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Shale could help Brazil gas output
Shale could help Brazil gas output
Sao Paulo, 8 July (Argus) — Shale gas is the latest topic on Brazil's agenda to bolster its hydrocarbon reserves, as officials from several federal agencies visited Texas in May to learn more about the process. The group — led by Joao Henrique Nascimento, a director at the government's investment and partners program — visited with oil and gas regulator the Texas Railroad Commission and discussed possible cooperation on the oversight of onshore hydrocarbons production. The group also visited a natural gas field owned by China's CNOOC, including production wells and treatment units. Natural gas from US shale formations lead to a surge in production that lowered prices for consumers, even amid times of global turmoil, and also reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by displacing more-polluting power plant fuels like coal and fuel oil, according to Lucas Ribeiro, an economist specialized in energy and regulation, author of the paper "Unconventional gas: Forgotten energy sovereignty in the interior of Brazil." Shale gas exploration has been controversial in Brazil for at least a decade. Contracts awarded at an auction round aimed at expanding natural gas exploration and involving hydraulic fracturing in 2014 were suspended because of environmental concerns. Hydrocarbons regulator ANP — then led by now state-controlled Petrobras' chief executive Magda Chambriard — officially terminated the contracts in 2019. Recently, some lawmakers in states like Bahia and Mato Grosso, presented proposals to prohibit shale exploration. In Mato Grosso the governor vetoed a bill last week, saying it was a federal regulatory matter. In the national Congress a similar bill has not advanced since 2019. Hydraulic fracturing in unconventional reservoirs involves injecting large volumes of fluids at high pressure into formations that are inaccessible through most techniques. Environmental fears stem from the potential for groundwater contamination. Shale gas is among several Brazilian strategies to grow its gas supply on mines and energy minister Alexandre Silveira's agenda. Brazil has been importing gas from the US for decades, including shale gas, and the Brazilian market is following the development of Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale basin, according to Fernando Xavier, partner and head of oil and gas at the Machado Meyer law firm. Brazil's own unconventional gas reserve exploration should remain on the table, he said. Vaca Muerta holds 308 Tcf of natural gas and 16bn bl of crude, according to the US Energy Information Administration. By Betina Moura Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
S Korea unveils biogas strategy, eyes 1mn t/yr GHG cut
S Korea unveils biogas strategy, eyes 1mn t/yr GHG cut
Singapore, 24 June (Argus) — South Korea has released a national biogas strategy that aims to produce up to 500mn Nm³/yr of biogas by 2026, which will cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 1mn t/yr. The plan aims to treat 5.57mn t/yr of organic waste resources and substitute fossil fuels such as LNG that are worth 230bn won/yr ($166mn/yr), the environment ministry (ME) said last week. South Korea relies almost entirely on imports to meet its oil and gas needs, with the US' EIA estimating its fossil fuel import dependence at almost 98pc. South Korea's most expensive LNG imports in April were $14.69/mn Btu from Qatar, with the cheapest supplies from Indonesia at $7.31/mn Btu. The strategy comes as the amount of organic waste produced climbed by 12pc in the past decade, with 80pc of this going into making feed and compost, while only 6pc is used for biogas. About 370mn Nm³ of gas is produced across 110 facilities nationwide as of 2022 and is used for city gas and power generation, although about 15pc of capacity remains unused. South Korea aims to promote its biogas production targets, in line with its legislation. This comes after the Act on the Promotion of the Production and Use of Biogas Using Organic Waste Resources was implemented in December last year. The biogas act legislates that mandatory public-sector producers must convert 50pc of collected waste resources into biogas by 2034 and 80pc by 2050. Mandatory private-sector producers only need to hit 10pc by 2034 and 80pc in 2050. These targets will be expanded in stages in the future, with fines imposed should producers fail to achieve them. The law applies to large-scale producers of waste and includes farms with over 25,000 pigs, livestock waste treatment facilities that process over 200m³/d or more and facilities that produce over 1,000 t/yr of food waste, according to ME in December 2023. There are 235 local governments nationwide responsible for processing organic waste and 52 large-scale private waste producers as of 2022, ME said last week. South Korea also plans to expand its integrated biogasification production base from a total of three locations in 2022 and seven locations in 2023 to 15 locations this year. ME in March announced the selection of eight additional local governments for the installation of