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Australia pledges more funding for hydrogen, CCS

  • : Coal, Electricity, Emissions, Natural gas
  • 21/04/21

The Australian government has pledged further funding for hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) activities, with A$275.5mn ($212mn) to be allocated to develop more hydrogen hubs in regional Australia. The funding will come from the federal budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year to 30 June.

Canberra has identified seven highly prospective locations to develop hydrogen hubs. These are Bell Bay in Tasmania; the Pilbara region in Western Australia (WA); Gladstone in Queensland; Victoria's La Trobe valley; Whyalla in South Australia; Hunter Valley in New South Wales (NSW); and Darwin in the Northern Territory. All of these are already energy-, including thermal coal and gas, or mineral-producing regions and close to port facilities. This implies that the hydrogen is likely to be produced from fossil fuel sources as opposed to renewable sources.

The Australian government said it has now committed around A$850mn in funding for hydrogen. A further A$263.7mn has been allocated for CCS, including potential projects in Moomba in South Australia, Gladstone; the Darling basin region in NSW; the North West Shelf (NSW) and Bonaparte basin, both offshore WA; as well as Darwin and southwestern WA. The new funding is in addition to the A$50mn pledged for CCS projects last year.

The announcements come ahead of the US-hosted virtual climate summit on 22-23 April.

Australia is the world's largest LNG exporter and second-largest thermal coal exporter. Its largest buyers of coal and LNG, China, Japan and South Korea, have all pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and 2060 for China.


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25/05/07

Australia’s CER sees disinterest in carbon trading tool

Australia’s CER sees disinterest in carbon trading tool

Sydney, 7 May (Argus) — Australia's Clean Energy Regulator (CER) plans to work with existing carbon credit trading platforms to potentially link them to its new registry, following a lack of market interest in a carbon credit trading tool proposed late last year. The CER did not see "a lot of enthusiasm" for the use of a financial instrument developed by the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) as a trading model for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), chair and chief executive David Parker said on 7 May at lobby group Carbon Market Institute (CMI)'s Carbon Farming Industry Forum in New South Wales, Australia. "What people did say was that they wanted us building up infrastructure… linking [over-the-counter] trading platforms into our new registry," Parker noted. The CER had previously planned to develop and operate the so-called Australian Carbon Exchange for spot ACCU transactions, but had already indicated it pushed back on the idea when it consulted on the trading tool late last year. Its proposal would see participants using a Clearing House Electronic Subregister System (CHESS) Depository Interest (CDI) — a mechanism used by the ASX to allow the trading of interests in bonds and some international shares on the exchange. Under the proposed model, market participants would not be required to have a registry account to buy beneficial interests in ACCUs through CDIs. They would be able to trade the CDIs multiple times and would only need registry accounts if they needed to convert the CDIs into ACCUs for actual delivery. Currently, climate solutions and markets firm Core Markets, brokerage firm Jarden, and environmental marketplace Xpansiv's CBL each have separate trading platforms for ACCUs. Exchanges ASX and CME last year launched separate futures contracts for physically-deliverable ACCUs, although trading interest has been very limited so far. Core Markets is working on developing its platform so that it would be able to potentially link to the CER's registry in the future, chief executive Chris Halliwell told Argus on the sidelines of the event on 7 May. The CER launched its new registry late last year. It started issuing the new safeguard mechanism credit units into the new registry, and plans to transfer ACCUs from the existing Australian National Registry of Emissions Units later this year. New units and certificates such as renewable energy guarantees of origin and biodiversity certificates under the nature repair market will be added to the new registry, while large-scale generation certificates and small-scale technology certificates will continue in the renewable energy certificate registry. By Juan Weik Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Trump to end military campaign in Yemen: Update


25/05/06
25/05/06

Trump to end military campaign in Yemen: Update

Updates with details throughout, including Houthi response. Washington, 6 May (Argus) — President Donald Trump said today he will end the US military campaign against Yemen's Houthis, claiming that the militant group pledged to stop attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea. The Houthis reached out with a request to stop the US bombing campaign, and the US will do so immediately, Trump told reporters at the beginning of his meeting with Canada's prime minister Mark Carney on Tuesday. "They don't want to fight anymore," Trump said. "They have capitulated ... And I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effective immediately." US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who also attended the meeting with Carney, added that if the Houthi attacks "are going to stop, then we can stop." Oman mediated a ceasefire agreement between the US and the Houthis, Oman's foreign minister Badr Albusaidi said in a social media post following Trump's remarks. "In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping." It was not clear from Albusaidi's statement whether the Houthis committed to stop their attacks on all vessels passing near Yemen's coastline. The Houthis claimed in late 2023 that, out of solidarity with Gaza's Palestinian population, they would attack any ship that was owned by an Israeli company or made calls at an Israeli port. But the Houthi attacks were indiscriminate, effectively crippling the regular passage of oil, LNG and other commercial vessel traffic through Red Sea waterways. The militant group paused its attacks on commercial shipping following the ceasefire in Gaza in January, but resumed them in March, after Israel stopped allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Houthis also launched attacks against Israel, drawing retaliatory strikes by the Israeli Air Force, and on US naval vessels in the Red Sea. There was no explicit confirmation of a ceasefire from Houthi-controlled information outlets. A Houthi spokesman reposted a social media post suggesting that "America stopped its aggression in Yemen" and that "the one who retreated is America." Another media channel used by the group said that "the Israeli and American aggression will not pass without a response and will not deter Yemen from continuing its position in support of Gaza". US president Donald Trump's administration listed its military campaign against Yemen-based Houthis, which began on 15 March, as a key foreign policy accomplishment in his first 100 days in office even though the militant group continued to launch missile and drone attacks — most recently on 4 May against Israel's main airport. Israel responded to the 4 May attack with air strikes on Yemen's port of Hodeidah and, today, on the main airport in Yemen's capital Sanaa. Israel also vowed to retaliate against Tehran, which is the main provider of weapons to the Houthis. The US separately warned Iran to discontinue its military support for the Yemeni militant group. The Trump administration is engaged in talks with Iran to address Tehran's nuclear program, with Iranian officials hoping to use the diplomatic negotiations to press for relief of oil and other sanctions against Iran. Trump said he will visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar next week and is widely expected to also visit Israel on the same trip. "Before then, we're going to have a very, very big announcement to make, like, as big as it gets, and I won't tell you on what," Trump said. "But it will be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject, very important subject." By Haik Gugarats, Nader Itayim and Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US onshore crude output likely peaked: Diamondback


