US seeks to allow carbon storage on federal land

Spanish Market: Biofuels, Coal, Crude oil, Electricity, Emissions, Hydrogen, Natural gas, Oil products
03/11/23

President Joe Biden's administration is advancing a proposal to allow carbon capture and storage (CCS) on millions of acres of federal land owned by the US Forest Service.

The proposed rule, published Friday, would open up the possibility of siting carbon storage projects on the 193mn acres of federal land in 44 states managed by the Forest Service. The regulation could support the Biden administration's push to expand the use of CCS, a technology that captures CO2 and then stores it deep underground in subsurface geological formations.

The proposal would remove an existing restriction from the Forest Service that blocks projects from having "exclusive and perpetual use" of federal land. Because CCS projects store CO2 for thousands of years, the agency said the restriction needs to be removed for projects to advance. Projects would still be subject to other permitting requirements and environmental reviews.

The US has seen a surge of interest in CCS as developers try to take advantage of $12bn in new funding from the 2021 infrastructure law and the expansion of the "45Q" tax credit that pays up to $85/metric tonne of CO2 that is stored in geologic formations. The Inflation Reduction Act also offers tax credits for clean hydrogen and low-carbon renewables fuels that are likely to rely partially on CCS.

But project developers have run into obstacles as they seek regulatory approvals for CO2 pipelines and Class VI injection wells needed for CCS. US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) on Thursday criticized the US Environmental Protection Agency for not yet approving permits for a backlog of 169 carbon injection wells, while at the same time proposing to mandate CCS for fossil fuel power plants.

"Not a single Class VI well has been approved," Manchin said. "At the same time, the administration is more than happy to mandate widespread deployment of carbon capture on gas- and coal-fired power plants."

By Chris Knight

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21/05/24

G20 seeks to ease climate funding to cities

Sao Paulo, 21 May (Argus) — Climate funds need to make it easier for countries and especially individual cities to access resources, a G20 working group said in Brazil today. Experts, representatives of G20 member countries and financial organizations gathered in Rio de Janeiro to discuss ways to leverage financing to face extreme climate events. The two-day event was hosted by the G20 — which Brazil presides over this year — the country's finance minister, global network Finance in Common (FiCS) and the Brazilian NGO climate and society institute (iCS). Delegates agreed that climate funds — especially the green climate fund, the adaptation fund, the global environment facility fund and the special climate change fund, which will hold a combined $30bn in the next five years — need to allow better access for cities to combat climate change. That means easing bureaucracies and identifying bottlenecks, according to Ivan Oliveira, deputy secretary for sustainable development at Brazil's finance ministry. Guaranteeing funding for climate projects can take many years, Oliveira said. But "climate change requires climate funds to deliver quickly," he added. FiCS' chairman Remy Rioux — who is also the chief executive of France's development agency — pointed to the different accreditation processes for different climate funds as hindering climate financing. A single accreditation process would ease access, he added. "We will do our best to find innovative financial solutions for climate resilience and resilient infrastructure," he said. Climate projects should also be able to tap into multiple funds more easily, Oliveira said. Rioux also called for the creation of an international guarantee fund to back individual national banks should they need resources to combat climate change. Additionally, local governments should be able to deal directly with climate funds, instead of having to work through the federal government, he added. The director of Brazil's development bank Nelson Barbosa also noted that a lack of financial guarantees and exchange rate volatility hinder banks and country's ability to access climate funds. The G20 working group will present a report with suggestions to address these issues in July, in Belem — the capital of northern Para state — Oliveira said. The city will also host Cop30 in 2025. Rio Grande do Sul Brazil's federal government is discussing a line of credit to southern Rio Grande do Sul state, which has been hit by heavy rainfall and historic flooding since late April, Barbosa said. "A special line of credit will be needed for reconstruction," he said. "We already have lines for adaptation and mitigation and now we have to think about lines to take care of losses and damages. Reality has arrived, and development banks have to deal with the effects of the climate." But he did not give further specifics on the measures. On Monday, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for the creation of an international fund backed by "people that pollute the planet" to aid Rio Grande do Sul. He has in the past called on rich nations to fund global efforts to mitigate climate change. Rains in Rio Grande do Sul have left 161 people dead, 85 missing and over 581,600 people displaced, according to the state's civil defense. Rebuilding the state will cost over R19bn ($3.7bn), according to the state government. By Lucas Parolin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

