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APA defers FID for Australian gas pipeline's stage 3

  • : Natural gas
  • 24/05/13

Australian pipeline operator APA has deferred a final investment decision (FID) for stage 3 of its planned east coast grid expansion, given potential rule changes for the South West Queensland pipeline (SWQP).

APA is pushing back the FID by about 6-12 months to the first-half of 2025, and was likely initially planning to make the FID this year. The operator postponed the FID because of recent action by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), which said it might recommend rule changes for the SWQP. A review was announced in February and is not expected to be completed until November at the earliest, APA said.

The firm opposes any further regulation of the SWQP, maintaining that it does not return excessive profits. APA said the lack of a single arbitration case involving the facility since such a regime was instituted in 2017 is evidence that its customers accept present arrangements.

"We've probably got around six to 12 months at the very most for us to work through and hopefully there's no change to regulation, but basically the time frame is we need to get started pretty much early next year on building stage 3," APA's chief executive Adam Watson said on 9 May.

If the AER decides to make the lightly regulated SWQP subject to reference price regulation, an access arrangement would need to be determined which will take 2-3 years to complete, APA said. This means any changes would be instituted in the fiscal year to 30 June 2028.

The SWQP can carry 440 TJ/d (11.75mn m³/d) in a westerly direction from Wallumbilla to the Moomba hub, from where gas can enter the APA-operated Moomba-Sydney and Epic Energy-owned Moomba-Adelaide pipelines for transport to southeastern facilities. Expanding the capacity of pipelines allowing the north-south transit of gas is considered critical to avoiding shortfalls owing to the depletion of Gippsland basin fields this decade.

Stage 1 of APA's east coast grid expansion was completed in 2023, with stage 2 also now operational in line with guidance. These two stages increased capacity by 25pc, allowing about 50 TJ/d more gas to flow on the SWQP to southern markets, with similar increased volumes expected from stages 3 and 4.


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24/12/06

Republicans weigh two-step plan on energy, taxes

Republicans weigh two-step plan on energy, taxes

Washington, 6 December (Argus) — Republicans in the US Congress are considering trying to pass president-elect Donald Trump's legislative agenda by voting first on a filibuster-proof budget package that revises energy policy, then taking up a separate tax cut bill later in 2025. The two-part strategy, floated by incoming US Senate majority leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), could deliver Trump an early win by putting immigration, border security and energy policy changes into a single budget bill that could pass early next year without Democratic support. Republicans would then have more time to debate a separate — and likely more complex — budget package that would focus on extending a tax package expected to cost more than $4 trillion over 10 years. The legislative strategy is a "possibility" floated among Senate Republicans for achieving Trump's legislative goals on "energy dominance," the border, national security and extending tax cuts, Thune said in an interview with Fox News this week. Thune said he was still having conversations with House Republicans and Trump's team on what strategy to pursue. Republicans plan to use a process called budget reconciliation to advance most of Trump's legislative goals, which would avoid a Democratic filibuster but restrict the scope of policy changes to those that directly affect the budget. But some Republicans worry the potential two-part strategy could fracture the caucus and cause some key policies getting dropped, spurring a debate among Republicans over how to move forward. "We have a menu of options in front of us," US House speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said this week in an interview with Fox News. "Leader Thune and I were talking as recently as within the last hour about the priority of how we do it and in what sequence." Republicans have yet to decide what changes they will make to the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes hundreds of billions of dollars of tax credits for wind, solar, electric vehicles, battery manufacturing, carbon capture and clean hydrogen. A group of 18 House Republicans in August said they opposed a "full repeal" of the 2022 law. Republicans next year will start with only a 220-215 majority in the House, which will then drop to 217-215 once two Republicans join the Trump administration and representative Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) resigns. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Shell, Equinor to create biggest UK producer: Update


