Uniper has reached an agreement with Spain´s energy company Enagas to sell its 20 percent participation in the Dutch BBL Company V.O.F. (BBL), owner of a 235-kilometre gas interconnection linking the UK and the Netherlands.

The undersea gas pipeline has a maximum capacity of 15 bcm/y of direct flow between Balgzand in the Netherlands and Bacton in the UK and 5 bcm/y in the reverse direction.

Divestment of this non-strategic participation is part of the remedies Uniper must fulfill under EU state aid law. On December 20th 2022 the EU Commission approved the stabilisation package for Uniper under state aid law. As part of the approval, the EU Commission set out a number of structural remedies that Uniper must fulfil.

Both parties have agreed on a purchase price of approximately €75m. The agreement with Enagas is subject to regulatory approvals and the non-execution of a pre-emption right of the other interestholders in BBL.

For more information visit www.uniper.energy

FLSmidth and Sibanye-Stillwater’s Finnish subsidiary Keliber have signed a contract to supply pyro-processing equipment that will support the lithium hydroxide refinery, located in Kokkola, Finland.

FLSmidth and Sibanye-Stillwater’s subsidiary company Keliber have entered into an agreement for the supply of pyro-processing technology to the Keliber project’s lithium hydroxide refinery in Kokkola. The agreement is of great strategic importance to both companies, building on the existing relationship involving testing and engineering for the Kokkola lithium hydroxide refinery.

FLSmidth is set to deliver the advanced calcining system that will support critical functions in the overall processes in the refinery. The pyro-processing technology includes a two-stage cyclone preheater, a rotary kiln and an indirect rotary cooler, a natural gas-fired rotary kiln burner and a complete off-gas handling circuit. The two-stage preheater rotary kiln represents the state-of-the-art system for facilitating spodumene phase conversion for maximum lithium recovery, while minimizing fuel consumption.

“The pyro-processing technology is one of our strategic focus areas in the efforts of reducing the energy consumption in mining and by that supporting a more sustainable path for the industry. European lithium mines and refineries are important to the green transition and electrification of the continent, and we are happy to be able to participate in this state-of-the-art project,” comments FLSmidth CEO Mikko Keto.

The Keliber project has previously piloted FLSmidth’s technology using Keliber’s own spodumene concentrate.

“We have seen excellent test results, indicating that the FLSmidth technology has the potential to deliver the required output in an energy efficient way,” comments Sami Heikkinen, site manager of the future Keliber lithium hydroxide refinery.

The planned annual production from the refinery is expected to be 15,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide monohydrate and is expected to be one of the first integrated operations in Europe to sustainably produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide utilising its own ore.

The value of the order has not been disclosed.

For more information visit www.flsmidth.com

The District Court in Rotterdam declared the insolvency of HES Hartel Tank Terminal. This follows the suspension of payment which had been granted by the same District Court on 29th December 2022. Carl Hamm from law firm Borsboom & Hamm, administrator during the suspension of payment, has been appointed trustee.

The HES International project to build a 1.3 m cbm tank terminal in the Port of Rotterdam ran into financial difficulties after an accumulation of setbacks, mainly due to COVID-19 and a fire at the terminal, which caused significant delays and additional costs. Unfortunately, it is no longer financially viable for HES International to invest the further significant amounts required to complete the HES Hartel Tank Terminal given the level of project finance indebtedness at the terminal level.

Over recent months, HES International has been in discussions with the project finance banks and the expected customer to find a solution that would allow construction to be completed. Unfortunately, these discussions did not lead to a solution, resulting in the insolvency of HES Hartel Tank Terminal.

HES Hartel Tank Terminal is an entity fully separate from the rest of the HES Group. Therefore, this insolvency has no impact on HES International’s wider operations, which continue to operate normally and perform strongly. No impact is expected on HES customers or employees at other locations.

HES International will continue its strong strategic ambition to diversify the business portfolio by seizing opportunities from the ongoing energy transition and remains committed to the continued strategic development of its Dutch and European locations.

For more information visit www.hesinternational.eu/en/

SSE Thermal has revealed it is developing a first-of-a-kind project in the Humber that will see hydrogen production, storage and power generation brought together by 2025.

The Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder project, which is set to be located at SSE Thermal and Equinor’s existing Aldbrough Gas Storage site on the East Yorkshire coast, the ambition will be to demonstrate the interactions between hydrogen electrolysis, hydrogen cavern storage and 100 percent hydrogen dispatchable power.

The concept will see green power sourced from the grid through Renewable PPAs, with hydrogen then produced through a 35MW electrolyser. This will then be stored in a conventional salt cavern before later being used in a 100 percent hydrogen-fired turbine. At times of system need, flexible power will be exported back to the grid. The hydrogen storage, meanwhile, is expected to benefit offtakers in other sectors in future.

Looking ahead, the goal is to begin producing hydrogen and start filling the cavern from 2025, dependent on planning consents and reaching a final investment decision later this year. SSE Thermal believes that it will be able to support the evidence base for a wider deployment of flexible hydrogen power as part of the UK’s net zero journey, while supporting its own wider Humber ambitions too. It is set to seek support for the project through the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund.

For more information visit www.netzeroeast.uk

TotalEnergies announces the start-up of the Deutsche Ostsee LNG import terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG). Operated by Deutsche ReGas and located in Lubmin on the German Baltic Sea coast, the site’s official inauguration will take place tomorrow, attended by German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This project, to which TotalEnergies is contributing a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and supplying LNG, will make the Company one of Germany’s main LNG suppliers.

In December 2022, TotalEnergies delivered the Neptune – one of the Company’s two floating storage and regasification units) – to Deutsche ReGas. The vessel has an annual regasification capacity of 5 billion cubic meters of gas, enough to cover about 5 percent of German demand.

Following Deutsche ReGas’s open season procedure, in October 2022, TotalEnergies also contracted regasification capacity of 2.6 billion cubic meters of gas per year and began to deliver LNG from its global integrated portfolio to the Lubmin terminal.

“Europe is facing a historic gas supply crisis caused by the sharp drop in flows from Russia. Since the beginning of this crisis, TotalEnergies has mobilised its LNG portfolio, which is broad and flexible, to send available LNG to Europe and to use its 18 Mt/y regasification capacity. Thanks to the start-up of the Lubmin terminal, TotalEnergies will be able to add to this effort and increase its imports to Europe to over 20 Mt/y, or about 15 percent of the continent’s regasification capacity. We are pleased to support this project, which will allow Germany and Europe to further secure gas supply,” said Stéphane Michel, president gas, renewables & power at TotalEnergies.

TotalEnergies, the world’s third largest LNG and Europe’s leading regasification player

TotalEnergies is the world’s third largest LNG player with a market share of around 10 percent and a global portfolio of about 40 Mt/y thanks to its interests in liquefaction plants in all geographies. The Company benefits from an integrated position across the LNG value chain, including production, transportation, access to more than 20 Mt/y of regasification capacity in Europe, trading, and LNG bunkering. TotalEnergies’ ambition is to increase the share of natural gas in its sales mix to 50 percent by 2030, to reduce carbon emissions and eliminate methane emissions associated with the gas value chain, and to work with local partners to promote the transition from coal to natural gas.

For more information visit www.totalenergies.com

Global technology and software company Emerson has been named the IoT Breakthrough 2023 ‘Industrial IoT Company of the Year’ for the fifth time – an honour the company also received in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. This year’s award recognises the power of Emerson’s industry-leading Plantweb^™ digital ecosystem, which now includes the AspenTech suite of plant optimisation software solutions.

