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Opec+ JTC meeting postponed to 17 June

  • Spanish Market: Crude oil
  • 04/06/20

The Joint Technical Committee (JTC) that studies market conditions on behalf of the Opec+ alliance will next adjourn on 17 June, in a further reshuffle of the group's meeting schedule for this month, according to four Opec delegates.

One of the sources said that the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) — which tracks the compliance of Opec+ members with their production quotas — could assemble on 18 June. The JMMC has historically met the day after the JTC.

It is not clear what the postponement of the JTC online conference means for the timeline of the upcoming Opec and Opec+ meetings. The JTC and JMMC meetings typically precede and inform the ministerial assemblies.

Over the weekend, Opec presidency holder Algeria had suggested bringing forward the Opec+ talks to 4 June from their initial schedule of 9-10 June. But the proposal was not agreed in time to hold an assembly today.

Opec+ de facto leaders Russia and Saudi Arabia back an extension of current output quotas until the end of July, according to an Opec delegate. Another Opec source said the ministerial meetings are unlikely to take place until members have studied May compliance during the JMMC conference.


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09/10/24

US September OCTG, line pipe imports may rise

US September OCTG, line pipe imports may rise

Houston, 9 October (Argus) — US imports of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and line pipe products could increase in September. US OCTG imports could be 114,500 metric tonnes (t) in September, which would represent an increase of 15,200t compared to the prior year, according to license data from the US Department of Commerce, which is subject to change. If realized the September OCTG rise would be driven by a potential 19,800t increase from the prior year from South Korea to 60,600t and a 7,700t increase in volumes from Taiwan, up from none in the prior year. Those increases are partially offset by a possible 8,400t decrease in volumes from Canada and a 5,100t decrease from Mexico. If September OCTG import volumes do rise, it will be only the second month since May 2023 that import volumes have increased year over year. Line pipe imports may jump by 19,200t from the prior year to 101,800t. That increase could be driven by a 9,500t increase in line pipe of unspecified diameter from South Korea to 34,700t, and a 3,900t increase in Japanese volumes for line pipe less than or equal to 16in. By Rye Druzchetta US pipe and tube import licenses metric tonnes Product Sep-24 Sep-23 Difference ±% Aug-24 OCTG 114,521 99,310 15,211 15.3% 129,096 Line pipe* 101,777 82,589 19,188 23.2% 84,940 Standard 56,725 56,488 237 0.4% 63,929 Heavy Structural Shapes 57,682 43,364 14,318 33.0% 66,669 US Department of Commerce; September 2024 data is license data, which is subject to change. *Line pipe is all diameters. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Russia to present climate strategy at Cop 29


09/10/24
09/10/24

Russia to present climate strategy at Cop 29

Edinburgh, 9 October (Argus) — Russia is preparing to present its climate strategy at the UN Cop 29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November, deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said. Novak convened a meeting with Russian ministries on climate issues on 7 October, in which a forecast for Russia's emissions rates, in line with the country's 'low emissions economic development strategy to 2050', was discussed. The strategy was approved in 2021. It is unclear whether the strategy is linked to Russia's new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) — a climate plan to be submitted to the UN. Cop parties are expected to publish their next NDCs to the Paris climate agreement — this time for 2035 — in November-February, as part of a cycle that requires countries to "ratchet up" their commitments every five years. Russia's president Vladimir Putin announced Russia's 2060 net zero ambitions in October 2021, but the country has not updated its NDC since 2020. The Cop 28 agreement signed in the UAE last year included an energy section calling for "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems", a tripling of renewable capacity by 2030 and for "accelerating action in this critical decade", giving the direction countries need to take in the energy transition. The country's main focus is on doubling the absorptive capacity of Russia's forests and producing and exporting more gas, to replace demand for more carbon-intensive oil and coal. Russia has no plans to reduce coal and oil output. Russia's climate envoy Ruslan Edelgeriyev said in November 2022 that Moscow could achieve net zero a decade earlier than in 2060 if its access to international debt markets and technology was not blocked because of the sanctions imposed over Ukraine. While reiterating net zero ambitions last year despite the sanctions, Putin repeatedly called accelerated decarbonisation irresponsible, claiming that it contributed to Europe's energy crisis in 2021. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Hurricane Milton set for late Wednesday landfall


08/10/24
08/10/24

Hurricane Milton set for late Wednesday landfall

New York, 8 October (Argus) — Hurricane Milton is expected to come ashore on Florida's Gulf coast near Tampa Bay late Wednesday, bringing life-threatening storm surge and destructive winds that have already spurred widespread evacuation orders. US president Joe Biden warned Milton could be one of the worst storms to hit Florida in 100 years, as he urged residents under evacuation orders to act without delay. "It's a matter of life and death," he said today. The storm was located about 520 miles southwest of Tampa at 2pm ET today, with maximum sustained winds of 155mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Storm surge is expected to range from 10-15 feet along the Florida coast from north of Tampa to Englewood. The fall-out for offshore oil and gas production in the US Gulf of Mexico appears limited given the forecast track takes Milton far south of most platforms. Mexican state oil company Pemex said its ports in the Gulf of Mexico stopped operations over the last 24 hours as Milton passed north of the Yucatan Peninsula, but the company did not report on the status of offshore production. Milton is expected to pick up speed as it turns toward the northeast later today, with the center forecast to move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approach the west-central coast of Florida through Wednesday. Landfall is expected on Wednesday night before Milton sweeps across central Florida. "While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida," the center said. Florida officials are dispatching previously stockpiled fuel to retail stations throughout the state as hundreds of thousands of residents flee the western coast. Ports and terminals on Florida's Gulf coast from Tampa to Fort Myers Beach closed at 8am ET today as a precaution. Chevron previously evacuated and shut in its Blind Faith oil and gas production platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The 65,000 b/d platform is located around 160 miles southeast of New Orleans. Crude production from Blind Faith feeds into South Louisiana Intermediate crude slate, which is not actively traded in the spot market but is typically priced using Heavy Louisiana Sweet. Shell, BP and ExxonMobil all said there has been no impact to their drilling or production in the Gulf of Mexico, although the companies continue to monitor the hurricane. By Stephen Cunningham Hurricane Milton projected path Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

