Ecopetrol to test green H2 at Cartagena refinery
Colombia's state-controlled Ecopetrol is joining an industry rush into green hydrogen with plans for a modest pilot project.
The Bogotá-based company plans to import a small electrolyzer from Spain in the first quarter of 2022 to test the production and application of the emerging fuel at its 165,000 b/d Cartagena refinery on the Caribbean coast.
Electrolyzers operated on renewable energy separate hydrogen from oxygen in water, producing the "green" grade of hydrogen for a variety of industrial applications.
Ecopetrol's refining system in Colombia currently consumes up to 130 t/yr of grey hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, including 68pc at Cartagena and 32pc at the 250,000 b/d Barrancabermeja refinery in Santander department. The hydrogen is used to remove sulfur from motor fuels.
"We are also evaluating blue hydrogen," Ecopetrol chief executive Felipe Bayon said in an earnings call today. "The question is how competitive can we be with hydrogen production. We are not limiting our analysis to green hydrogen."
Blue hydrogen is produced using natural gas with an accompanying carbon capture and storage system.
Colombia has pledged carbon neutrality by 2050. The government last month enacted an energy transition law that recognizes green and blue hydrogen as renewable energy eligible for reduced income tax, VAT and tariff exemptions and accelerated depreciation. The new legislation also provides a legal framework for other energy sources such as geothermal plants, as well as storage, carbon capture and energy efficiency.
Elsewhere in the region, Brazil and Chile are attracting green hydrogen investments tied to extensive renewable energy capacity.
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First TMX cargo booked on Aframax to China
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Canada’s TMX awaits regulator OK on eve of service
Canada’s TMX awaits regulator OK on eve of service
Calgary, 30 April (Argus) — Regulatory approvals needed for the 590,000 b/d Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) crude pipeline in western Canada are coming down to the wire on the eve of entering commercial service. The major crude pipeline last week maintained its plan to start commercial operations on 1 May, but three filings remain under assessment by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) with less than 24 hours to go. Federally-owned Trans Mountain requires all sections, called spreads, of the pipeline to receive regulatory blessing before the line can be put into service. Outstanding are applications pertaining to Spread 5B Part 3, which runs from kilometer post 1064 to 1067, according to CER's website. The segment is near Hope, British Columbia, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of the line's terminus in Burnaby. The three applications concern piping, valves and other components at two pipeline inspection gauge (pig) traps and the mainline pipe between the two traps. The traps were added for safety assurance when the operator was allowed by CER to use a smaller diameter pipe as part of the Mountain 3 deviation. Mountain 3 was the last segment of the pipeline to be constructed because of delays relating to difficult terrain while tunneling. TMX will nearly triple the existing 300,000 b/d Trans Mountain system that connects oil-rich Alberta to the docks in Burnaby, British Columbia. Importantly, the line will provide Canadian oil sands producers with a significant export outlet without having to first go through the US. The "golden weld" marking the end of construction occurred on 11 April, according to Trans Mountain. A group of shippers last week expressed concern that TMX would not be ready for commercial service by 1 May. Spreads 6, 7A and 7B stretching from kilometer post 1075 to 1180 were approved earlier in the week, bringing the total number of approvals up to 39. The expansion was first conceived more than a decade ago with the intention of being operational by late-2017, but that date slipped amid cost overruns and repeated delays. By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US crude output rebounds by 4.6pc in February: EIA
US crude output rebounds by 4.6pc in February: EIA
Calgary, 30 April (Argus) — US crude output rebounded by 4.6pc in February after freezing temperatures in the prior month took production offline in the three largest producing states. Output averaged 13.15mn b/d in February, up by 578,000 b/d from January, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said today in its Petroleum Supply Monthly report. February's production was up by 622,000 b/d from February 2023 but remained short of the 13.3mn b/d record high set in November 2023. North Dakota was hit particularly hard by winter storms in January, which temporarily knocked as much as 700,000 b/d of production offline. The country's third-largest producing state pumped out 1.29mn b/d during February, up by 173,000 b/d from January and 159,000 b/d higher than in February 2023. About 86pc of North Dakota's production was 40.1°API or higher, according to the EIA. Texas, home to more than 40pc of the country's crude production, pumped out 5.55mn b/d in February. This was up by 172,000 b/d from January and 242,000 b/d higher than February 2023. New Mexico, which shares the prolific Permian basin with Texas, also boosted its output in February with 1.98mn b/d of production. This was up by 120,000 b/d from January and up by 183,000 b/d from February 2023. Similar to North Dakota, about 91pc of crude produced in New Mexico was 40.1°API or higher, while in Texas about 55pc of output fell into that category. About 44pc of all crude produced in Texas fell into the relatively heavier 30.1-40°API range. US output in the Gulf of Mexico came in at 1.8mn b/d in February, up from the 1.78mn b/d produced in the prior month but down by 28,000 b/d from February 2023. Almost all the crude produced in the Gulf of Mexico was 40°API or lower. By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
HSFO demand supports Rotterdam 1Q bunker sales
HSFO demand supports Rotterdam 1Q bunker sales
London, 30 April (Argus) — Total sales of fossil bunker fuels and marine biodiesel blends at the port of Rotterdam were 2.45mn t in the first quarter this year, up by 13pc compared with the final three months of 2023 but 9pc lower year on year, according to official port data. Sales firmed across the board quarter on quarter, even though market participants had described spot bunker fuel demand in the region as "mostly limited" and shipping demand as lacklustre. High-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) sales rose the most. Disruption in the Red Sea resulted in many vessels re-routing around the southern tip of Africa, increasing the incentive of bunkering with HSFO as opposed to very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and marine gasoil (MGO), according to market participants. The longer journeys meant that vessels on the route increased their fuel consumption to reduce delivery delays, supporting conventional bunker fuel sales at Rotterdam. Higher prices for HSFO in Singapore also helped support HSFO demand in Rotterdam. Marine biodiesel sales at Rotterdam increased by 13pc on the quarter and by 76pc on the year in January-March, despite the Dutch government's decision to half the Dutch renewable tickets (HBE-G) multiplier for shipping at the turn of the year. The move has led to a substantial increase in prices for advanced fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) 0 blends in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub. The inclusion of shipping in the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) from January may have lent support to demand for biofuel blends. Marine biodiesel made up 11pc of total bunker fuel sales at Rotterdam in the first quarter, the same share as the previous quarter, which was a record high. LNG bunker sales at Rotterdam in January-March soared by 45pc on the quarter and by 150pc on the year. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Rotterdam bunker sales t Fuel 1Q24 4Q23 1Q23 q-o-q% y-o-y% VLSFO & ULSFO 857,579 847,862 1,205,288 1 -29 HSFO 818,028 643,218 809,871 27 1 MGO/MDO 383,409 361,585 468,373 6 -18 Biofuel blends 262,634 233,108 149,206 13 76 Total 2,453,610 2,177,078 2,685,515 13 -9 LNG (m³) 131,960 91,305 52,777 45 150 Port of Rotterdam Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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