International
Eco-Gate launches ‘ECO-G’ brand as trademark for natural gas mobility
The ECO-GATE European Consortium, co-financed by the European Union and led by NEDGIA, the gas distributor of the Naturgy group, presented the ECO-G brand, which has been designed as a unique trademark to rename natural gas for vehicles. In a scenario in which oil-derived fuels are still the majority, the new brand revolves around the idea of “smart ecology”: natural gas is the most suitable environmentally-friendly, economic and current alternative for promoting sustainable mobility, both road as maritime.
With a modern design and a lot of personality, the ECO-G brand has a unique typeface that allows it to adapt to the organic shapes of a leaf. The design has been created by the branding consultant Soulman Insightful Thinking, which is also a partner of the European consortium.
With this new brand, ECO-GATE aims to unify the different names used for natural gas technology as a fuel source for land and maritime mobility. In this way, ECO-G will function as a denomination seal and the brand can be used by manufacturers of land or maritime vehicles, users of vehicles and technology companies, marketers and distributors in the field of natural gas mobility.
ECO-G is a clean technology that reduces to almost zero the polluting emissions that affect air quality in cities: up to 100% of NO2 emissions and more than 95% of solid particles. In addition, it reduces sound emission and vibrations by 50% compared to diesel engines. And if we talk about renewable gas, CO2 emissions are neutral: 100% reduction.
Of all the alternative fuels, ECO-G is the only one that has fully developed and operational solutions for all mobility needs, from passenger cars for urban commutes to long-distance (international) transport, without losing performance levels or autonomy.
In addition to environmental benefits, sustainable mobility with natural gas leads to significant fuel savings (50% versus gasoline and 25% against diesel). For example, a light vehicle can travel 275 kilometres on 20 euros of gasoline, 375 Km on diesel and 555 Km on ECO-G.
Its use has been widespread for decades, all over the world, especially in Latin America and Europe. In Italy, for example, there are more than 1 million vehicles and more than 1,100 gas stations, or Germany, with nearly 100,000 vehicles and almost 1,000 gas stations. In Spain, the figures do not stop growing, which demonstrates the great acceptance of mobility with natural gas; in 2018, 5,745 new natural gas vehicles were registered (146% with respect to 2017) and the car fleet exceeded 14,200 units (68% more than the previous year).
The European ECO-GATE Consortium (European Corridors for Natural Gas Transport Efficiency) is one of the most ambitious global plans for mobility with conventional and renewable natural gas.
Mexico: 120 Hyundai CNG buses arrive in the Port of Ensenada
The Ensenada Integral Port Administration (API) received for the first time in its history a vessel with an automotive cargo of 120 natural gas buses manufactured by Hyundai (100 Super Aero City and 20 County), which are expected to offer greater efficiency and a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the city of Tijuana. The Port of Ensenada considered itself a perfect destination for this arrival, since it is called a “Green Port.”
The 120 CNG buses that arrived at the port located in the state of Baja California will be used to transport personnel from Translead (Hyundai plant in Tijuana) and, comparatively with the vehicles that use diesel, their fuel consumption will be 40% lower .
On February 6, the NGVs arrived from South Korea in the Asian Glory Ro-Ro vessel and, on February 8, the unloading operations were performed. Now the buses are in the testing phase with the service department and the respective training will be carried out for its correct operation.
Natural gas for vehicles is gaining momentum in more and more Mexican states and will be one of the key topics at AltFuels Mexico 2019, taking place on 11-14 March at the World Trade Center in Mexico City. The event will feature first level conferences and exhibition led by national and international experts and companies that will share their experiences and knowledge with visitors and showcase the latest in alternative fuel technologies. For more information, please contact info@altfuelsmexico.com.
Oil market to reach balance in Q1 -UAE energy minister
The oil market should reach a balance between supply and demand in the first quarter of this year, UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei told Al-Arabiya television on Monday.
He said he was satisfied with the implementation of an agreement to cut supply by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, including Russia.
OPEC, Russia and other non-OPEC producers – an alliance known as OPEC+ – agreed to reduce supply by 1.2 million bpd from Jan. 1.
Mazrouei said it was premature to discuss compensating crude output losses in some of the exporting countries.
Iran, Libya and Venezuela registered falls in output as a result of unrest and trade sanctions.
