(MHPS, 7.Jan.2020) — Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (MHPS), Patria Investments, and Shell announced the signing of a contract with Brazil’s State-owned development bank (BNDES) to finance the gas-powered Marlim Azul Energia power plant, in Macaé (Rio de Janeiro State). The loan approved by the bank for the construction of […]
Category: North America
North America energy
Canadian Solar Increases Size Of Board Of Directors
(Canadian Solar, 6.Jan.2020) — Canadian Solar Inc. increased the size of its Board of Directors from five to six directors and appointed Lauren C. Templeton as an independent director, thereby increasing the number of independent directors to five. The Company also announced that it has appointed Karl E. Olsoni as […]
Petrobras Names JP Morgan New ADR Depositary Bank
(Petrobras, 30.Dec.2019) — Petrobras announced that JP Morgan Chase will be the new representative of the American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program for its shares traded in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2024. ADR holders may call the new depositary bank at 1-800-990-1135 […]
US Cuts Venezuelan Flows Plans For China, Rosneft
(S&P Global Platts, 24.Dec.2019) — US sanctions on PDVSA shut down roughly 500,000 b/d of crude flows from Venezuela to Gulf Coast refineries within a matter of weeks after being imposed in January, and helped cut the South American nation’s oil production roughly in half before the end of the […]
Cameron LNG Facility Begins Production At Train 2
(Sempra LNG, 23.Dec.2019) — Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, announced that Cameron LNG has begun producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the second liquefaction train of the export facility in Hackberry, La. “We are pleased to reach this important milestone in the development of the liquefaction facility,” said […]
US Says Maduro Rigging Coming Vote
(NYT, 20.Dec.2019) — At stake is control of the country’s National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has accused President Nicolás Maduro of corruption. The United States accused President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela on Friday of trying to rig a coming election for control of […]
Hecate’s Solar Project To Assist El Paso Electric
(Hecate, 19.Dec.2019) — Hecate Energy announced its proposed 100 MW Santa Teresa solar project has been selected by El Paso Electric Company (EPE) as part of a 350 MW solar and storage Request for Proposals (RFP) process designed to add new clean resources to the EPE system. Pending necessary regulatory […]
Bolivia, US Officials Discuss Hydrocarbon Sector
(Energy Analytics Institute, Ian Silverman, 17.Dec.2019) — A delegation accompanying US representative Bruce Williamson meet with Bolivia’s Hydrocarbon Minister Víctor Hugo Zamora to discuss possibilities that the two countries work together on matters related to the hydrocarbon sector. “Since the US is the largest producer of crude oil in the […]
Total Advances Two Deepwater GOM Projects
(Total, 16.Dec.2019) — Total announces the final investment decision (FID) to develop the Anchor oil field. Additionally, front-end engineering and design (FEED) has begun for the North Platte discovery. Both projects are located in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. FID for Anchor Project Total […]
S&P Releases 2020 Energy Outlook
(S&P Global Platts, 11.Dec.2019) — Analysts at S&P Global Platts, the leading independent provider of information, analysis and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets, today released their 2020 outlook. The outlook presumes continued high geopolitical risks to oil supply, a slight recovery in oil demand driven by IMO […]
Talos Announces GOM Acquisition
(Talos, 10.Dec.2019) — Talos Energy Inc. entered into a series of definitive agreements to acquire a broad portfolio of U.S. Gulf of Mexico producing assets, exploration prospects and acreage from affiliates of ILX Holdings, Castex Energy and Venari Resources for $640 million as of the effective date. Specifically, Talos has […]
Barkindo Says US Sanctions On Venezuela Unhealthy
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 10.Dec.2019) — OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo assured that unilateral sanctions imposed on member countries of the organization are unhealthy for the efficient functioning of the oil market. “The oil that Venezuela produces and exports belongs to the entire world. As a large oil producing […]
EOG Resources Declares Quarterly Dividend
(EOG, 10.Dec.2019) — The Board of Directors of EOG Resources, Inc. declared a dividend of $0.2875 per share on EOG’s Common Stock, payable 31 January 2020, to stockholders of record as of 17 January 2020. The indicated annual rate is $1.15. ***
Commercial Operation Starts at Freeport LNG Project in Texas
(Osaka Gas, 10.Dec.2019) — Osaka Gas USA announced that the Freeport LNG Project in Texas, the United States, has started commercial operation for its first liquefaction train on 8 December 2019. Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. and JERA Co., Inc. participate in the project through FLNG Liquefaction, LLC (“FLIQ1”). FLIQ1 made […]
