Asia Pacific
China Could Surpass U.S. as Top Refiner Next Year
According to the International Energy Agency, China is expected to overtake the United States as the largest refinery in the world as early as 2021. Asian economies have been rebounding from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and China is adding capacity as demand is building in that region.
Vietnam see steady solar growth
An 8 percent per year electricity demand growth is expected in Vietnam and power consumption is said to rise from 275 terrawatt hours (TWh) this year to around 630 TWh in 2030, as a result the country has already invested heavily in 18GW of coal-fired power projects, these slated to been in place by the middle of the decade. Despite this the country has turned to its abundant natural resources of hydro, wind, and solar potential to fill additional demand.
Developing India's wind potential
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) announced that it will launch GWEC India to help develop India’s vast wind power potential and support green recovery. India is the world’s fourth largest onshore wind market, after China, US and Germany, with nearly 38GW of installed capacity according to Inte..
Petronas steps up investments in hydrogen as part of carbon-free energy goals
Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas said it is stepping up investments in hydrogen as part of a global push to produce carbon-free energy, even as the firm expands its portfolio in LNG and renewable energy.
Fortescue, Origin assess green ammonia, hydrogen plants in Australia's Tasmania
Fortescue Metals Group and Origin Energy Ltd announced separate plans to assess building ammonia export plants in the Australian island state of Tasmania, as both seek to tap opportunities in renewable energy.
Support for wind's growth
The International Energy Agency (IEA) report, Renewables 2020 released on 10 November 2020, proclaims that renewable power is defying the Covid crisis with record growth this year and next. It goes on to say that renewables will account for almost 90% of the increase in total power capacity worldwide in 2020 and will accelerate in 2021 to their fastest growth in the last six years. Wind and solar additions are set to jump by 30% in both the United States and China as developers rush to take advantage of expiring incentives.
Destination China for Australia
Australia remains far and away the largest LNG exporter to China, accounting for 40% of Chinese imports in September 2020, four times the imports from the next highest suppliers, Qatar, Indonesia and Malaysia. Increased custom’s authority restrictions so far don’t appear to have affected Australian exports of LNG to China, despite other products being so. An estimated 23.5 million tonnes has already been delivered this year, much in keeping with last year’s volume.
Solar Installed capacity is dominated by China and United States
Looking into data available from the International Renewables Energy Agency (Irena) it is clear from the information that China and United States are leading the way when it comes to solar installed capacity and looks to continue
Shell halves production in Singapore under its energy transition plan
Royal Dutch Shell recently announced that its long running complex on the small island of Pulau Bukom in Singapore will reduce its 500,000 barrel per day production by half as the company continues to implement its plan to become a net-zero emissions business by 2050.
PipeChina's LNG operations
PipeChina’s LNG operations As of 1 October 2020, China Oil & Gas Pipeline Network Corporation, better known as PipeChina, became operator of five large existing LNG import terminals, and a further two, large, under construction LNG import terminals in China. Four of the existing terminals were pre..
Solid capacity growth in China’s solar sector
Data recently released by the Chinese government indicates a rise in solar capacity in 2020 over the same period in 2019. According to the National Energy Administration (NEA), China added a further 18.5 gigawatts (GW) in the first three quarters of 2020, compared to just 16GW in 2019. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak during the early parts of the year, utility-scale projects installed made up 54 percent or just over 10GW and small-scale, on-site or off-grid solar capacity made up 46 percent or just over 8.5GW during the period January to September 2020.
Azerbaijan to Proceed with Gas Pipeline Extension, Despite War
BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan will press ahead with plans to feed natural gas into an extended pipeline network to southern Europe, a senior official said, even as conflict rages for a sixth week in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
BASF and its partners place $4 billion petrochemical complex in India on hold
BASF of Germany announced that a multipurpose petrochemicals complex in India under planning with ADNOC, Adani, and Borealis AG has been placed on hold due to the ongoing global economic challenges caused by COVID-19. A statement from the company said that the pandemic effect has “led the partners to review the timing for undertaking this investment.” No new possible startup date was given at this time.
Tough decisions loom for Australian refiners
Operating refineries in Australia have been operating at loss level measures due to the impact felt nationally from the pandemic driven destruction demand, even as the country comes out of lockdown and government assistance begins to form. The GEI Data Warehouse is tracking four refineries in the country that are having to make hard choices on whether they keep operating, convert to terminal operations, or possibly shut in altogether.