“Most OPEC and non-OPEC countries are doing their part” to balance the market, Mazrouei said separately, addressing a conference in Dubai.
He also called on the United States to increase the share of renewables and natural gas in its power mix, and reduce coal, to address climate change concerns.
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/oil-market-to-reach-balance-in-q1-uae-energy-minister/
Kuwait Petroleum Is Said to Reassess $500 Billion Spending Plan
Kuwait Petroleum Corp. is reassessing plans to spend about $500 billion in capital investment and may decide this year to combine its eight business units into four to streamline the company, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Lower oil prices, Kuwait’s reduced output under a deal by OPEC to pump less crude, and a reevaluation of how best to spend the money have prompted the review, the person said, asking not to be identified as the potential changes have yet to be approved. The company announced plans last year to spend about $500 billion on capital projects until 2040.
State-run KPC also may merge Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Co., Kuwait Oil Tanker Co., Kuwait Gulf Oil Co. and Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Co. into larger units as part of its long-term strategy, the person said. The consolidation would still require approval from the government’s Supreme Petroleum Council, the person said.
The company’s media office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Projects Delayed
Kuwait’s former oil minister resigned in December amid persistent internal disputes that have delayed projects. The emirate’s oil industry, which provides more than 90 percent of public revenue, has been caught up in political wrangling for about two decades. KPC is seeking to expand in refining and petrochemicals amid a 28 percent drop in benchmark Brent crude since Oct. 3.
With oil prices at levels barely adequate to balance the budgets of Gulf Arab monarchies, governments are trying to stay competitive, triggering an unprecedented regional consolidation wave. Qatar Petroleum merged its two liquefied natural gas units in 2018. Saudi Aramco, the biggest oil exporter, is in talks to acquire petrochemicals maker Saudi Basic Industries Corp., in what would be the kingdom’s largest-ever M&A deal. The trend extends into banking, aviation and sovereign wealth funds.
KPC rearranged the senior management at each of its eight units earlier in February, appointing only acting CEOs in some cases, setting the stage for possible internal consolidation, the person said. Mergers of the subsidiaries could take as long as two years to complete, the person said.
As part of its reassessment of planned spending, KPC is reviewing investment in so-called heavy oil, which is costly to produce, the person said. It’s targeting production of 85,000 barrels a day of heavy oil by 2020 or 2021 and is investing to develop reservoirs of the dense crude.
Kuwait, the fourth-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped 2.75 million barrels a day in January, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/kuwait-petroleum-is-said-to-reassess-500-billion-spending-plan/
China mining group plans riverside LNG terminal
Chinese coal miner Huainan Mining Group has won provincial approval to build a terminal along the Yangtze river to receive liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to a news report on a website affiliated with the Ministry of Transport published on Jan. 30.
The terminal, which the company claims is the first one to be built along the Yangtze, will have a handling capacity of 2 million tonnes annually and will cost about 3 billion yuan ($442.71 million) to build, according to the report.
The terminal, to be located at the port of Sanshan in the inland city of Wuhu in Anhui province, is slated for completion in 2022, the report said.
Huainan Mining is already partnering with state-run China National Offshore Oil Corp for a planned LNG receiving terminal at the coastal port of Yancheng in Jiangsu province. The 3 million tonne-per-year terminal is expected to be operational by the end of 2020
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/china-mining-group-plans-riverside-lng-terminal/
UK GAS-Prices down on mild weather and strong gas supplies
British wholesale gas prices fell on Monday on mild weather and strong supplies from Norway, and as a large number of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargos are expected to arrive during the week.
* Within-day gas was down 0.85 pence at 47.90 pence per therm at 0857 GMT.
* Day-ahead gas fell 0.80 pence at 47.75 p/therm.
* Wholesale prices were down on Monday due to mild weather and strong LNG supplies that will arrive in Britain this week, a British gas trader said.
* “Weather turned extremely bearish, with very high temperatures, so it is mainly the demand drop driving gas prices down,” he said, adding the gas network was only “slightly short” on Monday morning so extra LNG cargoes would remove the deficit.
* Norwegian gas supplies, which increased from Friday, also assisted the price move, said a second trader.
* Average daily temperatures in Britain are expected to be 4.4 degrees Celsius on Monday and are forecast to rise to 5.6 C on Tuesday.
