Brazil oil producers targeting green R&D

: Crude oil, Electricity, Hydrogen
21/08/03

Brazil's oil producers are earmarking a growing share of mandatory research and development funds for renewable energy and hydrogen, cornerstones of national and corporate energy transition strategies.

The R&D funds are expected to increase significantly along with Brazil's rising pre-salt oil production, projected to climb to 4.2mn b/d in 2030 from around 2.2mn b/d this year.

Since 1998, oil producers have been obligated to spend 0.5-1pc of revenue on R&D with local research institutions. Around R13bn ($4bn) in revenue, mainly from around 20 pre-salt and post-salt oil fields, has been spent on R&D since the program's creation, with almost R8bn of the total since 2016, according to data from oil regulator ANP.

In 2015 and again in 2019, the ANP updated regulations to foment competition between not-for-profit and for-profit research centers, part of a broader government push to encourage innovation among Brazilian start-ups. Before 2015, almost all domestic R&D spending came from state-controlled Petrobras, with most directed to its own CENPES research arm. More than 25pc of spending now comes from other producers, including European companies increasingly focused on energy transition.

Shell, Portugal's Galp and Petrobras — the country's top pre-salt producers — have committed around R28mn to research related to solar energy, with more than 50pc of that amount approved in 2020. Shell and Petrobras have directed around R58mn to research related to wind energy, hydrogen and hybrid projects approved by the ANP. Around half of that went to research projects approved in 2019-20.

Petrobras and Chinese state-owned Sinochem have earmarked around R115mn for biofuel research projects, most focused on biodiesel.

The green energy research is still a fraction of the funding for upstream R&D. But Petrobras and other oil producers say technological advances in production are key to cutting emissions. Around R5bn is currently directed to upstream research, mostly targeting automation and development of technology to address C02 levels in pre-salt fields.

"The focus on energy transition has absolutely increased interest in research projects related to renewables, and energy transition is high on all operators' list of R&D priorities. But digitalization, viewed by operators as the main driver for reducing operating costs, remains the top investment target," says Yiannis Chanis from Inovatus, a Rio de Janeiro-based consultancy in innovation management.

Brazil has pledged to reduce its GHG emissions by 37pc from 2005 levels by 2025 and by 43pc in 2030, and reach net-zero emissions by 2060.

