Australia climate target achievable with renewables: PM

: Crude oil, Emissions, Natural gas, Oil products
26/09/21

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said today his country's "ambitious" climate target is "achievable" thanks to its "abundant renewable potential firmed by gas".

Australia has committed to cut emissions by 62-70pc by 2035 compared with 2005 levels. "Electrification is the way to reduce emissions while maintaining economic growth," Albanese said at the opening of New York climate week, adding the country is backing global efforts for electrification.

Australia will preside over official negotiations at the upcoming UN Cop 31 climate summit in Turkey. Cop 31 climate summit president-designate Murat Kurum, who will oversee the summit's action agenda, has proposed a target increasing global electricity's share of final energy demand to 35pc by 2035, from around 20pc today. The world remains off-track to meet the goal of tripling installed renewable capacity by 2030 set in 2023 at Cop 28.

Albanese said today that renewables accounted for half of Australia's electricity generation at the peak of last summer, compared with around a third four years ago. He said Australians have installed more than 500,000 home batteries in the past year and the country has enough wind and solar capacity to power 6mn households.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) recently lowered its near-term electricity supply risk assessment for eastern and southern Australia, as utility-scale storage and household battery capacity is growing.

The pipeline of committed and anticipated projects in Australia has expanded to 40GW — more than half the National Electricity Market's (NEM) current total capacity, it said. And gas-fired power generation can play an important role in supporting reliability during extended periods of low wind and solar output, according to the operator.

By Caroline Varin

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26/09/21

German Rhine water levels too low for barges this week

London, 21 September (Argus) — The Rhine River in Germany will be largely unnavigable for standard barges this week because of continued dry weather, shipowners said. The gauge at the critical bottleneck of Kaub measured 15cm on 21 September and is forecast to fall to around 6cm by 25 September, according to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration. The lowest ever recorded is 5cm, in August. At these levels standard barges on the Upper Rhine, between Bingen and the Swiss border, will have to stop. Water levels at Duisburg, north of Kaub, are forecast to fall to 136cm this week, and at Cologne they are forecast to drop to 51cm. This will restrict loads to 400-500t for Duisburg and Lower Rhine destinations by the end of the week. Loading standard barges at Cologne will then be impossible, shipowners said. Loading restrictions comes as heating oil demand is rising in Germany, ahead of the colder winter months. Demand has risen nationwide since early September because of low consumer tank stocks, and traders expect further buying interest from early October. Barge freight rates are elevated, but yet to hit the levels seen in August. Shipowners said most Rhine destinations are already unable to receive standard barges without risks that operators will not take. Storage facilities on the Upper Rhine can be supplied only by a few specialised vessels. By Marc Hauschild Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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CDRs needed for 1.5°C, AI needs to 'come clean': UN

