Blog

According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), US crude oil exports and petroleum products totaled 7.3 mb/d in the first half of 2018, of which 1.76 mb/d for crude oil (+79.6% compared with the first half of 2017), 1.57 mb/d for hydrocarbon gas liquids (+11.3%), 1.26 mb/d (-6%) and 0.91 mb/d for gasoline (+18%).

Crude oil has become the single largest US petroleum export product. Its exports increased by 787,000 bbl/d and reached even 2.2 mb/d in June 2018. Most of them were shipped to Asia, in particular China (376,000 bbl/d), South Korea (111,000 bbl/d) and India (89,000 bbl/d). Canada was the second largest destination with 334,000 bbl/d.

As for other products, Mexico is the top destination for motor gasoline exports with 504,000 bbl/d and also for distillate exports with 289,000 bbl/d. Canada is the first country of destination for hydrocarbon gas liquids with 316,000 bbl/d, followed by Mexico with 136,000 bbl/d.

Qatari state-held energy company QatarGas has signed a 22-year sale and purchase agreement with Chinese company PetroChina for the supply of around 3.4 Mt/year of LNG (approximately 4.6 bcm/year). Qatargas will ship the fuel from the Qatargas II project to several import terminals across China, including in particular the Dalian, Jiangsu, Tangshan and Shenzhen LNG facilities.

Russian state-held energy company Gazprom begins start-up operations at the third production facility of the Bovanenkovskoye field (Yamal peninsula, Russia) and its commissioning is scheduled to take place later in 2018.

UK regulator Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) proposes to cap domestic retail energy bills at £1,136/year (€1,264) for 11 million customers as per the new Government’s Domestic Gas and Electricity (tariff cap) act, which became law in July 2018.

The French government has awarded 118 MW to five projects in its second onshore wind auction, which is less than one-fourth of the 500 MW offered capacity. The winners include in particular Boralex (49.5 MW), RES (24 MW), Elicio (31.05 MW) and Engie (13.8 MW). The selected projects also include the extension of an existing wind park and two repowering jobs..

The Anglesey county council has approved Horizon Power’s plans to carry out on-site clearance works for the 2,700 MW Wylfa Newydd nuclear project in Anglesey (North Wales, United Kingdom). Now that the project is approved, Hitachi’s UK-based subsidiary Horizon Power can begin site preparation and clearance works for the development of the project.

German energy company RWE has signed a heads of agreement (HoA) with the project company German LNG terminal to guarantee its access to a substantial annual capacity of the future LNG import terminal in Brunsbüttel (North Germany). This contract follows the open season launched in January 2018.