México compra más gasolina asiática

21/05/24

México compra más gasolina asiática

Mexico City, 21 May (Argus) — México está recurriendo más a la gasolina asiática, complementando las importaciones desde la costa del Golfo de EE. UU. para ayudar a satisfacer alrededor de 60pc de la demanda que la producción doméstica no cubre. PMI, el brazo de comercio internacional de la estatal Pemex, compró inusualmente la semana pasada cuatro cargamentos de gasolina asiática para cargar en mayo, además de un envío que ya había comprado para cargar entre el 20 y el 22 de mayo, lo que llevó el total de cargas asiáticas a cinco en el mes. Las cargas se compraron a una refinería estatal china, una empresa comercial estatal china y una empresa comercial con sede en Suiza, según fuentes del mercado. Como resultado, es probable que cinco cargas de aproximadamente 296,000 bl cada una se dirijan a México en mayo. Se esperaba que Asia enviara solo una carga de gasolina a México en mayo, en comparación con cuatro cargas enviadas en abril debido a un arbitraje cerrado. Pero un incidente en la refinería de Tula de Pemex (315,000 b/d), que produce alrededor de 24pc de la gasolina de la empresa, podría haber influido en la decisión de la empresa de comprar más gasolina asiática. Pemex está trabajando para reiniciar la refinería después de un corte de energía el 13 de mayo, y los trabajos de reparación podrían tardar unas dos semanas, dicen las fuentes. México ha importado gasolina ocasionalmente desde Asia durante varios años, pero PMI se convirtió en un comprador frecuente desde abril de 2023. Los cargamentos de gasolina asiática que llegaron a puertos mexicanos ascienden a 54,000 b/d en mayo, frente a los 3,800 b/d de abril, según los datos de Vortexa. Las importaciones de gasolina asiática de mayo aumentaron en 7pc año con año, según los mismos datos. Durante todo el año 2023, México ingresó 47,000 b/d de gasolina de Asia, además de 18,000 b/d de diésel y 3,000 b/d de turbosina, para un total de 68,000 b/d de importaciones de combustible de Asia, tres veces más que en 2022, muestran los datos de Vortexa. México ha dependido de las importaciones, principalmente de la costa del Golfo de EE.UU., para cubrir parte de su demanda de gasolina desde 1990, pero la cuota de importaciones aumentó exponencialmente a partir de 2006, ya que las refinerías de Pemex no pudieron seguir el ritmo de aumento de la demanda. Las importaciones de gasolina aumentaron de nuevo tras la reforma energética de 2014, que abrió los mercados de combustibles a la inversión del sector privado. Retroceso Pero desde 2019, el país ha vuelto a un entorno más restrictivo para las empresas del sector privado bajo la administración del presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador, que ha realizado inversiones de miles de millones de dólares en las capacidades de refinación de Pemex para alcanzar el ambicioso objetivo de autosuficiencia en gasolina y diésel. Aunque estas inversiones dieron lugar a niveles máximos de ocho años en tasas de rendimiento de las refinerías domesticas de Pemex en marzo, impulsando la disminución de las importaciones de combustible, los participantes del mercado permanecen escépticos de una fuerte caída sostenida en las importaciones de combustible de México. A pesar del aumento en el proceso de crudo de las refinerías, Pemex y las empresas privadas siguen importando 481,000 b/d de gasolina, o 60pc de la demanda de gasolina de México, según los últimos datos de la secretaria de energía. Incluso cuando comience operaciones la nueva refinería Olmeca (340,000 b/d), que enfrenta múltiples retrasos, la creciente demanda y los desafíos operativos en las otras refinerías harán que México continúe dependiendo de las importaciones de combustible. Es probable que las importaciones de combustible de México aumenten en la segunda mitad del año, ya que los inventarios de Pemex tienden a disminuir en junio impulsados por el aumento de la demanda. Dado que las empresas del sector privado y Pemex importan la mayoría de las cargas de gasolina desde la costa del Golfo de EE.UU., se espera que la empresa estatal continúe importando ocasionalmente desde Asia. Las importaciones de combustible asiático representaron aproximadamente entre 7 y 8pc de las importaciones marítimas totales de combustible de México en 2023, y las importaciones desde EE. UU. representaron 78pc del total. Por Antonio Gozain Cargamentos de gasolina asiática enviados a México ’000b/d Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Asia demand lifts US VLCC rates to 4-month high

