Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul reallocates gas supply

  • Spanish Market: Natural gas, Oil products
  • 17/05/24

Natural gas supply in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul had to be redistributed because of the historic floods in the state, with diesel potentially making its way back as an power plant fuel to leave more gas available for LPG production.

Gasbol, the natural gas transportation pipeline that supplies Brazil's south, does not have capacity to meet demand from the 201,000 b/d Alberto Pasqualini refinery (Refap), state-controlled Petrobras' Canoas thermal power plant and natural gas distributors in the region, according to Petrobras' then-chief executive Jean Paul Prates said earlier this week.

The Santa Catarina state gas distributor has adjusted its own local network to meet peak demand in neighboring Rio Grande do Sul via the pipeline transportation network.

The Canoas thermal plant is running at its minimum generation at 150GW, with 61pc coming from its gas turbine. The plant was brought on line to reinstate proper power supply after transmission lines in the south were affected by the floods. Petrobras plans to use a diesel engine to increase power generation. The current approved fuel cost (CVU)for diesel in the Canoas plant is of R1,115.29/MWh.

Petrobras is also operating Refap at 59pc of its maximum installed capacity, at 119,506 b/d.

Heavy showers in Rio Grande do Sul since 29 April brought unprecedented flooding to the state, causing a humanitarian crisis and infrastructure damage. The extreme weather has left 154 people dead, 98 missing and over 540,000 people displaced, according to the state's civil defense.


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31/05/24

Dangote jet fuel weighing on European prices

Dangote jet fuel weighing on European prices

London, 31 May (Argus) — Jet fuels cargoes heading to Europe from Nigeria's new 650,000 b/d Dangote refinery are putting downward pressure on regional prices, according to market participants. A BP-purchased cargo was loaded on the Doric Breeze on 25 May at the Dangote refinery, according to sources and ship tracking provider Kpler. The latter said the cargo 45,000t, with an arrival date of 11 June at Rotterdam. BP won a Dangote tender for three jet cargoes totalling 120,000t, according to sources, and Spain's Cepsa has bought one cargo for loading in early June. Refining premiums against North Sea Dated for jet cargoes delivered to northwest Europe have dropped by $3.31/bl this week to a three-week low of $19.72/bl, as participants expect the additional supply from Nigeria to sufficiently cover the summer uplift in air travel demand. Dangote started producing what it called aviation fuel for the Nigerian market in January. A sample dated 26 May seen by Argus shows the jet fuel offered from Dangote now probably meets standard European specification A-1. The test contained 254ppm of sulphur, far below the maximum 0.3pc content in jet A-1, and its freezing point was -57ºC, stricter than the European specification of maximum -47ºC. Weaker margins on jet could prompt refineries towards regrade possibilities for other middle distillates, primarily diesel, traders said. Jet fuel has been at a significant premium over diesel in northwest Europe for the past month, thanks to better demand. But these have weakened by more than half this week, to just $1.10/bl on 30 May from $2.50/bl at the start of the week. Dangote expects to begin exports of European-standard diesel in June . By Olivia Young and George Maher-Bonnett Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australia’s Queensland bans CCS in Great Artesian Basin


31/05/24
31/05/24

Australia’s Queensland bans CCS in Great Artesian Basin

Sydney, 31 May (Argus) — Australia's Queensland state government announced today it will ban carbon capture and storage (CCS) in its portion of the Great Artesian Basin. Greenhouse gas (GHG) storage activities, including CCS projects, will be permanently prohibited in the basin as the government looks to protect its water resources, Queensland premier Steven Miles said on 31 May. The ban, which will be legislated, also includes enhanced oil or petroleum recovery activities that use a greenhouse gas stream. Activities involving GHG storage or the injection of GHG streams into underground formations may be able to continue in other parts of the state, subject to existing assessment and approval processes. The government will appoint an expert panel to review projects outside the Great Artesian Basin, which will report back in 2025. The Great Artesian Basin is Australia's largest groundwater aquifer. It is made up of several sedimentary basins spanning over 1.7mn m² across Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales. Water extracted from the basin is used for agriculture, irrigation and stock watering, as well as for industry and household supply in over 80 Queensland towns, according to the government. Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation last week rejected the environmental impact statement for commodities producer and trading firm Glencore's CTSCo Surat Basin CCS project, which aimed to demonstrate carbon capture from a coal-fired power station and the permanent storage of CO2. The project was unsuitable to proceed because of the potential impact on groundwater resources in the Great Artesian Basin, the department said. The CCS ban follows the state's decision late last year to ban unconventional oil and gas extraction in its portion of the Lake Eyre basin to protect inland waterways, as well as conventional production alongside rivers and on floodplains. By Juan Weik Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Trump found guilty in criminal 'hush money' case


