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US pipe and tube industry expects pickup in 2025

  • : Crude oil, Metals, Natural gas, Pipe and tube
  • 24/08/16

Tubular goods producers and distributors expect headwinds in the oil and gas industry for the rest of the year, with activity expected to pick up in 2025.

The companies, which sell a mix of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and line pipe, tempered expectations for the rest of 2024 as oilfield consolidations and slowing drilling activity weigh on the market.

Pipe producer Tenaris expects its sales volumes to fall by 10-15pc in the second half of the year from the first half. If realized, second-half shipments would drop by 157,000-208,000 metric tonnes (t) (173,100-229,300 short tons) to 1.77-1.87mn t from the first half. The second-half estimate would be 49,000-149,000t lower than the 1.92mn t sold in the second half of 2023.

The Argus US OCTG all-items index for July was flat from the prior month on changes in price inputs. The July index was down by 3pc from June when compared to like price inputs.

French-based global tubular producer Vallourec said it expects US shipments to weaken through the rest of the year. Chief executive Philippe Guillemot said forecasters expect US oil production to slow because of the low level of active drilling rigs.

The number of active oil and gas drilling rigs was 588 for the week ending 9 August, down by 66 from the year prior, according to oilfield service company Baker Hughes.

Pipe and tubular distributors MRC Global and DNOW both see any increases in activity pushing out into 2025.

MRC pointed to gas utility destocking and project delays pushing business into next year.

Weaker gas prices coupled with lower oil and gas budgets and tentative spending before the November US presidential election will slow third quarter US activity, sequentially, DNOW's chief executive David Cherechinsky said.

"The current expectations are that [completions and rig counts] may bottom in the second half of the year or early in 2025," Cherechinsky said on a 7 August earnings call.


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25/03/03

Australia's Rio Tinto terminal resumes iron ore exports

Australia's Rio Tinto terminal resumes iron ore exports

Sydney, 3 March (Argus) — UK-Australian metal producer Rio Tinto has started loading iron ore onto ships at its East Intercourse Island facility at the Port of Dampier today, ending over one month of weather-related export disruptions. Cyclone Sean flooded one of the company's railcar dumpers as it passed Dampier on 20 January, damaging it and halting exports from the iron ore terminal. But Rio Tinto did not stop all shipments in February. The company moved ore out of Australia's Pilbara region throughout most of the month, using other dumpers at Dampier and the nearby Port Walcott. Rio Tinto announced on 20 February that severe weather events over January and February — including Cyclones Sean, Zelia, Tahlia, and Vince — disrupted 13mn t of ore shipments . The company's mitigation plans only account for roughly half of the losses, it added at the time. Rio Tinto maintained its 2025 ore shipment guidance at 323mn-338mn t on 3 March, but announced that it would update investors again in mid-April, when the company publishes its first-quarter operations review. Argus ' iron ore prices rose slightly over the last quarter. Its iron ore fines 62pc Fe (ICX) cfr Qingdao price stood at $106.50/t on 28 February, up 4.3pc from $102.10/t three months earlier. By Avinash Govind Argus' Iron ore prices ($/t) Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Ecuador awards Sacha field to Sinopec, Petrolia


