Europe

Russia boosts fuel exports to Central Asia, Afghanistan and Mongolia in 2023

Central Asian countries, Afghanistan and Mongolia raised their imports of Russian fuel by around 28% in 2023 to almost 6 MMt, partially offseting a decline in Russian supplies to Europe.

TotalEnergies says it has no plans to sell shares in NextDecade

TotalEnergies has no plans to sell its shares in U.S. LNG company NextDecade, the French energy group said after market speculation over a potential sale.

Asia spot LNG prices fall to 7-mth low as stocks remain plentiful

Asian spot LNG prices slid for an eighth consecutive week to hit their lowest levels in seven months, as healthy storage levels in both Europe and northeast Asia continued to weigh on prices.

Russia's Sibur raised LPG exports via Baltic Sea ahead of sanctions

Russia's biggest petrochemicals producer Sibur increased exports of LPG by almost a quarter last year via the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga in expectation of Western sanctions.

Norway gas exports hit record in December but drop 6.7% in 2023 overall

Norway's export of natural gas via pipelines to Europe hit an all-time high in December but still declined by 6.7% overall in 2023 following lengthy maintenance outages.

Portugal's Galp seeks to join formal complaint against U.S. LNG exporter

Portugal oil and gas firm Galp has asked U.S. regulators to allow it to join bp and Shell's formal complaints against U.S. LNG exporter Venture Global LNG, a filing showed on Tuesday.

Dutch government to turn on 'pilot light' output at Groningen gas field

The Dutch government said it would turn on the "pilot light" - meaning minimal production - at two stations in the Groningen gas field due to impending cold temperatures in the Netherlands.

India's GAIL signs 10-yr LNG purchase deal with Vitol

State-run GAIL Ltd said it has signed a 10-year LNG import deal with trader Vitol to buy about 1 MMtpy of the super-chilled fuel from 2026.

Finland orders more gas amid cold spell, record power price

Finland's gas system operator said t had invoked its right to order a rapid extra delivery of LNG to ensure market balance amid a surge in demand driven by a prolonged cold spell that drove up electricity prices.

Capital Product Partners L.P. takes successful delivery of the LNG carrier ‘Axios II’

Capital Product Partners L.P. , an international owner of ocean-going vessels, announced that it successfully took delivery of the LNG Carrier ‘Axios II’.

Shell backs bp in fight over Venture Global LNG exports

Shell PLC has joined bp PLC in its battle against Venture Global LNG, accusing the LNG producer of denying it and other customers access to supplies while exporting more than $18 B worth of the superchilled gas.

Russian gas exports to Germany down by a third in 2023

Russian gas exports to Germany down by 32.6% in 2023, mainly as Germany saved on energy and imported less after Russia cut off westbound shipments the previous year.

German gas storage operators warn of overblown plans for hydrogen grids

Germany's future hydrogen demand could fall well short of the baseline the country is assuming in its plans to extend its gas network to carry the fuel.

Air Liquide presses Mexico for answers after the government confiscated hydrogen plant

French industrial gas manufacturer Air Liquide is seeking answers from the Mexican government after it took control of a hydrogen processing plant in Hidalgo state.

Nextchem awarded a pre-FEED by Engie for the production of 2nd generation biomethane in France

MAIRE announces that Nextchem, through its subsidiary NextChem Tech, has been awarded a new contract by Engie to carry out a pre-FEED for the gasification and methanation of the waste wood as well as the implementation of a carbon capture unit for the Salamandre project in the Normandy region.

Russia's Gazprom breaks daily record for gas supply to China

Russian energy giant Gazprom said it set a new daily record the previous day for gas supplies to China through the Power of Siberia pipeline.

Germany continues to build up LNG import terminals

German utility RWE handed over floating LNG infrastructure at Brunsbuettel on the North Sea to state-owned Deutsche Energy Terminal as agreed when first imports arrived 10 months ago.

Russian pipeline gas exports to Europe down 56% in 2023

Natural gas supplies to Europe by Russian energy giant Gazprom were down 55.6% to 28.3 bcm in 2023.

European imports of Russian LNG fell 1.9% in 2023

Russian exports of LNG to Europe fell 1.9% to 15.8 MMt in 2023, and LNG exports to Asia fell 11% to 14.9 MMt

Spain's gas demand falls for second year, down 11% as renewables hit record

Spain's consumption of natural gas dropped for the second year in a row in 2023, falling almost 11% as the country used more renewable sources to produce electricity.

Samsung Heavy says it has stopped making blocks for Russian shipyard's LNG carriers

Samsung Heavy Industries said it has stopped making blocks and equipment for 10 out of 15 Arctic LNG carriers contracted with Zvezda.

Japan's Mitsui to pull employees out of Russia's Arctic LNG 2

Japan's Mitsui and Co has decided to pull its employees out of Russia's Arctic LNG 2 LNG project in yet another blow for the project.

China seeks exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian LNG plant

China's state oil majors CNPC and CNOOC have both asked the U.S. government for exemptions from sanctions on Russia's Arctic LNG 2 export plant.

Global LNG markets seen 'finely balanced' in 2024 as demand under control

New LNG projects coming online this year and high stocks in Europe and North Asia in early 2024 capping demand are seen curbing spot price growth for the next six months as analysts forecast a "finely balanced" market.

EU to extend emergency gas price cap for another year

The European Union is set to extend its emergency cap on gas prices for another 12 months to serve as a safeguard against possible energy price shocks, after energy ministers backed the plan.

COP29 climate summit host Azerbaijan touts country's gas potential

After winning a fraught bid to host next year's United Nations climate talks in Baku, a senior Azerbaijani official promoted the country's gas reserves in aiding the global the energy transition.

Germany's Sefe, Norway's Equinor strike $55-B gas supply deal

German energy firm Sefe secured a $55-B gas deal with Norway's Equinor that will cover one-third of the industrial gas needs of Europe's largest economy.

QatarEnergy CEO says new LNG supply deals 'imminent'

QatarEnergy expects to agree new long-term liquefied natural gas supply deals in Asia and Europe, with several "imminent".

Elon Musk says oil and gas should not be demonized

Oil and gas should not be demonized in the medium-term, Elon Musk, the founder of electric car maker Tesla, but he also said it was important to reduce carbon emissions to preserve the planet.

Germany's SEFE seeks US approval for Venture Global's CP2 LNG project

The German state-owned Securing Energy for Europe GmbH has become the third company to seek approval from the U.S. energy regulator for LNG developer Venture Global to begin construction on its CP2 LNG project in Louisiana.