* Britain received one LNG tanker on Monday and expects six more in the next five days.
* Norwegian gas flows to Britain rose to 110 mcm/day from 98 mcm/day on Friday.
* Prices fell despite the system being undersupplied. Demand in Britain was forecast at 327.7 million cubic metres (mcm) per day and flows at 319.1 mcm/day, National Grid data showed.
* Peak wind power generation is forecast at 5.1 gigawatts (GW) on Monday and will rise to almost 9.3 GW on Tuesday, National Grid data shows.
* The March contract fell 1.45 pence to 47.25 p/therm.
* The benchmark Dec-19 EU carbon contract fell by 0.39 euro to 21.99 euros per tonne.
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/uk-gas-prices-down-on-mild-weather-and-strong-gas-supplies/
New oil terminal approved at Port Qasim: Ali Haider Zaidi
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi on Monday said that the construction of a new oil terminal has been approved at Port Qasim in view of the growing energy requirements of the country.
Addressing at International Conference on Pakistan Petroleum and Gas held here, the minister said due to the transparent rule of incumbent government, better decisions are being made to run the ongoing projects in a more efficient and positive manner besides starting new projects as well.
He said that we were trying to bring reforms in the institutions by overcoming the mistakes of previous regimes that were kept on playing with the statistics.
Zaidi said that the existing terminals for raw material of power plants would be active soon by making them better, adding that, it was difficult to understand that “why power projects like Sahiwal Coal Power had been established far away from the ports”, he questioned?
He said that an effective planning much needed for the basic structuring of setting up new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals for which LNG zones would be specified.
To promote investment in the country, the Maritime ministry was ensuring its key role, he added.
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/new-oil-terminal-approved-at-port-qasim-ali-haider-zaidi/
LNG re-gasification slows down
KARACHI: In view of non-berthing of PSO cargo on Monday, LNG regasification from Engro terminal has now been reduced to 220 mmcfd, says Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). Total RLNG available at this time amounts to 600 mmcfd. Weather condition at the port may become more severe by Tuesday and resultantly, the berthing of upcoming PLL cargo may face difficulty. This may further reduce the RLNG availability to only 400 mmcfd. Under the circumstances, “we have shut down the GPPS with immediate effect along with fertiliser, CNG and non-zero-rated industry, so that domestic consumers face minimum problems. As soon as the system improves, gas supply will be restored,” SNGPL said.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1908423/2-lng-re-gasification-slows/
Natural gas plays key role in energy transition
DOHA: Qatargas CEO, Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani, has underscored the significance of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a destination fuel in the future of energy, playing a major role in the ‘energy transition’ the world is embarking on.
The Qatargas CEO was speaking at a ‘CEO Conclave’ titled ‘Shaping the New Energy World’ held as part of the 13th International Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition – Petrotech 2019, organised by the Indian Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, in New Delhi, from 10 to 12 February 2019.
Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani said, “Natural gas remains the fastest growing fossil fuel globally, benefiting from its flexibility, competitive economics, and low emissions profile. Thus, natural gas is called to play a major role in the energy transition, supported by the industrialisation and power demand particularly in emerging countries in Asia and Africa, and the continued ‘coal to gas’ switch, especially in India and China.”
He noted that the energy demand would continue to grow driven by emerging economies and the projected growth in global population, which will touch nine billion by 2040. LNG demand is expected to increase at an average four per cent annually to reach more than 600m tonnes in 2035 versus 290m tonnes in 2017. In view of this, more LNG projects are required to cover the existing and projected demand for clean fuels. He reiterated Qatar’s contribution to this increase of LNG supply through the addition of another 33m tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to its existing capacity of 77 Mtpa to take the country’s overall production capacity to 110 Mtpa by next decade.
Thanks to its low carbon emission profile, natural gas is the ideal complement to renewable, he added. In countries like India where coal plays a major role (60 percent of energy for power), natural gas is a good substitute for oil, ensuring cleaner air and thus improving the standard of living. The CEO encouraged the Indian government to create a conducive environment for the increased use of this clean fossil fuel through a “top down” push for an enhancement of gas distribution infrastructure as well as reform of the applicable regulation and taxation.
https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/12/02/2019/Natural-gas-plays-key-role-in-energy-transition