25/03/02
25/03/02

Ecuador awards Sacha field to Sinopec, Petrolia

Quito, 2 March (Argus) — Ecuador will transfer operation of its highest-producing oil field, the 74,600 b/d Sacha, to a consortium of China's Sinopec and Canada-based Petrolia under a production-sharing contract aimed at increasing output, the energy ministry said today. The consortium, in which Sinopec as operators hold a 60pc share and Petrolia the remainder, committed to investing $1.7bn in the next six year to reach peak production of 100,000 b/d by 2028, up by 33pc compared with current output. State-owned Petroecuador currently operates the field in block 60 in the Orellana province in the Amazonian region. Energy minister Ines Manzano authorized the deal through a resolution, and vice minister of hydrocarbons Guilhermo Ferreira was charged with signing the 20-year contract. Most terms have already been negotiated and final signature should not take more than a few weeks, the ministry said. The consortium had proposed keeping from 80pc-87.5pc of production, depending on the price of WTI crude, Petrolia's general manager Ramiro Paez previously told Argus . If the WTI price is below $30/bl, the consortium will take 87.5pc of the production. But its production sharing will decrease on a sliding scale to a minimum of 80pc when the WTI price is $120/bl or above. Ecuador's government will keep 80pc of profits, when taxes and other fees are taken into account, the consortium has said. Transitioning operations from Petroecuador to Sinopec will take about six months, said Paez. Opposing forces Ecuador's oil workers' unions have rejected the plan as unconstitutional because it passes control of the field from the state-owned company, as have opposition legislators with the citizens' revolution party that holds a majority in congress. The deal will cost Ecuador's government $8bn, the party claims. They also complained that the government announced the decision at the start of a holiday weekend. Manzano defended the deal as constitutional as the hydrocarbons law allows the government to delegate crude field operations. The energy ministry will provide additional details about the deal on 5 March after the 3-4 March holiday for Carnival. From 1-27 February 2025, Sacha produced an average of 74,680 b/d, down by 4pc compared with 77,884 b/d in February 2024, according to the data published by the hydrocarbons regulatory agency (Arch) and Petroecuador. Ecuador produced 474,860 b/d in January. By Alberto Araujo Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Trader curbs US-Canada gas trade on tariff risk


25/02/28
25/02/28

Trader curbs US-Canada gas trade on tariff risk

New York, 28 February (Argus) — A major European energy trading company has redirected about 1 Bcf (28mn m³) of natural gas that was scheduled to flow across the US border into Canada to reduce the company's exposure to the threat of impending tariffs, a person with knowledge of the matter told Argus . The trading company originally planned to flow about 30mn cf/d of gas from the US Midwest into Enbridge's Dawn storage hub in Ontario, Canada, every day in March. But the company has decided to cancel that contract and drop the gas off at another location in Chicago, Illinois, instead, because it did not think the slim profit margin of that trade was worth the risk of having to incur potential tariffs imposed by Canada in retaliation to President Donald Trump's threatened 10pc tariffs on energy products flowing across the border. Trump's tariffs are set to take effect on 4 March. The canceled gas flows across the US-Canadian border illustrate the precautions some industry participants are taking to reduce their exposure to price uncertainty resulting from what appears to be a looming trade war between the close energy trading partners. Such precautions are being taken despite the fact that most analysts think the impact on gas prices and cross-border volumes from Trump's tariffs would be modest. If the tariffs are not imposed and the cross-border trades in March are profitable, the European trading company may choose to resume the trade and send gas from the US into Canada on a daily basis, the person said. Opting out of trades that risk tariff exposure is sometimes the most prudent decision, although it slows dealmaking, the person said. The company is still doing deals that move gas from Canada south into the US Pacific Northwest, because those trades are profitable enough to offset the risk of potential tariffs. By Julian Hast Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Weak Canadian dollar may offset US tariffs: MEG


