Nigeria's NNPC uses Port Harcourt fuel oil in tender

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• Nigeria wants to drill again in oil-tarred Ogoniland

  Due to pollution in the past, activists oppose drilling The government promises to increase the number of jobs and schools Experts say that new oil revenues could be used to fund the cleaning of old sites Bukola Adebayo Nigeria is resuming drilling. Tribal chiefs are gathering their families every Saturday to rally support for the government's plans to pump oil in Ogoniland. This ancient kingdom has been plagued by oil leaks, fires, and pollution over decades. Meetings can last late into the evening as tensions rise and tempers flare up between Ogoni elders and community leaders. He said that those who oppose the idea of new drilling after a 30 year hiatus were branded as "enemies to progress", despite the heavy cost oil has taken on the people of his country and their land. He added, "Many people do not trust this process and the government seems to be in a hurry. But we cannot forget our bloody relationship with oil." These meetings are the first step in a series of steps to persuade communities in Ogoniland that plans to pump crude oil in this area will be approved. The exact date of any drilling operations is unknown. Nigeria's oil output, Africa's largest exporter, has dropped in recent years because of mass thefts, sabotages to pipelines, and oil giants shifting to offshore exploration. The drop in crude oil volumes has had a serious impact on the government's finances. The state oil company NNPC Ltd launched new exploration projects to make up for the shortfall. The first is the proposal to drill again in Ogoniland. This area, which covers more than 1,000 square kilometers, is as rich in ancient cultures as it in diverse ecosystems. The Niger Delta is a rich oil region, and therefore tops the government's list of priorities. The plans to drill have exposed old Ogoni wounds regarding pollution, health risks and the long-lasting damage caused by oil wells which have been idle for decades. The government claims that new drilling will bring new money for infrastructure construction and jobs creation in a region plagued by oil spills and farms. Environmental campaigners claim that oil companies have not cleaned up the mess they made last time. They ask why drill again when the work of yesterday is still incomplete. Celestine Akpobari is an Ogoni environmental activist. The World's Largest Clean-up According to the United Nations' report, 60 years of oil exploration have polluted large areas of mangroves, lakes and creeks. Cleaning up this mess would take at least 25 years and $1 billion. Shell funded Nigeria's plans to start the largest oil cleanup in history. Akpobari said that the slow progress was partly due to the fact that the government has not yet contributed any funds. The Nigerian Presidency and the Clean-Up Operation, called HYPREP did not respond when asked for comments. SOCIAL JUSTICE Leaders in the area who have been there for a long time say that the old opposition to Big Oil is waning, and they are more focused on making money rather than saving the mangroves. In 1993, after campaigners had stopped Shell's operations in the area, Nigerian activist and poet Ken Saro-Wiwa, along with eight other people, were hanged in Nigeria by the government. This sparked international outrage. They said that the federal government used this time to gain support by promising universities, schools, and jobs. In January, he invited Ogoni chiefs into his villa to urge them to rally tribe support for drilling. He signed a bill a month later to establish a college in Ogoniland. Activists claim that it is a terrible compromise. How can you promise me an university, but then pollute my property? Akpobari stated that other Nigerian communities who do not have oil also had schools and jobs. Joseph Emmanuel, a young Ogoni man aged 23, from Bodo village said that the region urgently needs a boost. He hoped new drilling would bring in revenue to help him and other Ogoni youth. He said: "Our youth need to work instead of sitting around, we need projects and industries that will hire them so they can earn money and take care of their families." The two sides are at a standstill, and economists believe the only way to resolve the situation is by finding a compromise which could work for both parties. Uche Igwe is a political economist who believes that revenues from new drilling can help pay for old cleanup and allow Big Oil to regain its image. He said that the only way to achieve this is if local communities are able to hold government accountable and if any agreement terms are made transparent.