30/05/24
30/05/24

Trump found guilty in criminal 'hush money' case

Washington, 30 May (Argus) — Former president Donald Trump was found guilty today on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in relation to the reimbursement of a $130,000 payment to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The unanimous guilty verdict, from a 12-member jury in New York, will inject further uncertainty into the presidential election on 5 November, where Trump is the presumed Republican nominee and is leading in many polls against President Joe Biden. Trump is the first former US president to face a criminal trial, and his conviction means he will run for office — on a campaign focused in part on rolling back energy sector regulations and expanding drilling — as a convicted felon. Sentencing is scheduled for 11 July. Trump has argued the criminal charges, filed by New York state prosecutors, were "ridiculous" and were a politically motivated attempt to interfere with his campaign. At trial, Trump's attorneys argued against the credibility of a key witness, Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, who testified that Trump directed the falsification of the business records to conceal a "hush money" payment to the adult film star following an alleged affair. "This was a rigged, disgraceful trial," Trump said following the verdict, "but the real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people, and they know what happened here." Despite the conviction, Trump, if elected, could still serve as president. Trump could face up to four years in prison, and sentencing will be decided by the judge overseeing the case. Trump is separately facing dozens of other felony charges in federal and Georgia state court, but those cases have faced delays and may not go to trial before the election. President Joe Biden's campaign said Trump has "always mistakenly believed" he would not face consequences. Biden's campaign said that despite the verdict, it would be up to voters to decide whether Trump is re-elected. "Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president," Biden's campaign said. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

California diesel inventories hit all-time low: CEC


30/05/24
30/05/24

California diesel inventories hit all-time low: CEC

Houston, 30 May (Argus) — Combined California diesel stocks fell to the lowest level in California Energy Commission (CEC) history in the week ended 24 May. Combined diesel inventories — including in-state CARB, non-California EPA and renewable diesel — totaled 2.3mn bl after significant draws across grades, despite a sharp increase in-state CARB diesel output during the week, according to CEC data going back to 2005. In-state CARB diesel stocks totaled 1.37mn bl by the end of the week and marked a 13pc drop from the week prior. Other diesel fuel inventories contracted by nearly 17pc to 929,000 bl. Production of in-state CARB diesel jumped by nearly 40pc in the week to 128,000 b/d, while other diesel output — including non-California EPA and renewable diesel — plummeted by more than 44pc to average 51,000 b/d. In-state CARBOB gasoline production dipped by 2.8pc to average 800,000 b/d from the week prior, although inventories added a nominal 1.8pc to a nine-week high of 6.10mn bl. Total gasoline production trended 2.7pc lower at 879,000 b/d. California jet fuel production jumped by nearly 18pc to 321,000 b/d, the highest level since 19 April. Inventories grew by 0.6pc to 3.24mn bl, continuing a trend of largely stable volumes since 10 May. Crude throughputs increased by 9.4pc to 1.44mn b/d as stocks shrank by 19pc to 11.1mn bl — the lowest volume since January 2024. By Jasmine Davis California refining throughputs and storage Commodity 24-May-24 17-May-24 ± Throughputs '000 b/d Crude 1,440 1,316 124 CARBOB 800 823 -23 Total gasoline 879 904 -25 Jet fuel 321 273 48 California distillate 128 92 36 Inventories '000 bl Crude 11,098 13,670 -2,572 CARBOB 6,098 5,988 110 Jet fuel 3,235 3,215 20 California distillate 1,373 1,586 -213 California Energy Commission Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

ISO publishes new marine fuel specification


30/05/24
30/05/24

ISO publishes new marine fuel specification

London, 30 May (Argus) — The International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) published its new marine fuel specification standard today. The 7th edition of the specification standard, ISO 8217:2024, will replace its predecessor, ISO 8217:2017, which has now been withdrawn. The document encompasses seven categories for distillate fuels, four categories for residual fuels at or below 0.5pc sulphur content, five categories for residual fuels blended with fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) biodiesel and five categories for residual fuels above 0.5pc sulphur. Some of the changes had previously been discussed and are confirmed. These include the removal of the previous 7pc Fame limit when blended with distillate marine fuels. This is now possible up to 100pc. The distinction between winter and summer quality for cloud point and cold filter plugging point (CFPP) has also been removed. And there is now a requirement to report the net heat of combustion for a distillate fuel grade as well as the requirement for a minimum cetane number and oxidation stability. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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