Leveraging decades of innovation and expertise, Emerson delivers the broadest suite of automation technology to manufacturers across all industries. Emerson and AspenTech’s leading portfolio of sensor, edge, control and software solutions – the Plantweb digital ecosystem – enables companies to optimise the operations and performance of their plants and enterprise.

“Emerson is proud to be consistently recognised as an automation leader with a demonstrated commitment to innovating and providing leading solutions that help customers meet their business and sustainability goals in today’s dynamic markets,” said Ram Krishnan, chief operating officer of Emerson. “By integrating AspenTech into our industry-leading Plantweb digital ecosystem, we provide customers with the most comprehensive digital transformation portfolio in the industry, backed by deep automation expertise.”

Plantweb, including the AspenTech portfolio of asset optimisation software, enables companies to ‘See, Decide, Act and Optimise’ across their operations. Through its sensing and visualisation, predictive diagnostics and monitoring, precision control and AI-powered analytics, Plantweb empowers companies to boost performance, improve safety and achieve sustainability targets through emissions reduction and greater energy efficiency.

“Emerson continues its decades-long streak of digital innovation and leadership across all automation categories, and the company’s breakthrough Plantweb digital ecosystem, optimised with AspenTech, represents a next-generation IIoT platform to help their customers optimise operations and meet business and sustainability goals,“ said James Johnson, managing director at IoT Breakthrough. “Emerson’s robust suite of sensors, software and control technologies are empowering organisations to ‘See, Decide, Act and Optimise’ like never before, and we are thrilled to congratulate the Emerson team for taking home our marquee ‘Industrial IoT Company of the Year’ award in the 7th annual IoT Breakthrough Awards programme.”

IoT Breakthrough, which recognises excellence, creativity and success of Internet of Things (IoT) companies, technologies and products, received more than 4,000 nominations for the 2023 competition. The awards honour the world’s best companies, leaders, technologies and products in a range of IoT categories – from industrial and enterprise, to consumer and connected home. Winners are selected by a panel of senior-level professionals experienced in the IoT space, including journalists, analysts and technology executives.

For more information on Emerson’s automation solutions, please visit www.emerson.com.

Tecam has been awarded another technology project for VOC emissions treatment by a major petrochemical company production plant in Catalonia, Spain.

Tecam, a leading supplier of environmental technology, announces that it has been awarded a new project for the elimination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) generated at a petrochemical production plant in the petrochemical hub port of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain.

Under the terms of the agreement, Tecam will supply this petrochemical plant with the design, assembly, installation and commissioning of two units of Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers (RTO) to eliminate exhaust airflow coming from their production processes.

RTO technology eliminates VOCs that otherwise would be emitted into the atmosphere, and at its turn, complies with all current and most restrictive environmental regulations at an international level.

“We are delighted to have been awarded this new project in Spain,” said Bernat Sala, Tecam CEO. “Environmental technology has proved to be profitable for companies while allowing them to adapt to the strictest environmental legislation. We are now at a decisive moment for the environmental sector and it’s time to act”.

Thanks to the elimination of 99.9 percent of VOC polluting emissions derived from this petrochemical production processes, this plant is soon becoming a facility with the highest standards of safety, quality and respect for the environment.

For more information visit www.tecamgroup.com

Sunfire is using the automotive supplier’s expertise to transfer its hydrogen technologies to industrial serial production. This opens a new chapter for both companies.

To achieve its climate targets, the industry urgently needs green hydrogen. The demand for electrolyzers – the systems that produce the gas – is correspondingly high. In order to meet the large demand, Sunfire is ramping up its electrolysis technologies to industrial scale at top speed.

Partnerships with the best

In doing so, the company also is also exploiting the potential of established industrial companies. “Vitesco Technologies has decades of experience in serial production of components for the automotive industry,” explains Sunfire CEO Nils Aldag. “Our innovative strength coupled with Vitesco’s industrial expertise makes for a powerful combination.”

The strategic partnership will enable Sunfire to start volume production of its pressurized alkaline electrolyzers as early as this year. In its production halls, Vitesco Technologies will combine the cells – which are the size of tractor tires in diameter – into stacks that form the centerpiece of an electrolyzer. In Limbach-Oberfrohna, Saxony, the Group is converting a quarter of its capacities for this purpose.

New perspectives for automotive suppliers

The site has a long tradition in the automotive industry. Until now, the company mainly manufactured diesel injectors here. Where fossil fuels have traditionally been the main driver, Sunfire can scale to gigawatt levels.

“Interestingly, to manufacture electrolyzers, we need very similar skills to the automotive industry”, says Nils Aldag. “For the industry, this is extremely exciting. As traditional industries are transformed, the rapidly growing green hydrogen industry offers new perspectives.”

Dr. Hans-Jürgen Braun, Head of Operations at Vitesco Technologies, adds: “For our plant in Limbach-Oberfrohna, with its outstanding expertise in high precision and in the production of mechanical components, we have found a promising path in the cooperation with Sunfire: long-standing expertise meets future technologies – even beyond the mobility sector. We are happy that the site is taking this step together with Sunfire.”

Next expansion stage of alkaline production is already in the planning stage

Meanwhile, Sunfire continues to expand its alkaline electrolyzer manufacturing capacity. In doing so, the company relies on decentralized production. One of the core processes – the metallic coating of the cells – is carried out by Sunfire at its own site in Solingen. A new electroplating line will open there in a few weeks, and another is already under construction. This will enable Sunfire to produce alkaline electrolyzers with a total capacity of 500 MW annually in 2023. The expansion into the gigawatt scale is already in the planning stage.

For more information visit www.sunfire.de/en/

The joint venture between Stolthaven Terminals and Revivegen Environmental Technology Co. LTD was made official today at a ceremony with Taiwan Cooperative Bank in Kaohsiung. Stolthaven Revivegen Kaohsiung Terminal Co., Ltd. (SHRVK), will meet growing customer demand for high-quality bulk liquid storage in the region and introduce more international trade to Taiwan.

The two companies formally entered the joint venture to develop a new greenfield terminal in Kaohsiung Port, Taiwan, after signing a letter of intent in April 2021.

Together, they plan to develop integrated storage, drumming, warehousing, and distribution solutions for chemical and bulk specialty liquid customers. The terminal is also well positioned to provide storage to support the transition to greener energy and fuel alternatives, including ammonia. This aligns with the Taiwan government’s strategy towards net-zero emissions by 2050, which includes ambitions to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2030 (compared to 2005 levels), introducing low-carbon industrial processes and building a zero-carbon fuel supply system.

Meanwhile, Stolthaven Terminals’ focus on the digitisation and automation of its terminals will bring increased innovation to the existing terminal industry in Taiwan.

Stolthaven Terminals president Guy Bessant said: “We are delighted with the addition of the SHRVK terminal to our global network, which enables us to increase the reach of the supply chain solutions that we can offer our customers. The partnership also opens up Taiwan to our broad customer base and the integrated services we can provide in collaboration with our sister companies Stolt Tankers and Stolt Tank Containers.

“Together with Revivegen’s expertise and local knowledge we will deliver a terminal that focuses on the safe and efficient handling and storage of chemicals and industrial gases for local and multinational companies. And we will use our experience in innovative sustainability projects to support Taiwan’s progress towards its carbon-reduction ambitions.”