25/05/06
25/05/06

US onshore crude output likely peaked: Diamondback

New York, 6 May (Argus) — US onshore crude production has likely peaked as activity slows in response to the recent decline in oil prices, according to Diamondback Energy. The leading US independent estimates that the US hydraulic fracturing crew count is already down 15pc this year, while the frack crew count in the Permian basin has fallen by about 20pc from its January peak. Moreover, the US oil rig count is expected to be almost 10pc lower by the end of the second quarter with further declines seen. "As a result of these activity cuts, it is likely that U.S. onshore oil production has peaked and will begin to decline this quarter," Diamondback's chief executive officer Travis Stice said in a letter to shareholders. Given the shale sector has matured from the rapid growth seen in the early days of the shale boom, "this is not one of the types of declines that can be offset by improved efficiencies," Stice later told analysts on a conference call. Diamondback Energy also set out plans to cut spending and drill and complete fewer wells in the aftermath of the price slump, which has been driven by the economic fall-out over President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff policy, as well as the Opec+ group's plan to accelerate the return of barrels to the market. Capital spending is now seen at $3.4bn-$3.8bn this year, a decline of 10pc from the midpoint of previous expectations. The company will drop three rigs and one full-time completion crew in the second quarter, and expects to hold steady at those levels through most of the third quarter. If oil prices remain weak or fall further, Diamondback could reduce activity further. Or if prices rebound above $65, it could ramp activity back to previous levels. Under normal circumstances, it would use a period of lower service costs to build more drilled but uncompleted wells. But well casing, its biggest drilling input cost, has increased by 10pc in the last quarter due to steel tariffs. "To use a driving analogy, we are taking our foot off the accelerator as we approach a red light," said Stice. "If the light turns green before we get to the stoplight, we will hit the gas again, but we are also prepared to brake if needed." The impact on oil output is expected to be minimal given volumes have outperformed year to date. The company now sees annual oil production in a range of 480,000-495,000 b/d, down just 1pc from the midpoint of prior guidance. By Stephen Cunningham Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Trump to end military campaign in Yemen


25/05/06
25/05/06

Trump to end military campaign in Yemen

Washington, 6 May (Argus) — President Donald Trump said today he will end the US military campaign against Yemen's Houthis, claiming that the militant group pledged to stop attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea. The Houthis reached out with a request to stop the US bombing campaign, and the US will do so immediately, Trump told reporters at the beginning of his meeting with Canada's prime minister Mark Carney. "They don't want to fight anymore," Trump said. "We will honor that and we will stop the bombings. They have capitulated." There was no immediate statement by the Houthi group to confirm Trump's comment. US president Donald Trump's administration listed its military campaign against Yemen-based Houthis, which began on 15 March, as a key foreign policy accomplishment in his first 100 days in office even though the militant group continued to launch missile and drone attacks — most recently on 4 May against Israel's main airport. The Houthis resumed attacks on commercial shipping through Red Sea waterways in early March, after a self-declared ceasefire. They also launched attacks against Israel, drawing retaliatory strikes by the Israeli Air Force, and on US naval vessels in the Red Sea. By Haik Gugarats Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US EIA will not release international outlook in 2025


25/05/06
25/05/06

US EIA will not release international outlook in 2025

Washington, 6 May (Argus) — The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) no longer expects to publish one of its major energy reports this year after losing some of its staff through President Donald Trump's efforts to downsize the federal workforce. The EIA does not plan to publish its International Energy Outlook (IEA) — which models long-term global trends in energy supply and demand — this year because of a loss of staff responsible for producing the report, according to an internal email initially reported by the news outlet ProPublica . The EIA confirmed the authenticity of the email. "At this point, you can assume that we will not be releasing the IEO this year," the EIA's Office of Energy Analysis assistant administrator Angelina LaRose wrote in the 16 April email. "This was a difficult decision based on the loss of key resources." Oil and gas producers, traders, utility companies, federal regulators and foreign governments have come to rely on the data and models from the EIA, an independent agency within the US Department of Energy. The 2025 version of the IEO might still be published early next year, the EIA said. The agency for now is focusing on trying to "preserve as much institutional knowledge as possible" with an "all hands-on deck" effort under which remaining staff will document models and procedures on long-term modeling, LaRose wrote in the email. Trump and his administration have worked to cut the size of the government's workforce through voluntary buyouts and a process known as a reduction in force. The EIA has yet to say how many personnel it has lost, but about a third of the agency's 350 staffers have accepted voluntary buyouts, according to a person familiar with the situation. The White House last week proposed an 18pc budget cut for the non-nuclear portions of the Department of Energy, but has yet to say if it is seeking to cut spending at the EIA. Last month, the EIA released its premier report, the Annual Energy Outlook , but omitted its traditional in-depth analysis. A technical issue on 1 May delayed the release of a key natural gas storage report by more than three hours, the EIA said. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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