By Nathan Walters

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25/12/22

Viewpoint: CSAPR sentiment bearish despite coal use

Houston, 22 December (Argus) — Expectations for lower prices is likely to persist in the federal Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) allowance markets next year as they remain oversupplied, even with higher levels of coal-fired generation. The seasonal NOx markets have been more active this year compared to 2024, when prices essentially flatlined due to regulatory and legal uncertainty brought about by a barrage of lawsuits filed against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its "good neighbor" plan. That plan, which the agency finalized in 2023 under former president Joe Biden, sought to help downwind states meet the 2015 national air quality standards for ozone. The plan imposes more stringent ozone season NOx caps for power plants in more than 20 upwind states, as well as setting new limits on some industrial facilities. But the plan is now essentially defunct after the US Supreme Court halted its implementation in June 2024. This led the EPA to return to less-rigorous NOx emissions limits tied to older ozone standards and reshuffle the participating states into the Group 2 and "expanded" Group 2 markets. Argus launched its assessment of the latter in February 2025. EPA said in March it intends to reconsider the good neighbor plan in order to give states more freedom in developing their own ozone reduction plans. The announcement led to the US District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals pausing a lawsuit challenging the legality of the good neighbor plan until the agency completes its reconsideration, and which could culminate in new regulations by fall 2026. But those developments did little to move the seasonal NOx markets, which have already been sluggish due to oversupply and weak compliance demand, leading to more dramatic price fluctuations when trades do occur. Argus has assessed Group 2 allowances at $875/short ton (st) since 1 December and expanded Group 2 allowances at $850/st since 24 October. It is unclear how US president Donald Trump's current hostility towards environmental regulations will affect the administration's attitude towards the existing CSAPR allowance trading markets, but it seems likely that they are here to stay. The EPA likely is "digging into the air transport modeling that they have to understand what their options are," and which could potentially echo its determination during Trump's first term that states had adequately addressed downwind pollution, said Carrie Jenks, executive director of Harvard Law School's Environmental and Energy Law Program. "The EPA is committed to advancing cooperative federalism and working with states on state implementation plans (SIPs) to provide clean air for all Americans," the agency said in December. But extensive case law suggests that the EPA has little room to give states more power to manage emissions as they see fit. Both the DC Circuit Court and the US Supreme Court have made it clear that the EPA must intervene if a state does not sufficiently lower its emissions, Jenks said. "So the EPA's hands, regardless of who's in the White House, are really tied," she said. As a result, the EPA will likely try to prolong the issue by giving states more time to draw up their own ozone-reduction plans. The debates over those plans could revolve around how the modeling of emissions is conducted and interpreted. Even if that modeling is challenged in the courts, it can take years for litigation to get resolved. More coal, more emissions Despite the continued dearth of activity in the seasonal NOx markets, increases in coal-fired generation, a significant source of NOx and SO2 emissions, have buoyed the outlook in those markets, heightening expectations for higher emissions. During the past year, stronger power demand and higher natural gas prices have allowed coal to take a larger market share, which has resulted in increased coal-fired power in grids that serve states covered by CSAPR. But NOx emissions during this year's ozone season, which ran from May through September, were lower than expected, according to market participants. Cumulative emissions in the Group 2 and expanded Group 2 markets rose by just 1pc and 4.2pc, respectively, and remained well below their overall limits. It was likely more cost-effective for power plants to run their NOx controls than to purchase or surrender additional allowances for compliance. Still, given the Trump administration's pro-coal agenda, it remains to be seen for how long increases in coal generation will continue and to what extent that will affect the CSAPR markets. Conversations over ballooning data center demand have also bled into the seasonal NOx markets as the Trump administration seeks to leverage coal to power that boom. There are currently a lot of moving parts that make it difficult to make predictions, including how competitive coal is compared to other energy sources such as renewables, where data centers get built, their demand flexibility, and the federal and state regulatory landscapes in the coming years, Jenks said. By Ida Balakrishna Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US shale firms see subdued spending next year

25/12/22

US shale firms see subdued spending next year

New York, 22 December (Argus) — US president Donald Trump took to prime-time TV this week to reassure voters that 2026 will see a stronger economy, but US shale executives see little prospect of an imminent upturn in their business. US oil and gas firms plan to keep capital spending flat to slightly lower next year, according to a closely watched survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, as the industry grapples with lower oil prices. Although activity edged lower in the fourth quarter, uncertainty grew and companies remained increasingly wary about future prospects in the poll of 131 executives from Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Louisiana that was carried out earlier this month. "Decreasing oil prices are making many of our firm's wells uneconomic," one exploration and production (E&P) executive said. "Capital efficiencies and returns drive our investment decisions," another respondent said. "If economic conditions worsen, drilling and completion activities will cease in 2026." The muted outlook for spending next year comes as producers have adopted a wait-and-see approach in recent months, given an increasingly uncertain macro backdrop, with crude prices trading near four-year lows this week on fears of global oversupply. A number of shale operators have posted higher-than-expected production this year. At the same time, spending has come in below expectations as drilling operations become more efficient, a trend UK bank Barclays says could be repeated in 2026. The executives who took part in the Dallas Fed survey gave varied responses when asked about their spending plans for next year depending on their size. Large producers — or those with output of 10,000 b/d or more — were more likely to say they expect capital expenditure to remain close to this year's levels. The most selected response among smaller firms — with production under 10,000 b/d — was for a slight increase. Although there are more small firms in the US, the larger companies account for more than 80pc of total US output. When asked about the oil price they were using for capital planning in 2026, the average response among executives was $59/bl for WTI. That was down from the $68/bl average price for the US benchmark that firms planned to use this year. The Dallas Fed said it was not necessarily a surprise that companies were not planning to trim spending further given weaker oil prices. Capital-intensive care "Oil and gas is a capital-intensive business," the bank's senior business economist, Kunal Patel, said. "It takes a lot of money to sustain the wells, even to keep production flat, and so that's why I don't think you're seeing as many people looking to significantly cut." Also, the prices that companies are using to plan next year's budgets are not too far from current breakeven levels. And producers may yet respond with deeper cuts to spending if prices tumble again. Oil and natural gas production was relatively unchanged in the fourth quarter, the survey showed, while costs rose at a slower pace than in the previous three months. "While oil prices have not been low enough this quarter to force a substantial cutback in activity, they were not high enough to support any growth either," Dallas Fed assistant vice-president Michael Plante said. In its annual E&P spending survey, Barclays expects upstream capital expenditure in North America to fall by 5pc in 2026, on lower US activity, reduced reinvestment ratios, and the impact of drilling and well completion efficiencies. That would mark its third consecutive annual decline. Barclays also revised down this year's upstream spending forecast to a decline of 5pc, from an initial estimate of a 3pc drop. The change was driven by further US rig count losses after Opec+ started to ramp up supplies, as well as the hit from Trump's tariff wars. By Stephen Cunningham Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Canada’s oil sands to demonstrate durability in 2026

