Angola LNG suffers unplanned shutdown

Spanish Market: LPG, Natural gas
24/04/14

Angola LNG’s 5.2mn t/yr Soyo liquefaction plant has been forced to shut down as a result of technical problems.

"The plant has experienced technical issues that have caused an unplanned interruption to production," the operator said today. "No injuries or fire were caused as a result of this unplanned interruption, and the plant was safely shut down in a controlled manner."

Angola LNG did not comment on the nature or length of the outage, but a source familiar with the project said the plant was shut following an explosion. Shareholders in Angola LNG — Chevron, Angola's state-owned Sonangol, Italy's Eni, BP, and Total — either declined or could not be reached for comment.

Market sources indicated in early April that the plant was shutting for a short maintenance period of a few days, but this unexpected technical issue could shut the plant for much longer. Angola LNG was expected to issue a sell tender for another cargo last week.

Angola LNG added that the new unexpected issues were being addressed as part of commissioning and testing for a ramp-up to full production.

Majority shareholder Chevron said earlier this year that the Angola LNG plant would not reach full production until 2015. The plant has tendered five cargoes so far this year.

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14/11/25

More oil, gas firms have emissions action plans: OGDC

London, 14 November (Argus) — Oil and gas firms that are signatories to the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter (OGDC) have increasingly set out plans to address their operational emissions, methane emissions and flaring, a report from the OGDC said today. Of the companies signed up to the charter in 2024, 36 reported having "interim action plans" for scope 1 and 2 emissions reductions for 2030, 31 reported that they had methane action plans and 33 reported having flaring action plans — up from 31, 20 and 22, respectively, in 2023. Of the signatories, 36 have third-party verification systems in place, the report found. The charter was signed at Cop 28 in 2023 and now has 55 signatories, representing around 40pc of global oil production and around 35pc of global oil and gas output. Of the signatory companies, around two-thirds are state-owned. OGDC signatories produced nearly 59mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) in 2024. The OGDC estimated that total operated scope 1 and 2 emissions for all charter signatories stood at around 1bn t/CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 2024. The estimate was based on submissions for operated scope 1 and 2 emissions from 41 signatories, which totalled just above 800mn t/CO2e in 2024. Scope 1 and 2 emissions usually make up a minority of oil and gas producers' total emissions. But scope 3, or end-use, emissions represent the vast majority of oil and gas producer emissions, with estimates in the range of 80-95pc of the total. A report from a group of more than 130 scientists on 13 November found that emissions from fossil fuels are projected to reach a record high of 38.1bn t/CO2 this year. Global emissions from "human activities" stood at 53.2bn t/CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 2024, without factoring in emissions from land use, land use change and forestry, the EU's Edgar programme found in September. Charter signatories invested around $32bn in "low-carbon solutions" which include renewables, carbon capture, hydrogen and "low-carbon fuels" in 2024, according to the report. Signatories agree to aim for net zero operations by 2050, "near-zero upstream methane emissions" by 2030, zero routine flaring by 2030 and to "set and share" a 2030 goal for scope 1 and 2 emissions. TotalEnergies, a signatory to the charter, today committed $100mn to a fund which supports technologies to cut emissions "across the oil and gas value chain". The fund — Climate Investment — is partnered with the charter and will help signatories "on their decarbonisation path", within the charter's scope, TotalEnergies said. By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