China to Step Up E&P, Pipeline Construction
China said it would step up its exploration of oil and gas, and speed up the construction of oil andgas pipelines and storage facilities, the Communist Party said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Solar power in charge across South Australia
In October, the Australian state of South Australia reported that for one hour on the eleventh of the month, 100 percent of its electricity was generated by solar power. South Australia being the largest jurisdiction in the world to do so. The power generated came from 77 percent rooftop systems and the remaining 23 percent from the states utility-scale solar projects.
Crude Oil to Chemicals technology: a revolution for the petrochemicals industry
Refiners are looking to integrate petrochemical activity into their production in a big way. Crude-oil-to-chemicals (COTC) projects will be a powerful tool for refiners looking to maximize chemical production through increasingly efficient technology expected to consistently improve in chemical yields from the crude feedstock.
Electricity’s new king will be solar PV
The latest World Energy Outlook published in October from the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that solar photovoltaic generation will be the largest source of power by 2040. Unlike other sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic the renewable electricity market has remained buoyant throughout 2020. The IEA suggests that renewables is set for rapid growth. In the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS), renewables will rise by two-thirds between 2020 to 2030.
How to utilize solar potential
In an age where traditional methods of energy generation, such as burning coal and gas to generate electricity emit greenhouse gases, the energy transition movement has seen the need to investigate alternative or renewable energies. Wind and solar seem to be favored forms of alternative energies to be scaled up first.
China Eyes Continued Expansion of Smaller-Scale LNG
Smaller-scale liquefaction in China, the world’s second-largest LNG importer, has experienced growth in recent years as China’s government integrates more gas into the country’s energy matrix. With more than 75% of installed global capacity for smaller-scale LNG production and a market capacity anticipated to reach 20 MMtpy this year, China is expected to remain the global hotspot for smaller-scale LNG through at least the late 2020s.
Global Project Data update for October 2020
Although the gas processing and LNG industries took a major hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, new project announcements within the sector have increased for two straight months
Advances in the OCC process for propylene production
Driven by rising demand for polypropylene, cumene, acrylonitrile and other derivatives, increasing global demand is seen for propylene.
Business Trends: The downstream dilemma: Past, present and future of downstream energy
The oil industry’s interest in the downstream segment of the business has known ups and downs. This article reviews the past, present and projected future of the downstream sector and its companies.
Industry Perspectives: Petrochemicals surge despite possible future roadblocks
Over the past several years, investments in petrochemicals capacity additions have skyrocketed. Hundreds of billions of dollars have and will be invested in additional petrochemicals units and complexes.
Business Trends: Global LNG projects to compete with pipeline gas
Expanding LNG supply worldwide will continue to dominate the changing landscape of the natural gas industry and gas trade. By 2040, LNG is expected to account for more than 15% of global gas consumption, after overtaking interregional pipeline deliveries in the late 2020s.
Business Trends: Application of blockchain technology in the petrochemical industry
A JV between Equatorial Guinea’s Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons and Marathon Oil plans to build a modular refinery on Bioko Island. In late April, the JV signed a contract to VFuels to conduct a feasibility study for the 5,000-bpd facility. The project involves dismantling a methanol plant and converting it into a refinery. If built, the facility—part of Equatorial Guinea’s Year of Investment 2020 initiative—would provide refined products to satisfy increasing domestic demand.
Construction begins at massive polymer plant
A construction site in the Amur Region saw the sinking of the first test pile in the foundation of Amur Gas Chemical Complex, a facility set to become one of the world’s largest and most advanced basic polymer producers. The official ceremony was held online and was attended via video conference by Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, relevant Ministers, Vasily Orlov, Governor of the Amur Region, Dmitry Konov, Chairman of the Management Board at SIBUR Holding, and other representatives of government authorities, the Company and its partners.
Offshore wind continues strong growth, bolstered by new floating projects
As spending on renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, accelerates, floating projects will make up a growing share of activity.
Singapore says LNG bunkering capacity likely to hit 1MM tons by 2021
Singapore’s annual LNG bunkering capacity is expected to hit 1MM tons by 2021, as the world’s largest marine refueling hub transitions toward cleaner shipping fuels, a senior minister of state said. The push is part of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) aim to halve the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from 2008 levels.
Japan's JERA looking to build 2 LNG power plants, scrap 5 aging units
Japanese power generator JERA announced it has begun an environmental assessment on building two 650 megawatt (MW) LNG power plants at its Chita thermal station in central Japan, and plans to scrap five aging plants.
