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Caribbean finds PdV easier to evict than replace

  • Spanish Market: Crude oil, Oil products
  • 22/07/20

Caribbean islands that once formed the bustling near-shore oil refining and logistical network of Venezuela's state-owned PdV are finding that the distressed company was easier to evict than to replace.

The nagging void is most conspicuous in Curacao and Aruba, part of the Dutch Caribbean island chain that hugs Venezuela's coast. Saddled with aging installations that traditionally depended on Venezuela, the islands were orphaned by the Opec country's commercial and operational decline, including the loss of Venezuelan crude feedstock for which several of the facilities were originally designed. Venezuela today is only pumping around 400,000 b/d of crude, a fraction of the 3mn b/d that it produced in the 1990s. And PdV's own refineries inside Venezuela are nearly all out of service.

Since 2017, escalating US sanctions on Caracas have posed another challenge. Islands that relied on Venezuela's oil business, including transshipment and offshore support and financial services, were forced to sever most ties under threat of sanctions themselves.

For islands that relied on oil assets for economic sustenance as a complement to tourism, the relationship with Caracas was fruitful but frustrating once Venezuela's oil star began to flicker. Faced with lukewarm investor interest in the unprofitable refineries abandoned by PdV, the islands are now promoting terminal and storage opportunities, and exploring industrial alternatives such as petrochemicals and LNG. The results have been mixed at best.

Curacao's conundrum

The government of Curacao long relied on PdV to operate its 335,000 b/d Isla refinery and Bullen Bay terminal that are critical to the local economy. After years of neglect, PdV was not allowed to renew its long-term lease when it lapsed in December and Curacao pinned its hopes on a potential partnership with European refiner and commodities trader Klesch.

But a preliminary sale agreement signed in December proved to be fleeting after the collapse in oil prices and pandemic hit demand in March. Curacao's state-owned RdK, which owns the assets, announced late last week that the Klesch deal was terminated, leaving the island to restart the uphill search for a new partner. In a sign of the island's precarious economic conditions,unrest broke out in Willemstad last month.

The short-term upside for Curacao is the potential to lease storage at deepwater Bullen Bay, where only part of the tanks are ready for use in an ongoing tender. RdK is also hoping to monetize PdV's 10mn bl Bopec terminal on Bonaire that it seized in a debt-related action in March.

Better known for its white sands, Aruba is also seeking to lease storage after the withdrawal of PdV's US subsidiary Citgo from a refinery refurbishment project. Aruba's mothballed 235,000 b/d San Nicolas refinery, formerly owned by US firm Valero, was supposed to be renovated into a heavy crude upgrader to process Venezuela's heavy crude under a contract signed in 2016. Unlike Curacao, the Aruba project was tied to PdV Holding, the Venezuelan company's US subsidiary that came to be controlled by the country's US-backed political opposition in 2019. The ambitious $1.1bn project, which PdV's US refining arm Citgo had been carrying out, barely got underway before it ran aground on the rocks of Venezuela's political turmoil. PdV Holding signed a final termination agreement in May.

As in Curacao, government officials in Aruba say they are relieved to have shaken off the unreliable PdV, but they are at odds to find a substitute partner.

Satellite islands

On St Croix in the US Virgin Islands, repeated delays are casting doubt on a $2bn project by Limetree Bay Ventures to convert the mothballed Hovensa refinery into a leaner and more modern 200,000 b/d plant. Hovensa, formerly one of the world's largest and most advanced refineries with a design capacity of 525,000 b/d, was a strategic project of PdV and US independent Hess before it closed amid financial losses in 2012.

Elsewhere in the Caribbean, PdV has been replaced but commercial progress has been halting following years of Venezuelan largess. Under late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, PdV forged downstream alliances even where there was little commercial logic in a bid to cement regional support. That strategy, coupled with subsidized oil supply, succeeded in keeping several of the islands in Venezuela's political orbit, frustrating Washington's regional effort to isolate the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro that it is seeking to force out.

In Jamaica, the government expropriated PdV's minority stake in the 35,000 b/d Petrojam refinery, but the plant is likely to be shut down after state-owned operator PCJ folded earlier this year. PdV still owns a nominal 49pc stake in the Dominican Republic's 34,000 b/d refinery, but the plant does not make commercial sense either.


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07/11/24

US extends oil service firms' Venezuela waiver

US extends oil service firms' Venezuela waiver

Washington, 7 November (Argus) — The outgoing administration of US president Joe Biden extended authorization for oilfield services companies Halliburton, SLB, Baker Hughes and Weatherford to continue working in Venezuela until 9 May 2025. The waiver allows the service companies to pay their staff and maintain limited operations, but it prevents them from drilling new wells or otherwise contributing to state-owned PdV's production and exports. The Biden administration reimposed sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector in April, after a six-month reprieve. The sole exemption is a waiver for Chevron allowing it to import oil into the US from its joint venture with state-owned PdV. US crude imports from Venezuela averaged 212,000 b/d in January-August, US Energy Information Administration data show. Chevron's Venezuela output has stood at about 200,000 b/d. Neither president-elect Donald Trump nor his campaign addressed the Venezuela sanctions regime or indicated if they would change it. Republicans in Congress ahead of the election called for the Chevron exemption to be revoked. The Biden administration separately extended a prohibition for holders of $3.4bn in PdV 2020 bonds guaranteed by 50.1pc in US refiner Citgo's holding company to exercise their claim, this time until 7 March 2025. The PdV bondholders in theory hold a superior claim to Citgo Holding — a legal entity that directly owns Citgo and, in turn, is owned by Citgo parent company PdVH. A federal court in Delaware recently oversaw an auction of PdVH shares that yielded a $7.3bn bid from a company backed by investors including Elliott Investment Management. Legal wrangling over the bids and the distribution of auction proceeds is likely to keep Citgo ownership unresolved in the near term. By Haik Gugarats Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Mexican peso plummets on Trump win


