India falls behind on biogas production plans

Market: LPG, Natural gas
02/06/21

India is far behind in its plans to set up 5,000 compressed biogas (CBG) production plants, with only two so far operational and foundation stones laid for five others. The delay in replacing transport fuels with cleaner biogas imperils the country's energy security and makes it more dependent on imported crude.

Five plants are coming up in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab that will use agricultural residues — currently being burnt by farmers, raising pollution levels — cattle dung and municipal solid waste. Two CBG plants in Hyderabad and Punjab are operational, with state-run refiners opening CBG retail outlets in Hyderabad and Ludhiana in Punjab.

India's Satat scheme, launched in October 2018, aims to set up CBG plants with a production target of 15mn t by 2023. But the government will miss the target by a mile, as it is impossible to add 4,998 plants in two years when it has taken nearly 2½ years to commission two projects.

"The CBG programme under Satat has gained momentum but growth has to be exponential, not incremental," said oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan at an event launching the CBG plants. The government via state-controlled refiner IOC has signed initial agreements with companies including JBM, Adani Gas, Torrent Gas and Petronet LNG for 1,500 CBG plants in an effort to cut India's dependency of around 85pc on imported crude and over 50pc on imported LNG.

Pradhan claims there is a large potential to harness usable hydrogen from CBG. The government has allowed CBG to be shipped via natural gas pipelines to industrial consumers. The fuel will also substitute compressed natural gas (CNG) and auto LPG at retail outlets.

India's Covid-19 battle and resulting lockdowns have crippled economic activity since March 2020, with the ongoing second wave of the pandemic leading to record cases and casualties. The economy shrank by 7.3pc in the 2020-21 fiscal year ending in March, with growth expected to rebound by a little over 9pc this fiscal year, according to Moody's Investors Service, revising its forecasts downward from 13.7pc.

Ethanol blending with gasoline was 8.2pc in April at 247mn litres and 7.4pc in the December 2020-April 2021 period at 1.3bn l, according to the oil ministry. This compares with 5pc blending, or 1.73bn l, over the entire December 2019-November 2020 ethanol supply year.

India's gross gas production reached 2.65bn m³ in April, steady from March but up from 2.16bn m³ a year earlier.

Total gas consumption of 5.24bn m³ in April fell from 5.58bn m³ in March but rose from 3.9bn m³ a year earlier.

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14/04/25

IMO GHG pricing not yet Paris deal-aligned: EU

Brussels, 14 April (Argus) — The International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) global greenhouse gas (GHG) pricing mechanism "does not yet ensure the sector's full contribution to achieving the Paris Agreement goals", the European Commission has said. "Does it have everything for everybody? For sure, it doesn't," said Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the commission's climate and energy spokesperson said. "This is often the case as an outcome from international negotiations, that not everybody gets the most optimal outcome." The IMO agreement reached last week will need to be confirmed by the organisation in October, the EU noted, even if it is a "strong foundation" and "meaningful step" towards net zero GHG emissions in global shipping by 2050. The commission will have 18 months following the IMO mechanism's formal approval to review the directive governing the bloc's emissions trading system (ETS), which currently includes maritime emissions for intra-EU voyages and those entering or leaving the bloc. By EU law, the commission will also have to report on possible "articulation or alignment" of the bloc's FuelEU Maritime regulation with the IMO, including the need to "avoid duplicating regulation of GHG emissions from maritime transport" at EU and international levels. That report should be presented, "without delay", following formal adoption of an IMO global GHG fuel standard or global GHG intensity limit. Finland's head representative at the IMO delegation talks, Anita Irmeli, told Argus that the EU's consideration of whether the approved Marpol amendments are ambitious enough won't be until "well after October". Commenting on the IMO agreement, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) pointed to the "neutral" approach to feedstocks, including first generation biofuels. "The EBB welcomes this agreement, where all feedstocks and pathways have a role to play," EBB secretary general Xavier Noyon said. Faig Abbasov, shipping director at non-governmental organisation Transport and Environment, called for better incentives for green hydrogen. "The IMO deal creates a momentum for alternative marine fuels. But unfortunately it is the forest-destroying first generation biofuels that will get the biggest push for the next decade," he said. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Bio-LNG could boom by early 2030s under IMO deal

