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Norfolk Southern replaces CEO with CFO

  • Spanish Market: Agriculture, Biofuels, Chemicals, Coal, Coking coal, Crude oil, Fertilizers, Freight, LPG, Metals, Oil products, Petrochemicals, Petroleum coke
  • 12/09/24

Eastern Class I railroad Norfolk Southern (NS) has appointed a new chief executive, replacing former executive Alan Shaw after determining he violated company policies by having a consensual relationship with the company's chief legal officer.

NS' board announced late Wednesday that it had promoted chief financial officer Mark George to replace Shaw. The board said Monday it was investigating Shaw for potential misconduct in actions not consistent with NS' code of ethics and policies, but did not provide details.

The railroad yesterday clarified that Shaw's departure was not related to the railroad's "performance, financial reporting and results of operations".

Instead, the board voted unanimously to terminate Shaw with cause, effective immediately, for violating policies by engaging in a consensual relationship chief legal officer Nabanita Nag. She was also dismissed by NS.

Shaw worked at NS for 30 years and was appointed chief executive in May 2021, following six years as chief marketing officer.

Earlier this year he led NS through a proxy fight with a group of activist investors that sought his replacement. The overall effort failed but the challengers secured three seats on the board. The investors had been displeased with the railroad's financial performance and "tone deaf response" to the February 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

New chief executive George had served as NS' chief financial officer since 2019. Prior to that, he held roles at several companies including United Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries.

"The board has full confidence in Mark and his ability to continue delivering on our commitments to shareholders and other stakeholders," NS chairman and former Canadian National chief executive Claude Mongeau said.


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German 3Q hard coal output falls on reduced fleet


08/10/24
08/10/24

German 3Q hard coal output falls on reduced fleet

London, 8 October (Argus) — Hard coal-fired output from German utilities dropped by 23pc on the year in July-September, largely driven by a smaller generation capacity following a series of plant retirements or returning to grid reserve in the first half of 2024. German hard coal-fired generation averaged 2.1GW in the third quarter, according to European grid operator Entso-E. Compared with a year ago this was equivalent to around 505,000t of NAR 6,000 kcal/kg coal consumption, assuming 40pc efficiency plants. September output reached a seven-month high of 2.9GW, but it was down by 15pc from a year earlier. Germany's overall available hard coal-fired capacity was 6.5GW in September, cut by 1.6GW on the year, based on European Energy Exchange (EEX) data. The German hard coal fleet's implied load factor was 45pc in September, slightly higher than 41pc from a year ago. Trianel was the German utility with the highest hard coal-fired generation in July-September, as it raised the output from its sole 750MW hard coal plant Lunen 1 in northwest Germany by 28pc on the year to 380MW. Oynx meanwhile produced the second-highest hard coal output in the third quarter, averaging 352MW, as it was the generator with the sharpest rise in coal burn from a year earlier at 53pc. This was despite the company closing its 350MW Farge plant in March. Phase-out weigh on coal burn Uniper was Germany's largest hard coal-fired operator in the third quarter of last year, but its hard coal output halved on the year to just 316MW in July-September because the utility took off the bulk of its fleet from the market. Only the 1.05GW Datteln 4 plant was running in the third quarter, given Uniper placed its four other hard coal-fired units — the 345MW Scholven B, 345MW Scholven C, 522MW Staudinger 5 and 875MW Heyden 4 — into the grid reserve earlier this year. The company could no longer run hard coal plants within Germany in the near future as it seeks to sell Datteln 4 plant . Similarly, fellow utility EnBW transferred its 517MW Karlsruhe RDK 7 into the reserve in late May, which contributed to a 35pc on-year fall in its total hard coal-fired generation to 248MW in July-September. Steag took off a larger capacity of hard coal assets — around 2GW from three sites in Saarland — from the market in the first half, resulting in a 32pc drop on the year to 99MW in the third quarter. Smaller operators likewise exited coal this year, with Bremen-based SWB shutting down its 119MW Hastedt 15 hard coal-fired unit in the end of April. The municipal utility has already replaced Hastedt 15 with a 104MW gas-fired combined heat and power plant . In addition, Czech utility EPH retired the 690MW Mehrum 3 plant in late March, having returned to the market in August 2022. Elsewhere, Wolfsburg-based industrial user Volkswagen decommissioned its two 138MW coal-fired units in March as the company opted for coal-to-gas fuel switching. Firm renewables supress thermal generation Wind and solar output rose on the year in the third quarter, crowding out not only hard coal but also gas and lignite within the German power mix. Combined wind and solar generation averaged 23.3GW during July-September, up by 12pc on the year. Solar output alone picked up by 2.1GW, owing to a higher load factor and increased installed capacity. Considering hydro and biomass generation also incrementally rose on the year in the third quarter, the overall strength in renewables meant Germany had to cut down thermal power output and cross-border imports in a bid to balance out with the demand, which only rose by 3pc on the year to 54.8GW in the same period. Consequently, thermal generation from hard coal, gas and lignite all fell on the year in the third quarter, but lignite dropped to 7.4GW at a slower rate of just 4pc compared with other fuels because of its low fuel procurement cost. German lignite-fired plants typically source their fuel from nearby mines. German gas-fired output was down by 26pc on the year to 7.1GW in July-September, in part owing to theoretical spark spreads deteriorating from a year earlier. In the beginning of the third quarter, a typical 55pc-efficient gas-fired plant using German VTP supplies was ahead of a 40pc-efficient German hard coal-fired unit on a month-ahead basis, but in the end of the quarter, such coal-gas fuel switching dynamics flipped (see chart). Ronald Kim DE month ahead fuel switching € MWh €/MWh DE coal output by operator GW GW DE hard coal-fired output GW GW Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