26/09/21

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26/09/21

CDRs needed for 1.5°C, AI needs to 'come clean': UN

Edinburgh, 21 September (Argus) — Policies need to support investments in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, and "energy guzzling" AI firms need to "come clean" and start powering data centres with renewable energy, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) executive secretary Simon Stiell said today. He said CDR is needed in addition to phasing out fossil fuels as the world is on course to exceed the 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels temperature limit . But despite some isolated initial efforts, the world "is nowhere near ready to deliver", partly because of fears CDR would hand polluters a "free pass to continue business as usual", Steill said at the Industry Acceleration summit, during New York climate week. CDR technologies include direct air capture, biochar production and biomass carbon removal. "More policy leaders, investors and innovators need to start tackling this issue, supporting investment and innovation — while recognising that transitioning away from fossil fuels can never be circumvented," Stiell said. The UN Environment Programme (Unep) warned that CDR "can only contribute credibly to a return to below a 1.5°C [increase] within the 21st century if peak warming remains well below" the 2°C upper limit of the Paris Agreement goal. Stiell also said "tech titans" in the AI sector needed to show the benefit of the technology outweighs its "skyrocketing costs". "Energy guzzling AI is driving up planet-heating pollution from coal, oil and gas, while ratcheting up energy costs for households and businesses," he said. He called on AI firms to set and deliver credible climate targets, saying the industry needs to respect the science and urgently start aligning with global climate efforts. Stiell said they needed "coming clean about their energy and water use, and powering data-centres with renewable energy", reiterating a statement by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres. Stiell called on AI companies to do more to help with climate challenges, including grid efficiency and early warning systems, as well as addressing the obstacles faced by developing countries. He said it was time to double down on climate multilateralism, which he deemed "the bedrock of the world's progress so far". "UN-convened co-operation — and national efforts — have reduced the projected global temperature rise — from well over 4°C, to 2.6°C — undeniable progress but not enough to avoid catastrophe," he said. A central focus of Cop 31 in Turkey and Cop 32 in Ethiopia will be to "narrow the gap between pledges and action on the ground", he said. The Cop's Action Agenda "can also drive much needed real-world progress", he said citing Turkey's proposed target for electricity to reach 35pc of global energy use by 2035. He said the UNFCCC is committed to finding ways to help the international process to deliver more, including having country representatives co-ordinate across governments and the private sector. He said the UNFCCC is also looking into providing spaces to support action, including a closing plenary for the Action Agenda, alongside the negotiation closing plenaries. The Action Agenda took a larger role at the 2025 Cop 30 in Brazil, as negotiations on key topics such as mitigation — actions to cut emissions — and finance have stalled in official negotiations. By Caroline Varin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Puro launches environmental attributes registry

26/09/21

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26/09/21

Puro launches environmental attributes registry

London, 21 September (Argus) — Helsinki-based carbon registry provider Puro.earth has launched a new standard and registry for environmental attributes, initially tracking agricultural carbon intensity. The initial focus will be on clean-fuel feedstocks. The registry will track carbon intensity scores of agricultural processes at defined stages across the supply chain from field-level origination. Each step will be timestamped and auditable. Carbon intensity attributes will remain attached to the commodity under set chain-of-custody and mass-balance rules, rather than trade as decoupled certificates under a book-and-claim model. Each attribute will be issued against a specific quantity and geospatially defined field for a given year. Attributes will be kept distinct from carbon credits, removals and others issued through other registries or programmes, but they can support other forms of environmental claims, for example feeding into biomethane sustainability verification. Market participants and auditors will be able to view origin, ownership, transfer history, retirement status and claim eligibility for relevant attributes. Puro will certify that existing third-party methodologies for specific crops and use cases, including those within compliance frameworks, are implemented correctly by suppliers. The new registry will also support companies as new obligations arise from changes to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) forest, land and agriculture guidance and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol's land sector and removal standards, Puro said. Puro's standard is among the most widely used for CO2 removal credits in the voluntary carbon market, with around 800 buyer organisations conducting transactions through its existing registry. By Gian Remnant Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Qatar says strait of Hormuz will never 'be obsolete'

26/09/21

News

26/09/21

Qatar says strait of Hormuz will never 'be obsolete'

Dubai, 21 September (Argus) — Qatar's energy minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi has pushed back against a claim made by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier this month that the Hormuz strait will be "worthless" within two years. "Maybe this is his view. [But] I think this is completely wrong," al-Kaabi told the Qatar Economic Forum in New York on 20 September. "If you look at all the trade that we have through the Hormuz strait ꟷ it cannot be obsolete," he said. "Everything that comes to Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain [goes through the strait]. We do have a few countries that have waterways outside the Gulf. But the rest of the countries are all inside the Gulf." Bessent made his comment about the strait on 1 September, arguing that the waterway would lose its significance as Mideast Gulf states build new pipelines that will help diversify energy exports from the region. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the only two Mideast Gulf countries that currently have crude oil pipelines allowing them to bypass the strait. The UAE is building a second pipeline that will almost double its capacity to bypass the strait, while Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait have all said they are actively working on plans to expand their capacities to bypass the strait for their oil exports. But al-Kaabi — who is also the chief executive of state-owned QatarEnergy (QE) — pointed out that the disruption of shipping through the strait is affecting more than just energy. "The Hormuz strait is not only oil and gas," he said. "It's bringing cars, it's bringing in merchandise. It's bringing in a lot of things that we need for our facilities." Al-Kaabi described the current crisis in the strait, which was triggered by the US-Iran war in late February, as "unprecedented" for the world. "To have a complete shutdown of all our oil and gas facilities, petrochemicals and a host of things that we produce, and for all of them to come down to zero in one go is unprecedented," he said. "Not only in Qatar, but in any country that produces oil and gas. This is uncharted territory." Al-Kaabi said Qatar has received proposals and offers to build gas pipelines through neighbouring countries to ports in Syria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Oman to lessen its dependency on the strait. But the government has ultimately decided not go down this route as it would not be technically or economically feasible, given the LNG expansion that is already underway in the country. "We have decided not to do pipelines. The decision was based on commercial and technical [factors]," he said. "We are only going to be using the strait." By Nader Itayim Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Mexico seizes 371,000 bl at private terminal: Update