25/12/22

Canada’s oil sands to demonstrate durability in 2026

Calgary, 22 December (Argus) — Canadian oil sands heavyweights will show durability in 2026 with modest production gains in a lower oil price environment, while tempting investors with bigger, longer-term plans at a time of renewed interest in pipeline projects. Canadian Natural Resources (CNRL), Cenovus, Suncor and Imperial Oil plan to pump out a combined 3.9mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) in 2026, with 75pc of that focused on Alberta's oil sands region. Production gains among the Calgary-based firms will be 1-4pc, with CNRL and Cenovus leading the charge after sizeable acquisitions but also internal growth that has been years in the making. CNRL will push output to a record 1.6mn boe/d across 2026 after becoming sole owner in the 315,000 Albian oil sands mines in Alberta following an asset swap with Shell. The additional bitumen production also simplifies operations for the country's largest oil producer, which can now share trucks and personnel across its oil sands mines, which also includes its fully owned Horizon project. For its part, Horizon skipped a turnaround in 2025 to add 28,000 b/d of production, part of a growing theme of trimming downtime in the oil sands. Meanwhile, Cenovus seems poised to be the second Canadian operator to surpass 1mn boe/d with the upper end of its 2026 guidance just 15,000 boe/d shy of that mark. Boosted by two major acquisitions of cross-town rivals and sizeable organic growth, Cenovus will have doubled production since 2020 when output stood at 471,000 boe/d. It closed on its C$8.6bn ($6.1bn) purchase of MEG Energy in November to bring another 110,000 b/d into its fold, with plans to grow that to 150,000 b/d by 2028. Cenovus five years ago swallowed Husky Energy in a deal to increase its downstream and upstream exposure in Canada and abroad. And the company recently completed a three-year growth investment cycle and expects roughly 100,000 b/d of new production, also by 2028, at Sunrise, Lloydminster and West White Rose in Atlantic Canada combined. Capital spending for the four largest oil sands producers will climb to $14bn in 2026, up by 5pc from 2025, led by CNRL and Cenovus eyeing future growth. Endurance runners The production and spending plans come against a backdrop of global oversupply, highlighting oil sands operators' ability to not only weather, but grow, in a lower oil price environment with their suite of long-life, low-decline assets. Cenovus said its oil sands operating costs will be only $9/bl in 2026, while CNRL in another metric reports its corporate breakeven, including dividends, is just above $40/bl. In other words, oil sands producers would still have breathing space should WTI fall to the $51/bl predicted by the US Energy Information Administration in 2026 . But beyond 2026, an export pipeline capacity crunch is forecast to unfold from the third quarter of 2028 and that could put pressure on domestic prices, according to US bank TD Cowen. Trans Mountain and Enbridge plan for expansions to come on line in mid-to-late 2027, delaying the potential bottleneck by a year. Operators across the basin may be eyeing more growth but may not be ready to accelerate those plans until confidence grows on takeaway capacity. Acquisitions of producing assets may offer more assurance of that. "It's easier to grow by buying. If you grow organically, you pull that egress time forward," TD Cowen's managing director of institutional equity research, Menno Hulshof, said. CNRL has also outlined several projects it may pursue in the longer term, with front-end work due to start in 2026, potentially to unlock up to 260,000 b/d of new capacity between three oil sands projects. Significant output could come on line from 2030, and Alberta's recently proposed 1mn b/d pipeline to the Pacific will be key to an investment revival in the province. By Brett Holmes Oil sands capex guidance ($bn) 2026 2025 ±% 2026/25 CNRL 4.6 4.2 9 Cenovus 3.7 3.5 7 Suncor 4.1 4.2 -2 Imperial Oil 1.5 1.4 5 — company budgets Oil sands production guidance (boe/d) Oil sands Other Total ±% 2026/25 CNRL 867,500 752,500 1,620,000 3 Cenovus 767,500 197,500 965,000 4 Suncor 797,500 57,500 855,000 1 Imperial Oil 450,500 0 450,500 4 — company 2026 budgets Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Viewpoint: Biogas growth uneven, shipping drives 2026