Chairman and general manager, Revivegen Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., Cheng Yu Chung, said: “Establishing a joint venture with Stolthaven Terminals allows Revivegen to enter into the chemical storage industry and gain more exposure to international business and digitisation, which creates a win-win situation for both companies. This joint venture is also expected to elevate the status of Kaohsiung Port as a global storage and distribution hub.”

For more information visit www.stolt-nielsen.com

Advario was honoured to host a delegation from Singapore yesterday including Mr. Boon Khai Tan, CEO JTC Corporation and Mr. Eng Dih Teo, CEO Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), for a tour of our Antwerp Gas Terminal, and a discussion on hydrogen strategies, and ammonia import and bunkering solutions, to accelerate the energy transition.

Advario has four terminals located on Singapore’s Jurong Island, the pillar of Singapore’s petrochemicals industry. They have a long history of partnership with the JTC Corporation and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and they look forward to working together on supporting the energy transition.

For more information visit www.advario.com

ExxonMobil has reached an agreement with Bangchak Corporation to sell its interest in Esso Thailand that includes the Sriracha Refinery, select distribution terminals, and a network of Esso-branded retail stations, delivering on its commitment to strengthen value and overall competitiveness. The transaction will be executed by ExxonMobil’s affiliate, ExxonMobil Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd, which holds 65.99 percent interest in Esso Thailand.

• Sale includes interest in Sriracha Refinery and Thailand network of Esso-branded retail stations
• ExxonMobil to continue to supply finished lubricants and chemical products in Thailand
• ExxonMobil Bangkok Global Business Centre, exploration, and production activities unaffected

“As we execute our strategy, ExxonMobil is focusing its investments on global production facilities to meet the world’s demand for lower-emissions fuels and high-performance products, while divesting assets where others see the potential for greater value,” said Karen McKee, president of ExxonMobil Product Solutions. “We appreciate the talent and determination of our colleagues in Thailand who have safely provided reliable product supply to the Thailand and Greater Mekong markets for more than 125 years, and we thank them for their dedicated service.”

ExxonMobil will continue to supply the Thailand market with branded finished lubricants and chemical products through a new company to be formed. ExxonMobil’s upstream operations through its affiliate ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Khorat Inc., and ExxonMobil’s Bangkok Global Business Centre, which employs about 2,000 people, will not be impacted.

ExxonMobil remains focused on safe and reliable operations and ensuring compliance with commitments made to customers and relevant government agencies and regulators.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2023, subject to standard conditions and applicable legal requirements, including approval from regulatory authorities.

For more information visit www.corporate.exxonmobil.com

Borealis, one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals, fertilisers, and the mechanical recycling of plastics, has acquired a majority stake in Renasci N.V., a Belgium-based provider of innovative recycling solutions and the creator of the novel Smart Chain Processing (SCP) concept.

Borealis announced the acquisition of a 10 percent stake in Renasci in July 2021; today it announces an increase of its investment to acquire a majority stake of 50.01 percent, signalling on-going confidence in the potential of Renasci’s patented SCP concept to drive the circular transformation. The investment is an important component of Borealis’ strategy to reach its ambitious circular goals, which target a six-fold increase in the volume of circular products and solutions to 600 kilo-tonnes by 2025, rising to 1.8 million tonnes by 2030. The acquisition will support Borealis to reach these goals by providing increasing long-term access to chemically recycled feedstock from Renasci’s Ostend facility and through enabling access to key circular technologies.

SCP is unique because it enables the processing of multiple waste streams using different recycling technologies under one roof, resulting in exceptionally high valorisation of waste. Through leveraging its market access, know-how, and innovative technological capabilities, Borealis will accelerate the implementation of the SCP concept and will also explore opportunities for replicating the model in strategic locations.

“With this investment, we mark another milestone on our path to realising our Strategy 2030 goals. Our acquisition of a controlling stake in Renasci has the potential to unlock significant progress on circularity for our entire industry and is proof of the EverMinds™ spirit in action,” says Borealis CEO Thomas Gangl.

“We are committed to leading our industry towards a more sustainable future, and this acquisition is pivotal to our success. Renasci and its SCP concept are perfectly aligned to Borealis’ circular cascade model, which sits at the heart of our ambition to become circular in plastic and in carbon,” says Lucrèce Foufopoulos, Borealis Executive Vice President of Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions, and Innovation & Technology.

Strengthening Borealis’ Borcycle™ C portfolio

The controlling stake in Renasci will support Borealis to further strengthen its Borcycle™ C range of product offerings by providing future supply security of chemically recycled feedstock. Borcycle C is a portfolio of transformational chemical recycling solutions with ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) PLUS-certified content based on the mass balance approach, giving polyolefin-based, post-consumer waste another life. Chemically identical to products derived from fossil feedstock, Borcycle C solutions are suitable for all applications, including those that are subject to stringent quality and safety regulations such as healthcare and food packaging, which cannot always be met using mechanically recycled materials.

“Following 18 months of successful cooperation, we’re pleased to receive this increased investment from Borealis signalling its ongoing confidence in the Smart Chain Processing concept to drive circularity. Borealis’ strategic market position and commitment to the circular economy mean it is ideally placed to develop and implement the SCP concept, as well as to leverage our combined technological capabilities to unlock further circular progress” says Gert Vanderseypen, general manager, Renasci.

For more information visit www.borealisgroup.com

Flowserve Corporation will support the construction of Aramco’s Jafurah project, one of the largest commercial unconventional gas fields being developed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As previously announced in its third quarter earnings call, the company is proud to confirm it will supply over 400 pumps for the project. The value of these awards was included in Flowserve’s third quarter 2022 backlog.

Flowserve is working with three engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies, who will utilise a diverse portfolio of pumps, mechanical seals and sealing systems for different components of the Jafurah project. These include the gas treatment and sulphur removal facilities, utilities and interconnecting systems, and the produced water and gas compression facilities. Upon the project’s completion, it is hoped that it will play a key role in Saudi Arabia’s journey toward utilisation of a lower-carbon feedstock for power generation, provide valuable feedstock to large petrochemical production facilities, and aims to be a critical enabler for Aramco’s participation in the blue hydrogen industry.

The cornerstone of Aramco’s long-term goals directly links to its In Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) programme. Through strategic partnerships, the company aims to invest in the future of Saudi Arabia by capturing value that produces long term benefits in the company and within the communities it serves. “We are confident in our strategy to invest in our manufacturing capabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the size and scope of this order reinforces our continued commitment into the future,” said Tamara Morytko, president, Flowserve pumps division. “We are excited to be a part of this dynamic collaboration and look forward to the potential future opportunities this project could bring to Flowserve and our partners. As we gain momentum in our 3D Strategy to diversify, decarbonise and digitise, we are committed to fostering our strong existing customer base and enabling traditional end markets with our diverse flow control portfolio.”

To read more about Flowserve’s comprehensive portfolio of product offerings, visit: https://www.flowserve.com/en/products/

For more information visit www.flowserve.com

Getech, the geoenergy and green hydrogen company, is pleased to announce the signing of a Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Eavor Technology Inc., a global geothermal technology company.

The Strategic Agreement will see the Parties work together to locate and de-risk multiple closed-loop geothermal projects for development across Latin America, a region with inherent strong heat-flow potential and rapidly growing green energy demand. See information included in this video: https://getech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Getech-Eavor-a-Strategic-Geothermal-Partnership.mp4.