Venezuela Releases ‘Citgo 6’
(Chron.com, Sergio Chapa, 9.Dec.2019) — Six executives of Houston refiner Citgo are out of a Venezuelan prison, according to a late Monday report by Reuters. After spending two years in prison on corruption charges, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Gustavo Cardenas and Jose Pereira are said […]
Sempra Declares Common And Preferred Dividends
(Sempra, 9.Dec.2019) — The Sempra Energy board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.9675 per share of common stock. The common stock dividend is payable Jan. 15, 2020, to common stock shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 30, 2019. The company’s board of directors also […]
NY Reserve Bank To Hold Guyana Oil Revenues
(Stabroek News, 7.Dec.2019) — Guyana’s Natural Resource Fund (NRF), which will hold oil revenues, is to be located in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York rather than the Central Bank of Guyana, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan has revealed. “We are in the process of getting the requirement to […]
CITGO Reports 3Q Results
(Citgo, 6.Dec.2019) — Citgo Petroleum Corporation reported strong financial and operational performance as the Board of Directors reviewed with the Shareholder the company’s performance during the first nine months of 2019 at a meeting at Citgo headquarters in Houston. The report included net income of $270 million for the first […]
Petrobras Plans $34bn In Dividends
(Bloomberg, Simon Casey and Sabrina Valle, 5.Dec.2019) — Petrobras plans to pay its shareholders $34 billion in dividends over the next five years as it cuts debt and sells assets to shore up its finances, CEO Roberto Castello Branco said. The plan is a major shift for the state-controlled oil […]
Petrobras Host Investor Day In NYC
(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 4.Dec.2019) — Brazil’s state-controlled oil giant Petrobras hosted media and analyst during its annual investor day event in New York City on Dec. 4, which was followed by another in London on Dec. 6. What follows is the link to the 51-page presentation: Petrobras Investor […]
LatAm, US Ban Travel For Venezuela’s Maduro, Allies
(Reuters, Luis Jaime Acosta, 3.Dec.2019) — Fifteen countries in the Americas agreed on Tuesday to ban 29 Venezuelans, including the oil-producing country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and his close allies, from traveling within their borders as part of diplomatic efforts to push him to step down. The meeting included representatives from […]
Venezuela And Cuba ‘Circumvent Sanctions’
(Miami Herald, Jim Wyss and Nora Gamez Torres, 3.Dec.2019) — Washington continued to tighten its grip on Venezuela and Cuba on Tuesday, naming six oil tankers that deliver fuel from the South American nation to the island as “blocked property.” The action — just the latest in a series of […]
US Acts Against Movement Of Venezuelan Oil To Cuba
(US Department of State, 3.Dec.2019) — On December 3, the United States identified six PDVSA-owned vessels, pursuant to E.O. 13884 or 13850, being used by the former Maduro regime to ship oil to Cuba, announced US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo. Related Story: OFAC Adds Six Vessels To List […]
OFAC Adds Six Vessels To List
(Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 3.Dec.2019) — The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) add six vessels to its SDN list as of 3 Dec. and as follows. — ICARO Crude Oil Tanker Panama flag; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9038842 (vessel) [Venezuela-EO13884] (Linked To: PDVSA). […]
Bolivia Revises Gas Reserves, Fixes GCC Line
(Argus, Patricia Garip, 3.Dec.2019) — Bolivia’s new interim government has revised down the figure for natural gas reserves, applying a more conservative interpretation of the certified data. Proven reserves are 8.95 Tcf (254bn m³) as of the end of 2017, rather than 10.7 Tcf as the previous government had asserted, […]
Invenergy Expands Via Deal With Colombia’s EPM
(Invenergy, 2. Dec.2019) — Invenergy executed a strategic partnership agreement with Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM), one of Colombia’s largest public electric utilities, to develop, build, and operate large-scale wind and solar energy projects in Colombia. This partnership combines Invenergy’s renewable development and operational expertise with EPM’s domestic know-how to […]
Maduro Sent $900mn In Oil To Cuba, U.S. Official Said
(El Nuevo Herald, Nora Gámez Torres, 27.Nov.2019) — Embattled leader Nicolás Maduro sent about $900 million in oil to Cuba this year despite the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, a U.S. top diplomat told reporters on Wednesday. The U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, said that Maduro has the money […]
Venezuela-linked Sanctions Put Floor Under Oil Spreads
(S&P Global Platts, 27.Nov.2019) — The benchmark Dubai crude futures market structure moved higher in mid-morning trade in Asia Wednesday as new sanctions imposed on a Cuban company over its links to Venezuelan oil tradingput the focus back on the global supply shortage of medium and heavy high sulfur crudes. […]
Rosneft Undermining US Plans In Venezuela?