biogasification facilities — Incheon, Gwangju, Gwacheon, Chuncheon, Hoengseong, Buyeo, Mokpo and Suncheon. If these eight projects are completed by 2030 they can produce about 90,000 Nm³/d of biogas from 1,660 t/d of organic waste. The country is also pursuing a demonstration project to produce biogas from unused organic waste, such as animal and vegetable residues. South Korea will also offer more support to projects that simultaneously use two or more types of organic waste to raise biogas production efficiency. South Korea will additionally revise its Urban Gas Business Act so that the biogas producers can directly supply more to consumers, from 10,000 Nm³/month previously to 300,000 Nm³/month. Hydrogen pursuit South Korea also plans to continue installing hydrogen production facilities that use biogas, with two additional facilities installed this year, which will total four such facilities. Domestic firm Hyundai E&C earlier this month announced it is pursuing opportunities in producing high-purity hydrogen from biogas sourced from organic waste. The country also hopes to use biogas to produce clean methanol, which can be used as bunker fuel and for which demand has been rising given stricter regulations on vessel carbon emissions. By Tng Yong Li Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Brazilian minister defends shale gas exploration
Brazilian minister defends shale gas exploration
Rio de Janeiro, 19 June (Argus) — Brazil's mines and energy minister Alexandre Silveira defended exploring shale gas in the country in an address to the lower house of congress. Silveira proposed integrating Brazil's energy resources with those of neighboring countries, especially Argentina, which boasts an estimated 308 Tcf of gas reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration. He also urged discussions regarding unconventional gas exploration in Brazil. "It makes little sense for us to continue importing unconventional gas from the US after more than five decades," Silveira said. "Meanwhile, we hesitate to explore similar resources within our own borders because of unclear reasons." Mato Grosso and Bahia states are currently discussing exploring shale gas by hydraulic fracking, while Parana and Santa Catarina states have regulation in place. More supply, lower prices Silveira once again stressed the need to increase gas supply and decrease prices. "Currently, 35pc of our chemical industry is not operating in full capacity because of insufficient gas supply and excessively high prices compared with international rates," he said. "We must explore all avenues to meet demand." This is not the first time Silveira calls for lower gas prices to push Brazil's industrialization, one of the federal government's main objectives . Brazil needs to hold a secure, sustainable approach to energy exploration while maintaining its energy sovereignty, Silveira said. For that, it needs to leverage all of its available energy resources, despite having an 88pc clean energy matrix. "We cannot afford to overlook our potential," Silveira said. "Renouncing any option would be a disservice to our nation." By Betina Moura Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Renewable natural gas not ‘major’ for climate: Chevron
Renewable natural gas not ‘major’ for climate: Chevron
New York, 13 June (Argus) — The growth of renewable natural gas (RNG) production is great news for the climate, but "to say that it is having a major impact by itself is difficult," the president of Chevron's global gas division said this week at an industry gathering. The US oil major, which has invested in RNG facilities in California , Michigan and elsewhere in recent years, has also boosted its conventional gas production on the heels of a crude-focused acquisition of a Denver-based producer. "I don't want to get called out (for) greenwashing or whatever because the volume is just very small compared to the overall portfolio," Chevron gas division president Freeman Shaheen said at the Northeast LDC Gas Forum in Boston, Massachusetts. Advocates for RNG hail the fuel, comprising methane from landfills and animal waste projects that is processed into pipeline-quality gas, as a boon for the climate. This is not only because its use displaces conventional natural gas produced in hydrocarbon drilling — so-called ‘fossil gas' — but because its production takes methane that would have been released directly into the atmosphere and burns it as fuel, releasing CO₂ — a less potent greenhouse gas — instead. But RNG today comprises just 0.5pc of the North American gas market. Even with continued policy support and technological development, Wood Mackenzie projects it will grow to just 4 Bcf/d (113mn m³/d), or 3pc of the market, by 2050. This is why some policymakers, such as Massachusetts' utilities regulatory, have rejected gas distributors' calls to decarbonize the gas system with RNG. The energy industry simply has not invested enough in RNG over the past several decades for it to reach the scale needed to play a bigger role in cutting emissions, Shaheen said. By Julian Hast Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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