14/04/25

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14/04/25

Bio-LNG could boom by early 2030s under IMO deal

London, 14 April (Argus) — Compliance with the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) newly agreed global greenhouse gas (GHG) two-tier pricing mechanism will require LNG-powered ships to transition to bio-LNG by 2029 under the encouraged 'direct compliance' tier, or by 2033 for the minimum 'base target' tier, or else potentially incur heavy costs. The pricing mechanism was approved by IMO delegates on 11 April in London. Formal adoption will be decided in October, at the next Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting, when a two-thirds majority vote will be required. The text says ships must reduce their fuel intensity by a "base target" of 4pc in 2028 (see table) against 93.3g CO2e/MJ, the latter representing the average GHG fuel intensity value of international shipping in 2008. This gradually tightens to 30pc by 2035. The text defines a "direct compliance target", that starts at 17pc for 2028 and grows to 43pc by 2035. Well-to-wake emissions for LNG diesel-type engines at dual fuel slow speed are equal to 76.08g CO2e/MJ, an 18.4pc emission reduction from the IMO's 2008 benchmark. In theory, this means the average LNG-vessel is compliant with the IMO's scheme until 2029 under both maximum and minimum tiers, or until 2033 under the base target. Waste-based bio-LNG carries a GHG intensity of between 30 and -100g CO2e/MJ depending on feedstock and production, which translates to between 68.09-206.4pc GHG emissions savings, making it compliant across all tiers. However, the uptake of bio-LNG may be capped. Many LNG-capable vessels run on dual-fuel engines, meaning ship-owners may be more inclined to adopt biodiesel, ammonia or other diesel-engine applicable fuels, depending on price levels and other real-world drawbacks. The pricing mechanism establishes a levy for excessive emissions at $380 per tonne of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) for ships compliant with the 'base' target, called Tier 2. For ships in Tier 1 — those compliant with the base target but that still have emission levels higher than the direct compliance target — the price was set at $100/tCO2e. Instead of physically transitioning to a greener fuel, ships could meet targets using 'surplus units', which will be allocated to over-compliant vessels equal to their positive compliance balance, expressed in tCO2e, and valid for two years after emission. Ships then will be able to use the surplus units in the following reporting periods, transfer to other vessels as a credit, or voluntarily cancel as a mitigation contribution. This could give rise to an entirely new ticket market or emissions trading scheme (ETS) common in many European markets for other transport fuel sectors. LNG vessels accounted for more than 2pc of the active global shipping fleet as of October last year, according to energy industry coalition SEA-LNG, but make up the majority of new-build alternative marine vessel orders over the next 10 years. By Madeleine Jenkins IMO GHG reduction targets Year Base Target Direct Compliance Target 2028 4% 17% 2029 6% 19% 2030 8% 21% 2031 12% 25% 2032 17% 30% 2033 21% 34% 2034 26% 39% 2035 30% 43% Source: IMO Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Shale patch on edge after tariff drama

14/04/25

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14/04/25

Shale patch on edge after tariff drama

New York, 14 April (Argus) — US president Donald Trump's back and forth over tariffs that sent oil prices tumbling to a four-year low last week has sparked jitters across the shale patch, although most producers are likely to take their time to respond. The oil and gas industry, one of Trump's biggest cheerleaders and donors during his election campaign, has been taken aback by the speed and scale of the president's escalating trade wars and executives are signalling growing impatience. Meanwhile, Trump's "Drill, baby, drill" mantra is even less likely to become a reality now, after oil slid below the $65/bl level that executives surveyed by the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank last month warned was needed to profitably sink a new well. Trump's imposition of punitive tariffs on nearly every major US trading partner led to a sell-off in stock, bonds and commodity markets until he announced a 90-day pause for most nations — except China — on 9 April. While it may be too early for talk about dropping rigs and curtailing production, companies will face tough questions from analysts about their contingency plans when first-quarter results start coming through later this month. One key difference from previous downturns in 2014 and 2020 is that exploration and production (E&P) firms are in a better position this time, with less debt on their balance sheets and more modest growth plans, which may help limit the initial fallout. But higher costs owing to tariffs on steel imports could offset the efficiency savings that have kept production going in an era of restrained spending. "E&Ps are likely to mostly take a wait-and-see approach — with a high level of uncertainty about future policy — and not prematurely lay down rigs," consultancy Enverus principal analyst Andrew Dittmar says. "If prices are weak headed into 2026, that is where you are likely to see a more material reduction in drilling budgets. Feeling dominated The shale industry has welcomed Trump's "energy dominance" agenda and his promise of a permitting overhaul. But cracks are appearing in that relationship because of his stop-start policy on tariffs. "This administration better have a plan," Diamondback Energy president Kaes Van't Hof said in a social media post, in a direct appeal to energy secretary Chris Wright. Shale is the "only industry that actually built itself in the US, manufactures in the US, grew jobs in the US and improved the trade deficit — and by proxy GDP — in the US over the past decade", Van't Hof, who is due to become Diamondback chief executive later this year, said. His company became the largest pure-play producer in the prolific Permian basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico following its $26bn takeover of Endeavor Energy Resources last year. While few public producers were planning any kind of meaningful growth this year as higher dividends and buy-backs continue to be the priority, even that could eventually find itself on the chopping block. "The corporate reality for public players means that already modest growth could be at risk if prices remain near $60/bl," Rystad Energy vice-president for North American oil and gas Matthew Bernstein says. Little in the way of growth was forecast outside the core Permian this year even before Trump rolled out his tariffs. A prolonged period of lower prices could spur a downturn in the top-performing US basin. A combination of short-term activity levels, investor distributions and production could be sacrificed in order to defend margins, according to Rystad. And producers in the Delaware sub-basin could be especially vulnerable, given the region's steep initial decline rates, high well costs and large capital return requirements, the consultancy says. By Stephen Cunningham WTI breakeven price Nymex WTI futures month 1 Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Brunei LNG undergoes unplanned downtime