(Atlantic Council, Matthew Bryza, 27.Nov.2019) — US President Donald Trump is conducting policies of “maximum pressure” on two countries, Venezuela and Iran. In Venezuela, Russia’s state-owned oil company, Rosneft, actively undercuts this US policy by helping Caracas circumvent Washington’s tough economic sanctions. Yet Washington has not applied broad sanctions against […]
Conoco Seeks Seizure Of Citgo Parent
(Reuters, 26.Nov.2019) — U.S. oil company ConocoPhillips on Tuesday filed a motion in a Delaware court seeking to seize shares in the parent of U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum to collect on an arbitration award against Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. Citgo, a PDVSA subsidiary and Venezuela’s crown jewel overseas asset, […]
Ecopetrol Targets Higher CAPEX In 2020
(Ecopetrol, 25.Nov.2019) — Ecopetrol S.A. reported that in 2020 the Ecopetrol Group (GE) plans to invest an expected US$4.5 to US$5.5 billion, 25% to 53% higher than the estimated 2019 figure for organic investment. The plan approved by the Board of Directors, which prioritizes opportunities under strict capital discipline, is […]
Valaris Announces New Contract Awards
(Valaris, 25.Nov.2019) — Valaris plc announced new contracts and contract extensions, with associated revenue backlog of approximately $285 million, awarded subsequent to a prior fleet status report dated October 25, 2019. — VALARIS DS-18 (Relentless) contract extended due to the exercise of a one-well priced option with EnVen in the […]
Pemex Cyberattack Has US Cos. Taking Precautions
(Chron.com, Sergio Chapa, 25.Nov.2019) — American oil companies operating south of the border are stepping up their cybersecurity measures after reports of a ransomware attack that allegedly knocked out computers at Mexico’s state-run oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. Mexican media outlets have been reporting over the past two weeks […]
BPC And Baker Hughes Seal Bahamas Deal
(Offshore Energy, 22.Nov.2019) — Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) has finalized an agreement with Baker Hughes for the provision of equipment for its first exploration well in The Bahamas in 2020. However, the company is still working to secure the financing and finalize a rig contract with Seadrill. In August 2019, […]
Third Circuit Rejects Citgo Rehearing
(Argus, Elliott Blackburn, 21.Nov.2019) — Federal appeals court judges have denied Venezuela’s request to rehear a July decision upholding the pursuit of the country’s US refining subsidiary Citgo to satisfy billions of dollars of debts. The US Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to hear arguments on the […]
US Court Denies Citgo Rehearing
(S&P Global Platts, 21.Nov.2019) — A US appeals court Thursday denied Venezuela’s request for it to reconsider its ruling allowing a PDVSA creditor to go after US refiner Citgo, its most valuable foreign asset. The ruling by 13 judges on the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upholds […]
Venezuela Opposition In Citgo Deal
(Reuters, 19.Nov.2019) — Venezuela’s opposition has reached a deal with the custodians of a bond issued by state oil company PDVSA to prevent bondholders from seizing U.S. refining subsidiary Citgo, the bond’s collateral, until May, according to court filings and a source. The opposition-appointed PDVSA board, which is recognized in […]
Is Big Oil Wasting Its Time in The US Shale Patch?
