European natural gas rates surged to a record high last week on fears that the war in Ukraine will curb flows from top supplier Russia
The rally prompted Unipec’s traders to turn away from the lower-priced Chinese market, even as Beijing demand its importers secure more fuel
Unipec, the trading arm of China's Sinopec, signed a deal with Venture Global last year to purchase LNG from Calcasieu Pass (and the upcoming Plaquemines plant)
US LNG gives Unipec flexibility to choose between bringing it to Asia or reselling to Europe
Iran is reviving efforts to export LNG just as the world scrambles for more gas 🇮🇷
🚢 National Iranian Oil Co invited investors to submit proposals for construction of mini-LNG units
💪 Iran has the 2nd-biggest gas reserves in the world
To be sure... At least eight previous Iranian LNG export projects have stalled due to sanctions or capital constraints, including partnerships with France’s Total and Russia’s Gazprom
Sanctions stopped Iran’s previous attempts to enter the LNG market
Ninth time's a charm?
European buyers are scouring the globe for sources of gas that could replace Russian flows after the invasion of Ukraine
Will Iran become a potential supplier? International sanctions on Iran would likely be eased if a new nuclear deal is inked
🇯🇵 The Japanese government and ruling Liberal Democratic Party will move to reactivate a “trigger clause” on the gasoline tax that will allow the levy to be lowered, Yomiuri reports
🇺🇸 Several US states have taken steps to temporarily roll back their gasoline taxes, a move the Biden administration is considering backing on the federal level
The president could invoke the Defense Production Act to ease supply chain problems that are holding back crude production, by ensuring supplies of low-cost pipes, sand and other essential equipment
So far, the Biden administration has shown little enthusiasm for the move
“It would basically be providing money to oil companies to do something that they already probably have the capacity to do,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Finland started its first new nuclear reactor in more than 40 years on Saturday ☢️ 🎉
> Olkiluoto-3 opens after more than a decade of delays
> The unit cost $6.4 billion, but will help Finland reduce expensive power imports from countries like Russia
Finland imports about a fifth of its power, with flows from Russia peaking at about 15% of consumption in 2009
Swedish supplies became more prominent after a change in Russian export tariffs a decade ago
Once set to be the world’s biggest reactor, the 1,600 MW Olkiluoto-3 facility became a poster child of a nuclear industry promoting itself as a stable and clean power source
Construction began in 2005, but huge cost overruns and disputes saw the start delayed many times