Energy News to 17/01/23 . OPEC daily basket price at US$82.25/bl, 16 Jan. 2023
Oil prices were mixed on Tuesday after China posted its second-weakest annual economic growth in nearly half a century, though its recent shift in COVID-19 policy underpinned hopes of a recovery in fuel demand this year. Reuters
Clarification on Ratcliffe on Soar power station closure date
Following some incorrect media reports, this statement clarifies that there has been no change to the power station closure date. To summarise: Ratcliffe on Soar power station has four 500MW units in total. Three of the units at Ratcliffe already have capacity market agreements in place and there has been no change to our commitment to operate these three units until the end of September 2024 when the power station will close in line with government policy. We announced that the remaining fourth unit would close earlier in September 2022. Last year, the Government asked Uniper to explore the possibility of keeping the unit at Ratcliffe power station, due to close in September 2022, open for longer. We were pleased to announce that we’re able to support the Government’s request, and the unit has been made available to the system operator to dispatch if needed, until 31 March 2023. As requested by the government, Uniper is now looking at whether we can continue to have that fourth unit available to run under standard market arrangements for another winter, and we have prequalified the unit to take part in the Capacity Market T-1 auction for 2023/24. Read More
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that it has decided on a new series name and a new hull color design for its car carriers, which are primarily fueled by environment-friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG). MOL has ordered a total of eight 7,000-unit capacity LNG-fueled car carriers (Note 1), which will be delivered in succession between 2024 and 2025, and will also adopt the new series name and new hull color design. The new name -the “BLUE” series- embodies the MOL Group Corporate Mission “From the blue oceans, we sustain people’s lives and ensure a prosperous future”, and simply conveys the group’s wish for the vessels to “pass on to the future the beauty of the various blues of the earth, sky, sea, and trees.” The new hull color design boldly expresses the evolution of MOL’s unified global brand for its car carrier services, MOL ACE (Note 2) by designing a new shape for the letter “A”, the motif of MOL ACE. The bow is turquoise blue, creating a fusion of green, which has a strong environmental image, and blue, which is MOL’s brand color, and expresses the MOL Group’s ongoing commitment to address environmental issues. The blue color from the stern to the bow is the same used in the previous “FLEXIE” series (Note 3) to represent the inheritance of good old traditions. Under the global unified brand MOL ACE and with the updated design of the new car carriers, based on “safety” and “reliability,” MOL will keep moving forward to provide new value in the form of zero-emission transport of finished vehicles and become the company of choice for its stakeholders, while accurately responding to the increasingly diverse needs of its customers. Read More
| Oil and Gas Blends | Units | Oil Price $ | change |
| Crude Oil (WTI) | USD/bbl | $79.98 | Up |
| Crude Oil (Brent) | USD/bbl | $85.23 | Up |
| Bonny Light | USD/bbl | $84.84 | Down |
| Saharan Blend | USD/bbl | $84.83 | Down |
| Natural Gas | USD/MMBtu | $3.78 | Up |
| OPEC basket 16/01/23 | USD/bbl | $82.25 | Up |
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), MOL Ferry Co., Ltd. (MOL Ferry), Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX) and Hokkaido Gas Co., Ltd. (Hokkaido Gas) today jointly announce that basic agreements were signed between MOL and JAPEX, and between MOL and Hokkaido Gas for supply of LNG fuel to two newbuilding LNG-fueled ferries (Note 1) in each port on the Oarai-Tomakomai route operated by MOL Group company MOL Ferry. The LNG fuel supply is scheduled to start in 2025, when the ferries will enter service. JAPEX will supply LNG fuel to the ferries at the Port of Oarai in Ibaraki Prefecture, and Hokkaido Gas will supply it at the Port of Tomakomai in Hokkaido respectively through the Truck to Ship method (Note 2). The LNG supply system uses a skid that connects the vessel to four tanker trucks simultaneously. This speeds up the bunkering process, allowing the ferries to take on sufficient fuel even during their limited time in berth. LNG fuel reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by about 25% compared to conventional fuel oil and is currently a viable measure for low-carbonization of marine fuel. The four companies will lead to promote LNG as marine fuel in Japan and contribute to reducing the environmental impact. Read More
Baker Hughes Rig Count
U.S. Rig Count is up 3 from last week to 775 with oil rigs up 5 to 623, gas rigs down 2 to 150 and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 2.
Canada Rig Count is up 38 from last week to 227, with oil rigs up 28 to 141, gas rigs up 10 to 86.
| Region | Period | Rig Count | Change from Prior |
| U.S.A | 13 January 2023 | 775 | +3 |
| Canada | 13 January 2023 | 227 | +38 |
| International | December 2022 | 900 | -10 |
Ocean services provider DeepOcean has activated an option to request the installation of a battery hybrid system on board the Stril Server multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV). DeepOcean is chartering the Stril Server from Stavanger-based shipowner Simon Møkster Shipping, who will upgrade the vessel to include battery power notation in the first quarter of 2024. The vessel is currently on a two-year time charter agreement with DeepOcean. She supports the company’s offering within subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR), light construction and recycling services to operators in the offshore renewables and oil and gas industries.
