US House flip puts scrutiny on Trump energy agenda
Democrats rode a surge in turnout yesterday to win control of the US House of Representatives and offer a new check on President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle regulations in favor of higher production of oil, gas and coal.
Democrats so far have picked up at least 26 seats after yesterday's mid-terms, giving them control of a chamber they have not held for nearly eight years. Voter frustration with Trump helped flip Republican seats in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa and other states.
The win will give Democrats control of House committees that can subpoena documents and launch investigations. That will mean greater scrutiny for cabinet officials over their close ties to industry, deregulatory policies, government ethics and attempts to downplay a scientific consensus on climate change.
But Republicans appear poised to expand their majority in the US Senate, gaining seats in North Dakota, Indiana and Missouri while losing a seat in Nevada. Races remain undecided in Arizona, Montana and Florida.
Those gains will allow Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) to continue to confirm conservative nominees for the federal judiciary.
The House victory left Democrats encouraged after the bruising 2016 elections, where they expected victory but instead saw Republicans secure unified control of the government. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California), who could become House speaker, last night called for bipartisanship and restoring balance in the government.
"Today is more than about Democrats and Republicans. It is about restoring the Constitution's checks and balances to the Trump administration," Pelosi said.
Democrats are expected to use their newfound power in the House to ratchet up oversight of Trump's financial dealings and scrutinize his plan to repeal restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions and weaken environmental regulations. Democrats have raised concerns that the administration is rushing to open tracts of acreage to drilling and mining.
US interior secretary Ryan Zinke and Environmental Protection Agency acting administrator Andrew Wheeler are likely to become frequent visitors to Capitol Hill as oversight ramps up. Democrats have complained that, with Republicans in control, agency leaders were rarely called to testify even amid a slew of scandals.
"There will be a lot of focus on oversight," midwest utility WEC Energy Group's government affairs director Matt Nugen has predicted.
But the Senate, where most legislation needs 60 votes to avoid a filibuster, will restrict legislation passed by House Democrats from reaching the White House. That could constrain a deal-making president from reaching agreements with Democrats to advance his own priorities. Democrats have suggested they could work together with Republicans to pass an infrastructure bill.
The 115th Congress will return to Washington next week in a lame-duck session that is set to end on 13 December. Lawmakers are trying to pass spending legislation, a farm bill and other measures that may be complicated by Trump's demand to fund a border wall.
The election is unlikely to prompt changes in US foreign policy, which remains the prerogative of the presidency. But the Democrats will use the newly found power of oversight to target Trump's handling of relations with Russia and Moscow's alleged interference with the US elections. House Democrats have criticized Trump's dismantling of the Iran nuclear agreement, but they do not appear to be willing to push back against the enforcement of sanctions.
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Lyondell Houston refinery to run at 95pc in 2Q
Lyondell Houston refinery to run at 95pc in 2Q
Houston, 26 April (Argus) — LyondellBasell plans to run its 264,000 b/d Houston, Texas, refinery at average utilization rates of 95pc in the second quarter and may convert its hydrotreaters to petrochemical production when the plant shuts down in early 2025. The company's sole crude refinery ran at an average 79pc utilization rate in the first quarter due to planned maintenance on a coking unit , the company said in earnings released today . "We are evaluating options for the potential reuse of the hydrotreaters at our Houston refinery to purify recycled and renewable cracker feedstocks," chief executive Peter Vanacker said on a conference call today discussing earnings. Lyondell said last year a conversion would feed the company's two 930,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr steam crackers at its Channelview petrochemicals complex. The company today said it plans to make a final investment decision on the conversion in 2025. Hydrotreater conversions — such as one Chevron completed last year at its 269,000 b/d El Segundo, California, refinery — allow the unit to produce renewable diesel, which creates renewable naphtha as a byproduct. Renewable naphtha can be used as a gasoline blending component, steam cracker feed or feed for hydrogen producing units, according to engineering firm Topsoe. Lyondell last year said the Houston refinery will continue to run until early 2025, delaying a previously announced plan to stop crude processing by the end of 2023. By Nathan Risser Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Azerbaijan wants certainty from EU on gas needs
Azerbaijan wants certainty from EU on gas needs