• Italy picks former Terna CFO Scornajenchi to run gas grid group Snam

  State lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti announced on Thursday that the Italian government had chosen Agostino Scornajenchi to replace Stefano Venier, as CEO of Snam's gas grid group. Snam is controlled by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Melons through CDP. Venier was appointed while the previous government, led by Mario Draghi as Prime Minister, was still in office. Scornajenchi is currently the head of CDP's venture capital division. He was Terna’s chief financial officer from November 2012 to November 2023. Snam shareholders will likely approve CDP’s proposal during a May 14 meeting. Snam, under Venier's three-year mandate as CEO, helped reduce Italy’s dependency on Russian gas. This was achieved by establishing two new LNG terminals, and increasing supplies from North Africa, and Azerbaijan. Venier has also signed a contract with Edison for the purchase of three gas storage facilities and begun work on boosting the transport capacity of the network from the south to the north to increase the flexibility in the national gas infrastructure. Snam, a partner in the first Italian carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, has received the support of European Commission to build a grid for transporting green hydrogen into northern Europe. The group, which earns the majority of its profits from regulated activities such as gas, LNG transportation and storage management, posted a 14 percent increase in its core adjusted profit to 2,75 billion euros last year ($3 billion). ($1 = 0.8880 euros) (Reporting and editing by Alvise Armillini and Keith Weir, with Francesca Landini & Giuseppe Fonte)

• Asian spot prices remain at a 1-year low amid supply disruptions

  The Asian spot LNG prices remain at an all-time low, following supply disruptions in three export facilities. Some buying interest has also been seen to help offset the overall lackluster demand. Average LNG price for delivery to North-East Asia in June Industry sources estimate that the price of a million British thermal unit (mmBtu) was $11,50, down from $11,80/mmBtu a week ago but still its lowest level since mid-May. "Lower Asian gas prices this week encouraged opportunistic purchases by some East Asian importers while supply disruptions in Australia and Brunei supported otherwise falling regional fundamentals," stated Rystad senior analysts Masanori Odaka. He added that Korea Gas Corporation of Taiwan, CPC Corporation of China and a Chinese buyer had made recent spot purchases. While some Asian importers took the opportunity to buy at a discount, others waited and watched as they assessed turbulent market conditions while maintaining sufficient storage levels. Inpex Corp., the company that operates Australia's Ichthys LNG plant, has said the rate at which production is being carried out temporarily decreased, but did not specify why or when it would be restored to full production. Sources in Southeast Asia said that the Bintulu LNG plant and the Brunei LNG facility were both experiencing production problems. Brunei LNG cancelled a tender it issued for a cargo delivered in June. Martin Senior, director of LNG pricing for commodities pricing agency Argus, said that despite production outages in Pacific, the interbasin arbitrage remained closed to ensure prompt deliveries. Only one carrier diverted in mid-Atlantic toward Asia on 16 April. Since the production interruptions, he stated that "Asian buyers" have not made any significant moves to compete for Atlantic Basin cargoes. S&P Global Commodity Insights, a commodity research firm in Europe, assessed the daily North West Europe (NWM) LNG Marker price benchmark on April 16 at $11.124/mmBtu. This is a $0.735/mmBtu reduction from the June gas prices at the Dutch TTF Hub. Spark Commodities set the price of the June delivery at $10.94/mmBtu. Argus, on the other hand, put the price for May at $10.945/mmBtu. Senior said that "discounts for the TTF in May remain $0.20/mmBtu higher than in June, due to maintenance on regasification terminals in Northwest Europe in May, which has forced buyers to look for regasification slots at more expensive terminals or terminals delivering fuel to hubs with lower prices than the TTF." According to Spark Commodities analyst Qasim Afghanistan, the U.S. forward month arbitrage for north-east Asia through the Cape of Good Hope now points only marginally to Europe. He added that in LNG freight, Atlantic rates have dropped for the fourth consecutive week, to $21,750/day, on Thursday. Pacific rates, meanwhile, are now at $23,250/day. Emily Chow reported on this story.

