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Cop 27: UAE says will supply oil, gas as long as needed

  • Spanish Market: Crude oil, Emissions, Natural gas
  • 07/11/22

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan said today his country will continue to supply oil and gas "for as long as the world needs" it.

Speaking at the opening of the Cop 27 UN climate conference he said the UAE is considered as a responsible supplier of energy, and that "it will continue to play this role for as long as the world needs oil and gas."

The president's comment came after UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the war in Ukraine has "exposed the profound risks of our fossil fuel addiction" and called for an end to dependence on fossil fuels and the building of coal plants.

One of the largest holders of spare reserves within the Opec+ coalition, the UAE in 2018 set sights on raising its crude capacity from 3.5mn b/d to 5mn b/d by 2030. A source familiar with the matter indicates Abu Dhabi is now considering options to accelerate these plans. Argus estimates UAE production rose by 10,000 b/d on the month to 3.19mn b/d in September.

The UAE will host the Cop 28 UN climate summit next year, and the al-Nahyan reiterated the country was the first in the Middle East to set a target of becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2050. He also said the US and UAE have signed an agreement targeting $100bn of investments in energy transition projects. He stressed that oil and gas in the UAE is one of the least carbon intensive in the world, and that they will focus on lowering carbon emissions from this sector.

Opec+ officials have repeatedly championed a decarbonisation approach that employs fossil fuel resources until such a time that they can be fully substituted by clean energy supplies. The group has also repeatedly said consumers should not face pressure to relinquish hydrocarbon fuels if green options are unaffordable.

Coal, and fossil fuels in general, were directly targeted for the first time in a Cop text last year. But the global energy crisis has made the issue of gas as a transition fuel a flashpoint, with some African countries likely to ask for financial support to develop their resources and economies.

Nigeria environment minister Mohammed Abdullahi told Argus on the sidelines of the summit that gas is a transition fuel, and that developed nations cannot tell Africa not to develop their resources.

"The [US president Joe] Biden administration made a lot of investments in oil and gas in the last three years," he said.

Former US vice president Al Gore told the Cop 27 conference that global leaders now have a credibility problem, and said the "dash for gas in Africa is a dash for gas to be sent to wealthy countries".


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Ukrainian gas imports double in May


