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Iraq tries to increase exports through Turkey by transporting crude oil from the south of Iraq north.
The trial began on September 13 and lasted two days In 209 trucks, 38,000 barrels of oil were transported. Iran War disrupts Iraqi exports to the south By Aref Mohamed and Ahmed Rasheed BASRA (Iraq), Sept. 16: Iraq has launched a pilot project to transport crude oil from its southern oilfields by road to a Kirkuk oil storage facility. The goal is to increase supplies for the northern export system, and possibly to increase shipments via Turkey's Ceyhan Port. The initiative is part of Iraqi efforts to increase exports through the northern route, after the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran disrupted Iraqi shipments via the Strait of Hormuz. A spokesperson for the oil ministry confirmed that Iraq's Oil Ministry has contracted local company,?KAR Group, to transport crude oil using its fleet tanker trucks. A statement from the state-run Basra Oil Company confirmed that the arrangement had been made. BOC reported that the trial operation began on September 13 and lasted for two days. During this time, a little over 6 million litres crude oil, which is equivalent to 38,000 barrels was transported by 209 tanker truck each with a capacity of 30,000-litres. Saleem al-Rikabi said that the contract with KAR Group was based on the total volume delivered by tanker truck. He added that daily volumes transported depended on a number of factors, including road conditions, security clearances, and loading capacity. KAR Group didn't?respond instantly?to an inquiry for comment. Oil ministry figures indicate that current flows from northern Iraq into Turkey's Ceyhan Port are estimated to be around 200,000 barrels per day (bpd). This is down from 250,000 bpd prior to the Iran War. BOC sources say that the project faces logistical difficulties, including limited truck supply and limited loading infrastructure at southern oilfields. Initial volumes are too small to materially increase exports from the north without an expansion in transport and loading capacities.
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US Farm Agency prepares to reopen New Mexico Port to Livestock Trade next week
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture is preparing to reopen an New Mexico port for livestock trade after it had been closed due to New World screwworm. Rollins stated during her remarks at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture conference in Portland, Maine that she intends to travel to New Mexico Wednesday night. Rollins stated, "We are getting ready to reopen that New Mexico port in the next week." After months of port closures because of concerns about the screwworm parasite, the USDA resumed the cross-border trade of livestock with Mexico in late August. According to the agency there are currently two active screwworm infections, both in Texas, one in a horse, and another in a canine. Rollins stated, "What you have all 'proven for the past?20 days in Douglas, is that this situation is manageable and doable. And if we think there is another threat we will shut it down."
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Sources say that two pumping stations on the Saudi East-West Pipeline were damaged by a recent attack.
According to three oil and security sources, two pumping stations that serve the vital 'East-West Pipeline' in Saudi Arabia have been damaged by an attack last week. Saudi Aramco did not reply to a comment request. The company operates the 1,200 km (745 mile) pipeline that runs across the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia's media office did not respond immediately to a comment request. Saudi officials said that the?pipeline which had helped to relieve the blockage in the Strait of Hormuz was temporarily shut down after an?attack by a drone coming from Iraq. Sources claim that the strike has damaged pumping stations 8 and 9. According to industry estimates, the pipeline is serviced with 11 pumping and two pressure relief stations. Since?six months, the facility has been the main way to export Middle East oil globally. The Strait of Hormuz is largely closed due to war. Saudi Arabia has been able to avoid the disruptions that have crippled the other Gulf oil and natural gas exporters.
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Muto scores as Kobe win the Asian Champions League with a win
Vissel Kobe won 2-1 over Port FC on Wednesday thanks to a deftly executed goal by?Yoshinori muto. The Japanese team?made a perfect start in the league phase of?Asian Champion League Elite?in Thailand. Ren Komatsu, a former 'Japan - international', had given Michael Skibbe and his team the lead at the 10th minute. Issei Tahashi flicked Diego's throw-in into the Port penalty area and Komatsu pounced. In the fourth minute of stoppage time in the first half, he was able to redirect Issam al-Sabhi’s header past his own goal-line. Muto scored the winning goal after being played?on-goal by fellow substitute Yuya Osako. He then lifted a calm finish above Port goalkeeper Michael Falksgaard, as last season's semifinalists picked up all three of their points. Former champions Jeonbuk Motors came back from a goal behind to beat Kashiwa 2-1 in Jeonju. Kenshin Yuba scored an individual goal in the 30th-minute to put Japan ahead. However, Tiago Orobo equalized the score three minutes into second half by scoring a header. Italo scored the winning goal for Jeonbuk at the 69th-minute mark. The Brazilian slid his shot in the bottom right corner of Ryosuke's Kojima. The eight top teams in east and west Asia, who finished first or second respectively in the league phase of the competition (which has increased from 24 to 32 teams) will move on to the knockout round. The 'last 16 matches' will be played on a 'home-and-away basis' in March, while the quarter-finals (quarter-finals), semi-finals (semi-finals) and final in Saudi Arabia will be held centrally in April and may.