“We have set a target to reduce our CO2emissions by 45 percent by 2030. Reducing fuel consumption and emissions from vessels that we charter is an important part of reaching this goal. It is also a deciding factor when choosing which shipowners we wish to hire vessels from. We are very pleased that Simon Møkster Shipping has an equally ambitious strategy for reduction of carbon emissions,” says Øyvind Mikaelsen, CEO of DeepOcean. Simon Møkster Shipping will install a 620kWh battery system from SEAM AS, which is a supplier of zero-emission solutions to the maritime industry. Stril Server’s control and DP systems will also be upgraded, and system for onshore charging will be installed. The upgrade will be conducted in the first quarter of 2024. The Stril Server is equipped with 2x Kystdesign ROVs together with DeepOcean’s dedicated infrastructure, allowing for remote operations from the company’s Remote Operations Centre in Haugesund, Norway. Read More
Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Friday announced the discovery of oil in Nasarawa State and said it was set to drill the first foot of an oil well in the Northern state.It said the discovery was in continuation of its oil exploration activities in the country’s inland basins, adding that it would spud the first oil well in Nasarawa State in March 2023. Read More
From January 2023 onwards, all diesel-powered ground handling vehicles and machinery at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands will be using Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ (also known as “HVO100” thanks to being produced from 100% renewable raw materials).
There are around 1,900 ground handling vehicles with a diesel engine at Schiphol airport, varying from standard cars, vans, pushback tractors and trucks to more specialized ground support like conveyor belt loaders, pallet or container loaders, catering highlifts, aircraft fuel dispensers, passenger steps and ground power units.
KLM Equipment Services (KES) is the fuel supplier for all vehicles and machinery on Schiphol with a fuel station at the airport as well as three fuel trucks operating seven days a week. Neste MY Renewable Diesel is supplied to KES via Neste’s distribution partner EG Group. Read More
Sports utility vehicles will die out because those who drive oversized 4x4s are seen as ‘terrorists’, the boss of Citroen has said.
Vincent Cobee said the rise of electric cars will ‘kill off’ SUVs because the huge vehicles are too heavy when you add a battery. Referring to many people’s views that the cars are polluting and dangerous in crashes because of their size and weight, he said: ‘If you live in a big city, five years ago if you drop off your kids with a big SUV you’re a man. He said: ‘On a battery EV, if your aerodnaymics are wrong, the penalty in terms of range is massive. You can lose 50 kilometres between good and bad aero, and between an SUV and a sedan you’re talking 60/70/80 kilometres very easily. Increasing the battery size to boost the range is not always an option, he said, and predicted that governments will take action against the vehicles, a trend already happening in France, which is beginning to tax by weight. Read More
Plenitude, Benefit Corporation (Società Benefit) company of Eni, and Simply Blue Group, an Irish blue economy project developer, have signed an agreement for the joint development of a pipeline of new floating offshore wind projects in Italy. Through this collaboration, the parties wish to combine Plenitude’s technical and financial capabilities and experience in the Italian energy market, with Simply Blue Group’s track record in developing global floating wind projects. The first two floating offshore wind projects, “Messapia” in Apulia and “Krimisa” in Calabria, have already been submitted to the relevant authorities.
The Messapia project, located about 30km off the Otranto coast, will have a total capacity of 1.3 GW and will be able to provide annual power generation of about 3.8 TWh.
The Krimisa project, located about 45km off the coast of Crotone, will have a total capacity of 1.1 GW and will be able to provide annual energy production of up to 3.5 TWh.
Overall, it is estimated that the two projects will be able to cover the energy needs corresponding to the electricity consumption of more than 2.5 million households, contributing to the country’s decarbonization goals.
The partners will work alongside local communities and other key industry players to develop innovative technological solutions and consolidate the Italian floating offshore wind supply chain. Read More
Infocus International Group is bringing back the highly recommended Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) online masterclass and it will be commencing live on the 17th January 2023 and 16th May 2023.
This course is intended for those in business, commercial and strategically focused roles within the energy sector; in particular those responsible for environmental matters, business sustainability and business transformation in areas such as oil & gas, hydrogen and industrial energy usage.
Attendees will leave with a clearly explained and independent perspective on how, where and why CCUS is happening now and could grow in future – covering the range of technological solutions and business drivers, including policy. In addition to reviewing existing CCUS approaches, the course will highlight new opportunities and integrated value creation possibilities through emerging carbon utilisation options. This will include how the fate of carbon capture links to other aspects of the clean energy transition, such as clean hydrogen production, industrial decarbonisation and the transition away from oil & gas.
Read More
The European Union’s rejection of Russian energy commodities following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine won’t last forever, Qatar’s Energy Minister said during an energy conference over the weekend. “The Europeans today are saying there’s no way we’re going back” to buying Russian gas, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, energy minister and head of state gas company QatarEnergy, said at the Atlantic Council Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi.
“We’re all blessed to have to be able to forget and to forgive. And I think things get mended with time… they learn from that situation and probably have a much bigger diversity [of energy intake].” Europe has long been Russia’s largest customer of most energy commodities, especially natural gas. EU countries have dramatically cut down their imports of Russian energy supplies, imposing sanctions in response to Moscow’s brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Read More
OilandGasPress Energy Newsbites and Analysis Roundup | Compiled by: OGP Staff, Segun Cole @oilandgaspress.
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