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Venture Global plans to double the capacity of Plaquemines LNG plant
Venture Global announced on Monday that it has asked the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to allow the company to more than double its Plaquemines liquefied gas export facility, which is currently under construction in Louisiana. The company is looking to increase the LNG capacity by 30 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa), in addition to the 28 mtpa previously approved. Plaquemines, the second largest LNG facility in the U.S., was responsible last month for 22% total exports out of the country. Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel stated in a press release that "our decision to increase the project's allowed capacity significantly reflects the strong demand we continue see on the market and this expansion will be vital in meeting that need." The company's proposed expansion will allow it to produce more than 100 million mtpa and compete with QatarEnergy, Cheniere and other LNG exporters around the world. Venture Global, a startup just three years earlier, quickly became the U.S.'s second largest LNG exporter. Its business model allows it to export cargoes even while construction and commissioning are underway. This strategy allowed the company profit from higher spot prices before it began supplying customers on a longer-term basis. However, the practice also led to arbitration cases and lawsuits by customers including some of the largest energy companies in the world. The company stated that the expansion of Plaquemines will be constructed in three phases, and comprise 32 modular liquefaction train. Venture Global said it has also submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Energy requesting export authorizations for the planned additional capacity. Curtis Williams reported from Houston, and Nathan Crooks edited the story.
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Archer Aviation will supply electric powertrain for Anduril and EDGE drones
Archer Aviation announced on Monday that it would supply the electric powertrain of the Omen autonomous aircraft, which is being developed by U.S. Defense Technology firm Anduril Industries in collaboration with UAE-based EDGE Group. Archer has signed its first agreement with a third party to use its powertrain. This is currently used on its Midnight eVTOL (electric vertical take-off-and-landing) aircraft. The deal also introduces a revenue stream for Archer. United Arab Emirates has committed to buy 50 units of Omen, an autonomous hover-to-cruise aircraft. Archer's Powertrain, including a proprietary battery system and electric engine, is produced at its U.S.-based facilities. Companies in the air taxi sector are exploring the defense and logistical applications to diversify commercial opportunities. Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer and founder of the Midnight eVTOL, said: "While many see Midnight as an aircraft or a vehicle, we see it as a platform for a variety new and exciting technologies in aerospace that will be used far beyond our aircraft." He said that the Anduril partnership is expected to be just the beginning of many partnerships. The announcement of the deal on the sidelines the Dubai Air Show follows a series of international partnerships that Archer has made, including agreements with South Korea and Japan for the deployment of its Midnight aircraft to urban air mobility programs. (Reporting and editing by Vijay Kishore in Bengaluru, with Shivansh Tiwary from Bengaluru)
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US visa restrictions for Nicaragua due to immigration
The State Department announced on Monday that the United States will impose visa restrictions on those in Nicaragua who are responsible for facilitating illegal immigration into the country. This includes the owners of travel agencies, tour operators, and transportation companies. According to a non-specific statement, the State Department has taken action to revoke some visas. The Department of Homeland Security said that "investigations show the entities represented by these individuals facilitated travel to Nicaragua. This was enabled by the Nicaraguan dictatorship’s migration policies, which are permissive and designed this way. These policies destabilize the area and encourage illegal immigration into the United States." The Department of Homeland Security is revoking visas that are currently valid and imposing additional restrictions to prevent these individuals from entering the United States. The Trump administration has stepped up its crackdown on illegal immigration, and the temporary protective status granted to Nicaragua and other countries was revoked. This status gives eligible migrants temporary protection against deportation and work authorization. The United States placed visa restrictions in April on over 250 Nicaraguan officials, citing abuses of human rights. (Reporting and editing by Katharine Jack; Doina Chiacu)
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Serbian mother wants to survive and join protests after ending her hunger strike
A Serbian woman ended her hunger strike on Monday over the death her son, who was killed in a roof collapse. She said she wanted to remain alive so that she could join the other anti-government demonstrators who were outraged by this disaster. Dijana Hrka’s son Stefan, 27, was one of 16 people who died last year in Novi Sad when the roof of a renovated train station collapsed. A youth-led movement of protest sparked by anger over the alleged mismanagement, and the failure to prosecute any one person has led to mass rallies that have called for the resignation and early elections of President Aleksandar Vucic. Hrka, 48 told journalists in the tent she uses to protest outside Parliament since November 2, "I'm ending my hunger-strike." "I can do a lot more alive." She told reporters that she had met with students who were involved in protests and discussed how they could work together in future. The protests that have raged for months have shaken Vucic’s grip on power. Students, academics, and opposition leaders are leading the protest movement that accuses Vucic, and his populist, nationalist party, of corruption, poor public services, nepotism, and restrictions on media freedom. They denied the allegations. Some people have claimed that the collapse was an act of terror, while others have accused protesters of exploiting the tragedy for political purposes. In the capital Belgrade, more than 10,000 Vucic supporters rallied earlier this month. Ivana Sekularac, reporting; Andrew Heavens, editing
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The vessel manager confirms that the crew of the tanker captured by Iran made contact and are safe.