06/11/24
06/11/24

Mexican peso plummets on Trump win

Mexico City, 6 November (Argus) — The Mexican peso fell sharply against the US dollar as markets priced in potential retaliation against Mexico following former president's Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election. "A Republican Senate majority and potential House win raise the chances of Trump's radical reforms, which could hurt Mexico's economic dynamism," said a financial analyst from Mexican bank Monex in a note today. The peso initially dropped around 3pc to Ps20.71/$1 early today, hitting a two-year low before recovering to Ps20.20/$1 by midday. The peso may weaken further, as Mexico is vulnerable to tariff hikes amid strained relations over issues like immigration and the opioid crisis, according to a desk report from a major Mexican bank. Trump repeatedly threatened tariffs on Mexico during his presidential campaign, most recently pledging a 25pc tariff on all Mexican imports unless President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration launches a severe crackdown on Mexico's drug cartels, which ship fentanyl and other drugs across the border to the US. Recent constitutional amendments in Mexico, including judicial reforms and proposed eliminations of independent regulators, may also add downward pressure on the peso, according to the report. "The government's goal to direct private-sector involvement could limit market forces," it noted. Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex typically offsets peso depreciation due to its dollar-denominated oil export revenues, which help cover increased import costs. "Pemex's exports and domestic sales are tied to international hydrocarbon prices, providing a natural hedge," the company stated in its most recent report. Still, analysts warn that Pemex's focus on domestic refining over crude exports could erode this hedge, leaving it more exposed to foreign exchange swings on USD-denominated debt. By Édgar Sígler Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop 29 finance talks need leadership after Trump win


06/11/24
06/11/24

Cop 29 finance talks need leadership after Trump win

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Iran sounds alarm on gasoline shortage


06/11/24
06/11/24

Iran sounds alarm on gasoline shortage

Dubai, 6 November (Argus) — The new Iranian government has sounded the alarm on an emerging gasoline shortage that looks set to get worse unless new policies are introduced to clamp down on runaway demand growth. Presenting a draft budget for the Iranian year starting on 20 March 2025, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian criticised the existing gasoline rationing system, calling it one of the major hurdles for the proposed bill. Iran has, since 2007, allowed citizens to buy base levels of gasoline at subsidised prices and any additional at a higher price. But the system failed to cap demand and imports sufficiently. In the proposed budget the government has signalled plans to ease shortages, but increasing prices is not on the agenda. A cut to subsidies in 2019 sparked nation-wide protests . "Today the cost of [producing] gasoline — which includes refining costs, transportation costs, and gas station maintenance costs — is about 8000 tomans (80,000 rials)," Pezeshkian said. But consumers only pay 7.5pc of the actual price of gasoline, according to Iran's oil ministry. Iran's gasoline consumption has reached a record high of around 750,000 b/d in the first seven months of the Iranian year that began on 20 March, according to the ministry. Domestic refinery capacity of 670,000 b/d has been unable to satisfy this. To bridge the gap Iran has turned to imports, which has not been easy for the heavily sanctioned country that buys the fuel at market prices. "Around 90 trillion tomans [$1.3bn at the free market rate] was spent to import gasoline this year, which could be increased to 130 trillion tomans [$1.9bn] next year if the [demand growth] trend continues," Pezeshkian warned. Supply-side response If Tehran is unwilling to raise pump prices it will have to add more supply. Work in underway to bringing online an additional fourth train at the Persian Gulf Star (PGS) condensate splitter, and on a 60,000 b/d splitter that made up just one part of the now shelved Siraf project. Consultancy FGE expects these projects to be commissioned by the end of 2025 or early 2026 and "potentially close the gap." The newly-appointed head of state-owned refining company NIORDC, Mohammad Sadegh Azimifar, said using CNG-powered vehicles could reduce the need for more gasoline production. "There are good legal capacities in the country for the development of CNG, including the approval of the energy optimization fund," he said. But CNG has lower mileage and energy content, and CNG filling stations are beset with long queues. "If you have a CNG car, you can only drive it for a day and one will have to wait in long queues to get it refilled, only for it to last for another day", said FGE's Middle East managing director Iman Nasseri. Iran has sufficient reserves of natural gas and LPG, but both of these failed to emerge as a good alternative fuel, he said. The Pezeshkian administration has repeated calls to increase use of public transport and modernise the country's vehicle fleet. But metros and buses are being utilised at maximum capacity and private vehicles are a favourable option in a country with the second-most discounted fuel prices in the world, Nasseri said. Iran is yet to tackle rampant fuel smuggling, with market sources indicating gasoline continues to be illegally shipped to neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. Earlier this week, authorities seized around 220,000l of smuggled fuel in several warehouses in Mashhad. While the administration strongly rebukes subsidies, with new vice president Mohammad Reza Aref calling them "unreasonable", they continue to look at solutions that does not include any increase in retail prices, in fear of a repeat of the 2019 protests. But with a lack of infrastructure to capitalize on CNG and limitations in public transportation system, the government may have no choice but to reconsider. By Rithika Krishna Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Iraq proposes doubling payment for KRG crude


06/11/24
06/11/24

Iraq proposes doubling payment for KRG crude

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