12/05/25
12/05/25

Ukrainian gas imports double in May

London, 12 May (Argus) — Ukraine's gas imports have nearly doubled in the first 10 days of May from April, although still only the Polish and Hungarian routes are being used. Ukraine's net imports — after netting off inflows and outflows to and from Moldova — averaged 140 GWh/d on 1-10 May, nearly double the 73 GWh/d average in April, the latest available data from transmission system operators show. The increase has been driven by flows from Hungary at VIP Bereg rising to near full capacity of 103 GWh/d from 60 GWh/d, and a smaller 12 GWh/d increase from Poland ( see flows graph ). Net flows to Moldova also fell to 13 GWh/d from 23 GWh/d, leaving more gas in Ukraine. But imports would need to ramp up significantly to match the 4.6bn m³ that state-owned incumbent Naftogaz estimated would be needed over the entire summer. If Ukrainian net imports remain at 140 GWh/d until 15 October, around the typical start of the heating season, then cumulative net imports would reach around 22TWh, or around 2.1bn m³ using Ukraine's standard 10.5 kWh/m³ conversion rate. VIP Bereg is already flowing at near maximum capacity, as is the interconnection point with Poland, meaning that any additional flows will need to arrive from Slovakia at Budince or from Romania at Isaccea, both particularly expensive transit routes. Demand for third-quarter capacity along the Bereg route continues to outstrip available capacity, with the auction now in its sixth day and still not concluded. So far, Naftogaz has announced few public supply deals, although it has contracted 300mn m³ of LNG from Poland's Orlen , with some market participants saying Orlen would supply as much as 1bn m³. The firm has €410mn in funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development , which it hopes will finance the purchase of around 1bn m³. But it is unclear where funding for additional purchases will come from, and the government does not intend to increase household or business tariffs to cover Naftogaz's higher costs. Even if Ukraine imports as much as Naftogaz said it will need, the country could still face shortages in the winter . Ukraine started the injection season in mid-April at the lowest stock level in at least a decade , and while Naftogaz managed to restore more than half of the output it lost in February following attacks on its production infrastructure, Ukrainian production still remains well below pre-2022 levels. Hungary maintains pivotal hub role Hungary has become an increasingly important transit hub over the past year, and Ukraine's import needs have increased its prominence further. With VIP Bereg at a 99pc utilisation rate this month and continued exports northward to Slovakia, Hungary has been pulling in more gas from other sources to maintain these flows. Inflows from Serbia at Horgos, where Russian gas arrives into Hungary through Turkish Stream, rose to 244 GWh/d on 1-10 May from 223 GWh/d in April, just below the point's technical capacity of 246 GWh/d. And inflows from Austria have also increased considerably, rising to 139 GWh/d from 92 GWh/d, while receipts from Romania more than doubled to 40 GWh/d from 19 GWh/d ( see Hungarian flows graph ). Hungarian prompt prices have risen to a premium over Austria and Romania in order to attract more gas ( see prices graph ). Slovakia remains at a premium to Hungary, though, driven by the need to incentivise flows from Hungary now that Russian transit through Ukraine has ceased. Hungarian transmission tariffs remain significantly cheaper than in Slovakia or Romania, so demand for Hungarian capacity at quarterly auctions last week held strong . The bookings suggest that the recent flow configuration is set to continue in the second half of summer, with all import capacity from Serbia booked and most available capacity from Austria. The export route from Romania to Ukraine remains unpopular, not just because of the high transmission tariffs paid in Romania and Moldova, but also because of the conditional nature of the flows. An equal amount of gas must be brought into Romania at Negru Voda 1 as is exported at Isaccea 1, as they are part of the same Trans-Balkan Pipeline string. Additionally, anyone hoping to bring gas from Greece or Bulgaria up to Ukraine must secure capacity in as many as 10 or more auctions, which take place simultaneously given that the transit route crosses in and out of Moldova several times. Even one failed auction could make exports along this route impossible. By Brendan A'Hearn Hungarian DA vs nearby markets €/MWh Ukrainian net flows by point GWh Hungarian net flows by point GWh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Aramco sees 'steady' oil demand growth in 2025


12/05/25
12/05/25

Aramco sees 'steady' oil demand growth in 2025

London, 12 May (Argus) — Global oil demand is on course for "steady growth" this year despite uncertainties over trade, according to state-controlled Saudi Aramco's chief executive Amin Nasser. "For the second quarter we are seeing resilient growth despite the impact of tariffs and the uncertainty that we are seeing in the market," Nasser said on Aramco's first-quarter earnings call today. "The fundamentals are very strong." The outlook for the global economy has deteriorated since US president Donald Trump announced a wide array of import levies in April. But the US and China today announced a deal to reduce some bilateral tariffs . And talks with other countries continue. Oil demand could increase more than currently anticipated depending on the result of trade talks, Nasser said, adding that Aramco estimates oil demand grew by 1.7mn b/d in the first quarter compared with the same period last year. Asia is responsible for most of the demand growth, but there is also an uptick in the US, particularly in demand for transport fuels, Nasser said. By Aydin Calik and Nader Itayim Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US shale M&A faces headwinds on oil price rout