API pitches revamp of biofuel exemptions: Update

13/11/25

API pitches revamp of biofuel exemptions: Update

Updates throughout New York, 13 November (Argus) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) is pitching the White House and biofuel groups on a total revamp of how the US exempts oil companies from a program that requires biofuel blending, according to three people familiar with the lobbying group's work. API recently withdrew its support for a bill that would authorize 15pc ethanol gasoline (E15) year-round on its frustrations with changes to biofuel policy this year that oil companies see as too friendly to farmers and to some small refining competitors. The US for instance recently granted small oil refiners generous hardship waivers from a biofuel blend mandate and proposed requiring larger companies to blend more biofuels in future years as an offset. API's pitch — shared at a White House meeting this week — would require that companies seeking program exemptions must show that economic hardship stems directly from the biofuel program, a more stringent requirement than today, according to two of the people familiar with the group's work. Exemptions would also be restricted to companies with limited collective refining capacity, cutting off larger enterprises like Delek and Par Pacific that own multiple small units that qualify now. Smaller companies like Ergon and Kern Oil could still request waivers, but the total pool of potentially exempted gas and diesel volumes would be far lower. The oil group then wants the US to prohibit hiking other oil companies' blend requirements to offset those exemptions, a tougher sell to biofuel and crop groups that fear unchecked program waivers curb demand for their products. Larger merchant refiners that do not qualify for small refinery relief have also long pushed lawmakers for updates to the program and would not benefit from this proposal. API's idea is to pass legislation pairing updates to the small refinery exemption program with year-round authorization of E15, generally prohibited in the summer without emergency waivers because of summertime fuel volatility restrictions that do not apply to typical 10pc ethanol gasoline. That's a top priority for ethanol companies, otherwise at risk from an increasingly efficient and electric light-duty vehicle fleet. Congress last year nearly passed narrower E15 legislation, which API supported at the time but no longer does without more changes. Courts have struck down past attempts by federal officials to authorize E15 without emergency declarations and to drastically restrict biofuel exemption eligibility, likely limiting what President Donald Trump's administration can do without new legislation. API made the pitch to the White House this week, the sources familiar with API's work said. The White House is hosting other groups for meetings on fuel policy, including another one on Thursday on E15 that featured biofuel groups. Officials from across Trump's administration, including the US Department of Agriculture, have attended. "Administration officials hosted listening sessions with biofuel groups, agriculture and oil refiners to discuss their proposals on year-round E15", a source familiar with the matter said. It is not clear that biofuel advocates, insistent that the Trump administration entirely offset the impact of recent refinery exemptions, are open to the attempted compromise. The ethanol group Renewable Fuels Association declined to comment on E15 talks. Regulatory tweaks to boost ethanol supply would also do little on their own to help producers of other biofuels like renewable diesel. API declined to elaborate on what was discussed at any meetings with the Trump administration. "We appreciate the administration's leadership in bringing stakeholders together to advance a practical solution on E15 and small refinery exemption reform", API said. "We look forward to continuing to work together to advance a framework that supports fuel choice, strengthens the refining and agricultural sectors, and helps ensure a stable, reliable supply for American consumers." Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the US requires oil refiners and importers to annually blend different types of biofuels or buy credits from those that do. The administration is late setting new biofuel quotas for 2026 but is expected to do so in the coming months, kicking off a flurry of last-minute lobbying about future volumes, exemptions and potential cuts to credits from foreign fuels and feedstocks. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US LPG loses market share in Brazil

13/11/25

US LPG loses market share in Brazil

Houston, 13 November (Argus) — US LPG suppliers lost market share in Brazil to imports from Argentina despite a decline in US Gulf coast propane and butane prices. Brazil imported 982,240t of LPG year-to-date October this year, Vortexa data shows. Argentinian supplies comprised 49.5pc of Brazil's imports at 486,400t for the 10-month period, up 17.8 percentage points from a year earlier. Brazil took 47.2pc of its LPG from the US at 463,700t year-to-date October, down by 18.3 percentage points from the same period a year earlier. Brazil's shift toward Argentinian-sourced LPG comes even as prices decreased for full-propane and split butane/propane cargoes loading at the US Gulf coast. US propane export cargo prices slid to $429.1/t year-to-date October this year, from $487.7/t in the same months a year earlier. US split butane/propane loaders dipped to $442.8/t from $499.2/t in the same time period. Brazil's shift away from lower priced US supplies suggests Argentinian cargoes may be more price competitive. Part of the price competitiveness may stem from more economically favorable freight rates for short-haul distances given Argentina's geographical advantage that allows Brazil to offtake Argentina's growing LPG supplies. Brazil may continue to import more LPG from neighboring Argentina as domestic demand there is expected to grow between 5-8pc with the government's incoming Gas do Povo subsidy scheme, according to LPG association Sindigas president Sergio Bandeira de Mello. The subsidy scheme will distribute vouchers for free LPG cylinders to more than 15mn qualifying low-income homes in remote areas of Brazil in an effort to push families away from cooking with firewood and charcoal. The country's four main distributors — Copa Energia, Nacional Gas, Supergasbras and Ultragaz — account for nearly 90pc of the domestic market and have already confirmed that demand under the program will be met by LPG imports. This will come from countries other than the US, most notably from nearby Argentina. By Giovann Rosales Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Turkey could be LNG gateway for east Europe

