McDermot, a leading EPC company for the gas and power industry, has received unsolicited offers to sell its Lummus Technology business for over $2.5 billion. The divestment could herald the start of a wider business overhaul.
The Japan-Korea-Marker, an LNG benchmark price for spot cargoes, is set to strengthen relative to the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF). This winter, South Korea is preparing to halt a substantial share of its coal-fired power generating capacity, boosting LNG demand which is set to propel up JKM contracts starting from November.
After months of bickering, the German ruling coalition came together on Friday and agreed to levy a fixed price of 10 Euros per tonne on emissions from transport and the buildings sector starting from 2021, and invest more than 54 billion Euros by 2023 to accelerate the energy transition.
Crude oil, thermal coal and natural gas continue to account for the largest share of energy use in the United States. With 79% of domestic production and 80% of consumption made up of fossil fuels, there is much room left for further renewable penetration.
Taweelah Asia Power Company (TAPCO) has awarded Ansaldo Energia a 10-year service agreement for their Taweelah New B Extension (TNBE) combined-cycle power plant in Abu Dhabi. The full-scope, turnkey service accord covers three Siemens SGT5-4000F turbines and related equipment.
Rising national gas production in Argentina and peak potential LNG export during the summer months is coinciding with strong winter demand from utilities in Asia. This seasonal dynamic is expected to attract Asian buyers amid very competitive shipping costs.
Turning Bolivia into a regional energy hub, Siemens is converting three separate simple-cycle power plants into combined-cycle units, boosting output by more than 1 GW. Scope of delivery includes 23 SGT-800 gas turbines, 11 steam turbines and related equipment for a project value of 1 billion Euros.
Over-the counter (OCT) traded gas volumes in European brokered markets amounted to 2,309 TWh in August, up 14% year-on-year. Trading at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) rose 13.5% to 1,833 TWh, while German NCG contracts soared 25% to 125 TWh, according to the London Energy Brokers’ Association (Leba).
European utilities are courted by more and more sellers marketing long-term LNG volumes from pre-FID LNG supply projects. To gain access to attractively-prices US LNG, however, European buyers need to turn their back on hub-pricing and open up to Henry Hub-indexation, instead.
Accelerating its clean energy transition, Duke Energy strives to curb carbon emission by at least 50% by 2030 with the aim of achieving net-zero CO2 from electric generation by midcentury. The company plans to at least double its portfolio of solar and wind by 2025, while deploying more low-cost gas power plants.
Natural gas and wind are the fastest growing sources of U.S. electricity generation, both rising 6% this year. In 2020, gas power will rise another 2% while generation from wind is seen surge 14%, according to the EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook.
By 2024, China’s market for flow vanadium energy storage is likely to exceed $3 billion. The new technology is based on domestic resource and offers virtually unlimited storage capacity, long duration, and rapid response time. A 200MW/800MWh vanadium flow battery is under development in Dalian, with the batteries made in a nearby factory of Rongke Power.
Though Europe’s green energy transition is gaining pace, natural gas demand is seen grow significantly. Wood Mackenzie advises European utilities to share some cross-hub price risk with LNG producers, or else they risk losing market space to international oil companies or state-run energy majors like Gazprom.
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has warned the Philippine island of Luzon may face power shortages in the first week of October, when up to 900 MW of gas-fired capacity will be offline for maintenance. Repairs coincide with the four days maintenance shutdown of the huge Malampaya gas field.
New York-based Con Edison and eight other U.S. utilities have filed a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. The claimants say the rule undermines efforts to curb emissions by investing in renewables and energy efficiency.
News in Brief
SPIG wins contract for Al Dur Phase II
Sept 23 – Italy-based SPIG, part of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, has won a contract to provide seawater cooling tower system to SEPCOIII for the Al Dur Phase II project in Bahrain. The Al Dur Phase II is a combined-cycle gas-turbine plant to generate 1,500 MW of electricity and approximately 50 million gallons fresh water per day.
MHI-MME to take over turbocharger production
Sept 20 – Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems will no longer produce MET turbochargers, the standard worldwide exhaust gas turbochargers used in stationary engines. Starting from January 1, 2020, these devises will be produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment (MHI-MME) instead.
Japan starts electricity futures trading
Sept 19 – Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) has launched trading in electricity futures to advance price competition in Japan’s liberalized energy market. The East Area peakload electricity contract for October delivery first traded at 10.9 Yen per kWh, lower than the standard price of 11 Yen set by TOCOM in advance.
