Latest Market News

Jera, Yara explore creating clean ammonia partnership

  • Spanish Market: Fertilizers, Natural gas
  • 11/05/21

Japanese thermal power joint venture Jera and Norway-based fertilizer producer Yara International are planning to work together to study the possibility of producing and shipping blue and green ammonia.

Jera and Yara have signed an initial agreement to start considering co-operation on upgrading Yara's Pilbara fertilizer plant in Australia to produce blue ammonia, which would be supplied to Jera's power generation plants. The partnership would also cover development of new blue and green ammonia production projects, as well as exploration of new demand for the clean fuels in Japan. Blue ammonia is typically produced using natural gas but with carbon emissions being captured and stored or reused, while green ammonia is manufactured using hydrogen and renewable energy with no carbon emissions.

Demand for clean ammonia is expected to increase further in Japan, as the country is stepping up its efforts to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050. Tokyo targets 3mn t/yr of ammonia demand in 2030, mostly for power generation, before rising further to 30mn t/yr by 2050.

Jera is planning to operate an ammonia-dedicated power plant during the 2040s after realising a commercial use of the fuel by 2030. The firm's 1,000MW Hekinan No.4 and No.5 power generation units are currently having trials, co-firing coal, biomass and ammonia to generate electricity.

The deal with Yara follows Jera's agreement with Malaysian state-owned oil firm Petronas in February this year to co-operate on the development of a green ammonia and hydrogen supply chain. The companies plan to produce green ammonia and hydrogen from renewable energy sources such as hydropower.


Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

04/12/24

Williams sues ET over gasline fight: Clarification

Williams sues ET over gasline fight: Clarification

Clarifies that Williams filed suit earlier this year. New York, 4 December (Argus) — US natural gas pipeline company Williams has brought a "very large lawsuit" against its US midstream rival Energy Transfer after a legal dispute between the companies delayed construction of a project by Williams, Williams chief executive Alan Armstrong told Argus in an interview on 3 December. Armstrong said Energy Transfer is the only company in "pipeline history" to have defied industry norms over pipeline crossings in a bid to block competitors' projects. The market "was always very honorable" before that, he said. Armstrong said he hopes the lawsuit against Energy Transfer will undercut the "very bad precedent" set by Energy Transfer's alleged legal strategy and "stop the industry from spiraling into that kind of behavior." Energy Transfer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Energy Transfer throughout 2023-24 tried to block Williams and other rival pipeline companies from building new gas pipelines across its own Tiger pipeline in northern Louisiana, located in the Haynesville shale near a cluster of planned LNG export terminals on the US Gulf coast. Energy Transfer argued that Williams and other pipeline companies' projects proposed an excessive number of crossings under and over its own pipelines, while its opponents argued it was merely interested in controlling market share. Beyond trying to block Williams from crossing the Tiger pipeline, Energy Transfer also prevailed upon federal regulators to review Williams' proposed 1.8 Bcf/d (51mn m³/d) Louisiana Energy Gateway (LEG) pipeline as an interstate transmission line, rather than a gathering line, as Williams claimed. This would have subjected LEG to more regulatory oversight. But the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in September denied the request . The broad legal strategy by Energy Transfer provoked ire from industry groups and now-Louisiana governor Jeff Landry (R), who warned it could threaten production growth out of the Haynesville and the coming US LNG export boom. Energy Transfer lost case after case to Williams in lawsuits spanning parishes across Louisiana, but the litigation pushed back the in-service date of LEG from late 2024 to the second half of 2025. The Tiger-LEG pipeline dispute was not the first time Williams and Energy Transfer had seen each other in court. After agreeing to merge in 2015, Energy Transfer in 2016 terminated the merger because of a tax issue that arose before closing. This led a Delaware judge in 2021 to make Energy Transfer pay Williams a $410mn breakup fee for deciding to pull out of its proposed $33bn merger. By Julian Hast Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Brazil's economy accelerates to 4pc growth in 3Q