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Meloni, the Italian leader in the election campaign, has scrapped road tax on most cars.
Giorgia meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, announced on Wednesday that Italy will 'abolish road tax' for 14,5 million cars and motorbikes. This move is estimated to cost more than EUR2billion ($2.31billion) in state funds. The government is looking for ways to increase support in advance of the national elections next year. Meloni’s?conservative alliance is trailing in the polls the centre-left and is under pressure from National Future - a new far-right political party led by Roberto Vannacci that is steadily gaining supporters. Meloni stated in a press release released by her office that "today the government eliminates one of the taxes most disliked by Italians". The benefit is available for 'all motorbikes' and'more than 70% of small and medium-sized vehicles, according to the Cabinet Office. However, each citizen will only be able to use it once. The draft decree that was seen by us before the cabinet meeting indicated that the exemption would only be for one year, between January 1, 2027 and December 31, 2027. It will cost EUR 2,36 billion. Meloni did not reveal where the money would come from to fund the initiative. Italy's public debt is expected to reach 139% of its gross domestic product (GDP) in this year under its latest budget plan. This will replace Greece as the most indebted nation in the Eurozone. The coalition parties welcomed this measure as part the government's agenda to cut taxes, while critics dismissed it for a ploy to divert the attention away from the soaring fuel prices. Rossano Sasso is a senior assistant to Vannacci. Fuel prices have risen in Italy for several months due to the U.S. War against Iran, which has disrupted supplies around the globe. The government had to spend EUR2.8 to date to reduce excise duties.
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Italy eliminates road tax on most cars in the run-up to elections
Giorgia meloni, the Italian prime minister, announced on Wednesday that the government would abolish road tax for 14.5 million cars and motorbikes. The government is looking for ways to increase support in advance of the national elections next year. Meloni stated in a press release issued by her office that "today the government will eliminate one of 'the taxes most disliked by Italians. The benefit will apply to all motorbikes, and to more than 70% small-sized cars. However, citizens are only allowed to use it on one vehicle. The election next year is shaping up to be a close race between Meloni’s rightist coalition and centre-left opposition. The government has not said how much the abolition?of road tax will cost?public finances. Italy's public debt is expected to reach 139% of its gross domestic product this year under its latest budget plan. This will replace Greece as the most indebted nation in the Eurozone.
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Flydubai CEO: We expect to return to full capacity before the end of this year.
Flydubai, the airline of Dubai, expects to return to full capacity before the end of the year. This is as airlines 'across the region' recover from the impact of the Iran War. Ghaith al Ghaith, CEO of Arabian Travel Market, said to the media that by the end of the year, "we will go back to 100 percent, and maybe even more, because we'll be getting more planes." Ghaith said that Flydubai, Emirates sister airline, operates at 85% of its current network capacity. Its load factor (which measures how well a?airline fills available seats) is "good". Flights in the Middle East, and even beyond, were disrupted for weeks by the Iran War, which began at the end February. However, Gulf carriers - some of the largest in the world - have slowly resumed their activities. The EU Aviation Safety Agency issued an advisory this year to avoid the Gulf Airspace due to potential 'risks associated with the war. He added, "Our biggest problem, particularly in Europe, are all the (travel) advisory messages that continue to be issued." The CEO's comments come after the airline announced on Tuesday that it would take a further 11 aircraft this year. This includes seven?Boeing 737-9 MAXs and four Boeing 737-8 MAXs, bringing its fleet to over 100 aircraft.
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Equinor plans LNG growth in early 2030s for European and Asian demands
Senior executives at Equinor said that they hoped to increase their liquefied gas supply portfolio between 10 and 15 million metric tons (tpy) per year in the early part of the next decade to meet demand from Europe and Asia. Ingvar Egeland is Equinor's Vice President for LNG. He said that the Norwegian producer will announce a second LNG deal with an Asian client this week. In May, Equinor signed a 15-year LNG deal with India’s Deepak Fertilizers &?Petrochemicals Corp. Egeland stated that Equinor has been in contact with many counterparts, particularly in India and other places in Southeast Asia. They are interested in finding new sources. The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran has?prevented Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, from exporting the majority of their LNG via the Strait of?Hormuz. A fifth of global LNG supplies used to pass through this Strait, forcing Asian buyers into seeking other sources. Equinor expects to double its portfolio of supplies to 7 million tonnes per year in 2030, when U.S. supplies reach full capacity. The Norwegian LNG plant Hammerfest is responsible for half of the total supply. Egeland stated that Equinor intends to increase its supply to between 10 and 15 million tonnes per year (tpy) by the early 2030s. This will include cargoes with a Brent price to diversify their exposure to prices. He added that the volume does not include Tanzania where Equinor has a project in progress which is being 'delayed' by government negotiations. Tanzania's deputy minister of energy said this week that a new law on LNG investments could be passed by the end the year. Egeland said that the East Coast of the U.S.A., West Coast of Canada, South America and other African countries, besides Tanzania, could be potential new sources of supply.
