Asia Pacific
LONGi supplies 70 MW modules to the largest floating PV plant cluster in Vietnam
In a significant development marking the end of 2020, two large-scale floating solar projects in Vietnam were commissioned in December. They were the 35 MWp Ho Tam Bo floating solar power plant and the 35 MWp Ho Gia Hoet 1 floating PV plant. The two projects have been set up on Gia Hoet 1 and Tam Bo irrigation lakes, in Quang Thanh commune, Chau Duc district.
Refinery shutdowns continue, likely more in 2021
As the coronavirus pandemic decimated global demand in 2020, refineries around the world reacted immediately with a variety of methods to survive. Temporary shut ins, cold circulation, conversion to renewable production, and outright refinery closures all became commonplace as responses to the pandemic effect.
Masdar and PT PJBI form joint venture to drive development of Indonesia’s first floating solar power plant
Masdar, one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, and PT PJBI, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s state electricity company PT PLN (Persero), today announced the formation of a joint venture to drive the development of the Cirata Floating Photovoltaic Power Plant – Indonesia’s first floating PV project.
Petron Expected to Close Bataan Refinery Next Month
Petron of the Philippines recently announced that it is planning to temporarily shut in its long running 180,000 barrel per day Bataan refinery in January. The company cited weak margins as the primary reason, but did not give a restart date.
China Could Surpass U.S. as Top Refiner Next Year
According to the International Energy Agency, China is expected to overtake the United States as the largest refinery in the world as early as 2021. Asian economies have been rebounding from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and China is adding capacity as demand is building in that region.
Vietnam see steady solar growth
An 8 percent per year electricity demand growth is expected in Vietnam and power consumption is said to rise from 275 terrawatt hours (TWh) this year to around 630 TWh in 2030, as a result the country has already invested heavily in 18GW of coal-fired power projects, these slated to been in place by the middle of the decade. Despite this the country has turned to its abundant natural resources of hydro, wind, and solar potential to fill additional demand.
Developing India's wind potential
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) announced that it will launch GWEC India to help develop India’s vast wind power potential and support green recovery. India is the world’s fourth largest onshore wind market, after China, US and Germany, with nearly 38GW of installed capacity according to Inte..
Petronas steps up investments in hydrogen as part of carbon-free energy goals
Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas said it is stepping up investments in hydrogen as part of a global push to produce carbon-free energy, even as the firm expands its portfolio in LNG and renewable energy.
Fortescue, Origin assess green ammonia, hydrogen plants in Australia's Tasmania
Fortescue Metals Group and Origin Energy Ltd announced separate plans to assess building ammonia export plants in the Australian island state of Tasmania, as both seek to tap opportunities in renewable energy.
Support for wind's growth
The International Energy Agency (IEA) report, Renewables 2020 released on 10 November 2020, proclaims that renewable power is defying the Covid crisis with record growth this year and next. It goes on to say that renewables will account for almost 90% of the increase in total power capacity worldwide in 2020 and will accelerate in 2021 to their fastest growth in the last six years. Wind and solar additions are set to jump by 30% in both the United States and China as developers rush to take advantage of expiring incentives.
Destination China for Australia
Australia remains far and away the largest LNG exporter to China, accounting for 40% of Chinese imports in September 2020, four times the imports from the next highest suppliers, Qatar, Indonesia and Malaysia. Increased custom’s authority restrictions so far don’t appear to have affected Australian exports of LNG to China, despite other products being so. An estimated 23.5 million tonnes has already been delivered this year, much in keeping with last year’s volume.
Solar Installed capacity is dominated by China and United States
Looking into data available from the International Renewables Energy Agency (Irena) it is clear from the information that China and United States are leading the way when it comes to solar installed capacity and looks to continue
Shell halves production in Singapore under its energy transition plan
Royal Dutch Shell recently announced that its long running complex on the small island of Pulau Bukom in Singapore will reduce its 500,000 barrel per day production by half as the company continues to implement its plan to become a net-zero emissions business by 2050.
PipeChina's LNG operations
PipeChina’s LNG operations As of 1 October 2020, China Oil & Gas Pipeline Network Corporation, better known as PipeChina, became operator of five large existing LNG import terminals, and a further two, large, under construction LNG import terminals in China. Four of the existing terminals were pre..
