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China targets 20pc NEV share by 2025: Correction

  • Market: Metals, Oil products
  • 06/11/20

Corrects target date in headline, first paragraph

China's state council has announced a development plan for the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry during 2021-35, targeting a 20pc share of NEVs in the country's total vehicles sales by 2025.

China aims to lower the average power consumption of a new battery electric passenger car to 12kWh/km by 2025, according to the plan, which also makes clear the country's ambitions to fully electrify public vehicles, commercialise fuel cell vehicles and realise the scale application of highly autonomous vehicles.

Battery electric vehicles (EVs) by 2035 will become the mainstay of new vehicle sales in the country, the plan said.

The government also wants to strengthen innovations to improve the industry's infrastructure of key components such as power batteries and new generation automotive motors, while promoting integration and a co-ordinated development of electric, network and intelligent technologies.

The plan is also designed to accelerate the development and application of automotive operating systems, build an efficient power battery recycling system and speed up the development of infrastructure such as power and hydrogen charging and battery replacing facilities.

The plan calls for the merger and reorganisation of competitive enterprises to strengthen industry integration. The government will implement preferential tax policies for NEVs, optimise traffic management and financial services, provide financial support for building charging points as public facilities, while providing preferential policies for parking and charging of NEVs.

The government is aiming for at least 80pc of NEVs by next year to be used in areas such as public transport, taxi services and logistics in the country's "ecological civilisation" pilot zones and key areas for air pollution prevention and control.

The plan comes after Beijing announced new development plans for strategic industries, including EVs, new energy resources and technology infrastructure, in response to the impact of the Covid-19 economic downturn and trade tensions with the US.

Chinese NEV output totalled 738,000 during January-September, down by 18.7pc from a year earlier. Sales fell by 17.7pc to 734,000, with higher output in recent months outweighed by the overall impact from the Covid-19 pandemic.


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26/07/24

Blast furnace works cut S Korea's Posco 2Q steel output

Blast furnace works cut S Korea's Posco 2Q steel output

Singapore, 26 July (Argus) — South Korean steelmaker Posco reported lower crude steel output and sales in the second quarter because of refurbishments at its Pohang blast burnace, but a higher operating profit. Posco's crude steel production dropped to 8mn t over April-June, from 8.66mn t in the first quarter and 8.85mn t a year earlier, the company said in an earnings call on 25 July. Sales volume also dipped to 7.86mn t, from 8.23mn t in the previous quarter and 8.48mn t a year earlier. The firm's utilisation rates fell to 79.1pc in the second quarter, from 85.6pc in the first quarter and 87.3pc a year earlier. Posco began maintenance and modernisation of its No.4 blast furnace at Pohang in late April, which has a capacity of around 5.3mn t/yr. But production resumed at the end of June, raising its scrap consumption as reflected in its resumption of regular weekly purchases of Japanese scrap after a three-month halt. The group's combined steel revenue, including Posco and overseas steel facilities, stood at 15.4 trillion won ($11.1bn) in the second quarter. This was largely steady from the previous quarter but down from W16.5 trillion a year earlier. Combined steel operating profit stood at W497bn in the second quarter, up from W339bn in the first quarter, but less than half of W1 trillion a year earlier. Posco reported higher mill margins as the cost of raw materials dropped and sales price increased. But overseas upstream operations reported losses given an influx of cheap imports into the southeast Asian market and lower sales prices. Battery, other expansion plans Revenue from secondary battery unit Posco Future M fell by 20pc on the quarter and 23pc on the year to W915bn. Operating profit stood at W3bn, down from W38bn a quarter earlier and W52bn a year earlier. Posco, while citing a difficult battery materials industry over April-June, said during the earnings call that it is "closely monitoring demand fluctuations." The firm will pace its investment, but it will "not lose out" on any opportunity to invest in essential resources such as lithium whose prices have "hit rock bottom." Posco flagged the approaching US presidential election and shifting strategies of major automakers as factors that will continue affecting the EV supply chain. This was echoed by South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution , which expects global EV market growth to come in at slightly over 20pc this year, down from 36pc a year earlier. Posco's first domestic lithium hydroxide plant, located at the Yulchon Industrial Complex in Gwangyang, with a capacity of 21,500 t/yr aims to start full operations in February 2025. It will be operated by Posco-Pilbara Lithium Solution, a joint venture between Posco and Australia's lithium miner Pilbara Minerals. The company also expects to finish building a second plant at the same location with similar capacity in September whose full operations will begin in September 2025. Its Argentinian lithium operations will have a total capacity of 50,000 t/yr in the near term, split between phase 1 and phase 2, which will start full operations in April 2025 and June 2026, respectively. Trading firm Posco International also reported that the final stage 4 expansion of its Myanmar offshore gas field will start in July, with about 4mn t/yr of By Tng Yong Li and Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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EU could launch 'other countries' HRC dumping probe


25/07/24
News
25/07/24

EU could launch 'other countries' HRC dumping probe

London, 25 July (Argus) — The European Commission soon could initiate a dumping investigation on some exporters selling into the 'other countries' quota for hot-rolled coil (HRC), according to multiple market sources. The 'other countries' quota in recent quarters has consistently filled rapidly upon resetting, and this pressure has been intensified by rising Chinese exports since August of last year. Some key 'other countries' sellers have seen the volumes they take from China balloon as a result. Vietnam bought more than 4.2mn t from China in the first six months of this year, compared with about 6mn t in the whole of 2023. China's increased exports has sparked talk that both India and Vietnam may start anti-dumping duty investigations. When announcing its 15pc cap on countries selling into the 'other countries' quota, the commission specifically alluded to the increase in Chinese exports affecting trade flows. Vietnam, Egypt, Japan and Taiwan are by far the largest sellers into the 'other countries' quota, and all of the countries initially exceeded their 141,849t cap quickly when the new quotas took force on 1 July. In April, before the cap was implemented, these four countries amounted for more than half of the 1.4mn t imported by the EU. The 'other countries' quota has essentially been reduced from 940,000 t/quarter to less than 600,000 t/quarter given the new cap. Sources suggested duties could be applied retroactively if the commission finds that material has been dumped. They also suggested it could be difficult to show dumping in some countries, such as Vietnam and Egypt, where domestic prices are often below export levels. A leading producer was gathering information on Egyptian cargoes arriving at EU ports in recent months, a trading firm said. The commission refused to comment on any potential investigation. By Colin Richardson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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China raises EV, ICE vehicles trade-in subsidies


25/07/24
News
25/07/24

China raises EV, ICE vehicles trade-in subsidies

Beijing, 25 July (Argus) — The Chinese government has raised subsidies to boost trade-in of old internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with new energy vehicles (NEV). The subsidy for consumers who trade in an old NEV registered before 30 April 2018 or an ICE vehicle that meets or is below China's national 3 emission standard for a new NEV has doubled to 20,000 yuan from a previous subsidy announced in May . Electric vehicles cost anywhere between Yn50,000 to Yn1mn, with consumers mostly purchasing those in the Yn100,000-200,000 range, according to industry participants. The government is also offering a Yn15,000 subsidy for consumers who trade in an old NEV registered before 30 April 2018 or an ICE vehicle that meets or is below China's national 3 emission standard, and purchase a new ICE vehicle with the displacement below 2.0 litre. Beijing in early March announced a plan to promote the replacement of industrial equipment and consumer goods through large-scale trade-ins, with NEVs making up the main part of the scheme, as part of Beijing's efforts to meet its annual economic growth target of 5pc. China's ministry of finance announced on 3 June that it will allocate Yn6.44bn to local governments to pay the subsidies for vehicle trade-ins in 2024, including Yn107mn to Tianjin, Yn90.81mn to Shanghai, Yn74.61mn to Beijing and Yn66.49mn to Chongqing. The central government announced on 29 May that it will remove purchase restrictions for NEVs during 2024-25, with the capital city Beijing allocating 20,000 additional purchase quotas for NEVs to families without a car. China produced 1.003mn NEVs in June, up by 28pc from the previous year and by 6.7pc from May, with sales increasing by 30pc from a year earlier and by 9.8pc from the previous month to 1.049mn, partly driven by the country's supportive measures, especially the trade-in subsidies. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Refining, LNG segments take Total’s profit lower in 2Q


25/07/24
News
25/07/24

Refining, LNG segments take Total’s profit lower in 2Q

London, 25 July (Argus) — TotalEnergies said today that a worsening performance at its downstream Refining & Chemicals business and its Integrated LNG segment led to a 7pc year-on-year decline in profit in the second quarter. Profit of $3.79bn was down from $5.72bn for the January-March quarter and from $4.09bn in the second quarter of 2023. When adjusted for inventory effects and special items, profit was $4.67bn — slightly lower than analysts had been expecting and 6pc down on the immediately preceding quarter. The biggest hit to profits was at the Refining & Chemicals segment, which reported an adjusted operating profit of $639mn for the April-June period, a 36pc fall on the year. Earlier in July, TotalEnergies had flagged lower refining margins in Europe and the Middle East, with its European Refining Margin Marker down by 37pc to $44.9/t compared with the first quarter. This margin decline was partially compensated for by an increase in its refineries' utilisation rate: to 84pc in April-June from 79pc in the first quarter. The company's Integrated LNG business saw a 13pc year on year decline in its adjusted operating profit, to $1.15bn. TotalEnergies cited lower LNG prices and sales, and said its gas trading operation "did not fully benefit in markets characterised by lower volatility than during the first half of 2023." A bright spot was the Exploration & Production business, where adjusted operating profit rose by 14pc on the year to $2.67bn. This was mainly driven by higher oil prices, which were partially offset by lower gas realisations and production. The company's second-quarter production averaged 2.44mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d), down by 1pc from 2.46mn boe/d reported for the January-March period and from the 2.47mn boe/d average in the second quarter of 2023. TotalEnergies attributed the quarter-on-quarter decline to a greater level of planned maintenance, particularly in the North Sea. But it said its underlying production — excluding the Canadian oil sands assets it sold last year — was up by 3pc on the year. This was largely thanks to the start up and ramp up of projects including Mero 2 offshore Brazil, Block 10 in Oman, Tommeliten Alpha and Eldfisk North in Norway, Akpo West in Nigeria and Absheron in Azerbaijan. TotalEnergies said production also benefited from its entry into the producing fields Ratawi, in Iraq, and Dorado in the US. The company expects production in a 2.4mn-2.45mn boe/d range in the third quarter, when its Anchor project in the US Gulf of Mexico is expected to start up. The company increased profit at its Integrated Power segment, which contains its renewables and gas-fired power operations. Adjusted operating profit rose by 12pc year-on-year to $502mn and net power production rose by 10pc to 9.1TWh. TotalEnergies' cash flow from operations, excluding working capital, was $7.78bn in April-June — an 8pc fall from a year earlier. The company has maintained its second interim dividend for 2024 at €0.79/share and plans to buy back up to $2bn of its shares in the third quarter, in line with its repurchases in previous quarters. By Jon Mainwaring Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Mercado mexicano de turbosina evalúa cambios de Pemex