September was second hottest: EU's Copernicus


08/10/24
08/10/24

September was second hottest: EU's Copernicus

London, 8 October (Argus) — Last month was the second hottest September on record globally, after September 2023, with average temperatures 0.73°C higher than the 1991-2020 average for the month, according to data from the EU climate-monitoring service Copernicus. Last month's average temperatures globally were 1.54°C above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels and September's average was the 14th month in a 15-month period when the global average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The global average temperature for the 12 months to September was the second highest on record for any 12-month period — 0.74°C above the 1991-2020 average, and an estimated 1.62°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. The January–September 2024 global-average temperature was 0.71°C above the 1991-2020 average, the highest on record for the period and 0.19°C warmer than the same period in 2023. It is almost certain that 2024 will turn out to be the warmest year on record, Copernicus said. The average temperature over European land for September 2024 was 1.74°C above the 1991-2020 average for September, making it the second warmest September on record for Europe after September 2023, which was 2.51°C above average. Last month also had exceptionally high rainfall levels across much of the continent, with widespread floods across central Europe. Last year was the hottest on record , averaging 1.45°C above pre-industrial temperatures. By Gavin Attridge Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

CNRL to buy Chevron's Canadian oil sands, shale: Update


07/10/24
07/10/24

CNRL to buy Chevron's Canadian oil sands, shale: Update

New York, 7 October (Argus) — Canadian Natural Resources (CNRL) agreed to buy a 20pc stake in the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP) and 70pc interest in the Duvernay shale from Chevron for $6.5bn, extending its lead as Canada's top producer. The all-cash transaction has an effective date retroactive to 1 September, the companies said Monday. Closing is expected during the fourth quarter. The assets being sold accounted for about 84,000 b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) of production, net of royalties, to Chevron last year. Chevron last October announced plans to acquire US independent Hess for $53bn, pledging to sell $10bn-$15bn of assets by 2028. While the Hess deal has been delayed by a mid-2025 arbitration hearing, Chevron, the second-largest US oil producer, has increasingly focused its attention on the Permian shale basin of west Texas and southeastern New Mexico, as well as an expansion project in Kazakhstan. CNRL's acquisition bolsters its position as Canada's largest petroleum producer after pumping out 1.29mn boe/d of oil and gas in the second quarter this year. About 72pc came from oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs), with the balance from natural gas. CNRL anticipates the oil sands and Duvernay assets will lift the company's production profile by about 122,500 boe/d in 2025. About half, or 62,500 b/d, will come in the form of synthetic crude oil produced from AOSP's 320,000 b/d Scotford upgrader near Edmonton, Alberta. The upgrader is fed diluted bitumen piped from the Muskeg River and Jackpine mines in the oil sands region. The deal would increase CNRL's stake in AOSP to 90pc. Calgary-based CNRL first made its foray into AOSP in 2017 when it bought a 70pc stake from Shell and Marathon Oil Canada for $9.75bn ($C$12.74bn). Muskeg River and Jackpine are adjacent to the company's fully owned Horizon mine and upgrader, and the increase in ownership may allow for increased synergies between the two assets, according to executives. "It allows for a little bit more ease in terms of governance on the asset," CNRL president Scott Stauth said Monday on an investor call. "I can see us utilizing the equipment more effectively between the two sites." Undeveloped oil sands projects Also included in Monday's deal are additional stakes in undeveloped oil sands leases that CNRL could tap as it works through its reserves. This includes a 20pc increase the Pierre River project that would provide CNRL with 90pc ownership; a 60pc increase in the Ells River project that would lift the company's stake to 90pc; a 33pc increase in the Saleski project, for 83pc; and a 6pc working interest in Namur that would reach 65pc. Reserves from Pierre River could be used to extend the life of the Horizon project as the North Mine depletes. A standalone facility there is also possible, but would require a significant capital outlay, CNRL executives said. CNRL in May said it was considering a massive 195,000 b/d increase to its Horizon production using two new technologies. CNRL said production from the light oil and liquids rich assets in the Duvernay is expected to average 60,000 boe/d in 2025, half of which would be natural gas. CNRL anticipates pushing production to 70,000 boe/d by 2027 with more than 340 locations already identified as candidates for drilling. With WTI above $70/bl, "this is a very attractive acquisition for us," CNRL chief financial officer Mark Stainthorpe said. CNRL has been actively acquiring assets in recent years. The company purchased Canadian assets belonging to Painted Pony in 2020, Devon Energy in 2019, TotalEnergies in 2018 and Cenovus Energy in 2017, among other deals. By Stephen Cunningham and Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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