Its manager announced on Monday that the crew of a tanker carrying oil products is safe, and that the vessel was anchored near the Bandar Abbas port in Iran, after Tehran claimed to have seized the vessel last week while it was sailing in the Gulf. Iran's state media confirmed that the Revolutionary Guards of Iran (IRGC) seized the Talara tanker under Marshall Islands flag, for alleged cargo violations. The seizure was the first by Tehran of a ship since the Israeli-U.S. strike on Iran in June. It has caused concern for the safety and security of ships carrying energy cargoes to world markets. Columbia Shipmanagement released a statement Monday stating that the captain of the tanker made contact with its technical manager on November 16 at 1730 GMT. All crew members have been reported safe and well. Columbia Shipmanagement reported that the vessel was safely anchored near Bandar Abbas. The crew, which numbered 21, were also accounted for. The company reported that contact with the vessel had been cut off while it was sailing via Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Singapore, with a cargo containing high-sulfur gasoil. According to a U.S. official as well as maritime security sources, the Iranian forces diverted the tanker into Iranian territorial water on Friday. The manager stated that Columbia Shipmanagement was working with regional partners urgently to resolve the situation and ensure the release of the crew. In recent years, the IRGC of Iran has periodically seized vessels from commercial shipping in Gulf waters, citing maritime infractions such as alleged smuggling or technical infractions, as well legal disputes. The MarineTraffic platform, which tracks public ships, showed Monday that Talara reported its last position on November 14. Jonathan Saul, Joe Bavier and Jonathan Saul (reporting)
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Sources: Chevron is a contender to buy Lukoil assets.
Five sources familiar with this process said on Monday that U.S. major oil company Chevron was examining options to purchase global assets from sanctioned Russian oil giant Lukoil. Last week, the U.S. Treasury cleared potential buyers to speak to Lukoil regarding foreign assets. Chevron will join Carlyle, and other firms to compete for Lukoil's portfolio of at least $20 billion. Last month, the United States imposed sanctions against Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil & Rosneft, in an effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to force Moscow to peace talks with Ukraine. Five sources confirmed that Chevron was looking at options to purchase assets from Lukoil in areas where they overlap, rather than buying the entire portfolio. The sources asked to remain anonymous as they were not permitted to speak with the media. Chevron has never been reported to have an interest. Chevron stated that it adheres to all laws and regulations relevant to its business. It does not comment on any commercial issues. Lukoil produces 2% of the world's oil at home, but also abroad. The company has announced that it is looking for buyers of its international assets. These produce 0.5% of oil globally and are valued at $22 billion based on filings from 2024. Last week, sources said that Carlyle, a U.S. private equity firm, is looking at options to purchase Lukoil’s foreign assets. Lukoil owns three refineries in Europe and oilfields in Kazakhstan (Uzbekistan), Iraq, Ghana, Egypt, Nigeria, Mexico and Kazakhstan. It also has hundreds of retail fuel station around the world. Lukoil is a shareholder in both the Karachaganak and Tengiz fields in Kazakhstan. These fields are also owned by Chevron Exxon Mobil Eni Shell. The fields are a major source of crude oil for the CPC Pipeline, which transports more than 1.6 millions barrels of crude per day, or 1,5% of the global demand for oil, to the global markets via Russia. Lukoil has also a stake on the Nigerian offshore licence OML-140 that Chevron operates. Lukoil operates the West Qurna 2 in Iraq where Exxon operated the West Qurna 1, which was located nearby, until last year. (Additional reporting from Jarrett Renshaw; Sheila Dang; Shadia Nasralla, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Jan Harvey, and Nik Williams).