24/12/05
24/12/05

Shell, Equinor to create biggest UK producer: Update

adds details throughout London, 5 December (Argus) — Shell and Norway's state-controlled Equinor plan to combine their UK upstream businesses into a joint venture to create the UK North Sea's largest oil and gas producer. The new business will produce more than 140,000 b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) from 2025, the companies said. Bank analysts reckon growth projects will enable production to eventually increase beyond 200,000 boe/d. It marks the latest deal in a wave of consolidation in the the UK sector of the North Sea, including Italian firm Eni's deal earlier this year to merge its UK upstream assets with those of independent producer Ithaca Energy and UK company Harbour Energy's tie-up with Germany's Wintershall Dea last year . Shell and Equinor are following a similar 50:50 ownership structure and self-financing model that BP and Italy's Eni employed in Angola when they combined their offshore assets there to create Azule Energy in 2022 . The Shell-Equinor joint venture's assets will include Equinor's stakes in the Mariner and Buzzard fields, alongside Shell's interests in Shearwater, Penguins, Gannet, Nelson, Pierce, Jackdaw, Victory, Clair and Schiehallion projects. A consequence of the deal is that Shell, having walked away from Ithaca's contentious Cambo oil project in the UK's west of Shetlands area last year, will now be exposed to Equinor's equally controversial 300mn bl Rosebank project , which is currently under judicial review . If Rosebank goes ahead, it is likely to be the largest growth driver of the new company with around 70,000 boe/d of production from 2027. Although Shell's assets will contribute a greater share of the joint venture's production to begin with, Equinor's assets have greater growth potential. Through the new entity, Shell will also benefit from Equinor UK's £6bn ($7.6bn) of tax losses. "Equinor's higher UK tax loss position and growth potential offsets the higher current production in Shell's UK portfolio, hence the 50:50 split in ownership of the new company," Barclays analysts wrote in a note. The deal does not include Equinor's assets that straddle the UK's maritime border with Norway — Utgard, Barnacle and Statfjord. Equinor will also retain ownership of its UK offshore wind portfolio, as well as other low-carbon and gas storage assets. Shell will retain ownership of its interests in Scotland's Fife NGL plant and St Fergus Gas Terminal, as well as floating wind projects under development. It will also remain the technical developer of the Acorn carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Scotland. By Jon Mainwaring Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australia’s Woodside inks Bechtel EPC for Louisiana LNG


24/12/05
24/12/05

Australia’s Woodside inks Bechtel EPC for Louisiana LNG

Sydney, 5 December (Argus) — Australian independent Woodside Energy has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with US engineering firm Bechtel for its Louisiana LNG terminal located in the US Gulf region. Bechtel has maintained operations at the partially constructed site since Woodside took over the project in October, after acquiring US LNG developer Tellurian , with works to continue subject to a limited notice to proceed under contract revisions, Woodside said. The Louisiana LNG foundation development comprises phases 1 and 2, which total 16.5mn t/yr capacity across three trains. Originally named Driftwood, Louisiana has permitting for a total five-train, 27.6mn t/yr capacity, with a final investment decision (FID) for phase 1 planned for January-March 2025. "In a short period of time, we have completed the acquisition, secured competitive revised EPC pricing that covers all three trains and opened the data room with strong interest from potential project partners," chief executive Meg O'Neill said on 5 December. Analysts have identified Tokyo Gas as a potential project partner, with RBC Capital Markets' Gordon Ramsay describing Louisiana LNG as a "good fit" with the Japanese utility's strategy of diversifying long-term offtake and locking in US gas supply, most recently through its purchase of independent Haynesville shale producer Rockcliff Energy for $2.7bn last year. First LNG at Louisiana is expected ahead of the project's US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval, expiring on 30 June 2029, O'Neill told an investor call in July, saying such a timeframe was consistent with a first quarter of 2025 FID. Perth-based Woodside heralded its fully permitted status when it announced it would buy Tellurian in July . But the election of Donald Trump as US president means a pause on issuing LNG export permits to non-free trade agreement nations is expected to be lifted in 2025 . Under O'Neill, Woodside has moved to increase its exposure to Atlantic basin LNG, inking a sales and purchase deal with the 9.5mn t/yr Commonwealth LNG in addition to an offtake deal with the 17.4mn t/yr Corpus Christi LNG in 2014. This adds to its existing 10mn t/yr equity production on Australia's west coast. Louisiana LNG expenditure from December to the end of March will be $1.3bn, Woodside said, estimating forward costs for the initial stage will be $900-960/t, unchanged from the figure at acquisition. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Williams sues ET over gasline fight: Clarification


