessel had arrived at Jaigarh Port on the country’s west coast.

India plans to “kick-start” its hydrogen industry by using the country’s CNG infrastructure to gradually transition to hydrogen, India’s gas and steel minister Dharmendra Pradhan said last week, as the South Asian state faces increasing pressure to decarbonise.

Contact the editor:

Eric Thorp
[email protected]

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