25/02/28
25/02/28

Weak Canadian dollar may offset US tariffs: MEG

Calgary, 28 February (Argus) — The impact of the US' planned 10pc tariff on Canadian energy imports is likely to be "relatively muted" with a weaker Canadian dollar helping to cushion the impacts on US dollar-denominated Western Canadian Select crude, according to Canada's largest pure-play oil sands producer today. "You might see a $2-4/bl widening in the WCS diff, but we're also seeing a weakening in the Canadian dollar at the same time. That's going to offset that," MEG Energy chief financial officer Ryan Kubik told analysts. The Canadian dollar, on average, was worth C$1.37 to the US dollar in 2024, weakening from C$1.35 to the greenback in 2023 and the weakest since 2003, according to the Bank of Canada. The Canadian dollar has since depreciated further to C$1.43 to the US dollar in February, a benefit to Canadian producers selling crude in US dollars. Heavy sour Western Canadian Select (WCS) in Alberta was under pressure in early February when tariffs looked likely, but were subsequently postponed to 4 March. WCS trades at a discount to the US light sweet benchmark and this week has been hovering around a $13/bl discount, roughly $2/bl narrower than before the tariff threat nearly one month ago. US president Donald Trump said he plans to impose a 10pc tariff on energy, and a 25pc tariff on all other imports from Canada, next week. That has caused confusion for the market with little details on how it would work. Additionally, it is unclear who may bear the brunt of the added tax, but Canadian producers seem likely to share in that cost along with refiners and consumers, to a varying degree. Kubik discussed the prospect of hedging more volumes at current WCS prices, but said participants are limited by the "very illiquid" nature of the market. "There's not a lot of appetite to get out there and put a position on because it's just not that meaningful," said Kubik. "And when you consider the impact of tariffs, we actually think it may be relatively muted." For the moment, most of the volume moving westbound on the 890,000 b/d Trans Mountain system, which enables Canadian producers to bypass the US entirely by exporting to the Pacific Rim, is on existing contracts, according to MEG's senior vice president of marketing Erik Alson. "I think where you're likely to see spot shipments moving would be more around the time when, if, tariffs come into effect," said Alson. "That's when you'd see the extra incentive to move a significant amount of spot capacity." MEG is a committed shipper on TMX but also routes crude through the US Gulf coast, and more than half of MEG's sales could be non-tariffed, depending on the details in the executive order. MEG reported Friday its bitumen output fell to 100,100 b/d in the fourth quarter , down from 109,100 b/d in the fourth quarter of 2023. The Calgary-based company posted a profit of C$106mn ($73mn) in the fourth quarter, up from C$103mn in the fourth quarter of 2023. By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Energy a priority for Uruguay’s new government


25/02/28
25/02/28

Energy a priority for Uruguay’s new government

Montevideo, 28 February (Argus) — Energy will play a central role as Uruguay's new president Yamandu Orsi begins his five-year term on 1 March. Orsi, of the left-wing Broad Front coalition, takes over one of South America's most economically and politically stable countries. The economy is forecast to expand by 3pc this year, above the regional average, and the government wants to attract investment to maintain growth. The energy sector is a priority. Uruguay already has one of the region's cleanest grids, with 99pc of power coming from renewable sources, and in February reached the goal of 100pc electrification nationwide, according to the state-run electric company, UTE. The Orsi administration is studying options for the second phase of the energy transition, which includes adding capacity to meet increasing demand from electrification of transportation and clean fuel production. New finance minister Gabriel Oddone said the administration would focus on reducing red tape and potentially provide incentives for investment in the energy sector. Uruguay currently has close to 5.3GW of installed capacity, with 78pc in renewable sources, for its population of 3.5mn. The UTE, which had a profit of $315mn in 2024, is adding 100MW in wind power in the next two years. The Orsi administration plans to prioritize solar capacity. The new government is keenly following the development of low-carbon hydrogen and e-fuel projects. The most advanced project is for production of 700,000 tonnes (t) of synthetic fuel by Chile's HIF Global and ALUR, the biofuel arm of the state-owned Ancap. Investment is estimated at $6bn, making it the largest planned single investment in the country's history. The company requested approval in January of environmental permits for the project's solar park that would include 1.84mn bifacial solar panels. It would produce a peak of 1,162MW. Construction would take 18 months from approval. The municipal council in Paysandu, in northwestern Uruguay where the project is planned, on 27 February approved a change in land use to facilitate plant construction. Ancap, which lost an estimated $130mn last year because its only refinery was closed for six months, has proposed offshore production of low-carbon hydrogen. The Orsi administration has not yet committed to the project. Reverse transition? The new government will also have to also have to decide on the future of seven offshore exploration blocks, with seismic testing planned for late this year, and the possible construction of a gas pipeline that would link Argentina and Brazil. A pipeline exists from Argentina to Uruguay, but it could be expanded and extended to supply southern Brazil. It would require an additional 415km (258mi) in Uruguay, and around 500km in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state. Orsi has taken a wait-and-see attitude toward exploration, while a gas pipeline would likely have more popular support because it could expand service from only a section of the coast to a wider region. By Lucien Chauvin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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