Duke to reduce rates in 2020
Sept 18 – Duke Energy Florida (DEF) customers will see lower bills in 2020. The utility filed a proposal with the Florida Public Service Commission to reduce rates for electricity and gas by more than 3% while adding more solar power and making grid improvements.
Myanmar approves three power projects
Sept 17 – Myanmar’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy has given the green light to plans for a 1,230 MW gas-fired power plant in Kanpauk, Taninthayi region, a 377 MW gas-fired unit in Ahlon, Yangon region and a 1,390 MW thermal plant in Milaunggyine in Ayeyawady region. The conflict-ridden country is currently producing electricity from 5,600 MW installed capacity, derived both from state- private-owned power stations.
Bonny Train-7 to cost $6.5bn
Sept 16 – Nigeria LNG is preparing to add a seventh processing train to Bonny LNG, bringing total capacity from 22 million tons per annum (mtpa) to 30 mtpa. Estimated to cost $6.5 billion, Bonny Train-6 will include a new liquefaction unit, a storage and a condensate tank as well as three gas turbine generators.
Schneider to complete L&T takeover by early 2020
Sept 13 – Venturing into India, Schneider Electric hopes to finalise the Rs 14,000 crore acquisition of Larsen & Toubro's electrical and automation business by early 2020. After the transaction is completed, Schneider will have a 65% stake in L&T, while the remainder will be held by Temasek.
MHI to advice China on energy conservation
Sept 12 – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, part of MHI, has set up a joint venture withan affiliate of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) to perform technical consulting for energy conservation projects in China. The focus of SGCC lies on building new decentralized power stations, biomass-derived power gensets and energy saving solutions.
Tender extended
Sept 11 – Turkmengas has extended a tender for the overhaul of the gas turbine engines of the NK-12ST and NK-14ST brands. Bidders need to pay to receive the tender documents, and then submit a written application to Turkmenistan’s state gas company.
Gas power units to buffer Germany’s coal exit
Sept 10 – Electricity output of Germany’s fleet of gas-fired power plants has risen to a over 13,5 billion kilowatt-hours in the three months from June to August, Fraunhofer ISE figures show. These productivity gains put CCGTs in pole position to balance supply swings in connection with the German coal exit.
Power of Siberia gas flows to start on Dec 1
Sept 9 – Russian gas supplies to China via the eastern route are going to start on December 1, 2019, Gazprom chairman Alexey Miller told his counterpart at CNPC in Beijing. The huge Chayandinskoye field, containing some 1.2 trillion cbm of gas, had already been connected to the 38 Bcm per year ‘Power of Siberia’ gas pipeline in August.
Hurricane Dorian causes havoc in the Bahamas
Sept 6 – In the aftermath of Hurricane Doran, a Category 5 storm, Bahamas Power and Light has said there is a total blackout in New Providence, the most populous island of the archipelago. Dorian made landfall twice on Sunday, ripping off roofs and electricity lines. In most parts, electricity has not been restored.
LNG cargoes via Bab-el Mandeb decrease
Aug 30 – Northbound LNG shipments via Bab el-Mandeb, a sea route chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, have fallen over the past three years as Egypt imports less natural gas from the Persian Gulf. In 2015 and 2016, both Jordan and Egypt imported up to 1.4 Bcf/d of LNG into Red Sea ports but these shipments fell sharply following the development of large gas finds in the Mediterranean.
Hokuriku Electric buys LNG cargo
Aug 29 – Japanese utility Hokuriku Electric has purchased an LNG cargo for delivery in November as soaring temperatures drew down gas in storage for the autumn. The cargo is understood to be scheduled for delivery in the second half of November from Malaysia’s Petronas and may well be destined for Hokuriku Electric’s first LNG-fired power generation unit, the Toyama Shinko plant.
Technip spins off LNG activities
Aug 28 – TechnipFMC, has decided to spin off its European-based engineering and construction operations into a separate business, leaving the American half of the firm as an equipment supplier to the oil and gas sector. The split is due to be completed in the first half of 2020.
FLNG power market to top $930m by 2023
Aug 27 – The global market for floating LNG power vessel is projected to reach $ 931.6 million by 2023, up from $ 860.1 million seen last year, according to ReportsnReports. Major vendors of FLNG power vessels are Siemens, MAN, Wärtsilä, Caterpilar and GE which are targeting to use the technology to supply decentralized power to island nations in Southeast Asia and along the coast of sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas.
EIA monitors grid hourly
Aug 26 – The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has launched a beta release of its hourly electric grid monitor. The enhanced version analyses hourly generation by energy source and hourly sub-regional demand for certain balancing authorities in the Lower 48 states.