Highlights:

• The Parties will combine their highly complementary, unique, proprietary geothermal solutions, skills and technologies to deliver the agreed work:
• Getech will deploy its industry-leading geoscience gravity and magnetics database, its proprietary Heat Seeker^® software package and its asset analytics skills.
• Eavor will deploy its closed-loop geothermal energy production system, Eavor-Loop™, as well as its growing knowledge base and proprietary technology for identifying and qualifying the best locations for geothermal energy production.
• The Parties will identify and screen the most technically and economically favourable Latin American geothermal sites for development as sources of clean, baseload and flexible energy for heating, cooling and green electricity.
• Priority will be given to locations where multiple closed-loops can be deployed, in order to allow for quick scale-up and to minimise investment. Value can then be built by advancing assets through commercial and technical feasibility, and where appropriate, securing licences.
• The Parties will retain the commercial optionality to either realise asset value pre-development through farm-down/sale to a third party (retaining the potential to provide ongoing development support) or to proceed as development investors.

Geothermal energy represents a significant growth opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean, with the Inter-American Development Bank noting geothermal potential in the region between 55GW and 70GW, most of which remains unharnessed.

Getech will use its foundation geospatial and economic modelling skills to locate and quantify aboveground demand for heat and/or power. The Company will then combine this analysis with its unique geoscience data, proprietary heat flow models, and spatial analytic software, to deliver integrated geothermal solutions.

Dr Jonathan Copus, Getech CEO said:

“This exciting agreement with Eavor is an important first step in building Getech’s global geothermal asset portfolio. By integrating our geoscience data and geospatial/economic modelling skills with Eavor’s development technology, it will be possible to establish geothermal development assets of significant scale.

Having located and de-risked the development of these assets, Getech will retain the option to unlock value either through their sale to a third-party developer, or proceed to participate in their development, thereby expanding our geoenergy and green hydrogen project investment portfolio. Where appropriate, we will also work to expand project value by identifying co-location opportunities that leverage our expertise in green hydrogen production.

This collaboration agreement builds on a strong relationship we have established with Eavor by providing them with our foundation products and services. It illustrates how we can unlock strategic partnerships, thereby bringing transformational value to Getech shareholders.”

John Redfern, Eavor CEO said:

“We are currently focused on the development of a subset of high-quality geothermal projects, constituting a fundamental step in our work to commercialise and “productise” the Eavor-Loops^™ technology. Our ultimate goal is for hundreds of companies to develop Eavor-Loops^™ around the world, including in Latin America.

We believe that our strategic partnership with Getech, under which we are collaborating in the evaluation of a large pipeline of fully qualified projects, will facilitate this. We are excited by the prospect of accelerating the market adoption of Eavor-Loop™ and, in turn, enabling many countries and companies to be more aggressive in a shorter timeframe with their own energy transition plans to net zero.”

What is geothermal energy?

Geothermal energy is a renewable, clean energy source derived from inside the earth. It can provide nearly unlimited low-carbon energy with widespread and constant availability regardless of the weather or time of day. This sets it apart from intermittent renewables such as wind and solar.

Depending on its characteristics, geothermal energy can be used for heating and cooling purposes or be harnessed to generate clean electricity. It can deliver both baseload and dispatchable energy and can be utilised in industrial, agricultural, commercial, or domestic settings. Electricity can be fed into the grid or used for green hydrogen generation. Heat can be distributed via district heating networks or via pipework to local agricultural or industrial users.

For further information, see this video: https://getech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Getech-Geothermal-Accelerating-the-Energy-Transition.mp4.

For more information visit www.getech.com

VARO Energy Group announces the acquisition of 80 percent of the shares in Bio Energy Coevorden BV in The Netherlands, one of the largest biogas manufacturers in Europe. VARO is acquiring the shares from the existing shareholders, STAK Grisbe who will continue to own 15 percent of the business, and Van Drie Group, who will continue to own 5 percent. The transaction is expected to be completed in February.

Transaction highlights:

• Developing the largest biogas manufacturing facility in Northern Europe: double the current facility capacity from 300 GWh to 650 GWh by 2026. After the expansion, the site will be among the 3 largest biogas facilities in Europe.
• High impact on GHG emissions:
• Feedstock from waste streams and manure, achieving 220,000 tonnes per year of CO2 reduction versus fossil natural gas
• Step towards achieving net zero scope 3 emissions by 2040 target
• Supports circular economy and new employment opportunities
• Accessing rapid growth market: ideally located on the border between The Netherlands and Germany, close to major industrial centres and large-scale agriculture offering both feedstock supply and demand growth. This investment will accelerate the energy transition in these leading countries.
• Highly efficient, cost competitive plant: BEC has built a successful industrial biogas facility, including state-of-the-art monitoring and control systems, heat optimization and recovery systems.
• Building integrated fuel value chain: leverages BEC’s large-scale manufacturing competencies with VARO’s integrated business model of energy sourcing, production, and exposure-management, while building one of the largest biogas manufacturing facilities in Europe.
• Supports energy security and energy transition: boosts energy security by diversifying Europe’s sources of supply while accelerating the energy transition by replacing conventional fuels with low carbon alternatives.
• Progress against VARO’s new strategy meets 65 percent of VARO’s 2026 target of 1 TWh of biomethane / bio-LNG under its ONE VARO Transformation strategy launched in July 2022. The acquisition will have a substantial contribution of 20-25 percent of VARO’s Engine 2 (Renewable energies) EBITDA by 2026.
• Future Growth: this acquisition creates a platform for our future growth in the biogas industry in Europe

The transaction accelerates the ONE VARO Transformation strategy launched in July 2022. VARO recognises that a range of solutions and products are needed to help emitters to decarbonise and to protect Europe’s energy security. As part of the strategy, the company committed to becoming a leading producer of biogas in Europe, building its portfolio through both acquisition and greenfield developments.

Biogas has an important role to play in providing customers in harder–to-abate sectors such as heavy-duty transportation and shipping with a cost-competitive and low-carbon fuel supply. It also plays an important role in the decarbonisation of the agricultural sector and contributes to a circular economy,

As a result of this acquisition, the largest by VARO since 2015, and with VARO’s and BEC’s ongoing investment, the company is well placed to meet growth in European demand for both biomethane, which is expected to increase 3X by 2030 across Europe, and bio-LNG, which is expected to grow by 10X in Germany by the end of the decade.

Europe is an attractive market for biogas, benefitting from high domestic feedstock availability, as well as supportive Government policy and incentive structures. BEC’s established sourcing channels and world-class biogas production and construction expertise, combined with VARO’s existing feedstock sourcing, operations and trading capabilities create a strong platform to scale the biofuels business across Europe.

Commenting on the announcement Dev Sanyal, VARO CEO, said:

“Last year we set out our ambitious ONE VARO Transformation strategy to be the partner of choice for customers in the energy transition and to be net zero by 2040. Today’s announcement is a significant step towards accelerating our strategy by building a leading position in biogas in Europe.

“The combination of this platform along with VARO’s integrated business model will not only contribute to our strategic growth but will also be highly value accretive to VARO. Largescale biogas facilities have an important role in accelerating Europe’s energy transition – offering an alternative to conventional fuels at scale with emissions 90 percent lower than natural gas as well as allowing our refineries to replace their natural gas consumption with biomethane products with a lower carbon intensity. Growth in biogas will further support Europe’s energy security by diversifying supply.”