13/11/25

Turkey could be LNG gateway for east Europe

London, 13 November (Argus) — Turkey has higher LNG regasification capacity than Greece, but the country's rising consumption is weighing on excess gas for export and its closed market creates challenges for traders, while Greece faces grid congestion issues but has promising investments and a more open market. Greece has a 5.4mn t/yr LNG import terminal at Revithoussa, which could feed the grid with a maximum of 82 TWh/yr if operating at full capacity. Additionally, there is a 4.3mn t/yr terminal at Alexandroupolis, with a theoretical capacity of 66 TWh/yr. Combined, Greece's LNG processing capacity totals 9.7mn t/yr, equal to 148 TWh/yr, or — using Desfa's conversion rate — about 12.7bn m³/yr. But both terminals operate at much lower utilisation rates. Revithoussa supplied 18.2TWh to the grid throughout 2024, averaging 50 GWh/d. Traders said that LNG prices were less competitive than Russian pipeline gas during that year. And Revithoussa's sendout increased to 79 GWh/d during the first 10 months of this year, which, if sustained for the full year, would be roughly 29TWh. While low sendout indicates spare capacity at Revithoussa, Greek infrastructure constraints remain. The country faces compression limitations both south-north and east-west. With the recently added compression station at Komotini, Desfa announced that northward export capacity has been raised to 8.5bn m³/yr, or about 99 TWh/yr. This figure is the maximum export capacity at the Sidirokastro and Komotini interconnection points, but delivering gas to these points can still be problematic. For Revithoussa supply, the Ampelia compressor station, located in central Greece, is critical. Desfa had stated that this project would be completed in the last quarter of this year, but no update has yet been provided. And Alexandroupolis went offline for extended maintenance in January this year soon after it started operations. Its operator was only able to increase its maximum sendout capacity to 75pc of its technical limit by late October. In any event, a bottleneck persists in the northern Greek system. Capacity at the Amfitriti point, where Alexandroupolis supply enters the grid, will be capped at 44 GWh/d through the 2025-30 gas years — about 16 TWh/yr or 1.4bn m³/yr — according to Desfa . Turkey as an alternative supply route? Turkey currently operates five LNG import terminals, three FSRU-based and two onshore facilities, with a total sendout capacity of 161mn m³/d. Overall sendout capacity equals 625 TWh/yr, more than four times Greece's total, based on Turkish state-run Botas' conversion rate. The Strandzha 1/Malkoclar point, which directly connects the Turkish to the Bulgarian grid, has a technical outflow capacity of 43 TWh/yr and remains underutilised. Firms exported a total of 16.3TWh at the point to Bulgaria in the first 10 months of this year, and 18.8TWh in all of 2024. Turkish energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar and senior Botas executives have stated multiple times that they can increase the capacity two to four times in a short period, provided there are long-term commitments from potential European buyers. This suggests an export potential of 10bn m³/yr in the short term, in theory exceeding Greek export capacity. That said, record high Turkish consumption in the past winter , and scope for further growth might weigh on excess supply for export. Turkey's main drawbacks include a closed market and heavy dominance by a single actor. Although regulator EPDK maintains a regulatory framework on paper comparable to western Europe, according to many traders, Botas holds clear dominance in practice. Transparency remains low, and the lack of a free trade forces companies to rely on Botas. These factors lowered Turkey's rating in Energy Traders Europe's 2025 report , while Greece rose. Bulgarian transit Bulgaria is working to develop its south-north transport capacity. Bulgarian state-owned supplier Bulgargaz and Botas signed a 13-year deal in January 2023 for Bulgarian access to Turkish LNG terminals. Bulgargaz can transfer up to 1.5bn m³/yr of gas from the Turkish transmission system to Bulgaria through Malkoclar under this agreement, but this agreement has occasionally been criticised and underutilised . And the inflow capacity from Greece via the Kulata/Sidirokasto will initially reach 37.2 TWh/yr, equal to 3.5bn m³/yr, over the next few years, according to the Bulgarian operator's most recent 10-year plan . The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria also provides 3bn m³/yr, but its capacity will not increase in the short term . This means that Bulgaria is initially targeting import capacity of 6.5bn m³/yr from Greece. By Ugur Yildirim Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: Mexico unveils new climate plan