• India's BluSmart, a rival to Uber, suspends its operations after a co-founder is investigated

  The Indian electric taxi service BluSmart, a competitor to Uber, has suspended its services after an investigation by a market regulator found that a cofounder had misused funds in an affiliated company and purchased a luxury apartment using money meant for electric vehicles. BluSmart was a pioneer in India's clean-energy boom, but its abrupt suspension threatens the livelihoods of thousands of taxi drivers. It set up charging stations in cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, where it had more than 8,000 taxis to compete with Uber and Ola. Both ride-hailing companies rely heavily on gasoline-powered fleets. BluSmart sent an email to its customers on Thursday saying: "We have decided to temporarily shut down bookings for the BluSmart App", but without providing any reason. The email came in response to social media concerns about funds being blocked in BluSmart wallets. It stated that the company would only initiate a refund "if services are not resumed before then." BluSmart didn't respond to any questions. The company was backed by bp Ventures, a British oil giant BP arm, and told 2023 that it had a 9% share of the market in New Delhi. India's stock market regulator banned brothers Anmol Jaggi and Puneet Jagadi from the market this week and ordered a forensic examination of their listed solar company in Mumbai, Gensol. Gensol used to purchase electric vehicles and lease them out for ride-hailing services. Anmol Jaggi, one of the co-founders and managing director of Gensol, is also a co-founder of BluSmart. The market regulator stated in an order issued this week that there was "a complete breakdown in internal controls and corporate Governance norms at Gensol"...the fund diversion occurred primarily in the context electric vehicle (EV), purchases intended to be leased to a related third party. Through layered transactions the funds Gensol received as loans to purchase EVs was partly used to buy a luxury apartment at The Camellias DLF, one of India's priciest apartment complexes. Gensol says it will follow the directives of the market regulator.

• Siemens Energy increases outlook after exceeding forecasts in second quarter

  Siemens Energy raised its outlook on Wednesday for the current financial year. It cited a strong performance across all its business areas, which provide equipment and service to the global energy industry. The group expects to increase sales by 13-15% in 2025 compared to 8-10%. The free cash flow before tax is expected to be around 4 billion euro ($4.55 billion). Siemens Energy cited a "positive development in business" without giving more context. The second-quarter profit of Siemens Energy before special items grew more than five times to 906 millions euros. This is a margin that beat the consensus by 9.1%. The company that manufactures and services wind and gas turbines, power grids and electrolysers, among other equipment, benefits from the surge in global demand for electricity, a trend driven partly by data centres required for AI technology. The news led to a 2.6% increase in the price of the Frankfurt-listed shares, which are scheduled to release the final results for the second quarter on May 8.

• Oman, Netherlands and Germany reach agreement on liquid hydrogen import corridor

  Tata Steel Nederland announced on Wednesday that major industrial groups from Oman and Germany, as well as the Netherlands, have signed an agreement to develop the first liquid hydrogen import corridor in the world. The group announced in a press release that the corridor would link the ports of Duqm, Oman, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and the key logistic hubs of Germany, including Duisburg. The aim is to allow the importation of liquid hydrogen that complies with RFNBO (renewable fuel of non-biological source) into Europe. Hans van den Berg is the CEO of Tata Steel Nederland. He said: "As a large buyer, we are able to contribute to a sustainable economy in our region based on green hydrogen." Eleven parties signed the agreement, including Oman’s global integrated energy company, Tata Steel Nederland and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik in Germany. The project includes infrastructure projects in several ports along the corridor. These include export and import facilities at the ports of Duqm and Amsterdam, and pipe and rail networks to transport liquid and gaseous hydrogen. The Sultan of Oman visited the Netherlands and signed the deal. Reporting by Alban Kach; editing by Kirsty Donovan