Christian Cuenot, VARO vice president of Biogas, added:

“This transaction brings VARO closer to realising its target of 1 TWh/y of biogas production by 2026. It creates the largest biogas manufacturing facility in Northern Europe, located at the heart of one of the most concentrated industrial centres in the world offering easy access to high-demand growth. Abundant feedstock from agricultural waste in the region also provides a resilient and sustainable supply to the facility. I am looking forward to working with our new partners to deliver on the expansion of the current platform plant and continue to grow VARO’s biogas business.”

For more information visit .varoenergy.com/en/home/

Babcock & Wilcox has announced that its B&W Environmental segment has been awarded a contract by Phillips 66 Limited to design a flue gas pre-treatment technology upstream from a planned carbon dioxide (CO2) capture system on the Phillips 66 Limited Humber Refinery’s Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) in North Lincolnshire, United Kingdom.

“B&W has many decades of experience working with customers in the oil, gas and refining industries, providing technologies to make processes cleaner and more efficient,” said Joe Buckler, B&W senior vice president, Clean Energy. “As the global leader in pre-treatment technologies for post-combustion carbon capture, the opportunity to work with Phillips 66 Limited aligns well with our experience and expertise.”

“B&W has a complete suite of proven environmental technologies in our portfolio, including the addition of the engineering expertise of our Hamon Research-Cottrell technology, which complements our decarbonisation and carbon capture solutions,” Buckler said. “We thank Phillips 66 Limited for selecting us for this important clean energy project.”

Adam Young, Project Lead at the Phillips 66 Limited Humber Refinery, said, “We are pleased to be working with B&W, leveraging their expertise and knowledge. The pre-treatment is vital to the process to enable the planned carbon capture technology to work optimally.”

Young continued, “Our proposed project would be a first of a kind for an FCC. The knowledge learnt could help to support over 300 FCCs across the world to reduce carbon emissions and support industry to decarbonise.

Phillips 66 Limited’s Humber Refinery carbon capture facility plans are part of the Humber Zero project, a world-scale carbon reduction project to support the decarbonisation of critical UK industry. The project aims to capture up to 8 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030.

B&W Environmental is committed to environmental sustainability, designing, engineering, and deploying technologies proven to help preserve the earth’s natural resources. B&W Environmental’s technologies can be utilised to remove many pollutants from flue gas, including nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, particulates, dioxins, metals and more.

For more information visit www.babcock.com

Hydrogen technology company Nel and Europe’s largest supplier of renewable energy, Statkraft, newly signed a contract for delivery of 40 MW of electrolyser equipment, and will thus collaborate to create a strong value chain for production of green hydrogen in Norway.

“We are determined that we will contribute towards making Norway a leading producer of renewable hydrogen, and to establish an eco-system of electrolyser and equipment suppliers,” says Nel’s CEO Håkon Volldal and CEO of Statkraft, Christian Rynning-Tønnesen.

The announcement was made in connection with the German vice chancellor Robert Habeck’s visit to Nel’s fully automated electrolyser manufacturing facility at Herøya in Norway. The Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Jan Christian Vestre, is also joining the delegation together with his colleague, minister of petroleum and energy, Terje Lien Aasland.

The ministers are enthusiastic about the two companies’ plans for a green hydrogen value chain in Norway.

“It is encouraging that leading Norwegian players such as Nel and Statkraft are planning value chains for green hydrogen in Norway. This is an important step in the right direction to achieve our ambitions to build a coherent value chain for hydrogen and facilitate the production of hydrogen with no or low emissions to cover the national demand for hydrogen”, says minister of petroleum and energy Terje Aasland.

Statkraft recently placed a purchase order for 40 MW of alkaline electrolyser equipment from Nel. The electrolyser stacks will be produced at Nel’s manufacturing plant at Herøya and used for the production of renewable hydrogen in one of Statkraft’s many hydrogen projects.

As Europe’s largest supplier of renewable energy, Statkraft has the ambition to accelerate its annual development rate to 4 GW of new power production per year and to add 2 GW of renewable hydrogen production by 2030. In Norway Statkraft will strengthen its efforts in developing new renewable power production as well as flexibility within hydropower and wind power both on- and offshore.

“The contract with Nel is the first important step in materializing our ambitious target of 2 GW of green hydrogen and securing production capacity for our diverse pipeline of hydrogen projects,” says Rynning-Tønnesen.

Volldal is very excited to have Statkraft on the customer list.

“Statkraft is Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy and a well reputed and highly knowledgeable renewable energy company with an ambitious growth agenda. We are extremely proud that they have elected us as a supplier of green hydrogen technology,” Volldal says.

“With this and other orders Nel is strengthening its position as a leading supplier and exporter of hydrogen equipment, which is crucial for the green transition in Europe and beyond, and for the development of new green jobs in Norway,” Volldal says.

For more information visit www.nelhydrogen.com

The Board of Directors of Acteon Group Ltd, a global provider of services to the renewable, infrastructure and oil and gas industries, has appointed Dr Bernhard Bruggaier as Group Chief Executive, succeeding Dr Carl Trowell, effective from 1 January 2023.

Bernhard joined Acteon’s subsidiary MENCK in 1994, became its Managing Director in 1998 and joined Acteon’s executive management team following the acquisition of MENCK in 2003. After that, Bernhard served in various senior strategic and operational management roles before being appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and joining Acteon’s Board of Directors in 2021.

Commenting on the transition, Chairman of the Board, Juan de Ochoa, said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Carl for his significant contribution as Group Chief Executive and wish him all the very best for the future. As the business moves into a new phase of growth, we are delighted that Bernhard has agreed to transition into the role. We are confident that he will lead the company and our people with the passion and strategic vision he has shown in serving the business for so many years. We look forward to working closely with Bernhard as he continues leveraging the company’s innovative technology, engineering capability and operational strength to pursue sustainable growth.”

Dr Bernhard Bruggaier commented “I joined Acteon when it was a small company. I have enjoyed our journey to the dynamic, increasingly renewables-focused international organisation that Acteon is now. I am honoured to be asked to lead the team that forms Acteon today and which comprises first-class, highly dedicated individuals in all functions of the organisation, some of whom I have worked with for years. Together, we will shape the future of Acteon through developing our legacy energy markets as much as focusing on the necessary energy transition that we have already been driving for over 20 years.”

For more information visit www.acteon.com/

QatarEnergy announced the Final Investment Decision (FID) with Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC to build the Ras Laffan Petrochemicals complex – a $6 billion integrated olefins and polyethylene facility at Ras Laffan Industrial City.

The announcement was made in Doha in a special ceremony during which His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the minister of state for energy affairs, the president and CEO of QatarEnergy, and Mr. Bruce Chinn, the president and CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical, signed the agreement for a joint venture company to implement the project, in which QatarEnergy will own a 70 percent equity share, and CPChem will own a 30 percent share. The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Mark Lashier, the president and CEO of Phillips 66, and senior executives from QatarEnergy and CPChem.

QatarEnergy also announced the award of the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the ethylene plant to SCJV, a joint venture company between Samsung Engineering Company Ltd. of South Korea and CTCI of Taiwan. The EPC contract for the polyethylene plant was awarded to Maire Tecnimont of Italy, while Emerson of the USA was awarded the main automation contract.

The Ras Laffan Petrochemicals complex, expected to begin production in 2026, consists of an ethane cracker with a capacity of 2.1 million tons of ethylene per annum, making it the largest in the Middle East and one of the largest in the world. It also includes two polyethylene trains with a combined output of 1.7 million tonnes per annum of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) polymer products, raising Qatar’s overall petrochemical production capacity to almost 14 million tons per annum.