21/05/24

Asia demand lifts US VLCC rates to 4-month high

Houston, 21 May (Argus) — Rates for 2mn bl very large crude carriers (VLCCs) on the US Gulf coast reached four-month highs on 17 May amid elevated Asia-Pacific demand for US crude, especially in China. The rate to ship 270,000t of crude from the US Gulf coast to China, including $250,000 Corpus Christi, Texas, load-port fees, climbed by 11.6pc from 7-17 May to $10.1mn lumpsum, or $4.85/bl for WTI, the highest level since 12 January, according to Argus data. A surge of demand in the first half of May reduced tonnage in the Atlantic basin as Chinese refiners eye the end of a heavy refinery maintenance season . Over that span, the time-charter equivalent (TCE) rate, which reflects daily earnings for shipowners, for a scrubber-fitted VLCC hauling crude from Corpus Christi to Ningbo, China, increased by about $9,150/d to $50,613/d, according to Argus data. Similarly, the US Gulf coast-Rotterdam VLCC rate on 17 May matched its highest level since 11 January, reaching $4.95mn lumpsum, or $2.38/bl for WTI, including load-port fees, after Asia-Pacific demand limited the amount of VLCCs available for shipments to Europe. The rally comes amid rising onshore inventories of crude in China. Stocks increased to 924mn bl in the week ended 19 May, the most in nearly five months, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa. "An expected increase in refinery utilization during the third quarter justifies inventory building during (the second quarter), while the current import trend and ongoing refinery maintenance may imply less sharp inventory builds during May-June compared to last year," shipbroker BRS said. Last year, Chinese inventories of crude shot up to 1.02bn bl at the end of July from about 925mn bl at the end of April, Vortexa data show. A slower pace of inventory builds may create a less volatile environment for VLCCs compared to last year, BRS said. By Tray Swanson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US readies sale of 1mn bl gasoline reserve

21/05/24

US readies sale of 1mn bl gasoline reserve

Washington, 21 May (Argus) — President Joe Biden's administration is requesting bids for a congressionally mandated sale of a 1mn bl gasoline reserve that it says has been "strategically timed" to bring down prices during the peak of the summer driving season. The US Department of Energy (DOE) said the pending sale of the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve will release gasoline blendstocks into the commercial market by no later than 30 June. The sale will consist of 900,000 bl of gasoline in Port Reading, New Jersey, and nearly 99,000 bl of gasoline in South Portland, Maine. Bids for the competitive solicitation will be due no later than noon ET on 28 May. The administration was required to sell off the gasoline reserve, which was created in 2014 in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, by no later than 30 September under a bipartisan spending deal signed into law earlier this year. US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm said the administration organized the sale with a goal to bring down prices at the pump. "By strategically releasing this reserve in between Memorial Day and July 4, we are ensuring sufficient supply flows to the tri-state and northeast at a time hardworking Americans need it the most," Granholm said. US regular grade gasoline cost an average of $3.58/USG in the week ending on 20 May, down from a recent weekly high of $3.67/USG reached nearly a month earlier, according to US Energy Information Administration data. Biden administration officials have been paying close attention to fuel prices, which typically carry outsize weight in public perceptions about inflation. The Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve consists of gasoline held in leased commercial storage tanks that is commingled with commercial supplies. Congressional appropriators came to see the reserve as a waste of resources that should be liquidated. The US was spending about $13/bl annually to maintain the reserve even though it was not likely to be effective during an emergency, the US Government Accountability Office said in a 2022 report. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Brazil biomethane parity prices R2.43-2.79: Correction