• The German LNG import terminals

  Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, Germany has sought to import liquefied gas (LNG), to replace Russian gas piped to Germany. The first step was to deploy floating storage units (FSRUs), which receive seaborne LNG. Longer term, it planned shore-based regasification facilities and terminals to import and manufacture ammonia and clean hydrogen. Here are the latest updates: MUKRAN Gascade's OAL pipeline supplies the terminal on Ruegen Island in Baltic Sea with LNG. The private operator Deutsche ReGas announced on April 16 that there were no regasification slots left at Mukran until 2025. They said LNG carriers arrive weekly with approximately one terawatt-hour of gas. ReGas had cancelled the Energos Power in February due to low utilisation. The company now uses only the Norwegian operator Hoegh’s FSRU, Neptune. It said that it was struggling with the fees offered by DET to attract cargoes to terminals in North Sea supervised by DET. ReGas said that gas demand is expected to be high ahead of the winter season, citing EU decision to extend requirements for filling underground storage facilities. ReGas has launched, in April, a three-month round of bidding to expand Mukran’s capacity. The bidders will offer an additional 5 Bcm per year between 2027 and 2043. It plans to restart a 2nd FSRU, and restore the full capacity of 13,5 bcm in 2027. LUBMIN ReGas signed a 2024 agreement with Hoegh to convert the Baltic Sea port (a precursor of Mukran) into an ammonia/hydrogen terminal. STADE Hanseatic Energy Hub - HEH - in 2024 made a final decision on the investment for a terminal that is ammonia ready and will be located at an inland port along the Elbe River. The terminal will start operating in 2027. The terminal will cost approximately 1 billion euro ($1.14 billion). The employment of the FSRU Energos Force that was supposed to last until 2027 ahead of the start of operations at the onshore terminal is being delayed until further notice. This comes after DET and HEH canceled contracts due to unresolved differences about construction schedules, payments, and other issues. WILHELMSHAVEN Utility Uniper launched Germany’s first FSRU, Wilhelmshaven 1 on the North Sea in 2022. Uniper will add a land based ammonia reception terminal and cracker during the second half this decade in order to produce green hydrogen. It also plans to build a 200MW electrolyser that can be powered by local wind energy. DET has stated that there are plans to build a second FSRU in Wilhelmshaven, but it did not specify a date for commissioning. BRUNSBUETTEL Brunsbuettel FSRU began operations in 2023 along the North Sea Coast. It was initially chartered by RWE and operated by its trading arm, before being handed over to DET. The facility is a precursor to a land based LNG plant that has been approved for 40 million euro of state assistance. The terminal could begin operations by the end of 2026 when an adjacent ammonia facility, which was recently inaugurated, could also be operational.

• Greece submits plans for maritime use following breach of EU rules

  After years of delays, the European Commission has rebuked Greece for submitting plans to the EU that outline how it will organize maritime activities like fishing, tourism and off-shore energy. In February, the EU Court of Justice found that Greece violated EU regulations for failing to submit a maritime spatial planning by March 2021. The European Commission referred Greece before the court for the delays. Plans maritime spatial define the areas where certain activities, such as fishing, sea transportation, tourism, aquaculture, and renewable energy projects, can be carried out. These plans are also a foundation for protecting marine ecosystems from threats like overfishing and pollution. The Greek government announced on Wednesday that it had submitted its plan to Brussels. Athens has blamed the delays on a variety of factors, including the long coastline, the numerous islands, and the geopolitical situation in the eastern Mediterranean. The map depicting the maritime spatial plan of China does not include any exclusive economic zones that are defined by bilateral agreements. Greece and Turkey, NATO allies in the past but enemies in the present, are exploring whether or not they can begin talks to demarcate maritime zones. The two countries have been at loggerheads over a number of decades-old disputes, ranging from the mineral rights in Aegean sea to a divided Cyprus. Greece has created an exclusive economic zone along with Italy and Egypt. Greenpeace, WWF and other environmental groups have repeatedly called on Greece to submit the spatial plans. They accuse the government of neglecting protection of the environment. (Reporting and editing by Renee Maltezou)

• By mid-July, the damaged Finland-Estonia submarine cable is expected to be back in service.