The data center boom in Big Tech poses a new threat to US grid operators
Data Center Alley is a 30-square mile stretch of land outside Washington D.C. that houses more than 200 data centres. It consumes about the same amount of electricity as Boston. Power company officials were shocked when 60 data centers suddenly went off the grid last summer.
A standard safety feature in the data center industry was responsible for the mass reaction. Its purpose is to protect electronic and computer equipment from voltage fluctuations that could damage them. According to federal regulators, and utility executives, it led to a massive surge in electricity.
Grid operator PJM, and the local utility Dominion Energy were forced to reduce output of power plants in order to protect grid infrastructure. This was done to avoid a worst case scenario of a cascading of power outages throughout the region.
The near-miss, which is reported in detail here for the first time, forced federal regulators into recognizing a new vulnerability to America's electric grid: unannounced data center disconnections.
In an interview, John Moura, Director for Reliability Assessment and System Analysis at NERC said that as data centers grow and consume more power, the grid cannot withstand a loss of 1,500 megawatts of data centers. "At a certain level, it becomes too big to handle unless additional grid resources are added." Grid operators have historically planned for the possibility of large power plants going offline. Grid operators are forced to prepare for new contingencies due to the rapid growth of data centers that process the huge amounts of information needed for AI and crypto mining.
The behavior of data centres has the potential to cascade power outages across an entire region, said Alison Silverstein. She was a former senior advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Data Center Alley, a cluster of Microsoft, Google, and Amazon facilities, is where the event took place on July 10, 2010. Around 70% of all internet traffic in the world flows through this area. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the federal regulator of grid reliability, formed a taskforce a month after the incident to investigate en masse disconnection by data centers and cryptocurrency miners.
This story examined thousands of pages in regulatory documents, and spoke to about a dozen executives from the industry, to find out the cause of the problem - a failed surge protection on Dominion’s Ox-Possum line, near Fairfax, Virginia, and how it spread throughout the region. NERC published a report on the incident in January, but didn't disclose the exact location, number of data centres involved or how PJM, Dominion and NERC worked to rebalance grid supply and demand.
Near-miss events are increasing.
As more data centers are brought online, the number of near misses like that in Data Center Alley is on the rise.
According to a December report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the amount of energy used by data centres has tripled in the last decade. It could triple again by the year 2028.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the main grid operator in the state, reviewed disclosure filings and identified over 30 near-misses since 2020. These incidents were triggered by large energy consumers like data centers or crypto miners going offline.
A failed transformer in a west Texas substation caused 400 crypto-miners, data centres, and oil and gas production equipment to be unplugged without warning.
According to ERCOT, the mass exodus resulted in an excess of 1,700 megawatts - about 5% of total grid demand - forcing 112 megawatts to be shut down.
In a report published in December, NERC predicted that the risk of power failures will increase as more data centers are brought online. The report stated that the risk of energy shortages will increase in the United States over the next five to ten years.
The regulator encouraged utilities to update federal reliability standards for crypto mining and data centers.
A CONTROVERSIAL FILE
According to NERC, many data centers are designed by their operators so that they can switch to local generators as soon as there is a hint of a grid problem to minimize the risk of a service interruption like Google search or cryptocurrency mining.
Several grid operators propose that data centers "ride out" voltage dips routinely without disconnecting. Data center operators, however, are against the idea because it could damage electronic equipment and cooling system.
ERCOT retracted a proposal last year that would have imposed restrictions on ride-through data centers and crypto miner after being pushed back by an industry group. The Data Center Coalition.
Amazon, Google and Meta are among the group's members. They cited cost and risk to computer chips and cooling system exposed to fluctuations in voltage levels.
The coalition stated in comments submitted to ERCOT on January 20, 2024 that "data center hardware and power supply, like other electronics, are highly sensitive to the stability of power supply."
If you depart from this range, it will reduce the performance of your vehicle, decrease its longevity or cause irreparable damage to the components.
The coalition declined comment on this article. Amazon, Google, and Meta didn't return any messages seeking comments. ERCOT didn't return messages seeking comment. ERCOT's operations engineer Patrick Gravois told NERC’s Large Load Task Force in December that there is a "high potential" of the disconnection events becoming more severe as larger operations connect to the Texas grid.
Gravois stated that the grid operator was still trying to figure out exactly why big electricity users unplug themselves from the grid so as to avoid any surprises.
Ari Peskoe is the director of Harvard Law School's Electricity Law Initiative. He said that regulators might require data centers ride out voltage dips, but this could lead to Big Tech moving to states with more lenient rules.
Jim Simonelli is the chief technology officer of Schneider Electric's Secure Power division. He said that utilities and data centers can learn a lot from what occurred outside Washington DC in July.
Simonelli stated that the industry has not yet figured out how to make data centers grid-friendly.
(source: Reuters)