India's Fact issues buy tender for 80,000t of NPKs


08/10/24
08/10/24

India's Fact issues buy tender for 80,000t of NPKs

London, 8 October (Argus) — Indian fertilizer importer Fact has issued two new purchase tenders for 40,000t each of 15-15-15 and 10-26-26, both closing on 14 October. Fact requests two shipments of 20,000t, plus or minus 10pc, of 15-15-15 for arrival on or before 15 December, one lot each to New Mangalore and Tuticorin. It has also asked for two lots of 20,000t of 10-26-26, plus or minus 10pc, for arrival on or before 15 December, one shipment each to New Mangalore and Kakinada. Fact issued a purchase tender earlier this week for 40,000t of 20-20-0+13S, which will also close on 14 October. By Nykole King Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

September was second hottest: EU's Copernicus


08/10/24
08/10/24

September was second hottest: EU's Copernicus

London, 8 October (Argus) — Last month was the second hottest September on record globally, after September 2023, with average temperatures 0.73°C higher than the 1991-2020 average for the month, according to data from the EU climate-monitoring service Copernicus. Last month's average temperatures globally were 1.54°C above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels and September's average was the 14th month in a 15-month period when the global average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The global average temperature for the 12 months to September was the second highest on record for any 12-month period — 0.74°C above the 1991-2020 average, and an estimated 1.62°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. The January–September 2024 global-average temperature was 0.71°C above the 1991-2020 average, the highest on record for the period and 0.19°C warmer than the same period in 2023. It is almost certain that 2024 will turn out to be the warmest year on record, Copernicus said. The average temperature over European land for September 2024 was 1.74°C above the 1991-2020 average for September, making it the second warmest September on record for Europe after September 2023, which was 2.51°C above average. Last month also had exceptionally high rainfall levels across much of the continent, with widespread floods across central Europe. Last year was the hottest on record , averaging 1.45°C above pre-industrial temperatures. By Gavin Attridge Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Kinder Morgan to shut Tampa terminals Tuesday


07/10/24
07/10/24

Kinder Morgan to shut Tampa terminals Tuesday

Houston, 7 October (Argus) — Kinder Morgan is planning to shut its terminals and fuel racks in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday as the region prepares for Hurricane Milton to make landfall Wednesday evening . "We will continue to monitor the storm's path and make any adjustments as needed," Kinder Morgan said in a statement on Monday. Kinder operates the Port Sutton, Tampa Bay Stevedores and Tampaplex terminals in Tampa's Hillsborough Bay and the Port Manatee terminal further south in the Tampa Bay. The terminals handle a wide range of bulk products including fertilizers, scrap metal, petroleum coke and coal according to Kinder Morgan's website. Kinder's Tampa refined products terminal has 1.8mn bls of storage and is connected to the Central Florida Pipeline (CFPL) which transports gasoline, diesel, ethanol and jet fuel to Orlando, including to Orlando International Airport. The airport said today that it will cease operations the morning of 9 October in advance of the hurricane. By Nathan Risser Hurricane Milton projected path Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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