12/11/25

Cop: Mexico unveils new climate plan

Mexico City, 12 November (Argus) — Mexico has approved a new national climate plan as part of the UN Cop 30 summit in Belem, Brazil, setting an absolute cap on greenhouse gas emissions for the first time. The updated nationally determined contribution (NDC) commits Mexico to limit emissions to 364–404mn t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) by 2035 under its own resources, and to 332–363mn t CO2e with international support, Mexican environmental minister Alicia Barcena said. The target with support represents a cut of more than 50pc compared with a business-as-usual scenario and aligns with its pledge to reach net zero by 2050, the government said. The plan, which had not been updated since 2022, includes five key components, including mitigation — cutting emissions — and adaptation, or adjusting to climate change where possible. It also included a loss and damage component, which refers to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. The NDC introduces the problems of climate security and social resilience and includes principles of gender equality, human rights and a just transition for workers in carbon-intensive sectors. Mexico's energy and environment ministries said the NDC aims to integrate climate action with economic development, job creation and social equity. But analysts warn that meeting the targets will require structural reforms and significant investment in low-carbon technologies. "Mexico's new climate plan stands among the most ambitious new climate targets from a major emitter, charting a path toward a stronger, more inclusive and resilient economy," said Francisco Barnes Regueiro, executive director of the environmental non-governmental organization the World Resources Institute in Mexico on Tuesday. "Mexico's ambition is clear, but delivering on these goals will require deep structural transformation and a clear, sustained investment strategy," he added. The announcement comes as Brazil, host of Cop 30, urges countries to submit more ambitious climate plans. Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in September called on developed nations to accelerate net-zero targets and expand support for developing countries, saying Cop 30 must focus on implementation rather than pledges. Mexico joins more than 50 countries that have updated their NDCs ahead of the summit. The EU, Canada, Norway and Switzerland have also pledged to align their plans with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal. Policy contradiction But Mexico's new climate pledge contrasts with its continued support for fossil fuels, particularly its crude oil and refined fuels production, as well as its reliance on natural gas for electricity production. The government has continuously backed policies and wide-ranging reforms that favor state-owned Pemex and utility CFE over private-sector companies, without directly requiring the companies to shift to cleaner energies. Critics argue that these measures undermine private investment and complicate Mexico's ability to meet its climate targets. "Mexico continues to spend more on sustaining the past than building the future," said Isabel Studer, president of sustainability group Sostenibilidad Global, in a recent statement. By Cas Biekmann Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Angola LNG suffers unplanned shutdown

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More oil, gas firms have emissions action plans: OGDC

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Turkey could be LNG gateway for east Europe

Turkey could be LNG gateway for east Europe

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