(Oilprice.com, Nick Cunningham, 19.Nov.2019) — Growth in the U.S. shale industry is dramatically slowing down, with cash-strapped drillers slashing spending and scrapping rigs. At the same time, the oil majors are consolidating their position and moving forward with aggressive drilling plans. The business model for small and medium-sized drillers has […]
Touchstone Reports Coho-1 Gas Test In Trinidad
(Touchstone, 18.Nov.2019) — Touchstone Exploration Inc. provides production test results for the Coho-1 well on the Ortoire exploration block, onshore in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. As previously reported, the Coho-1 exploration well (Touchstone 80% working interest operator, Heritage Petroleum Company Limited 20% working interest) was spudded on August […]
Venezuela Using Invisible Oil Tankers To Skirt Sanctions
(Oilprice.com, Irina Slav, 16.Nov.2019) — U.S. sanctions on Venezuela have been squeezing the life out of its economy in an attempt to remove the government of Nicolas Maduro from power, but so far those sanctions haven’t been entirely successful. The reason: Venezuela is still exporting oil. So far in November, […]
Ecopetrol and Oxy Finalize Permian Deal
(Ecopetrol, 13.Nov.2019) — Ecopetrol S.A. completed the joint venture transaction announced on 31 Jul. 2019. Through this deal, the company and Occidental Petroleum Corp agreed to form a strategic alliance or joint venture for the development of unconventional reservoirs in approximately 97,000 acres of the Permian Basin in the state […]
Clorox And Enel Green Power Ink Deal
(Clorox, 13.Nov.2019) — The Clorox Company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Enel Green Power North America signed a 12-year, 70 megawatt (MW) virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for the purchase of renewable energy beginning in 2021. Representing about half of Clorox’s 100% renewable electricity goal in its operations in […]
Rosneft Grapples With Unsold Venezuelan Oil
(Michelle Wiese Bockmann, 12.Nov.2019) — Rosneft’s trading arm is vital to Venezuelan crude sales as Chinese refiners shun direct purchases since the US administration tightened sanctions in August. Instead Venezuela to China shipments arrive via Malaysia, through ship-to-ship transfers undertaken from Rosneft-controlled tankers CRUDE exports from Venezuela have dwindled to […]
Ecopetrol Finds Oil In GOM Deep Waters
(Ecopetrol, 7.Nov.2019) — Ecopetrol reports that its US subsidiary, Ecopetrol America LLC, has participated in the drilling of the Esox-1 well under a Farmout Agreement with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. The well which resulted in the discovery of light oil is located in Mississippi Canyon Block No. 726 in the deep […]
Frontera Announces Quarterly Dividend
(Frontera, 7.Nov.2019) — Frontera Energy Corporation announces that its Board of Directors has declared a dividend of C$0.205 per common share, which will be paid on or about January 17, 2020 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 3, 2020. The company’s Board of Directors dividend […]
McDermott Appoints Chris Krummel As CFO
(McDermott, 5.Nov.2019) — McDermott International, Inc. announced appointment of Chris Krummel as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Krummel joined McDermott in 2016 and previously served as the company’s Global Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer. He replaces Stuart Spence, who has resigned from McDermott to […]
Flexential Expands To LatAm With Seaborn
(Flexential, 4.Nov.2019) — Flexential announced it is expanding its FlexAnywhere offering, providing customers direct access to Seaborn Networks’ transoceanic platform for the low latency, high-speed, 72-terabits-per-second seamless connection to Latin America. The Latin American subsea cable, called Seabras-1, spans from New York/New Jersey, U.S. to Sao Palo, Brazil. Via this […]
Hess Announces Oil Find At Esox-1 GOM Well
(Hess, 29.Oct.2019) — Hess Corporation announced an oil discovery at the Esox-1 exploration well located in Mississippi Canyon Block No. 726 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Esox-1 was drilled in 4,609 feet (1,405 meters) of water and encountered approximately 191 net feet (58 meters) of high quality oil bearing […]
CITGO: Worth Protecting?
(AFPM, Chet Thompson, 22.Oct.2019) — In the last ten years the fracking revolution has led to amazing growth and vastly increased energy security for the United States. We’ve gone from the number-one refined product importer in the world to the number-one exporter. Workers in American refineries are fueling the country […]
Ali Moshiri Seeks $500mn For Post-Sanctions Venezuela
(Reuters, Jennifer Hiller, 21.Oct.2019) — The former chief of Chevron Corp’s Latin American operations is moving to raise $500 million from big financial firms to invest in Venezuela once U.S. sanctions are eventually lifted, confident that political change will come and that foreign investment will be needed to boost sagging […]