US to revive broad reviews of pipelines, leasing
President Joe Biden's administration is seeking to reinstate wide-ranging reviews of climate effects when federal regulators are deciding whether to authorize new oil and gas pipelines, expand federal fossil fuel leasing or make other major decisions.
The proposed changes, issued today, would formally undo a sweeping rollback to regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that former president Donald Trump issued in 2020 that are not fully in effect. The move has won praise from environmentalists but revived complaints about increasing "red tape" during the construction of highways and other infrastructure.
"At a time when our country is desperately trying to build, why announce these changes now and throw states and private builders into limbo?" US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) said.
Federal agencies tasked with reviewing highway projects, authorizing pipelines and managing oil leasing must take a "hard look" at the potential environmental effects by preparing reviews under NEPA. Decades of court rulings and on-the-ground implementation guide what regulators must evaluate, resulting in reviews that can take years to finish and exceed hundreds of pages for complex projects.
Trump tried to reset implementation of NEPA and focus on near-term effects, while halting the review of effects such as climate change that are geographically distant and remote in time. But many agencies have yet to implement the 2020 changes. Biden's proposal would undo the rollback, while a subsequent "Phase 2" rule would pursue broader changes.
"The basic community safeguards we are proposing to restore would help ensure that American infrastructure gets built right the first time and delivers real benefits — not harms — to people who live nearby," White House Council on Environmental Quality chair Brenda Mallory said.
The White House proposal would reinstate a requirement for federal agencies to consider direct, indirect and cumulative effects of their actions, reversing the 2020 changes that virtually eliminated the need to look into potential effects on climate change. The proposal would set baseline standards under NEPA but instruct federal agencies they could prepare more robust reviews when warranted.
The proposal is unlikely to affect the Biden administration's work on high-profile reviews where work has already started, such as reviews of the 750,000 b/d Dakota Access crude pipeline, a planned rerouting of the 540,000 b/d Line 5 crude and NGL pipeline, and a supplemental review of oil leasing within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
The $1.5 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which is awaiting a final vote in the US House of Representatives, includes language to fast-track environmental reviews under NEPA for a subset of highways and other projects funded under the legislation.
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Australia's MinRes posts higher 1Q spodumene output
Australia's MinRes posts higher 1Q spodumene output
Singapore, 25 April (Argus) — Perth-based major lithium and iron ore producer Mineral Resources (MinRes) has reported higher total spodumene concentrate output from its sites in January-March, and higher spodumene prices later in the quarter. Total attributable spodumene concentrate production of the firm across its assets rose to 170,000 dry metric tonnes (dmt) (see table for detailed breakdown), up by 3.7pc on the quarter and by 63pc on the year, according to the firm's latest quarterly activity report. Total attributable spodumene concentrate shipped volumes fell by 2.9pc on the quarter but rose by 50pc on the year to 166,000dmt. MinRes has an ambitious target of 1mn t/yr of lithium attributable within the next four years, said its managing director Chris Ellison last month during the firm's half-year results presentation. The firm has been aggressively expanding, several delegates told Argus at the Tribeca Future Facing Commodities conference held in Singapore on 26 March. The firm last month agreed to buy fellow developer Poseidon Nickel's concentrator plant in Western Australia as it seeks to retrofit it for lithium processing. MinRes' Mount Marion site saw higher output, driven by higher plant utilisation and improved ore recoveries as the firm continues to advance its plant improvement initiatives. The realised price for spodumene concentrate out of its Mount Marion site was at $718/dmt on a 4.2pc-grade basis, which was above the product's year-to-date fob costs of A$518/dmt ($338/dmt). The realised price translates to $1,048/dmt for 6pc-grade lithium concentrate (spodumene), said the firm. The firm did not process the spodumene concentrate produced from its Wodgina site during the quarter into lithium battery chemicals, citing "prevailing pricing dynamics", but instead resumed spodumene concentrate spot sales. The realised spodumene concentrate price at the site came in at $974/dmt on 5.6pc-grade basis, which translates to $1,028/dmt for 6pc-grade lithium concentrate (spodumene). The lithium battery chemical realised price, excluding value added tax, came in at $11,098/t. MinRes in November 2023 finalised the acquisition of the Bald Hill lithium mine from Alita Resources. January-March was the mine's first full production quarter, hence output was dragged down by limited availability of higher-grade feed, but this is expected to recover in April-June, said the firm. The realised spodumene concentrate price at the Bald Hill site was $878/dmt on 5.1pc-grade basis, which translates to $1,016/dmt for 6pc-grade spodumene concentrate. Argus -assessed prices for 6pc grade spodumene concentrate dipped to $1,080-1,180/t cif China on 23 April, from $1,100-1,200/t cif China a week earlier. Salts producers reduced spodumene bid prices because of a fall in salts prices two weeks earlier. By Joseph Ho MinRes lithium performance Jan-Mar '24 Oct-Dec '23 Jan-Mar '23 Spodumene concentrate production (k dmt) Mt Marion (50pc attributable basis) 91 83 60 Wodgina (50pc attributable basis) 49 55 44 Bald Hill (100pc attributable basis) 30 26 NA Total 170 164 104 Spodumene concentrate shipments (k dmt) Mt Marion (50pc attributable basis) 76 86 62 Wodgina (50pc attributable basis) 64 65 49 Bald Hill (100pc attributable basis) 26 20 NA Total 166 171 111 Lithium battery chemical (t) Wodgina production (50pc attributable basis) 6,793 6,798 3,246 Wodgina sales (50pc attributable basis) 6,954 6,474 1,504 Source: MinRes MinRes previously owned 40pc of the Wodgina project, which increased to 50pc starting from 18 October 2023. Figures for Wodgina before 18 October 2023 were on 40pc attributable basis. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Indonesia's Pertamina to complete gasoline unit in Aug
Indonesia's Pertamina to complete gasoline unit in Aug
Singapore, 25 April (Argus) — Indonesian state-controlled refiner Pertamina aims to finish building its new 90,000 b/d residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) in the Balikpapan refinery in August, the firm said. The RFCC is a gasoline production unit, which typically uses residual fuel as a feedstock. The unit will be able to produce propylene, LPG and 92R gasoline that will meet the Euro V specifications, said Pertamina last week, without disclosing further details such as the start-up date. The newly built RFCC unit will be the largest in Indonesia, with the second-largest being the 83,000 b/d RFCC in Balongan and the third-largest the 54,000 b/d RFCC in Cilacap. The new RFCC will also help reduce Indonesia's reliance on gasoline imports. Indonesia currently imports around 9mn-11mn bl/month of gasoline, making it the largest gasoline buyer in the Asia-Pacific. The new RFCC will increase Pertamina's gasoline production by a conservative estimate of 45,000 b/d or 1.3mn bl, or around 10pc of Pertamina's current import demand, according to estimates from an oil analyst. The installation of the new RFCC is part of Pertamina's Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP), which will take place in two phases. The first phase includes revamping existing units at the Balikpapan refinery, such as the crude distillation unit, vacuum distillation unit, and hydrocracking unit. It also involves building new units, such as the aforementioned RFCC, a gasoline hydrotreater, diesel hydrotreater, and naphtha hydrotreater. The second phase includes building a new residue desulphurisation unit. The RDMP also includes expanding the capacity of the Balikpapan refinery from 260,000 b/d to 350,000 b/d, said Pertamina's chief executive officer Nicke Widyawati. The Balikpapan expansion is expected to be completed in May. By Aldric Chew Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
India’s Gail to shut Dabhol LNG terminal for monsoon
India’s Gail to shut Dabhol LNG terminal for monsoon
Mumbai, 25 April (Argus) — Indian state-controlled gas distributor Gail is planning to shut its 5mn t/yr Dabhol LNG terminal on the west coast from 15 May, ahead of monsoon rains. Gail will also stop importing LNG from mid-May at the terminal, a company official told Argus . This is because of the lack of a breakwater facility at the terminal, which prevents it from anchoring ships in turbulent seas. The breakwater facility was expected to be completed in January, but the cause of the delay is unknown. The terminal is likely to resume operations from the end of September, similar to its plans in 2023 , as this shutdown over the monsoon season is routine. Gail is set to receive a total of 139,635t LNG at the Dabhol terminal in May, which will arrive in two separate shipments from the US' 5.75mn t/yr Cove Point export facility. Both cargoes will be the last that the terminal will receive before it shuts in mid-May. It has received 583,326t of LNG at the terminal since the beginning of the year, lower by 4pc on the year, data from market analytics firm Kpler show. The Dabhol terminal only receives about 2.9mn t/yr of LNG, despite having a nameplate capacity of 5mn t/yr, because it is not used during the monsoon season. Gail intends to gradually increase the capacity of the Dabhol terminal to 12mn t/yr by April 2030–March 2031. By Rituparna Ghosh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Indonesia’s UNTR raises 1Q coal production, sales
Indonesia’s UNTR raises 1Q coal production, sales
Manila, 25 April (Argus) — Indonesian coal services and heavy equipment manufacturer United Tractors' (UNTR) coal output and sales increased in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, partly helped by steady demand and favourable weather conditions. UNTR's mining services company Pamapersada Nusantara (PAMA) reported that coal production for its contracted clients was at 32.3mn t in the first quarter, a 21pc increase from a year earlier. Overburden removal at the contracted mines rose by 17pc on the year to 286.3mn bank m³ (bcm). Thermal coal sales from UNTR's own Tuah Turangga Agung (TTA) mine rose by 40pc to 3.2mn t during the quarter from a year earlier. UNTR increased sales volumes to partly offset the impact of the downtrend in prices in the market on its financials. UNTR did not give the production data for its own mine but added that the output should remain stable in the next quarter on forecasts of dry weather ahead. The company's heavy equipment sales fell by 37pc year-on-year to 1,126 units. This was because of a drop in demand in the domestic market following the fulfilment of backlogged deliveries in 2023, it said. By Antonio delos Reyes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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