ENERGY INDUSTRIES – AUSTRALIA

Chevron starts carbon storage

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 20 : 9-Aug-19

Chevron Corporation has commenced its carbon dioxide injection program at the Gorgon LNG project, two years behind schedule. The initiative is expected to reduce Gorgon’s carbon emissions by about 40 per cent, with some 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to be injected into rocks beneath Barrow Island over the life of the $US54bn ($79.74bn) project. Conservation Council of Western Australia director Piers Verstegen says Chevron should offset the carbon dioxide that it has emitted since March 2017, when the carbon dioxide injection program had been slated to begin.

CORPORATES
CHEVRON CORPORATION, CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE

Inpex expects glut of LNG to continue

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 19 : 5-Aug-19

The spot price of LNG in Asia has fallen to $US4 per million British thermal units, compared with $US11/MMBtu in late 2018. The LNG market has been affected by factors such as increased supply and slowing global economic growth. However, Inpex CEO Takayuki Ueda is upbeat about the outlook for LNG, saying Asian demand will remain strong. Meanwhile, Inpex is considering an increase in the capacity of its Ichthys LNG project.

CORPORATES
INPEX CORPORATION, CHEVRON CORPORATION

Rivals baulk at BHP’s carbon push

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 17 & 27 : 25-Jul-19

Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association CEO Andrew McConville says the resources sector should be solely responsible for addressing its scope 3 emissions, and government intervention is not necessary. The issue has been highlighted by BHP’s move to address carbon emissions across its supply chain, including those generated by the buyers of its commodities. Santos CEO Kevin Gallagher has also argued that regulators should not be involved in setting targets for scope 3 emissions.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND EXPLORATION ASSOCIATION LIMITED, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, GLENCORE PLC, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, DELOITTE ENERGY TRANSITION, CLIMATE ACTION 100+

Browse project delays trigger lease warning

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 20 : 19-Jul-19

The retention lease for the Browse gas field expires in mid-2020, but Woodside Petroleum does not expect to make a final investment decision on the project until the end of that year. Resources Minister Matt Canavan has held meetings with executives from Woodside and Browse partner Shell, and he is said to have sought an update on progress regarding the project. Canavan and the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator have previously flagged the potential for the Browse partners to forfeit their leases under ‘use it or lose it’ provisions.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL OFFSHORE PETROLEUM TITLES ADMINISTRATOR, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS

LNG breaks record with $50.5b of exports

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 16-Jul-19

Data from EnergyQuest shows that LNG was Australia’s third-biggest source of export revenue in 2018-19, after iron ore and coal. LNG exports totalled 75.1 million tonnes by volume, an increase of 21.2 per cent, and about $50.5bn in terms of value. Shipments from Queensland’s three LNG plants increased from 20.5 million tonnes in 2017-18 to 21.8 million tonnes, although new LNG projects in Western Australia and the Northern Territory were the main driver of the growth in exports. The federal government expects LNG export earnings to peak at $54bn in 2019-20.

CORPORATES
ENERGYQUEST PTY LTD, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, CHEVRON CORPORATION, GLOBAL ENERGY MONITOR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Gas pressure rising for Woodside

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 10-Jul-19

Saul Kavonic of Credit Suisse says the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator recently warned the Browse LNG partners that they could potentially forfeit their leases under ‘use it or lose it’ provisions. Resources Minister Matt Canavan has also issued a similar warning to Woodside Petroleum and its partners, whose retention leases must be renewed in mid-2020. Kavonic suggests that NOPTA could potentially subject the Browse partners to certain conditions if the leases are renewed, or seek to exclude certain partners that have been reticent about making a final investment decision.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, BP PLC, JAPAN AUSTRALIA LNG PTY LTD, PETROCHINA COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL OFFSHORE PETROLEUM TITLES ADMINISTRATOR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Investors lurk for North West Shelf shake-up

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 4-Jul-19

Saul Kavonic of Credit Suisse says that some of the partners in the North West Shelf venture could potentially divest their stakes in coming years. The NW Shelf project plans to commence processing third-party gas to offset the depletion of its own gas reserves. Woodside Petroleum has a 16.7 per cent stake in the NW Shelf project and is its operator; CEO Peter Coleman used a recent site tour to flag the possibility that the oil and gas group could eventually review its interest in the project and whether it could make better use of its capital.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, HAYBERRY GLOBAL FUND

Resource export earnings surge

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 1-Jul-19

The Department of Industry estimates that Australia’s resources export earnings reached a new high of $275bn in 2018-19. It forecasts that this will top $285bn in 2019-20, before falling to $260bn in 2020-21 as commodity prices ease. Iron ore exports are forecast to reach a record $79bn in 2019-20, up from $75bn in 2018-19, and ease to $65bn in 2020-21. Resources Minister Matt Canavan notes that mining investment has fallen in the last five years, and he says governments in Australia should capitalise on high commodity prices by reducing the regulatory barriers to investing in the sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

Woodside deal to miss deadline

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 25-Jun-19

The parties involved in the North West Shelf venture were hoping to reach agreement on the processing of third-party gas by the end of June. However, venture partner Shell recently indicated that a delay in reaching a final agreement is possible, and Woodside Petroleum CEO Peter Coleman has confirmed that this is likely to be the case. However, he said a decision on final approval for the US20 billion ($28.8 billion) Browse project remains on target for the end of 2020.

CORPORATES
SHELL COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, BP PLC, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CHEVRON CORPORATION, SAUDI ARAMCO, ENN GROUP

Canberra puts its foot on the gas

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Original article by Nick Evans, Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 20-Jun-19

The federal government will put pressure on Woodside Petroleum and its Browse LNG joint venture partners to commit to developing the gas project. The current retention lease expires in mid-2020, and Resources Minister Matt Canavan has warned that the Browse partners risk losing the licence if they cannot demonstrate that they are ready to make a final investment decision. Fortescue Metals Group is among the companies that could potentially take up the Browse lease if Woodside and its partners are forced to relinquish it.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, BP PLC, PETROCHINA COMPANY LIMITED