25/12/22

Viewpoint: Biogas growth uneven, shipping drives 2026

London, 22 December (Argus) — Europe's biomethane market faces uneven growth in 2026, with numerous unsolved policy hurdles and as adoption of the EU's revised renewable energy directive (RED III) reshapes national compliance frameworks. Shipping demand will remain a key driver, particularly for certified subsidised product. RED III's overall 2030 target gives EU member states the option to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 14.5pc, or reach a 29pc renewable energy share. RED II only required countries to reach a 14pc renewable energy share. Some states have already transposed RED III, including the Netherlands and Germany , and pivoted incentive schemes to reward fuels on a GHG reduction basis. This is setting up biomethane with low or negative carbon intensity (CI) as a fuel of choice for suppliers obligated to comply with the regulation in the Netherlands, where previously it lagged behind cheaper, energy-intense biofuels. Another EU regulation that favours biomethane use is FuelEU Maritime, which came into effect in January 2025 requiring shipowners to reduce fleet emissions by 2 pc/yr in 2025 and 2026. Over-compliance can be sold under pooling schemes — which have proven profitable for bio-LNG bunkering. The mandate became a major market price driver for renewable gas guarantees of origin (RGGOs) — certificates issued to companies producing gas made from non-fossil fuel sources — and this should continue into 2026. New schemes, either under RED III or domestic obligations, that will come into effect in 2026 will compete with maritime demand for supply. Most 2026 Dutch and Danish supply has already been sold to the maritime sector. Growing Netherlands As well as a pivot to GHG-based compliance with a new ERE ticket system under RED III, the Netherlands began work on a Green Gas Blending Obligation in November. While implementation before late 2027 seems unlikely, progress should boost RGGO forward pricing. Dutch biomethane liquidity could be bolstered if the government approves mass-balancing , a method to track and verify biomethane when it is injected into the gas grid system and becomes indistinguishable from conventional gas. A motion was proposed in parliament in November, but a recent government response indicates this is unlikely. Bio-LNG must be unsubsidised, certified and physically delivered to qualify for ERE tickets, otherwise it will be treated with a fossil gas CI of 94g CO2e/MJ when calculating a fuel supplier's overall mandate level. Steady Germany, France Germany will remove double-counting for waste-based biofuels under its GHG reduction quota (THG) in 2026, but biomethane should remain the cheapest compliance route for fuel suppliers, as rising mandates will support demand. Most German imports come from the UK or Denmark. The former may benefit from Danish prices inflated by maritime demand, despite questions about UK eligibility with German schemes. France's biogas production certificate (CPB) blending mandate starts in January, which should significantly boost domestic demand. But the country has delayed its RED III transposition , which includes a new GHG-based IRICC ticket system, to 2027. The current energy-based TIRUERT transport ticket system will remain in place for a year, limiting transport-sector uptake. It is unclear if IRICCs can be generated from biomethane in 2027, but 3pc renewable gas obligations for transport will start in 2028, increasing thereafter. Cross-border trade and bio-LNG bunkering should remain limited. French biomethane can only be exported as an ex-domain cancellation , the cancellation of RGGOs in one country's registry for use in a different country. This carries risk to buyers, as ownership is not necessarily transferred. Subsidised biomethane cannot be liquefied at French LNG terminals for use outside the country. French bio-LNG must be exported via mass-balancing to other terminals in the EU, for use under FuelEU Maritime. Uncertain UK The UK's access to EU markets hinges on access to the Union Database for gaseous Biofuels (UDB), now targeted for launch by end-summer 2026. Uncertainty about third-country treatment could restrict EU trade — a critical issue given the UK exported more than half its RGGOs in the first three quarters of 2025, mostly to Germany, Norway and Switzerland. The UK is consulting on replacing volume-based RTFC tickets with a GHG-based system, but any changes would not be enacted until 2027. Overall in Europe, biomethane remains well positioned in GHG-based systems, but policy implementation delays will probably slow overall market growth. The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany should remain anchors for European pricing, and Spain should consolidate its role as a maritime hub. But several countries risk lagging behind without RGGO registries, export hub access, policy incentives and subsidy reform. By Madeleine Jenkins Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Japan's Niigata assembly backs Tepco's nuclear return