04/12/24
04/12/24

Brazil's economy accelerates to 4pc growth in 3Q

Sao Paulo, 4 December (Argus) — Brazil's economic growth accelerated to an annual 4pc in the third quarter, led by stronger consumer spending, according to government statistics agency IBGE. The economy accelerated from 3.3pc annual growth in the second quarter and posted the fastest growth since the first quarter of 2023. Household consumption grew by 5.5pc in the third quarter from a year earlier, while government spending increased by 1.3pc. Services grew by 4.1pc. The industry sector grew by an annual 3.6pc, driven by civil construction and five-year high automotive production in July , according to the national association of vehicle manufacturers. Exports rose by 2.1pc, while imports grew by 18pc. The oil, natural gas and mining industry contracted by 1pc, thanks to lower oil and gas exploration and production. Brazil produced 4.35mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) in the third quarter, down from 4.51mn boe/d in the July-September 2023, according to oil and gas regulator ANP. The electricity and gas, water and sewage management sector increased by 3.7pc from July-September 2023, favoured by higher demand despite higher power tariffs. Brazil faced a severe drought in the first two quarters of the year that lowered river levels at hydroelectric plants and increased power charges in September. But the agriculture and cattle raising sector fell by 0.8pc, with expected production of significant crops such as corn and sugarcane dropping from a year prior also because of adverse weather. Still, output of cotton, wheat and coffee increased by 14.5pc, 5.3pc and 0.3pc, respectively, according to IBGE. The investment rate — the percentage of a country's total production that is invested — grew to 17.6pc in the third quarter, an increase of 1.2 percentage points from the same period in 2023. Brazil's GDP growth in the third quarter was up by 0.9pc from the second quarter, reaching R3 trillion ($494bn). By Maria Frazatto Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Kazakh Oct-Nov sulphur railings down on maintenance


04/12/24
04/12/24

Kazakh Oct-Nov sulphur railings down on maintenance

London, 4 December (Argus) — Scheduled maintenance at Kazakhstan's Kashagan and TCO processing plants reduced sulphur railings to seaports over October and November, Russian rail data show. Product delivered to seaports via Russian rail from Kashagan dropped by 110,000t from the previous month to just 85,000t in October while maintenance constrained Kashagan output. Railed volumes recovered to a more usual monthly volume of 183,000t in November. The TengizChevroil oil field then went on maintenance for much of November, lowering November railed quantities by 54,000t from October to just 137,000t. Product flows are expected to recover to usual monthly levels in December. Overall Kazakh sulphur railings to seaports for onward export have now reached 4.17mn t for the first 11 months of the year. This is up by 5pc on 3.98mn t moved in the same period last year. Meanwhile a further 673,000t of Russian producer Gazprom's sulphur moved to the Baltic port of Ust Luga for export shipment in the same period — down from 750,000t last year. No product barging has taken place in October or November down the Volga-Don transit route for the Black Sea region. By Maria Mosquera Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Kuwait's KPC sets December sulphur price at $164/t fob


04/12/24
04/12/24

Kuwait's KPC sets December sulphur price at $164/t fob

London, 4 December (Argus) — Kuwaiti state-owned KPC has set its December sulphur price at $164/t fob, up by $19/t from November. This implies a delivered price to China of $187-193/t cfr at current freight rates, which were assessed on 28 November at $23-25/t to south China and $27-29/t to Chinese river ports for a 30,000-35,000t shipment. By Maria Mosquera Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Argentina streamlines energy efficiency program


03/12/24
03/12/24

Argentina streamlines energy efficiency program

Montevideo, 3 December (Argus) — Argentina's government continues to fine-tune its energy efficiency program, eliminating red tape that slowed the import of appliances and machinery into the country. President Javier Milei's administration launched a new program in August to provide households and businesses with low-interest loans for energy efficiency. It has expanded the program to include more products and incentives. In late November, it announced a regulatory change for importing energy-efficient products, eliminating the need for performance testing, audits and other bureaucratic steps. Companies importing products now only have to provide an efficiency certification. The measure covers products from televisions for households to motors and pumps for businesses. The change is part of the government's efforts to deregulate the economy. It is juxtaposed to the president's skepticism for climate change. Milei eliminated the environment ministry and Argentina's delegation to the recent UN Cop 29 climate talks abruptly left the meeting. The change is part of the government's efforts to deregulate the economy to encourage investment and use of new technology. The government created in July the ministry of deregulation and state transformation and since then has eliminated hundreds of regulations, including more than 100 related to imports. The government has also eliminated more than 33,000 public sector jobs since Milei took office a year ago. "Any effort for energy efficiency has an immediate effect," said Nicolas Vizcaino, co-founder of Greempact, which creates energy-efficiency strategies for companies. "There is no excuse not to focus on efficiency." Greempact analyzes energy consumption data and other variables to create an energy baseline for clients. The data helps design strategies. Its strategies, which include changing technology, improving management and modifying production procedures, have helped some clients reduce consumption by more than 30pc, the company says. Vizcaino said efficiency is the key to the energy transition, because it not only saves a company money, but also has a positive impact on the entire system, from generation to distribution. "One megawatt of energy saved is less expensive and has a much greater impact than one megawatt of renewable energy added to a grid," he said. By Lucien Chauvin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Generic Hero Banner

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more