12/05/25
12/05/25

US shale M&A faces headwinds on oil price rout

New York, 12 May (Argus) — Dealmaking in the US shale patch, which had been on a roller-coaster ride in the past few years, is at risk of grinding to a halt as a result of an oil price slump. Just as a growing number of producers are unveiling plans to cut spending and slow activity as crude prices teeter around levels needed to profitably drill wells, prospects for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the shale patch are also souring. That marks a departure from the start of 2025 , when dealmakers were expecting a bumper year with recent acquirers looking to offload non-core assets and private equity gearing up to make a return after raising new funds. April brought five deals with a combined value of $2.3bn, bringing the year-to-date total for M&A activity in the US upstream space to $19.2bn, consultancy Enverus says. That was down by 60pc from a year earlier, when the latest round of consolidation was in full sway. "We're just hearing over and over again, across the board, that companies are overwhelmingly sitting on their hands," law firm Sidley partner Stephen Boone says. Recent deals include natural gas giant EQT buying the upstream and midstream assets of privately held Olympus Energy for $1.8bn . Gas is increasingly likely to dominate dealmaking going forward, as not only has the commodity fared better than oil on a relative basis, but investors are likely to be drawn by the US LNG boom and rapid growth of gas-fired power generation demand to meet the energy needs of data centres required for artificial intelligence . "The trouble is, there aren't enough potential gas deals to make up for a drop in oil asset activity, which we do anticipate is going to fall off a cliff," Enverus principal analyst Andrew Dittmar says. Aside from the trade tariff-induced market volatility that has sent crude prices tumbling to four-year lows, a lack of high-quality targets on the oil side also suggests deals will be few and far between this year. Most publicly-held operators will be focused on protecting their bottom line as they remain focused on shareholder returns rather than growth, and might well be reluctant to take on debt to fund deals. And private equity may prefer to bide its time. "That group is likely looking for some sign of a bottom on crude before jumping in, rather than trying to catch a falling knife of asset values," Dittmar says. That is not to say that deals have completely dried up, with Permian Resources agreeing this week to snap up assets in the New Mexico part of the top US shale play from APA for $608mn. But Diamondback Energy, a top Permian producer which has played an active role in the most recent round of M&A, might sum up the view of many with its plan to remain on the sidelines for the time being. Too much noise "We're in the period right now where there's so much noise and volatility that not a lot gets done," Diamondback's president, Kaes Van't Hof, says. "Anything that we would look at would have to be extremely cheap, and I just don't think we're there yet today." Even if some relief comes on the tariff front and the economy avoids a recession, it will take time for deals to pick up again, and that could push a resurgence in dealmaking well into 2026. The fact that public operators have spent the years since the pandemic on repairing balance sheets and focusing on investor payouts might also count against any uptick in transactions anytime soon. "That's actually going to keep M&A down, because now that we see the downturn, we have significantly less distressed companies out there that will be forced to sell, and we have more and more companies that think they are better situated to just ride it out," Sidley's Boone says. By Stephen Cunningham Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australian PM reaffirms climate priority in new cabinet


12/05/25
12/05/25

Australian PM reaffirms climate priority in new cabinet

Sydney, 12 May (Argus) — Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has reaffirmed renewable energy commitments with cabinet picks after the Labor party's election victory on 3 May. Chris Bowen, who led key changes to the safeguard mechanism , the capacity investment scheme (CIS) and fuel efficiency standards for new passenger and light commercial vehicles, remains minister for climate change and energy. Madeleine King, the minister for resources and northern Australia, retains her cabinet position, while Tanya Plibersek, previously the minister for environment, is now the minister for social services and is replaced by Murray Watt, formerly the minister for workplace relations. In the previous term, Plibersek failed to establish an environment protection authority and reform the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which was an election promise in 2022, after intervention from Western Australian state minister Roger Cook. Environmental lobby group the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has welcomed Watt, who was also the minister for agriculture for two years to 2024, into his new role. "Having a former agriculture minister in environment increases the opportunities for co-operation on the shared challenges facing nature protection and sustainable agriculture," the ACF said. The ACF also welcomed Chris Bowen in returning to his role as environment minister for his "clear mandate" to continue the energy transition. Josh Wilson remains assistant minister for climate change and energy. Participants in the renewable energy carbon credit industry are urging the new Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to speed up the creation of new Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) methods in the new government term. They are also seeking greater transparency in ACCU data base , which requires legislative change. And renewable energy companies and lobby groups will be closely following a review of Australia's National Electricity Market wholesale market settings , which will need to be changed following the conclusion of the CIS tenders in 2027 and as Australia transitions to more renewables from its ageing coal-fired plants. By Grace Dudley Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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