ENERGY INDUSTRIES – AUSTRALIA

Australian LNG cargo reaches gas-starved EU

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 & 18 : 29-Nov-22

Woodside Energy has shipped a 75,000-tonne cargo of LNG to north-west Europe, amid the ongoing energy crisis in the region. The shipment had been bought by Germany-based Uniper and arrived at Rotterdam nearly one month after leaving the North West Shelf export terminal in Western Australia. It is estimated that the shipment would be worth around $194m, based on the current spot price. Australia’s LNG exporters generally prefer markets in Asia, given the distances involved in shipping gas to Europe.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS, UNIPER, NORTH WEST SHELF LNG PTY LTD

Gas, coal and lithium drives export record

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 4-Oct-22

The Department of Industry, Science & Resources has forecast that the value of Australia’s commodity exports will rise to a record $450bn in 2022-23. It had previously forecast that revenue from commodity exports would fall to just $311bn in the current fiscal year, following a record $422bn in 2021-22. The revised forecast has been driven by expectations that the price of LNG, coal and lithium will stay high. Iron ore shipments are forecast to total $119bn in 2022-23.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES

Conservation group seeks injunction to stop Woodside gas project to protect Great Barrier Reef

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Original article by Michael Slezak, Penny Timms
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 22-Jun-22

The Australian Conservation Foundation has launched a legal challenge in a bid to block Woodside Energy’s offshore Scarborough gas project in Western Australia. The ACF contends that the project will damage Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef by exacerbating climate change and will heighten the risk of future mass coral bleaching events. Scarborough has received major environmental approvals from the WA and federal governments, and Woodside made a final investment decision to proceed with the project in 2021.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INCORPORATED

Gas workers threaten bans over outsourcing

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 26-May-22

Production workers on Shell’s Prelude floating LNG facility are preparing to launch industrial action, Amongst other things, they are seeking a ban on the outsourcing of jobs to contractors on lower pay than that of direct employees who do the same job. Australian Workers’ Union national secretary Daniel Walton says it will not budge from the basic starting point that workers doing the same work on the same site should be paid the same rate.

CORPORATES
SHELL COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SHELL PLC, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

Gas companies made almost $1m in donations to Labor and Liberals

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Original article by Royce Kurmelovs
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 2-Feb-22

Analysis of the Australian Electoral Commission’s political donation records show that fossil fuel producers and their lobby groups donated a combined $959,115 to the nation’s three largest political parties in 2020-21. The analysis by 350.org shows that the Liberal Party received $506,810 in total, ahead of Labor ($392,354) and the National Party ($59,991). Woodside Petroleum topped the list of donors, contributing a combined $232,250 to the coffers of the Liberal and Labor parties; it was followed by the Minerals Council of Australia, which donated $193,943 in total to the three political parties. The Greens do not accept donations from fossil fuel companies.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, 350.ORG

Woodside closes GIP Pluto deal

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Original article by Matt Bell
The Australian – Page: 15 : 19-Jan-22

Woodside Petroleum has completed a deal to sell a stake in the Pluto LNG plant to US-based Global Infrastructure Partners. The $4.9bn deal for GIP to buy a 49 per cent stake in the Pluto LNG Train 2 joint venture had been announced in November. The new processing unit at the Pluto project is expected to cost $US5.6bn ($7.8bn) in total, with shipments slated to begin in 2026. Jack Bertolus of climate shareholder action group Market Forces has criticised National Australia Bank for heading a consortium of 18 banks that will provide lending to GIP for the project.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS, MARKET FORCES

Big Oil Search investors baulk at $21b merger

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 1-Dec-21

Oil Search shareholders will vote on the proposed $21bn merger with Santos on 7 December, and proxy votes are likely to determine whether the deal proceeds. The four major proxy advisers have backed the deal, albeit with some qualifications regarding valuation. Several large institutional shareholders in Oil Search have indicated that they will vote against the deal. However, investors with shares in both Oil Search and Santos are said to be largely supportive of the merger.

CORPORATES
OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO

Oil Search gets proxy nod for merger

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 16 : 25-Nov-21

Some 75 per cent of Oil Search’s investors will need to approve the proposed merger with Santos for the $21bn deal to proceed. Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended that shareholders endorse the all-scrip offer, citing factors such as the 16.8 per cent premium over Oil Search’s share price, the pre-tax synergies and the absence of a superior offer. Wilson Asset Management also supports the merger, although Allan Gray Australia opposes it. Oil Search shareholders will vote on the deal on 7 December.

CORPORATES
OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES INCORPORATED, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Woodside seals oil, gas mega-deals

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 19 : 23-Nov-21

Woodside Petroleum will become one of the world’s 10 biggest oil and gas producers after it finalised a deal to merge with BHP’s petroleum division. The announcement of a binding merger deal has coincided with the long-awaited final investment decision on the $16.5bn Scarborough LNG project. Woodside will control 52 per cent of the enlarged company, in line with the original terms of the merger deal that were released in August. The merger will expand the scope of Woodside’s operations to include Australia, the US, Africa and the Caribbean.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Oil Search sued for bullying CFO from job

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Original article by Jemima Whyte,Michael Roddan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 17-Nov-21

Oil Search has advised that it will fully defend itself against allegations that its incoming CFO had been forced to resign due to bullying and harassment. Ayten Saridas joined Oil Search in August 2020 and was to succeed incumbent CFO Stephen Gardiner in 2021. However, she resigned after just four months and the oil and gas group, claiming that she had been subjected to bullying and harassment by both Gardiner and former CEO Keiran Wulff. The latter subsequently resigned in July; Oil Search attributed this to health reasons but said there had been several complaints about his conduct.

CORPORATES
OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH