Rio Grande do Sul remaneja fornecimento de gás
O fornecimento de gás natural no Rio Grande do Sul teve que ser redistribuído em razão das enchentes históricas no estado, com o diesel potencialmente voltando como combustível a usinas de energia para deixar mais gás disponível para a produção de GLP (gás de cozinha).
O gasoduto Gasbol, que abastece o Sul do Brasil, não tem capacidade para atender à demanda da refinaria Alberto Pasqualini (Refap), da usina termelétrica de Canoas — controlada pela Petrobras — e das distribuidoras de gás natural da região, disse Jean Paul Prates, o então presidente-executivo da Petrobras, no início desta semana.
A distribuidora de gás de Santa Catarina ajustou sua própria rede local para atender aos picos de demanda no Rio Grande do Sul por meio da malha de transporte de gás.
A usina térmica de Canoas está operando com geração mínima de 150 GW, sendo 61pc provenientes de sua turbina a gás. A usina foi colocada em operação para restabelecer o fornecimento adequado de energia depois que as linhas de transmissão no Sul foram afetadas pelas enchentes.
A Petrobras planeja usar um motor a diesel para aumentar a geração de energia. O atual custo variável unitário (CVU) para o diesel na usina de Canoas é de R1.115,29/MWh. A companhia petrolífera também está operando a Refap a 59pc de sua capacidade instalada máxima.
Fortes chuvas no Rio Grande do Sul desde 29 de abril trouxeram inundações sem precedentes ao estado, causando uma crise humanitária e danos à infraestrutura. O clima extremo deixou 154 mortos, 98 desaparecidos e mais de 540 mil deslocados, segundo a defesa civil do estado.
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China’s CNOOC gets record gas results from Bohai well
China’s CNOOC gets record gas results from Bohai well
Singapore, 17 July (Argus) — Chinese state-controlled oil firm CNOOC has achieved what it described as record gas production results from a test well at its Longkou 7-1 (LK7-1) oil and gas field in the eastern region of China's Bohai Sea. The LK7-1-1 exploration well could produce almost 1mn m³/d of natural gas and about 210m³/d (1,320 b/d) of crude oil, the company said on 15 July. The former set a record for natural gas tested productivity in the Bohai Sea, according to CNOOC. China produced 123.6bn m³ of natural gas in January-June, up by 6pc from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS). The country produced 4.15mn b/d of crude in 2023, NBS data showed. The potential output adds to CNOOC's reserves and production in the Bohai Sea, which stood at 1.97mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) and 599,847 boe/d as of the end of 2023, according to CNOOC. The region represents 29pc of the company's total reserves and approximately 32pc of its production. CNOOC, along with other state-controlled firms like PetroChina and Sinopec, dominates China's domestic oil and gas production. CNOOC has also separately started production at an oilfield offshore China. The Wushi 23-5 oilfield development project — located in the Beibu Gulf of the South China Sea — is expected to produce light crude, and achieve peak production of 18,100 boe/d in 2026. "The project will realise full-process recovery and utilisation of the associated gas through integrated natural gas treatment," the company said on 1 July. CNOOC in November 2023 started production at its Bozhong 19-6 condensate gas field in the Bohai bay. The gas field is currently producing an estimated 37,500 boe/d, exceeding an initial expectation of peak production of about 37,000 boe/d, the company said on 11 July. CNOOC in March 2023 discovered the Bozhong 26-6 field with over 100mn t of oil equivalent reserves, also in the Bohai Sea. By Joey Chan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Q&A: Petredec pushes LPG to drive Africa clean cooking
Q&A: Petredec pushes LPG to drive Africa clean cooking
London, 16 July (Argus) — LPG trading company and shipowner Petredec was recently unveiled as one of the founding members of the World Liquid Gas Association's (WLGA) Cooking For Life Africa Task Force (CFLA), following the in May. The company was one of the early international entrants to the sub-Saharan African LPG market and continues to pursue opportunities in the region. Argus' Oliver Binks spoke with Petredec's head of downstream, James Bullen, about the company's plans to help expand LPG's use across Africa: Why did Petredec join the CFLA? The task force is a direct response to the IEA's call to action following its summit in Paris in May. The IEA's ambition is to end cooking fuel poverty by making cleaner fuels accessible to all, thereby saving lives. The WLGA created the task force to focus on LPG's role in addressing this challenge. Although the problem itself is acknowledged to be surmountable, and not even particularly costly — in relative terms — the WLGA believes that LPG can largely solve the issue of clean cooking in Africa now. This is a belief that we not only share, but also through our work on the ground in Africa, fully understand first-hand. LPG is well-suited to developing markets, such as those being highlighted as particularly problematic within Africa by the IEA. We believe that LPG's inherent benefits of being accessible, easy to deploy, well-understood and affordable make it the unparalleled choice for meeting the IEA's objectives. What projects are the company involved in within the region? Our strategy onshore has been to invest in markets where LPG is established and understood but market growth is in some way hindered. This is typically owing to a lack of investment in infrastructure, especially import infrastructure. We base our investment decisions on long-term opportunities for LPG and how we can alleviate these bottlenecks to facilitate growth. Affordability is a significant barrier to fuel switching, so being able to import the cheapest possible product is a fundamental pillar of any investment plan we develop. And central to this is the necessity to select locations where the largest LPG carriers, VLGCs, can be accommodated to discharge cargoes. Big ships mean better freight economics, which means cheaper import prices and more affordable LPG for the consumer. We have not announced the specific details of our new investments and are not in a position to do so yet, but the type of projects will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with our record. We have invested more than $200m in the past decade on medium to large-scale LPG infrastructure and it's fair to assume we will do more of the same. What are the challenges to developing infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa? While working in each developing market has its own specific challenges, there are often common issues to navigate when large-scale infrastructure projects are under development. These include planning and permitting , environmental adherence and acceptance and navigating local bureaucracy, which can be multi-layered and onerous. Delays are common and projects such as designing and constructing import terminals, distribution systems and break-bulk hubs are complicated and time-consuming. The key to overcoming these is consistency, perseverance, patience and commitment. Projects run late, budgets require amendments and remits change, but good opportunities are often difficult by nature. Keeping the end goal in sight and taking a long-term view are key. What specific infrastructure in the supply chain needs the most investment? Different regions and markets have different needs. Some countries have focused on one specific type of infrastructure investment while ignoring other key elements. Other countries are in need of modernisation across their entire supply chains. A problem we frequently come across is outdated and insufficient infrastructure stifling market growth. While market participants' intentions to support the growth of LPG might be there, their efforts can be in vain if they are working with 50-year-old-plus import terminals with inadequate capacity to meet market demands, or an antiquated cylinder filling and distribution system. How much LPG does Petredec supply to sub-Saharan Africa, and where does it source it from? Petredec has supplied LPG to Africa since the 1980s, first in north Africa and then elsewhere around the coast of the continent. Annual quantities vary with supply contracts, but for many years now we have supplied significant volumes to South Africa, which we then distribute via road tankers across the southern part of the continent. From our import hub in Richards Bay, South Africa, our local subsidiary, Petregaz, transports LPG to nine countries across the region, often more than 2,000km in each direction. We have always used our global trading, supply and shipping system to ensure that the most appropriate product is supplied to each market. This means as arbitrage opportunities open and close, product can originate from a number of locations, but for South Africa, we typically utilise our large offtake positions in the US Gulf to supply the market. What other clean cooking options do Africans have apart from LPG, and why not pursue these over LPG? We aren't aware of any alternatives as compelling as LPG when considered holistically as a "through the transition" energy option for developing markets. The IEA itself, in the report A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All, identifies LPG as the primary solution to deliver clean cooking access, representing nearly half of the households gaining access by 2030. That is not to say that LPG is the answer to every problem in every market. During the summit, we encountered new cooking stoves powered by solar energy and recycled pellets, both intriguing but reliant on electric power as a back-up fuel or for flame acceleration. Where we are talking about markets with limited access to electricity, neither of these are practical. The summit also highlighted a number of biofuels, some of which appear interesting, but developments are very early and at this point unproven. We do not believe that LPG's ready availability, low-cost set-up and easy scale-up can be bettered by any current alternative. Which countries are the company focusing on for LPG market expansion across the region? We are focused on expanding operations in our existing markets and new territories. We already deliver LPG to nine sub-Saharan African countries by road so fully understand the importance of multi-modal logistics. But we are keen to improve supply chain operations and are examining opportunities to utilise