21/05/24

Brazil biomethane parity prices R2.43-2.79: Correction

Corrects CNG truck round-trip freight rates in 8th paragraph. Sao Paulo, 21 May (Argus) — Biomethane parity prices in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states, Brazil's two largest hubs, ranged between R2.43-2.79/m³ (49-56¢/m³) on 23 February, according to the market's first price indicators launched by Argus . That represents the marginal price that can be charged by biomethane producers from gas distributors, reflecting daily Cbio carbon credits assessments and weighted averages of natural gas prices in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. It is the first specifically calculated Brazilian biomethane price indicator in a market that has often lacked transparency. Biomethane producers traditionally have determined their prices on a case-by-case basis, depending on a series of factors such as the consumer's need for the green attribute, which fuel the biomethane gas will substitute and logistics costs. Initially, the biomethane sector looked to LPG prices for reference, as industry machinery only needs small alterations to substitute one fuel for the other. But the LPG market is much more consolidated and stable in its supply than biomethane. The international crude industry and Brazilian real-dollar exchange rates also influence the market, leading to distortions that do not reflect the renewable natural gas (RNG) market's true conditions. Market participants are still learning the ropes of the biomethane sector, as all of its production and supply structures are new in Brazil, according to Hugo Nery, chief executive of landfill company Marquise Ambiental, part of the joint venture that controls the 110,000 m³/d GNR Fortaleza biomethane plant. All biomethane plants certified by hydrocarbons regulator ANP within Brazil's national biofuels Renovabio policy are eligible to issue Cbio carbon credits, which is a compliance market for fossil fuel distributors to compensate their sales' impact. But this segment is still much smaller than it could be for biomethane manufacturers, according to biomethane producer Gas Verde's chief executive Marcel Jorand. Still, Cbios are the most liquid alternative to pricing the green attribute of biomethane in Brazil, with other certification models still in preliminary stages and not openly traded. Producers are adopting their own solutions to biomethane transportation challenges. Marquise Ambiental's strategy is to build its new biomethane plants near distribution networks, Nery said. GNR Fortaleza was the first plant in Brazil to inject biomethane directly into a distribution network and supplies 20pc of Ceara state's gas demand. On the other hand, biomethane generators Gas Verde and Zeg Biogas supply their customers through CNG truck deliveries. Argus ' CNG truck freight rates, based on Sao Paulo costs, show that each cubic meter of gas delivered on a 150km (93.2-mile) round trip cost R0.005/km on 23 February. Gas Verde and Zeg Biogas eye opportunities for longer-distance deliveries, using LNG trucks that have more range compared with CNG truck freights, or injecting gas into pipelines. Biomethane producers are finding demand for RNG outstripping supply available to the market. Zeg Biogas expects to start up a 30,000 m³/d biomethane plant in Minas Gerais state on the second half of the year. The company aims to explore the off-grid market in the region and expects to sign four additional contracts this year and increase its production capacity, according to chief executive Eduardo Acquaviva. Gas Verde, which owns Brazil's largest biomethane plant in Seropedica, Rio de Janeiro state, with 204,000 m³/d of capacity, also expects to expand. The company will transform nine biogas-fired thermal power plants into biomethane generators in the next 18-24 months. By Rebecca Gompertz Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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