Solid capacity growth in China’s solar sector
Data recently released by the Chinese government indicates a rise in solar capacity in 2020 over the same period in 2019. According to the National Energy Administration (NEA), China added a further 18.5 gigawatts (GW) in the first three quarters of 2020, compared to just 16GW in 2019. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak during the early parts of the year, utility-scale projects installed made up 54 percent or just over 10GW and small-scale, on-site or off-grid solar capacity made up 46 percent or just over 8.5GW during the period January to September 2020.
Azerbaijan to Proceed with Gas Pipeline Extension, Despite War
BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan will press ahead with plans to feed natural gas into an extended pipeline network to southern Europe, a senior official said, even as conflict rages for a sixth week in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
BASF and its partners place $4 billion petrochemical complex in India on hold
BASF of Germany announced that a multipurpose petrochemicals complex in India under planning with ADNOC, Adani, and Borealis AG has been placed on hold due to the ongoing global economic challenges caused by COVID-19. A statement from the company said that the pandemic effect has “led the partners to review the timing for undertaking this investment.” No new possible startup date was given at this time.
Tough decisions loom for Australian refiners
Operating refineries in Australia have been operating at loss level measures due to the impact felt nationally from the pandemic driven destruction demand, even as the country comes out of lockdown and government assistance begins to form. The GEI Data Warehouse is tracking four refineries in the country that are having to make hard choices on whether they keep operating, convert to terminal operations, or possibly shut in altogether.
China to Step Up E&P, Pipeline Construction
China said it would step up its exploration of oil and gas, and speed up the construction of oil andgas pipelines and storage facilities, the Communist Party said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Solar power in charge across South Australia
In October, the Australian state of South Australia reported that for one hour on the eleventh of the month, 100 percent of its electricity was generated by solar power. South Australia being the largest jurisdiction in the world to do so. The power generated came from 77 percent rooftop systems and the remaining 23 percent from the states utility-scale solar projects.
BP's Tangguh LNG Train 3 in Indonesia delayed again due to pandemic
The start of operations of Train 3 at BP's Tangguh LNG plant in Indonesia is set to be pushed back again due to labour restrictions implemented as a precaution during the coronavirus pandemic, the company and a regulator said. Train 3 is now expected to start production in the fourth quarter of 2021, Dwi Soetjipto, chairman of upstream oil and gas regulator, SKK Migas, told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday.
Global announcements and developments July
The industry's most comprehensive list of current and recent rounds for onshore and offshore licences
Oil firms ready to pick up the infrastructure divestment pace
Pipelines, storage facilities and processing plants could replace non-advantaged production as prime candidates Oil and gas producing firms create the most value by exploring for, developing and producing hydrocarbons. Internal rates of return (IRRs) far in excess of 20pc are the norm for successful upstream projects.
Global announcements and developments June
The industry's most comprehensive list of current and recent rounds for onshore and offshore licences
China’s challenge: securing sufficient gas
The pandemic appears to have barely dented China’s hunger for gas. The difficulty remains building sufficient production, import, storage and transport capacity to satisfy demand China’s natural gas demand has proved to be surprisingly resilient in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak.
IEA warns of investment chasm
Global investment in the energy sector will contract sharply in 2020, with governments prioritising control of the Covid-19 pandemic and many economies able to reopen only partially. In its World Energy Investment 2020 report, the IEA estimates that global investment could decline by 20pc—the largest slump ever recorded.
LNG: Intercontinental to inter-regional?
Price differentials are threatening the economics underlying global LNG arbitrage. But the lower prices may unlock competition within regions It was all going rather well for efficient global LNG trade. The associated gas boom that accompanied the US shale oil revolution drove Henry Hub prices to bargain-basement levels just at a time when the country was developing its first wave of liquefaction and export capacity, most of it linked to those Louisiana prices.
More Pipelines Are Needed for India to Increase LNG Imports — EIA Report
(P&GJ) — Data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that as India continues to increase its imports of LNG, the country will need to quickly complete construction on its planned gas pipelines.
Arctic LNG sea fleet: Carrying gas from the cold
At present, 20 of the world’s approximately 500 in-service LNG carriers are used, or planned for use, to carry natural gas produced by the world’s northernmost LNG liquefaction projects. These projects include Equinor’s operating Hammerfest LNG plant on Melkøya Island in northern Norway; Novatek’s recently commissioned Yamal LNG terminal in Sabetta in Russia’s northeast Yamal Peninsula; and Novatek’s under-construction Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia’s Gydan Peninsula.
Kazakhstan Pipeline Work Continues Despite Tengiz Slowdown
ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's biggest oil producer Tengizchevroil (TCO) has reduced some work on its $45 billion expansion project in the west of the country due to the coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Tuesday.