In remarks at the signing ceremony, His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said: “This marks QatarEnergy’s largest investment ever in Qatar’s petrochemicals sector and the first direct investment in 12 years. It will double our ethylene production capacity, and increase our local polymer production from 2.6 to more than 4 million tons per annum, and place the utmost emphasis on sustainable growth and the environment.”

“There is no doubt that this cornerstone investment in Ras Laffan Industrial City marks an important milestone in QatarEnergy’s downstream expansion strategy. It will not only facilitate further expansion in the downstream and petrochemical sectors in Qatar, but will also reinforce our integrated position as a major global player in the upstream, LNG, and downstream sectors. This will be further enhanced once the new world-scale petrochemical project in Orange, Texas, in the United States of America comes online in partnership with Chevron Phillips Chemical, executed by our joint venture Golden Triangle Polymers Company” His Excellency added.

His Excellency minister Al-Kaabi concluded his remarks by saying: “We are delighted to enter into this exciting new venture with Chevron Phillips Chemical – a leading and highly respected international petrochemicals company, and a long-term partner with whom we have achieved many successes together building and operating plants safely and efficiently for more than 20 years. Together, our large and diverse portfolio will not just help meet the world’s growing needs for advanced plastics and petrochemicals, but will also enable balanced growth and facilitate human development in a responsible and sustainable manner. I would like to thank everyone who has worked to reach this milestone. We are also grateful to the leadership and guidance of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for his unwavering support to Qatar’s energy sector.”

This final investment decision comes less than two months after QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical took the Final Investment Decision to execute the $8.5 billion Golden Triangle Polymers Plant on the US Gulf Coast in Texas.

For more information visit www.qatarenergy.qa/en/Pages/Home.aspx

Ergon has announced decreases in pricing of naphthenic oils in the North American market effective Monday, January 16, 2023:

•  Ergon’s HyPrene Process Oils, HyGold Base Oils and HyPrint Ink Oils will be reduced by $0.30 per gallon
• HyVolt Dielectric Fluids will be reduced by $0.20 per gallon

About Ergon:

Ergon is a group of privately held companies that operate under six primary business segments: Refining & Marketing, Specialty Chemicals, Asphalt & Emulsions, Oil & Gas, Midstream & Logistics, and Construction & Real Estate.

For more information visit www.ergon.com

After a strong reception in Europe, TWTG’s latest set of NEON devices is now ready to be rolled-out in North America.

TWTG has received FCC, FM, and IC certification for both the NEON Temperature Transmitter and the NEON Vibration Sensor, opening up opportunities for North American customers, and for those already using these devices in Europe and Asia over the past year to begin implementations in the US and Canada.

“Our international customers have spent much time testing and validating the results, mainly against wired temperature measurement instruments and against traditional handheld vibration measurement systems. With the devices proving to make monitoring easier and more reliable in the two regions that were early adopters of LoRaWAN, the path has been paved for US and Canadian sites to commence the roll-out of wireless sensors”, says Nadine Herrwerth, CEO at TWTG.

This step sets a precedent for the development work for all new NEON devices, which will follow the approach where all new devices will immediately be available for all three key regions, Europe, Singapore and North America, speeding up the possibility to work with the Oil and Gas majors worldwide. Additional certifications will of course also be available on request and in collaboration with our customers.

More information on the NEON Temperature Transmitter can be found here and more information on the NEON Vibration Sensor can be found here.

For more information visit www.twtg.io/?utm_source=twtg&utm_medium=pressrelease&utm_campaign=UScerts

Engineering and construction firm Burns & McDonnell is expanding its construction presence in the U.K. through the creation of a dedicated Construction Group to serve the U.K. market. This builds upon the existing construction services being provided to National Grid.

The expansion will result in the doubling of the size of the Construction Group in 2023.

Whilst continuing to offer high-quality EPC services, the benefit of the newly formed, dedicated Construction Group in the U.K. sets the stage to focus on successful growth of multiple services across the U.K. Nick Busby is transitioning from his role as U.K. operations director to lead the construction group as director of construction operations, further empowering the fully integrated inception-to-completion services of Burns & McDonnell.

Nick Busby, director of construction operations at Burns & McDonnell U.K. said:

“I’m thrilled to be leading the U.K. Construction Group, which is the result of the success and growth of Burns & McDonnell in the U.K. Clients can expect business as usual, but with a more formalised structure that enables us to align with the global business.”

“Having a fully integrated engineering and construction team working together with the rest of the U.K. business and sharing the same mission at every stage underpins the successful execution of our EPC projects and the Burns & McDonnell operating model.”

The Construction Group provides project management, safety, quality, estimating, procurement, planning, cost control and construction management support for EPC projects. Clients will continue to benefit from consolidated programmes, increased savings and enhanced project quality and delivery.

Jonathan Chapman, managing director at Burns & McDonnell U.K. said:

“Our U.K. business has grown rapidly since launching in 2017, and we need to adapt to accommodate this growth, whilst providing full-service solutions that address our clients’ engineering and construction challenges. The Construction Group’s increased presence marks a milestone in our growth. I’m excited about the new business it will generate and look forward to continuing my support of Nick in his new role as he leads his team toward a dynamic future.”

For more information visit www.burnsmcd.com

Today, Neste celebrates their 75th anniversary. Since its establishment in 1948, the company has undertaken a remarkable transformation journey from a regional oil refiner to being a global leader in renewable and circular solutions – all thanks to the innovation, commitment and passion of our people towards creating a healthier planet for our children.

To honour our anniversary, and to give back to societies we are operating in, Neste is providing an additional voluntary work day for all employees in 2023. This means that this year Neste employees are able to use two days to contribute to a good cause.

For more information visit www.neste.com

Beamex has announced the establishment of a wholly foreign owned enterprise in China from January 1st 2023. The subsidiary represents an important milestone in terms of Beamex’s progress in Asia and reaffirms its position as a leading global player in the calibration industry.

Asia is a key growth region for Beamex, and China in particular shows excellent potential as a market for innovative solutions targeted at process industry customers. With the establishment of a Chinese subsidiary, Beamex customers in the country will have better access to the latest calibration hardware, software, and services with the added advantage of local aftersales support in their own language.

The subsidiary is headquartered in Shanghai and comprise sales, marketing, and technical support functions. Beamex is confident that a direct presence in China will help foster closer relationships with, and lead to a wide range of benefits for, its customers in this strategically important market.

“With the establishment of a Chinese subsidiary we can deliver on our aim to be a trusted advisor for continuous process improvement and sustainable, safe operations for our customers in the country. The subsidiary will bring us even closer to our Chinese customers and make it easier for them to do business with us, supporting our aim to deliver outstanding services and a seamless digital calibration experience for all local stakeholders.”

Roberto Guaranha, General Manager, Beamex China

For more information visit www.beamex.com

TGE’s new series answers the most frequent questions about tank design. Their senior head of engineering, Jordi Bartes, answers:

Why do storage tank concepts vary depending on the type of gas?

The stored product is not the only one but one of the main drivers of the storage concept to be applied. There are many factors related to the product, but let’s focus on one today – the product storage temperature.

Large cylindrical flat-bottom storage tanks work at almost ambient pressure, as they cannot easily deal with pressure due to their shape. To be able to store these products efficiently, they are kept in the tank in their liquid form under refrigerated conditions; -1°C (butane), -33°C (ammonia), -42°C (propane), -48°C (propylene), -89°C (ethane), -104°C (ethylene) to -162°C (methane, LNG).