24/12/04
24/12/04

Williams sues ET over gasline fight: Clarification

Clarifies that Williams filed suit earlier this year. New York, 4 December (Argus) — US natural gas pipeline company Williams has brought a "very large lawsuit" against its US midstream rival Energy Transfer after a legal dispute between the companies delayed construction of a project by Williams, Williams chief executive Alan Armstrong told Argus in an interview on 3 December. Armstrong said Energy Transfer is the only company in "pipeline history" to have defied industry norms over pipeline crossings in a bid to block competitors' projects. The market "was always very honorable" before that, he said. Armstrong said he hopes the lawsuit against Energy Transfer will undercut the "very bad precedent" set by Energy Transfer's alleged legal strategy and "stop the industry from spiraling into that kind of behavior." Energy Transfer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Energy Transfer throughout 2023-24 tried to block Williams and other rival pipeline companies from building new gas pipelines across its own Tiger pipeline in northern Louisiana, located in the Haynesville shale near a cluster of planned LNG export terminals on the US Gulf coast. Energy Transfer argued that Williams and other pipeline companies' projects proposed an excessive number of crossings under and over its own pipelines, while its opponents argued it was merely interested in controlling market share. Beyond trying to block Williams from crossing the Tiger pipeline, Energy Transfer also prevailed upon federal regulators to review Williams' proposed 1.8 Bcf/d (51mn m³/d) Louisiana Energy Gateway (LEG) pipeline as an interstate transmission line, rather than a gathering line, as Williams claimed. This would have subjected LEG to more regulatory oversight. But the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in September denied the request . The broad legal strategy by Energy Transfer provoked ire from industry groups and now-Louisiana governor Jeff Landry (R), who warned it could threaten production growth out of the Haynesville and the coming US LNG export boom. Energy Transfer lost case after case to Williams in lawsuits spanning parishes across Louisiana, but the litigation pushed back the in-service date of LEG from late 2024 to the second half of 2025. The Tiger-LEG pipeline dispute was not the first time Williams and Energy Transfer had seen each other in court. After agreeing to merge in 2015, Energy Transfer in 2016 terminated the merger because of a tax issue that arose before closing. This led a Delaware judge in 2021 to make Energy Transfer pay Williams a $410mn breakup fee for deciding to pull out of its proposed $33bn merger. By Julian Hast Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Brazil's economy accelerates to 4pc growth in 3Q


24/12/04
24/12/04

Brazil's economy accelerates to 4pc growth in 3Q

Sao Paulo, 4 December (Argus) — Brazil's economic growth accelerated to an annual 4pc in the third quarter, led by stronger consumer spending, according to government statistics agency IBGE. The economy accelerated from 3.3pc annual growth in the second quarter and posted the fastest growth since the first quarter of 2023. Household consumption grew by 5.5pc in the third quarter from a year earlier, while government spending increased by 1.3pc. Services grew by 4.1pc. The industry sector grew by an annual 3.6pc, driven by civil construction and five-year high automotive production in July , according to the national association of vehicle manufacturers. Exports rose by 2.1pc, while imports grew by 18pc. The oil, natural gas and mining industry contracted by 1pc, thanks to lower oil and gas exploration and production. Brazil produced 4.35mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) in the third quarter, down from 4.51mn boe/d in the July-September 2023, according to oil and gas regulator ANP. The electricity and gas, water and sewage management sector increased by 3.7pc from July-September 2023, favoured by higher demand despite higher power tariffs. Brazil faced a severe drought in the first two quarters of the year that lowered river levels at hydroelectric plants and increased power charges in September. But the agriculture and cattle raising sector fell by 0.8pc, with expected production of significant crops such as corn and sugarcane dropping from a year prior also because of adverse weather. Still, output of cotton, wheat and coffee increased by 14.5pc, 5.3pc and 0.3pc, respectively, according to IBGE. The investment rate — the percentage of a country's total production that is invested — grew to 17.6pc in the third quarter, an increase of 1.2 percentage points from the same period in 2023. Brazil's GDP growth in the third quarter was up by 0.9pc from the second quarter, reaching R3 trillion ($494bn). By Maria Frazatto Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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