Data showing some US-headquartered oil and gas firms paid less in taxes to the US than to foreign governments could be a focus in an upcoming Congress tax policy debate. ExxonMobil reported paying nearly $1.2bn to the US in 2023, and $5.6bn to the UAE, according to a first-time ‘Form SD' report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In its own report, Chevron says it paid nearly $1.2bn in the US, against $4bn to Australia. Independent Hess paid $190,000 in the US and $50mn to Malaysia. Industry officials say the data do not provide a comprehensive view of obligations, which can vary from country to country depending on the tax code and their operations. The payment disclosures also do not cover payroll taxes or state and local taxes, for example, and do not say if a company had carryover net operating losses or tax credits that reduced its overall tax bill in the US.
Related news posts
Japan’s energy demand falls on economic slowdown
Japan’s energy demand falls on economic slowdown
Osaka, 12 December (Argus) — Japan's energy consumption in the April 2024-March 2025 fiscal year fell again from a year earlier, pressured by slower industry activity. The country's 2024-25 final energy use totalled 292mn kiloliters, or 1.84bn bl of oil equivalent (boe), down by 1.7pc from a year earlier, according to preliminary data released on 12 December by the trade and industry ministry Meti. This marks the third consecutive annual decline. Coal use in final energy consumption fell by 3.7pc from a year earlier to 172mn boe in 2024-25, while oil demand declined by 3.7pc to 841mn boe. This came as energy consumption in the manufacturing and transportation sectors declined by 3.2pc to 766mn boe, and by 1.5pc to 445mn boe respectively. But demand for natural gas and city gas rose by 1.5pc from a year earlier to 167mn boe. Power demand also edged up by 1pc to 517mn boe. Coal-fired power generation edged up by 0.9pc to 283.4TWh during the period, while oil- and gas-fired power dropped by 2.7pc to 71TWh and by 2.4pc to 315.7TWh. Zero-emission power supplies, including renewables and nuclear power, rose by 3.9pc to 322.1TWh. Japan's energy-derived CO2 emissions fell by 1.4pc from a year earlier to 908mn t in 2024-25, supported by the increased use of renewable and nuclear power supplies. The 2024-25 emissions represented a 26pc fall compared with the country's 2013-14 baseline, or the lowest level since 1990-91. The lower energy consumption, as well as increased use of domestic renewable and nuclear energy, helped lift Japan's energy self-sufficiency rate to 16.4pc in 2024-25, up by 1.1 percentage points from a year earlier, based on International Energy Agency methodology. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
TotalEnergies ends Papua LNG rebid phase: Correction
TotalEnergies ends Papua LNG rebid phase: Correction
Corrects headline and 'FID' to 'development forum' in last paragraph Sydney, 12 December (Argus) — New engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract offers have been received for the proposed 5.6mn t/yr Papua LNG project in Papua New Guinea (PNG), operator TotalEnergies said, following extensive design revisions for the delayed development. The firm is concluding the rebid phase after receiving new offers at reasonable costs, managing director of TotalEnergies EP PNG Arnaud Berthet told the PNG Resources and Energy Investment Conference in Sydney on 10 December. TotalEnergies relaunched EPC tendering late last year after previously estimated costs were considered too high for the project to proceed. The company expanded the contractor pool to include Chinese firms and reduced the gas pipeline diameter to 30 inches from 40 inches. This change increased the number of vessels able to perform pipelay, Berthet said, increasing competition, while it also routed the condensate pipeline west to a new floating storage and offloading vessel, reducing pipeline length. A development forum is planned for January-March next year, a legal requirement ahead of a final investment decision, which JV partner Australian independent Santos has previously signalled is likely in early 2026 . LNG sales and purchase agreements are under negotiation, and seven export credit agencies along with more than 30 commercial banks are interested in financing the project, Berthet said. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia’s Beetaloo reaches FID on shale gas pilot
Australia’s Beetaloo reaches FID on shale gas pilot
Sydney, 12 December (Argus) — Australian shale gas developer Beetaloo Energy has made a final investment decision to build its 25 TJ/d (668,000 m³/d) Carpentaria pilot project in the Beetaloo subbasin in Australia's Northern Territory (NT), ahead of first gas targeted for mid-2026. Civil construction and upgrade works on the Carpentaria plant have already started, chief executive Alex Underwood said on 11 December, which involves the tie-in of up to 10 wells located in exploration permit 187. The decision comes after the firm this week received NT government approval to sell appraisal gas from Carpentaria. This is the second pilot project to reach FID in the untapped shale gas basin after Tamboran Resources' 40 TJ/d Shenandoah South pilot project, also targeting first appraisal gas in mid-2026. The NT government has agreed to purchase the entirety of gas from both projects via an ex-field take-or-pay basis, to supply government-owned Power and Water Corporation. If the basin's reserves prove economically viable Tamboran is eyeing LNG exports in the longer-term, potentially via Australian independent Santos' Darwin LNG project . By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
More than 30 sanctioned tankers in Venezuela
More than 30 sanctioned tankers in Venezuela
New York, 11 December (Argus) — More than 30 tankers could be within the reach of US naval forces positioned near Venezuela if Washington decides to continue seizing ships on its sanctions list. "There are 37 undeparted OFAC-designated tankers currently in Venezuela," Samir Madani, chief executive of independent vessel tracking service Tanker Trackers, told Argus — referring to the Treasury Department's sanctions enforcement arm, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). "Maybe one or two departed recently, but that's the ballpark for now, at least." The US seized the tanker Skipper on 10 December, saying it was on the OFAC sanctions list. The ship was falsely carrying the Guyana flag , Guyana's maritime agency Marad said, but was flying the Panama flag up until 2023, according to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) database. The tanker was transmitting falsified AIS positions to conceal its location, according to Kpler. Tanker Trackers estimated it to be laden with around 1.85mn barrels of Merey-16 crude. The ship had sailed as Adisa starting in 2021 before being renamed the Skipper . The US sanctioned the tanker in 2022 for its alleged involvement in an international oil smuggling network that blended and exported Iranian oil in support of Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Former names for Skipper include the Toyo , the name it adopted in 2005, and Maera , the name it changed to in 2019, according to the IMO registry. Overall shipping operations in the Caribbean region today seem fairly normal and freight rates in the region are steady, according to shipbrokers. Chevron resumed imports of Venezuelan crude to the US in August following the reinstatement of its sanctions waiver . More sanctions Separately, the US Treasury Department on Thursday announced sanctions on six tankers — White Crane, Kiara M, H Constance, Lattafa, Tamia and Monique — and six shipping companies it said transported Venezuelan crude in recent months. Treasury last targeted specifically Venezuela-linked tankers in January 2021. The White House said more tankers could be seized. "We're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world," it said. Fewer tankers The number of irregular tankers off the coast of Venezuela already declined in November for the first time since one non-governmental organization began measuring them in July. Tankers identified as likely to be moving sanctioned crude or other products from Venezuela dropped to 17 in November, from 24 in October, the Venezuelan chapter in exile of Transparency International said on Thursday. The figures are based on a narrower set of criteria than the Tanker Trackers figures. The group estimated there were about 12 that arrived in July. But about 41pc of traffic at Venezuela's oil ports still includes sanctioned or otherwise suspect vessels, the group estimated. The presence of all types of oil tankers offshore of Venezuela also declined slightly in November, to 98 from 112 in October. By Charlotte Bawol and Haik Gugarats Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Related Products
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more