The storage temperature has a significant impact on the tank design. In terms of materials, tanks for “warmer” products can be built in carbon steel, but “colder” products will require special alloys such as 9% Ni steel to deal with such low temperatures. The temperature will influence the insulation; the colder the product, the more insulation is required. The colder products will require special insulation of critical areas (i.e. bottom, corners, nozzles) and cryogenic concrete reinforcement in some areas.

It might look like the colder products are more challenging, but the warmer products also create issues due to potential vapour condensation in colder ambient temperatures, so the challenges in terms of temperature for those are different but need to be addressed as well during design.

Tanks can, of course, be designed for multi-product purposes, where the requirements of all products considered need to be implemented, but this needs to be addressed already in the project concept phase.

For more information visit: www.tge-gas.com

Neptune Energy has been awarded two new licences in the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2022, announced by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.

The new licences are located close to existing infrastructure in the Gjøa and Fram areas of the Norwegian North Sea, where Neptune already has a presence, reflecting the company’s exploration strategy to focus on key opportunities within core areas.

The awarded licences are:

• PL1180 (40 percent and operator) in the Gjøa area
• PL1179 (15 percent and partner) in the Fram area

Neptune Energy’s managing director in Norway and the UK, Odin Estensen, said: “Neptune has continued to demonstrate its ability to convert exploration success into development and production in a safe, timely and cost-efficient manner. Through this latest licensing round, we continue to build a sustainable exploration portfolio in our core areas.

“These licence awards further strengthen Neptune`s growing position in Norway and emphasise the importance of the Norwegian Continental Shelf to our global business.”

Neptune’s director of subsurface in Norway, Steinar Meland, added: “We are pleased to have been awarded an operatorship in the vicinity of our operated Gjøa area where we hope to build on 2022’s exploration success.”

The APA licensing round is held once a year in mature areas on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

For more information visit www.neptuneenergy.com/

An advisory council composed of technical experts and key industry leaders was convened to ensure the long-term success of the multi-year exploration and development programmes of Prime Energy, a subsidiary of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. that has recently completed its acquisition of the 45-percent operating stake in Malampaya.

Created by Prime Energy, the advisory council will provide technical expertise and assist the management team headed by Prime Energy general manager Sebastian Quiniones in crafting necessary structures for implementation, as well as serve as a sounding board for fundamental actions such as engaging with authorities.

Quiniones said, “The new advisory council initiated by Prime Energy for the Malampaya project will serve the purpose of providing strategic advice and technical guidance to support me and the Board in this critical time when the company’s exploration and development programs are about to commence to prolong the gas supply, which is becoming increasingly scarce.”

All concerned parties of the Malampaya project including the joint venture partners in the consortium and the Department of Energy (DOE) agree that urgent action is needed to address the depleting supply of gas. By 2025-2026, gas exports will reach near technical minimum before new gas can be sourced.

The newly formed advisory council has a significant amount of Project and Financial Management expertise through members such as Cesar Buenaventura, the first Filipino President of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC), who was instrumental in guiding the various Oil Majors to invest and develop the Malampaya project in the Philippines; Jose Ibazeta, Prime Metro Power Director and industry leader who served as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Power Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) from 2007 to 2010 and acting Secretary of the Department of Energy from January 2010 to May 30, 2010; and Rufino Bomasang, former Philippine National Oil Company – Exploration Corporation President and CEO, former Executive Director of the Office of Energy Affairs (forerunner of the Department of Energy), and government counterpart of Buenaventura in establishing the upstream sector of the Philippines.

Also part of the advisory council that will guide Prime Energy are Antoine Bliek, former Shell project manager for Malampaya Phase 2 and 3 and former project director of Shell Majnoon in Iraq, who has over a decade of leadership experience in multi-billion upstream projects; and Jose Jerome Pascual III, former Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. Finance Director, former PSPC chief finance officer (CFO), chief risk officer (CRO), VP Finance & Treasurer, who has over 30 years of finance and business experience at Shell in both downstream and upstream operations in the Philippines, Netherlands, Kazakhstan and Brunei; was 2020 president of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX), and recipient of the 2014 ING-FINEX CFO award of the year.

Backed by technical experts and specialist contractors from around the globe, Prime Energy is well equipped to plan and execute viable projects to extract more gas from reservoirs in the Service Contract 38 area covering the Malampaya project, and tie these to the existing operating assets.

The success of the multi-year exploration and development programs of Prime Energy will be made possible through the full support of its parent company Prime Infra, the newly formed advisory council, the DOE, and the Malampaya consortium partners.

The Prime Infra group supports Prime Energy in other areas such as project financing, supply chain and logistics, human resources, and government and external relations.

Prime Infra is well-positioned to continue the solid track record of Malampaya recognised all over the world. The company’s energy portfolio is aligned with the national government’s goal to attain energy independence and security while reducing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. Apart from the upstream gas project, other developments in the company’s energy portfolio include renewables (solar and hydropower), sustainable fuels, and a fully automated gas-fired power plant equipped with latest engines and control systems in Iraq.

For more information visit www.primeinfra.ph

Air Liquide, through Air Liquide Engineering & Construction, is actively leveraging on its complete portfolio of innovative technology solutions to support the decarbonisation of its industrial customers. Autothermal Reforming (ATR) is one of the latest technologies utilised enabling the efficient production of large scale, low-carbon hydrogen, and ammonia, when combined with carbon capture technology. One of the leading companies for ATR, Air Liquide’s technology has been selected for Japan’s first demonstration project owned and operated by INPEX CORPORATION to produce low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia.

While other reliable solutions are available on the market today, such as Steam Methane Reforming with carbon capture, ATR is one of the most suitable options for specific larger scale low-carbon hydrogen production facilities. When ATR is combined with carbon capture technology, customers can achieve higher energy efficiency, lower investments, and a simplified single train production process to facilitate carbon capture of up to 99 percent in highly integrated industrial facilities.

Air Liquide is one of the leading companies for Autothermal Reforming with proprietary technologies in the ATR process for large scale syngas production applications. Air Liquide Engineering & Construction will now provide the technology for low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production to a pilot project owned and operated by INPEX CORPORATION, a Japanese oil & gas exploration and production company. ATR will be part of the development of the Kashiwazaki Clean Hydrogen and Ammonia Project in the Hirai area of Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The overall project will be Japan’s first demonstration project integrating low-carbon Hydrogen and Ammonia production with carbon capture.

Michael J. Graff, executive vice president, Air Liquide Group, stated:

“Air Liquide’s expertise in providing customers with efficient, reliable, innovative technologies and solutions is at the heart of our ambitions to support the decarbonization of industries. We are pleased to collaborate with INPEX CORPORATION and to be one of the contributors to the development of this first demonstration low-carbon Hydrogen and Ammonia project in Japan.”

For more information visit www.airliquide.com/

IMTT has announced that it has closed on the sale of the company’s bulk liquids storage terminal located in Gretna, Louisiana to BWC Terminals LLC. The Gretna terminal is located on the Mississippi River and has approximately 2.3 million barrels of storage capacity, with truck, rail, and deep-water marine access.

“BWC was uniquely positioned to execute on this transaction due to the adjacent location of their Harvey terminal,” said Carlin Conner, chairman and CEO of IMTT. “Divesting a terminal that we have owned and operated for 32 years was a difficult decision. BWC’s commitment to continuing to operate Gretna with the current team in place, and in a safe, environmentally responsible, and efficient manner was a major factor in our decision.”