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China's C919 flies over Dubai in a bid to win Gulf buyers
China's global aerospace presence was boosted by a flying demonstration of its C919 jetliner on Monday in Dubai, as Chinese planemaker COMAC tries to gain a position in a market that is struggling with Boeing and Airbus delivery delays. The first domestic jetliner in China, painted in white with blue and green accents, showed its C919 belly-painted logo to dignitaries in Dubai Airshow. It was a brief but symbolic display that reflected one of Beijing's most important strategic projects. Chinese officials refused to answer questions regarding efforts to find their initial buyer outside East Asia. However, their marketing compared their ambitious project with Dubai's transformation. A poster on a display stood nestled among global aircraft and weapons makers at the Middle East's largest aerospace event from November 17-21 read "Where a Miracle meets Another." COMAC, the Chinese aircraft manufacturer, has ambitious plans to compete with Airbus or Boeing as well as smaller Brazilian rival Embraer. COMAC, which is seeking alternative markets for its planes that were first shown at the Singapore Airshow last year, has two models that are not yet certified by Western regulators. CHINA'S REPLY TO BOEING MAX 10, AIRBUS A321NEO On Monday in Dubai, dozens of people waited to see the C919 while a pilot talked about his experiences operating it. COMAC presented plans to create a family aircraft that would compete with Airbus's and Boeing's stable of models. COMAC has also announced a new version of the C919, dubbed Stretched Variant. It will seat 210 passengers in the Asia-Pacific region. The longer version is aimed at the Airbus A321neo, and Boeing's 737 MAX 10 – the top end of single-aisle markets where Airbus and Boeing are battling it out for the most highly contested orders. COMAC displayed the regional C909 - China's first jet engine-powered aircraft to reach commercial production. This plane has been in service for over two years. Brunei became the latest nation to allow its airlines operate Chinese-made aircraft last month. Its startup GallopAir has ordered 15 C909s, and 15 C919s by 2023. However, neither of the models has been able to win a large global customer. Boeing Commercial Airplanes' CEO Stephanie Pope welcomed COMAC’s arrival, but pledged to continue innovation and maintain an edge. Competition is good for the industry. Boeing benefits from it. "It makes us better as a whole," she said. Christian Scherer, CEO of Airbus Commercial, said: "It's not a competition; it's a reality." Analysts don't expect China to capture a significant share of the global jet industry beyond deals with supporting countries anytime soon, but they say that its presence is a signal of its intention to penetrate one the last bastions for Western manufacturing. COMAC's marketing materials emphasized that intellectual property is held in China. However, the C919 brochure lists 18 Western suppliers of systems from engines to landing gear. The U.S. stopped exporting engines to China earlier this year, highlighting the reliance of Beijing on Western parts. COMAC stated in a press release that it "remains dedicated to open collaboration and looks forward building stronger and closer relationships with global partners and customers". Gulf countries enjoy strong ties to China. It is the largest trading partner of both Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Both have been welcoming cooperation with Chinese companies in recent years. According to filings by the three airlines who fly COMAC's narrow-body C919 aircraft, COMAC is behind schedule in delivering its C919 this year. COMAC also showed materials describing its C929 wide body jet, originally developed with Russia but now solely driven by COMAC. However, the company provided few technical details. (Editing by Adam Jourdan Joe Bavier Alexander Smith
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Greeks march on the anniversary of the 1973 student revolt against the junta
On Monday, thousands of Greeks marched in Athens to commemorate the anniversary of the violently suppressed student uprising of 1973 which helped overthrow the military junta ruling the country at the time. Many Greeks use the annual march towards the United States embassy, which they accuse of being supportive of the military dictatorship of 1967-1974, as a rallying point to protest against government policies. Youths carried a bloodstained flag, which belonged to students who took part in the revolt of 1973. When they arrived at the heavily guarded embassy that was blocked off by rows of police vehicles, the youths chanted the National Anthem. Some demonstrators carried carnations, while others chanted slogans of solidarity with Palestinians. More than 5,000 police officers were deployed in Athens. Before the march, dozens of people were detained and 11 were arrested. People laid carnations and wreaths at the Athens Polytechnic earlier, the site of a bloody crackdown on November 17, when tanks of the army smashed the building's gates to crush the protests of students against the colonels who ruled Greece at that time. Dozens of people were killed. The revolution marked the end of the military junta. (Reporting and editing by Michele Kambas and Rod Nickel; Reporting by Renee Maltezou)
BP restores a part of Olympic Pipeline following Washington leak
BP responded to a leak of refined products in the Olympic Pipeline System, east of Everett Washington, by partially restoring part of the system.
After the Sunday discharge, Olympic, a BP-owned company, shut down its pipelines. Two pipelines are part of the system.
The company reported that the segment of the pipeline system not affected by the problem was restored Sunday. This allowed the product to be delivered on this line.
BP stated that the incident was still being investigated.
Olympic Pipeline, a 400-mile system of pipelines that transports fuels between northern Washington and Oregon. The pipeline transports refined petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel, and supplies jet fuel at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
A spokesperson for Sea-Tac said that the incident did not affect the operations at the airport and that the airport was well-stocked with fuel to handle the situation. (Reporting and editing by Lincoln Feast in New York, Nicole Jao reported from New York)
(source: Reuters)