14/04/25

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14/04/25

Brunei LNG undergoes unplanned downtime

Singapore, 14 April (Argus) — Brunei's 7.2mn t/yr Brunei LNG export terminal experienced an operational upset on 11 April, but there were no reported injuries or damages to its assets, the firm said in a notice. "Normalisation process is currently in progress," the firm added. Visible flaring and black smoke from the plant may be observed during this time, but the situation is under control and poses no risk to the surrounding community or environment, the firm reported. Brunei LNG cancelled its tender offering a cargo on a fob basis for loading on 22 June , likely as a result of the operational upset. The tender was initially due to close on 17 April. It is still uncertain when the export terminal will resume normal operations. By Joey Chan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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US tariffs cast a shadow on global gas market

11/04/25

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11/04/25

US tariffs cast a shadow on global gas market

Steel can make up nearly a third of an LNG terminal's pricetag, so the new levies could push up costs and push back start-up dates, writes Xiaoyi Deng London, 11 April (Argus) — US president Donald Trump's volatile tariff policy and some of the countermeasures already announced by large trade partners are unlikely to cause any direct disruption to global gas markets. But they will have a direct impact on future US liquefaction capacity. And the indirect effects on gas supply and demand could be huge, stemming from a weaker macroeconomic outlook, fuel substitution and inflationary pressures on infrastructure development. US LNG developers hailed Trump's return to office, after complaining that his predecessor complicated the issuance of additional export licences. But Trump's imposition of 25pc tariffs on all foreign-sourced steel and aluminum, from 12 March, will increase infrastructure costs in the US' upstream and midstream sectors. These present an immediate risk for US LNG developers, particularly for the five projects under construction and the six others expected to reach final investment decisions (FIDs) this year. Metals account for up to 30pc of the cost of an LNG export plant. A terminal can cost $5bn-25bn to build, depending on its size, with steel used for pipelines, tanks and other structural frameworks. Facilities can be built using some domestically produced metal, but higher prices for this might lead to construction and FID delays for the country's planned liquefaction projects. US tariffs' primary effect on the domestic gas market stems from duties levied on non-energy goods used by the oil and gas industry, including steel and specialised pipeline components such as valves and compressors, which are imported. The US remains a net natural gas importer from Canada , but these flows are unlikely to be affected by trade tariffs, given the lack of alternative supply sources available to some northern US states. Tariff baiting Trump's latest tariff round , unveiled on 2 April, involves a a minimum 10pc on all foreign imports from 5 April,with much higher tariffs on selected countries that briefly came into force on 9 April, before Trump bowed to panic in financial markets and announced a 90-day pause. China is the key exception. It has announced retaliatory tariffs that could disrupt US energy exports, resulting in an escalation that leaves the overall levy at 145pc in the US and 125pc in China. China had already stopped importing US LNG earlier this year. But disruption to trade between the world's two largest economies may weigh heavily on manufacturing activity in China, in turn reducing industrial gas demand. And the ripple effects of disruption to US LPG exports to China may alter fuel-switching economics in the region and beyond. Most other countries in Asia-Pacific have opted not to follow China's lead by retaliating. The Japanese government intends to negotiate a better tariff deal and is considering investing in the US' proposed 20mn t/yr Alaska LNG export project as part of wider efforts to reduce its trade surplus with the US. Countries in Asia-Pacific have been hit with some of the highest of Trump's targeted duties. The EU is keeping retaliatory measures on the table, but these are unlikely to involve US LNG. Europe has become much more reliant on LNG imports after losing the bulk of its Russian pipeline supply, and imposing tariffs on energy imports would only reignite inflationary pressures that European countries have tried to curb over the past three years. The bloc says it is ready to negotiate on possibly increasing its US LNG imports to reduce its trade surplus and would axe tariffs on industrial imports if the US agrees to do the same. But Trump says this is not enough, citing the EU's upcoming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism as one of the "unfair trade practices" that justifies a tariff response. US LNG project pipeline mn t/yr Project Capacity Expected start/FID Under construction Plaquemines 19.2 2025 Corpus Christi stage 3 12.0 2025 Golden Pass 18.1 2026 Rio Grande 17.6 2027 Port Arthur 13.5 2027 Waiting for final investment decision Delfin FLNG 1 13.2 mid-2025 Texas LNG 4.0 2025 Calcasieu Pass 2 28.0 mid-2025 Corpus Christi train 8-9 3.3 2025 Louisiana LNG 16.5 mid-2025 Cameron train 4 6.8 mid-2025 Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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