26/09/18

News

26/09/18

Mexico seizes 371,000 bl at private terminal: Update

Updates with terminal operator statement on permits, product ownership and documentation provided to authorities. Mexico City, 18 September (Argus) — Mexican authorities seized around 371,000 bl of gasoline and diesel at a major rail-linked storage terminal in Mexico's Bajio region, while its operator said it has provided documents supporting the legality of its operations and commercial relationships with customers. Federal prosecutor FGR secured the fuel because it said ownership, origin and traceability have not yet been established, and it is investigating possible tax violations. The products comprised about 210,700 bl of regular gasoline, 45,700 bl of premium gasoline and 114,900 bl of diesel, according to federal prosecutor FGR. Authorities also impounded seven tank trucks and secured 10 storage tanks, accounting records and invoices. Gas Natural del Noroeste, the Grupo Simsa affiliate that holds the terminal's storage permit, said the facility operates with the required federal, state and municipal authorizations, including environmental, industrial safety and railway permits. The company said it provides third-party storage services and that the fuels held at the terminal belong to its customers. Those companies are responsible for demonstrating the ownership, lawful origin and quality of their products to Mexican energy authorities, it said. Gas Natural del Noroeste said it has provided authorities with documentation supporting its operations and relationships with terminal users. It expects the review to confirm that both the facility and its customers' products comply with applicable regulations. ExxonMobil, Marathon and Shell are the users of the terminal, according to market sources. The terminal has 1.05mn bl of nominal storage capacity, according to the latest publicly available data from the energy ministry Sener, meaning the seized volume was equivalent to around 35pc of its nominal capacity. Located at San Jose Iturbide in northeastern Guanajuato, near the border with Queretaro state, the terminal serves the Bajio and other central Mexican markets. It receives fuel primarily by rail and dispatches products by truck. The terminal was formally inaugurated in December 2017 as ExxonMobil began selling imported fuel in Mexico. Products from ExxonMobil's Texas refineries were transported through the US and Mexico by Kansas City Southern de Mexico, whose network is now operated by CPKC de Mexico, before being distributed to ExxonMobil retail stations in Queretaro and elsewhere in the Bajio. In previous years, state-owned Pemex also stored fuels at the terminal, according to market sources. The terminal also played an important supply role during the fuel shortages of early 2019. The investigation began on 3 July after authorities detained an individual allegedly unloading fuel from a 33,000-liter tank truck at a retail station in San Luis de la Paz, Guanajuato. The individual was unable to document the fuel's origin or traceability, prompting searches at the station, an LPG facility in Dolores Hidalgo and finally the San Jose Iturbide terminal. The FGR is investigating possible violations of Mexico's hydrocarbons law and federal tax code. It said the ownership, origin and traceability of the products remain undetermined. Energy consultant Gonzalo Monroy questioned whether the seizure reflected illicit activity. Monroy told Argus that FGR agents and tax authority SAT officials have conducted similar operations at two other terminals after identifying what they described as documentation discrepancies. Storage terminals are not necessarily the importers of record and therefore may not hold the import permits or customs declarations for their customers' products, which instead remain with the importers or offtakers, Monroy said. Inspectors may consequently have demanded documents from the terminal that should be held by its customers, according to Monroy. By Cas Biekmann and Antonio Gozain Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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