alternative forms of transport and enhance existing logistics in order to improve productivity and, most importantly, lower costs. Reduced logistic costs means cheaper deliveries resulting in improved affordability, which is crucial as we and our partners strive for market growth. What are the company's objectives in terms of inland African LPG distribution this year? The current project focus, particularly in South Africa, is on further optimisation of the supply chain to better serve our customers. Having acquired one of South Africa's largest dedicated LPG road logistics operators in 2023, we have now fully integrated that business into our operations and have set about further expanding the freight aspect of our offering. We expect to announce further developments in due course that will improve that level in terms of speed, cost and reliability. Targeting new usage opportunities for LPG is also a key current focus, as we look to leverage the strong foundations we have laid since commissioning the Richards Bay terminal in 2020. Acute shortages of alternative energy options and an ongoing electricity crisis in South Africa have thrust LPG into the limelight as a viable substitute for power generation. We are engaged with several industrial and commercial businesses looking for energy security that are, for the first time, considering using LPG. The company divested its Reunion business in 2023. Why and what lessons were learnt? The business ran profitably throughout our 14 years of ownership, and together with our local partner, we had gradually managed to grow our market share and overall volumes. However, with our investment focus in the region shifting from the southern Indian Ocean to continental Africa, Petregaz Reunion had become somewhat isolated in our longer-term strategic growth plan. With their own growth strategy focusing on market consolidation and integrating operations, the business was a natural fit for Vivo Energy and a transaction suited all parties. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Japan’s Imabari delivers LNG-fuelled car carrier
Japan’s Imabari delivers LNG-fuelled car carrier
Tokyo, 16 July (Argus) — Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding delivered an LNG-fuelled car carrier this month to domestic shipping company Mitsui OSK Line (Mol), as Mol targets 90 LNG or methanol-fuelled ships in its fleet by 2030. Imabari supplied on 12 July the Turquoise Ace with capacity for 7,000 cars. It is designed to consume boil-off gas generated within the vessel's fuel LNG tank, expected to curb carbon dioxide emissions by 25-30pc, sulphur oxide emissions by almost 100pc and nitrogen oxide emissions by 80-90pc. The ship was built by Imabari's group company Tadotsu Shipyard in west Japan's Kagawa prefecture. Mol is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050 by boosting the number of its LNG- and methanol-fuelled vessels. The firm has commissioned another LNG-fuelled car carrier the Cerulean Ace with capacity for 7,050 cars, while it plans to charter an LNG-fuelled bulk carrier for utility Kansai Electric Power to deliver coal to Kansai's Maizuru power complex in 2026. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Trump taps Vance as running mate for 2024
Trump taps Vance as running mate for 2024
Washington, 15 July (Argus) — Former president Donald Trump has selected US senator JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his vice presidential pick for his 2024 campaign, elevating a former venture capitalist and close ally to become his running mate in the election. Vance, 39, is best known for his bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy that documented his upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, and his Appalachian roots. In the run-up to the presidential elections in 2016, Vance said he was "a never Trump guy" and called Trump "reprehensible." But he has since become one of Trump's top supporters and adopted many of his policies on the economy and immigration. Vance voted against providing more military aid to Ukraine and pushed Europe to spend more on defense. Trump said he chose his running mate after "lengthy deliberation and thought," citing Vance's service in the military, his law degree and his business career, which included launching venture capital firm Narya in 2020. Vance will do "everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump said today in a social media post. Like Trump, Vance has pushed to increase domestic oil and gas production and criticized government support for electric vehicles. President Joe Biden's energy policies have been "at war" with workers in states that are struggling because of the importance of low-cost energy to manufacturing, Vance said last month in an interview with Fox News. Trump made the announcement about Vance on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and just two days after surviving an assassination attempt during a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Earlier today, federal district court judge Aileen Cannon threw out a felony indictment that alleged Trump had mishandled classified government documents after leaving office. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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