25/12/22

Japan's Niigata assembly backs Tepco's nuclear return

Osaka, 22 December (Argus) — Japan's Niigata prefectural assembly has supported its prefectural governor's decision to approve the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear reactors operated by utility Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco). The assembly passed a vote of confidence on Niigata governor Hideyo Hanazumi on 22 December. He had sought the assembly's judgement on his plan to authorise the restart of the No.6 and No.7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, each with a capacity of 1,356MW. Hanazumi had previously indicated that he would step down if the motion was rejected. The motion was attached to a supplementary budget request of ¥31mn ($197,048) for the April 2025-March 2026 fiscal year, intended to support activities related to the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant. Hanazumi plans to meet Japan's trade and industry minister Ryosei Akazawa on 23 December to discuss the restart of the nuclear plant. The endorsement will allow Tepco to move towards restarting its reactors for the first time since they triggered the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster, after a powerful earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The plant, which has remained off line since March 2012, is Tepco's sole nuclear station, after it scrapped the damaged Fukushima Daiichi and nearby Fukushima Daini plants. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant comprises of seven reactors with a combined capacity of 8,212MW, of which the No.6 and No.7 units have cleared the stricter post-Fukushima safety inspections. Tepco has yet to file an application with the country's nuclear regulation authority (NRA) for screening of the five other reactors. The utility is also mulling scrapping the No.1 and No.2 reactors. Tepco is expected to prepare for the restart of the No.6 reactor first, given that the No.7 unit will be required to remain shut until August 2029 for the installation of anti-terrorism facilities. The No.6 reactor is expected to resume operations after clearing pre-use inspections, which typically last for three weeks to one month. This means that Tepco will be able to restart the No.6 reactor in January at the earliest. The return of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant could be a milestone in Tepco's progress in nuclear power generation after the Fukushima disaster, with the No.6 unit marking Tepco's first reactor to be restarted after the disaster. Electricity from the nuclear plant will be sent to the Tokyo metropolitan area, with the nuclear plant — located in the Tohoku region — mitigating the risk of a power shortage in Japan's capital. A single nuclear reactor can produce 10 TWh/yr of electricity, and can save the company an estimated ¥100bn/yr, Tepco previously said. The return of the No.6 reactor is also expected to reduce CO2 emissions by around 3.3mn t/yr, it added. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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