  Fingrid, the Finnish grid operator, said that repair work on the damaged undersea electricity line EstLink 2 between Finland and Estonia is scheduled to begin in May. The line should be ready for commercial use by July 15. In December, Finnish authorities seized in the Baltic Sea a ship that was suspected of causing the failure of four internet lines and the underwater power cable. Fingrid announced in a press release on Wednesday that it was installing a new cable on the seabed, to replace the one already there. The distance is approximately one kilometer (0.62miles). Nexans is carrying out the repairs. (Reporting and editing by Stine Jacobi, Essi Lehto, Louise Breusch Rasmussen).

• UK maritime agency reports an incident east of Yemen’s Aden

  United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations announced on Tuesday it had received a report about an incident involving a vessel located 100 nautical miles east from Yemen's Aden. This was the first time the agency reported in this area for months. UKMTO reported that the vessel's crew was safe and was moving to its next port after it had been followed for two hours by multiple small vessels with shots fired. The agency stated that it was investigating this incident without naming any potential attackers or the vessel. Yemen's Iran aligned Houthis launched more than one hundred attacks against shipping in November 2023. They claimed to be in solidarity with Palestinians regarding Israel's conflict with Hamas. The group was responsible for a massive offensive during which it sank at least two ships, captured another, and killed four seafarers. This caused global shipping to be disrupted, forcing companies to change their routes. The Houthis have not yet commented on the latest attack reported to the UKMTO. After a ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas, Israel and the Houthis in January, they briefly halted their attacks. The Yemeni group, however, vowed in March to resume its attacks on Israeli ships as Israel refused to lift the blockade of aid entering the Palestinian enclave. The Yemeni group has also promised to continue its attacks on ships after the U.S. launched their biggest and most deadly military operation in Yemen, since U.S. president Donald Trump assumed office.

• Operator says UK power grid may face lowest demand ever this summer

  The National Energy System Operator (NESO), which is responsible for the UK's electricity grid, said that the National Energy System Operator expects the power grid to be well-supplied this summer due to the renewable energy generation and the cheap imports of power from Europe. In its summer outlook for April to October, NESO stated that the electricity transmission network may need to operate below its lowest level ever at certain points. This would be less than June 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns reduced electricity demand to below summer normal levels. The peak demand for electricity is expected to be 29,7 GW in the summer. Solar power production has already reached record levels in March and April this year. At 12,68 GW it is more than Britain’s total import capability from interconnectors to Europe. The report stated that Britain will also benefit from the importation of power from Europe in the summer, due to the availability of conventional power plants. The NESO must ensure that the grid receives a minimum amount of electricity to maintain balance. In its report, NESO stated that it expects to have enough supply to meet the demand and operational reserves requirements for all of this summer. The company said that the tools were in place to manage its network during times of low demand. These included Negative Reserve Active Power Margin notifications, which are a way for Britain's electricity plants to reduce output to maintain grid stabilty. (Reporting and editing by Bernadettebaum)

• Exxon consortium begins installation of floating oil facilities in Guyana

  The maritime regulator of Guyana said that a consortium led by U.S. Exxon Mobil was about to start the installation process for its fourth floating oil-production facility. Singapore's floating storage and offloading facility (FPSO), 'One Guyana', built by SBM Offshore, with a capacity of 250,000 barrels per day, left mid-February. The vessel, once installed, will allow the consortium's output to reach 940,000 bpd by the end of this year. After upgrades to two of the three facilities, the group will produce an average of 616 000 bpd by 2024. In the next two years, Guyana is expected to receive another two vessels. One Guyana allows the Exxon-led group, which controls the entire production in the country to develop the Yellowtail, and Redtail fields. These are located on the massive Stabroek Block, where over 11 billion barrels worth of recoverable gas and oil have been discovered. Exxon didn't immediately respond to a comment request. The maritime regulator said that the installation will be completed by the end the year.