London, 26 April (Argus) — Azerbaijan needs long-term guarantees and available financial instruments to invest in gas production growth, its president Ilham Aliyev said earlier this week. Azerbaijan and the EU signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2022, in which Azerbaijan committed to increasing its supply to the EU to 20bn m³/yr by 2027 from 8bn m³ in 2021. This is a "target that we are moving towards" and exports to Europe will be around 12bn m³ this year, Aliyev said on 23 April at the Cop 29 and Green Vision for Azerbaijan forum ( see Azeri gas production graph ). But Azerbaijan needs investments to reach this export target, and restrictions from financing institutions on fossil fuel projects make them harder to realise, Alyiev said. The European Investment Bank has removed fossil fuel projects from its portfolio and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has only a small share of such projects, Aliyev said. Corporations tend to finance 30pc of gas production or infrastructure projects on their own and the remainder through loans, he said. The other issue is a need to receive long-term guarantees for Azeri gas supply, as "Azerbaijan cannot invest billions only for 5-10 years and not be able to recover the costs", Aliyev said. Azerbaijan is still paying back loans for the Southern Gas Corridor and Shah Deniz Stage 2 projects, he said. A long-proposed Ionian-Adriatic pipeline that could provide the Balkan region with Azeri gas is yet to materialise because it lacks EU funding support and gas consumption in the countries involved is low, particularly considering the challenges involved with building a pipeline in a mountainous region, Aliyev said. But Azeri gas can already reach Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro through Hungary, while it can flow to Serbia through Bulgaria, he said. Aliyev said he believes that the Croatian and Azeri governments are already in consultation about this. Referring to a long-mooted project to build a pipeline across the Caspian Sea to deliver Turkmen gas to Europe, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan has "received no messages from Turkmenistan". Azerbaijan as a transit country cannot become the initiator or co-ordinator of a trans-Caspian pipeline project, Aliyev said. The Southern Gas Corridor is fully booked, meaning that infrastructure developments are needed to transport more gas to Europe, which is "under discussion", Aliyev said. Azerbaijan plans renewables build-out Azerbaijan is targeting 5GW of additional renewable generation capacity, which it aims to substitute for gas, releasing this supply for export to Europe, Aliyev said. Azerbaijan's first 240MW solar plant was inaugurated in 2023. It plans to add four new 1.3GW solar and wind projects this year and is considering some offshore and onshore wind projects as well as solar and hydropower plants. Azeri gas consumption for power generation and heating needs increased to 6.6bn m³ in 2022 from 6.1bn m³ in 2020, and made up almost half of domestic consumption in 2022 ( see data and download ). Azerbaijan is in the last phase of a feasibility study for a green energy cable from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea and then further down to Europe. The project aims to initially connect the Georgian Black Sea to the Romanian coast, and plans to expand it further down to the eastern Caspian and Kazakhstan, according to Aliyev. The state plans to keep investing to strengthen the energy grid to allow it to cope with the renewables build-out. Foreign investors are mainly involved with renewables projects. Oil and gas makes up less than half of Azerbaijan's GDP today, but 95pc of its exports, Aliyev said. By Victoria Dovgal Azeri gas production bn m³ Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US M&A deals dip after record 1Q: Enverus
US M&A deals dip after record 1Q: Enverus
New York, 26 April (Argus) — US oil and gas sector mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are likely to slow for the rest of the year following a record $51bn in deals in the first quarter, consultancy Enverus says. Following an unprecedented $192bn of upstream deals last year, the Permian shale basin continued to dominate first-quarter M&A as firms competed for the remaining high-quality inventory on offer. Acquisitions were led by Diamondback Energy's $26bn takeover of Endeavor Energy Resources. Other private operators, such as Mewbourne Oil and Fasken Oil & Ranch, would be highly sought after if they decided to put themselves up for sale, Enverus says. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EU adopts Net-Zero Industry Act
EU adopts Net-Zero Industry Act
London, 26 April (Argus) — Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have adopted Net-Zero Industry Act, which plans to allocate funds towards the production of net-zero technologies. The act provides a pathway to scale up development and production of technologies that are critical towards meeting the EU's recommendation of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. This would include solar panels, electrolysers and fuel cells, batteries, heat pumps, onshore and offshore wind turbines, grid technologies, sustainable biomethane, as well as carbon capture and storage (CCS). The act is designed to help simplify the regulatory framework for the manufacture of these technologies in order to incentivise European production and supply. It also sets a target of 40pc production within the EU for its annual "deployment needs" of these technologies by 2030. Time limits will be instated on permit grants for manufacturing projects, at 12 months if the manufacturing capacity is under 1 GW/yr and 18 months for those above that. It will introduce time limits of nine months for "net-zero strategic projects" of less than 1 GW/yr and 12 months for those above. This is further complemented by the introduction of net-zero strategic projects for CO2 storage, to help support the development of CCS technology. The act was met with positive reactions from the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA), which said the bill will set the benchmark for member states to match 40pc of the deployment needs for clean fuels for shipping with production capacity. ECSA said the Net-Zero Industry Act will be instrumental in supporting the shipping industry to meet targets set under FuelEU Maritime regulations , which are set to come into effect next year. 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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