“With the reinvestment of proceeds from this transaction and the execution of contracted renewable fuel and chemical-related infrastructure projects that are in progress, over half of the company’s revenue in 2023 will be generated from the handling of non-petroleum products, such as renewable diesel feedstocks, renewable diesel, vegetable and tropical oils, and chemicals.”

New Orleans-based IMTT will continue to own and operate its 16 other terminals across North America, including its three Louisiana terminals located along the Mississippi River in Avondale, Geismar, and St. Rose, which generate nearly 70 percent of its revenue from the handling of non-petroleum products.

For more information visit www.imtt.com

ASCO has been awarded a 2-year option to provide terminal and warehouse services for Equinor in Sandnessjøen, Norway. – “This is very gratifying and an important contract for us,” says managing director of ASCO Norway, Runar Hatletvedt.

Equinor has been an important customer for ASCO for several years, with ASCO holding the contract for the activity in Sandnessjøen since 2015. The newly awarded option comes into force on 1 July 2023 and has a duration of two years.

“The exercise of the option will secure the jobs related to Equinor’s activity at ASCO’s base in Sandnessjøen for a further two years and provides stability in a market characterised by a high rate of change and great uncertainty. This gives us peace of mind to further develop our strategies to be even better positioned for new tenders and business areas,” says Head of Strategy and Business Development in ASCO Norway, Ståle Edvardsen.

ASCO’s Sandnessjøen Base, which is located at Horvneset, employs around 30 people, and supplies the Norne and Aasta Hansteen fields for Equinor and Skarv with associated satellites for Aker BP. In addition, ASCO Base Sandnessjøen supplies other operator customers who have exploration prospects on the Nordland shelf, as well as suppliers in the petroleum industry and other customers who need logistics services.

Find out more about or operations in Norway here.

For more information visit www.ascoworld.com

bp completed its purchase of Archaea Energy Inc., a leading provider of renewable natural gas (RNG), marking a milestone in the growth of bp’s strategic bioenergy business.

“We see enormous opportunity to grow our bioenergy business by bringing Archaea fully into bp,” said Dave Lawler, chairman and president bp America. “The talent, expertise and passion of their team has let them achieve incredible growth so far, and we’re excited to support the next chapter in line with our strategy.”

In October, bp announced it had agreed to acquire Archaea, subject to regulatory and Archaea shareholder approval. Having received those approvals and with the transaction complete, Archaea expands bp’s presence in the US biogas industry, enhancing its ability to support customers’ decarbonisation goals and progressing its aim to reduce the average lifecycle carbon intensity of the
energy products it sells.

Bioenergy is one of five strategic transition growth engines that bp intends to grow rapidly through this decade. bp expects investment into its transition growth businesses to reach more than 40 percent of its total annual capital expenditure by 2025, aiming to grow this to around 50 percent by 2030.

With the close of the agreement, Archaea common shares will cease to be listed on the NYSE.

For more information visit www.bp.com

bp has announced its 134MWdc (107MWac) Arche Solar project in Fulton County, Ohio, is beginning construction, helping support the global transition to lower carbon energy. Arche is expected to create around 200 US jobs across the supply chain during construction and provide more than $30 million in revenue to benefit local schools and other public services over the life of the project.

bp has secured a power-purchase agreement (PPA) with Meta for the project, bringing together two major corporations to address greenhouse-gas emissions and support renewable-energy growth in the US. Once completed, Arche will generate enough clean energy annually to power the equivalent of more than 20,000 US homes.

bp America chairman and president Dave Lawler said: “This agreement shows how companies can create jobs, invest in the US economy, and at the same time support net zero ambitions and help the world reduce carbon emissions. It’s another example of bp partnering to accelerate change and becoming an integrated energy company – one that can help corporations, countries and cities decarbonise.”

For more information visit www.bp.com

Neptune Energy welcomes the announcement from its partner, Horisont Energi, that it has entered into an option agreement on the location of an onshore terminal for the Errai carbon capture and storage project in Norway.

The receiving terminal for intermediate onshore storage of CO2 will be located in Gismarvik on the west coast of Norway. From here, carbon would be transported through pipeline to the North Sea, where it would be injected and permanently stored in an offshore reservoir. The option agreement is with Haugaland Næringspark.

Errai is the first commercial CO2 storage project in Norway and could have a major impact on the development of the carbon market in Europe. Errai could store 4-8 million tonnes of CO2 annually, with the potential to store more in later phases.

Neptune Energy’s managing director for Norway and the UK, Odin Estensen, said: “This is an important step for the development of large-scale carbon capture and storage, and paves the way for a value chain that is crucial for reaching the climate target of net zero emissions by 2050.

“We look forward to leveraging both our oil and gas operations capabilities as well as our significant global experience from operating carbon capture and storage activities.”

The Errai project is a key contributor to Neptune’s goal of storing more carbon than is emitted from the production and use of its sold product by 2030.

The Errai partners recently submitted an application to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy for storage of CO2 in the announced area on the Norwegian continental shelf. Awards are expected to be announced during the first half of 2023.

Neptune Energy has a 40 percent owner share in the Errai project.

For more information visit www.neptuneenergy.com

Venture Global LNG and INPEX CORPORATION (INPEX) announced the execution of a long-term Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) for the purchase of one million tonnes per annum (1MTPA) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 20 years. Under the agreement, INPEX Energy Trading Singapore Pte. Ltd. (IETS), a Singapore-based subsidiary of INPEX, will purchase 1MTPA of LNG from CP2 LNG, Venture Global’s third project which is expected to commence construction in 2023. INPEX joins other CP2 LNG customers including ExxonMobil, Chevron, EnBW and New Fortress Energy.

“Venture Global is delighted to welcome INPEX, Japan’s largest gas exploration and production company, as a customer at CP2 and expand our customer base in Asia,” said Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel. “We are honoured to provide security of LNG supply to this key market and look forward to supporting INPEX as it delivers our competitive lower carbon energy to the region.”

“This agreement will enable the INPEX Group to procure LNG from the United States on a long-term basis, expand its LNG supply capacity, and diversify its supply sources to further contribute to the stable supply of energy,” said Hiroshi Kato, executive officer and senior vice president of global energy marketing at INPEX.

For more information visit www.venturegloballng.com

Technip Energies has been awarded a large contract for Project Management Consultancy (PMC) by Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).

The five-year framework agreement contract covers front-end engineering design (FEED), project management, and associated services for KOC’s major projects.

This contract represents a renewal of the first five-year framework agreement that was awarded to Technip Energies by KOC in 2014.

Charles Cessot, senior vice-president T.EN X of Technip Energies, commented: “We are delighted by the continued confidence shown by KOC with this award to support them on their major developments. This award reinforces the strong and lasting relationship we have built with KOC and reaffirms our outstanding consultancy delivery as well as our long-standing presence in Kuwait.”

A “large” award for Technip Energies is a contract award representing between €250 million and €500 million of revenue. As the framework agreement is call-off in nature, the overall value of the contract will be progressively added to order intake as it is called off by the client.

To know more about Technip Energies PMC services:

Over the years, Technip Energies has become a contractor of choice for PMC services. Our group has been successful in supporting clients’ business objectives and consistently delivering projects with outstanding safety and environmental performance that meet cost, schedule and quality targets.

For more information visit www.technipenergies.com/offering/project-management-consultancy