24/07/24
News
24/07/24

Mercado mexicano de turbosina evalúa cambios de Pemex

Mexico City, 24 July (Argus) — La cadena de valor del mercado de turbosina en México podría sufrir cambios drásticos, luego de que la empresa estatal mexicana Pemex eliminara su programa de descuentos por volumen para las ventas de turbosina. Los precios de turbosina a partir del 1 de julio se determinan bajo el esquema de "precio único" anunciado por Pemex mediante un aviso oficial el 28 de junio, según una nota de Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA), el mayor cliente de turbosina de Pemex y el principal proveedor de combustible de aviación en México. Pemex afirmó en su aviso del 28 de junio que el cambio tiene como objetivo mejorar su oferta para el consumidor final y proporcionar "un precio competitivo" para todos sus clientes. La empresa no ha respondido a una solicitud de comentarios de Argus desde el 12 de julio. El programa de descuentos por volumen, activo hasta junio, permitía a los grandes participantes del mercado reducir los costes de la turbosina a través de grandes volúmenes de compra. Este cambio, junto con un peso mexicano más fuerte frente al dólar estadounidense, probablemente provocó una disminución considerable de los precios de turbosina en los principales aeropuertos de México, a pesar de la subida de los precios internacionales. El precio promedio de la turbosina en los cinco principales aeropuertos de México cayó en 5pc a Ps13.23/l ($2.75/USG) durante la semana del 2 al 8 de julio, desde Ps13.87/l la semana anterior, según cálculos de Argus basados en las tarifas de ASA. Sin embargo, el 1 de julio, los precios de la turbosina entregada en la costa este de México desde la costa del Golfo de EE. UU. habían aumentado en 6pc. Los precios cayeron aún más en esos aeropuertos durante la semana del 16 al 21 de julio, alcanzando su punto más bajo en cinco semanas, con un promedio de Ps12.96/l. Los precios al mayoreo de Pemex no incluyen costes logísticos ni impuestos. Los principales aeropuertos de México por número de pasajeros son Ciudad de México, Cancún, Guadalajara, Monterrey y Tijuana. Los principales distribuidores de turbosina en los aeropuertos, incluyendo a ASA y algunas empresas del sector privado, ya no mantendrán su ventaja competitiva como grandes compradores bajo el nuevo régimen de precio único, lo que podría abrir de forma abrupta el mercado mexicano de turbosina a una mayor competencia. El nuevo régimen de precios podría favorecer a la empresa militar Gafsacomm, que comenzó a vender combustible para aviones en algunos aeropuertos menores este año. Los volúmenes de ventas de Gafsacomm no cumplían los requisitos para recibir descuentos, lo que colocó a la compañía en desventaja frente a los competidores más grandes. Gafsacomm se creó en abril de 2022 y está a cargo de la secretaría de defensa (Sedena). La empresa también opera una docena de aeropuertos y la aerolínea comercial Mexicana de Aviación, que comenzó operaciones a finales de diciembre. La creciente implicación de Sedena y la marina en el sector de aviación bajo el presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador ha puesto en desventaja a otras empresas, incluidas las aerolíneas comerciales, según Cofece, el vigilante de la competencia de México. Gafsacomm comenzó a vender turbosina en el nuevo aeropuerto de Tulum este año y en el aeropuerto internacional Felipe Ángeles (AIFA) en mayo. Por el contrario, el refinador estadounidense Valero, la única empresa del sector privado que tiene un permiso válido de importación de turbosina en México, podría ampliar su negocio, ya que el nuevo esquema de precios de Pemex podría abrirle oportunidades en algunos aeropuertos. Mientras tanto, la eliminación del régimen de descuentos podría obstaculizar a las tres principales aerolíneas comerciales de México, que ya no recibirán descuentos por volumen y perderán competitividad frente a las aerolíneas regionales más pequeñas, además de las aerolíneas extranjeras. Pero el impacto en las aerolíneas podría no ser significativo, ya que algunas tienen contratos de suministro directo con Pemex, según fuentes del mercado. El gobierno tiene un monopolio sobre el mercado de turbosina de México, con Pemex suministrando gran parte del mercado. La turbosina fue el último de los productos petrolíferos en abrirse a una mayor competencia en México después de los cambios constitucionales en 2014, pero el progreso de la reforma se detuvo bajo la administración de López Obrador, que ha impulsado una política de soberanía energética. Por Antonio Gozain Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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